Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-03-04
&amantit Adrentntes.
GENUINE CRUSOES.

To be monarch Of all one surveys, and ones own
builder, carpenter and Jack -of.altrades to boot,
seems an agreeable sort of thing set forth in the
great masterpiece of realistic fiction, where genius
lends enchantment to the view; but Crusoeing in
reality is both physically unpleasant and mentally
unproftable, even where the voluntary or involun-
tary experimenter can
Crest in golden grove and bask In Summer sky''
in some virgin paradise seemingly formed by nature
in an extravagantly luxurious mood
Such paradise is Juan Fernandez, the very
headquarters of fCrusoedom, famous as the scene Of
Alexander Selkirks verse-glorifed solitary life.
Not that Selkirk was the only man who tried the
experiment there; nor was he the first either
Eighty years before he took up his abode upon the
beautiful island, three gunners and three soldiers
belonging to De Wits feet were left there at their
own request but how long they staid, or what was
their fate is utterly unknown. When Dampier
visited the place in 1851, his pilot told him that
many years before, ship had been cast away upon
the island, and only one man saved, who lived
alone there for five years. The buccanier captain
little thought he should supply Juan Fernandez
with another such tenant, but he did so; and this
is how it came about. The unexpected approach
of some Spanish men-of.war, bent upon upsetting
the bold Engishman calculations, compelled Dam
pier to depart in such haste, that William a Mos
quito Indian then busy hunting goats, was lett be-
hind. The Spaniards landed and finding tokens
of his presence, tried hard to come to closer &C.
quaintanceship, but the Indian took good care to
avoid such an undesirable meeting. Not that they
could have robbed him of much except his life,
since his entire belongings consisted of his clothes,
knife, a gun, few shot and small horn tpow-
der. His ammunition was quickly expended, so
that he had to content himself with seal-hsh when
be wanted meal. Not liking such a limited diet
ary, he converted his knife into saw, with which
he divided his gun-barre into several pieces. With
one of these aud his gun-aint, he kindled hre,
and by dint of beating, hammering and saving,
made the rest into lance-heads, 6sh-hooks, and q
long knife. Lines he manufactured out Of seal
skin, and with this armory managed to vary his
food by the addition of fish, fowl and goat-fesh.
Clothing did not trouble him much, piece OF seal
skin around his waist satisfying his requirements
that way the same material serving to line ILLS
hut and form his bed For three years, two months
and eleven days, the Indian lived in this fashion,
with no ntruders on his privacy, when his old cap,
tain coming again to the island, took him on board
Three years afterwards, Davis, another buccanel
paid visit to Juan Fernandez. Five ofhis crew,
having gambled away their share of plunder, and
being 10th to return home without something tc
show for the dangers they had encountered, resolv
ed to stay where they were, on the chance OF be-
ing able to ioin some other adventurer; and foul
negro boys we're left with them This party were
pretty we'll provided, Davis giving them sat-pan
porridge-pot, ropes, TOOLS muskets, powder, shot
and small cannon. They divided the island into
districts, and lived pretty amicaby together, hav
ing no lack of supplies for their table, to say moth
ing of tunip.top for vegetables, and goats mils
with which to temper their water. They were no
quite unmolested The Spaniards made two at
tempts to clean them out, but failed gnominiously
reyenging their defeats by dropping in every nov
and then, and harrassng them, until, heartily tiree
of their life of independence they we're taken OF
the island By the Farewell, in 1890.
Dampier's consort, the Cinque Ports, command
ed by Stradling, put in at Juan Fernandez in Au
gust 17O4 Of this ship, Alexander Selklrk wa:
master. He and his captain were not upon gooe
terms, and Selkirk resolved to stay upon the island
His resolution wavered when he saw the ship abou
to leave, but Stradling was deaf to his entreatle!
to be taken on board again; fortunate thing fol
the Scotchman, as he thereby escaped falling init
the hands of the Spaniards as his late comrade:
did, and experiencing the by no means tender treat
ment they accorded to buccaneers. Ungifted witt
proyision, Sekirk, however, thought himself the
most miserable of men, sitting day after day with
his wistful eyes turned sea-ward, until darkness
forced him to his lonely bed to toss uneasy to tn
melancholy music of the bowling sea-lons on thu
beach. In this moody fit he was nearly bringing
his adventure to speedy and suicidal end and
took eight months to reconcile HIM to MS solltal!
life. Yet he was not, all things considered, ii
such very bad plight. lie had good stock o
clothes, tolerabe supply of boots, musket ant
ammunition, kettle, few pounds of tobacco,
Bible and other books, and his mathematical in
struments There was plenty Of good water to b