Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe was first published in 1719. This instructive and exciting piece is still relevant to this day. However, few people know that the novel is based on the real story of the boatswain Alexander Selkirk.
Alexander Selkirk had a bad character. Unlike Robinson Crusoe, he was not a victim of a shipwreck. After another scandal between Selkirk and the captain of the pirate ship "Sank Por", the rebellious boatswain was left ashore. Yes, and Alexander himself was not against this, because in the midst of the dispute, he stated that the ship was in urgent need of repair, and he did not intend to expose his life to unjustified risk.
The captain of the ship, William Dampier, gave the order to leave the brawler on the island of Mas a Tierra, where the crew replenished their supply of drinking water.
Alexander Selkirk was even glad that he was free. He knew that ships were constantly mooring to this island for fresh water, so he never doubted that he would be taken on board very soon. If the wayward boatswain knew at that time that he would have to spend here alone for 52 months, he probably would have behaved more circumspectly.
The ships did dock on the island many times, but these were Spanish galleys, from which Selkirk was forced to hide. In those years, England and Spain were at enmity, and the boatswain did not want to be aboard an enemy ship.
An English ship landed on the island many years later. After his release, Selkirk became simply a legendary figure in his homeland. True, the character of the scandalous boatswain has changed a lot. During his stay on a desert island, he read the Bible, which he took with him.
Soon, Alexander Selkirk again became a pirate and died in 1721. He was 45 years old. According to tradition, sailors were buried at sea. The body of the legendary boatswain was buried near the coast of West Africa.
In 1966, the Chilean authorities renamed Mas a Tierra Robinson Crusoe Island. A neighboring island was named after Alexander Selkirk, on which he hardly ever visited.
