Alexander Selkirk was not a very easy man to get along with. In Scotland, where he was born, he upset a lot of people and did some pretty nasty things. It got to the stage where he had two choices: stay at home and get put in jail, or run away to sea. He was only 24. He joined a pirate ship, the Cinque Ports, and travelled around the world.  In October 1704 the boat stopped at an uninhabited island off the coast of South America, to take on food, fresh water and stores of wood for repairs. Selkirk moaned that the boat was not fit to carry on, as there were loads of holes that made it leak. He said he would not sail on it any more, and tried to get other sailors to follow his plan and stay behind with him. Nobody did. The captain was fed up. “If you don’t want to come with us, stay here then!” he roared, and set sail, leaving Selkirk alone on the beach.

As the boat sailed away into the distance Selkirk changed his mind. He ran up and down on the beach, shouting that he was sorry, and begging for the boat  to come back, but it was hopeless. The boat had left, and he was on his own (it turned out to be a good move by Selkirk, as within a month the boat sank and most of the men sank with it!).

They had left him with just his gun, some gunpowder, his tools, a knife, clothes and food for just two or three days. He swore crossly, reproaching himself as a fool, and moped about on the beach. He stayed close to the shore, living on shellfish, and hoped for a ship to come by, but he was driven off by an angry pack of seals. Roaming inland he found fresh water for his parched throat, and food in the form of some beans and turnips. He hunted goats, shooting them with his gun and roasting them on a fire.  The goats also gave him milk to drink.

At first it was hard for him to sleep at night, as rats ran over him and bit him, but he was clever. He trained wild cats so they felt at home with him, and they slept close to him, keeping the rats away. He trained goats as well, and enjoyed singing to his animal pals as they sat around him! Selkirk was a skilful craftsman too. He cut down branches of trees and made himself a hut to live in. He made clothes and a coat from the skins of goats. Soon he had no need of shoes, as the soles of his feet had become so thick and hard. He coped well on his own.                                                   

He was soon very fit, so when his gunpowder ran out he hunted on foot. One time, chasing a goat, he ran off the edge of a cliff! Luckily he landed on top of the goat so no bones were broken, but he lay there senseless for a whole day. He kept a count of the goats he killed – 500!

He spent a lot of time sitting on a hilltop and looking out to sea, waiting for a boat to come. One day he looked out to see sails near the shore. At last, the moment he had hoped for! But when he ran down to approach the boat, he saw a Spanish flag. The Spanish had no love for the Scots. They shot at Selkirk, aiming to kill, but he tore off into the bushes and hid. After two days the boat left and he was alone again.

Then, on February 2^nd 1709 a British boat landed by the shore. He was saved! After four years alone on his island he could go home again.

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One day you may read the book Robinson Crusoe, or see the series on TV.  It’s about a man who spends a long time living alone on an island.  We’re pretty sure that Alexander Selkirk is the model for the man in that book.