THE

REMARKABLE HISTORY

OF

ALEXANDER SELKIRK

From the voyage of Captain Woodes Rogers to the South Seas and round the World.

* * * * *

On February 1st, 1709, we came before that island,[1] having had a good observation the day before, and found our latitude to be 34 degrees 10 minutes south.  In the afternoon, we hoisted out our pinnace; and Captain Dover, with the boat’s crew, went in her to go ashore, though we could not be less that four leagues off.  As soon as the pinnace was gone, I went on board the Duchess, who admired our boat attempting going ashore at that distance from land.  It was against my inclination:  but, to oblige Captain Dover, I let her go:  As soon as it was dark, we saw a light ashore.  Our boat was then about a league off the island, and bore away for the ship as soon as she saw the lights:  We put our lights aboard for the boat, though some were of opinion, the lights we saw were our boat’s lights:  But, as night came on, it appeared too large for that:  We fired our quarter-deck gun, and several muskets, showing lights in our mizen and fore-shrouds, that our boat might find us whilst we were in the lee of the island:  About two in the morning our boat came on board, having been two hours on board the Duchess, that took them up astern of us; we were glad they got well off, because it began to blow.  We were all convinces the light was on the shore, and designed to make our ships ready to engage, believing them to be French ships at anchor, and we must either fight them, or want water.  All this stir and apprehension arose, as we afterwards found, from one poor naked man, who passed in our imagination, at present, for a Spanish garrison, a body of Frenchmen, or a crew of pirates.  While we were under these apprehensions, we stood on the backside of the island, in order to fall in with the southerly wind, till we were past the island; and then we came back to it again, and ran close aboard the land that begins to make the north-east side.

[Footnote 1:  Juan Fernandez.]

We still continued to reason upon this matter; and it is in a manner incredible, what strange notions many of our people entertained from the sight of the fire upon the island.  It served, however, to show people’s tempers and spirits; and we were able to give a tolerable guess how our men would behave, in case there really were any enemies upon the island.  The flaws came heavy off the shore, and we were forced to reef our topsails when we opened the middle bay, where we expected to have found our enemy; but saw all clear, & no ships, nor in the other bay next the north-east end.  These two bays are all that ships ride in, which recruit on this island; but the middle bay is by much the best.  We guessed there had been ships there, but that they were gone on sight