The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-09

From the Kansas City star.
VIEW people go to Robinson crusoes $
p island nowadays-s50 miles out in
j the Pacific It, stands with tall peaks
pointing toward tho skies. and the trail
| ing smoke of steamers is almost as rare
sight as the white fash of sails In earlier
laavs Among it's oraggy cliffs wild goats
still leap with unbelievable abandon ana
surefooted recklessness, and Few men
of various oceeds and colors, tossed up
from sundry portions of the earth' ieau
|uneventfu lives, fishing and farming. a
few wears ago there was report that the
island had sunk into the Pacific in conse-
auence of an earthquake. and so 1ar Is
Juan Fernandez from the beaten path
that it was months before anyone took
the trouble 10 find cut the story was not
true.
Now, Just as this island of romance is
real there was a real Robinson Crusoe
who lived there by himself-not eight and
twenty years, as thp story has 1t, but
four years and 1olr months. HIS name
was Alexander Selkirk. and he was a
scotchman and mariner and bit OF
pirate as we'll. Leaving home at ~ re
cruised the Spanish Main and struck ac-
ouaintance with william Dampier, buc-
cancer of note, on one of whose snlps
he shipped rs sailing master in 1903. -
Now Selkirlx was turbulent and will
fu1 man. and the captain of his vessel,
man named stradling, CALLED him bitter
|ly. Just what the causes of that long
|forgotten quarrel may have been, nobody
knows, but the story goes that when the
cinoue Ports touched at the Island of
Juan Fernandez, Selkirk went to Stradling
and said that he would rather go ashore
and await FOR the slender chance OF being
ricked up by some strageling English vss-
sci than continue further Stradling
greed with the greatest willingness. Two
members of the Cirque Ports crew had
spent six months upon the island, and had
found living easy enough; their story
doubtless Influenced the scotchman And
1t may be, 100, as other tellers Of the tale
aver, that 1t was 'Hobson's choice"-Sei-
kirk could either be marooned or put to
Death
At any rate, be was put ashore. and as
the boat pulled away q horror of loneli-
ness overcame him and he begged to be
taken back They laughed at him and
pulled out through the surf. Seikirk might
change his mind; Stradlins did not
And then began eight months of deep
dismay, when melancholy sursed upon
him like tide; when the black clouds
llightened. only to grow more dark, and
memories of small, forgotten things came
floating bacllpthe breath of heather fresh
ened by soft rains, the laughter of girls
in the dusk, the tolling of old church bells
these things clutched him by the throat
ana brought tears to his eyes that mad
looked unmoved on slaughter and rapine.
There is a tall, tall peak. still pointed
out to the iiifrequent traveller. where Sell
kirk used to climb and sit long hours
looking out TO sea, peering into the gray
green distance for g. sail. Sometimes he
saw one. far. far cut to sea, watched it
draw nearer. saw it fade away Twice
there came Spanish ships to Juan Fernan-
dez. and both times Sclkirk fed rather
than trust himself to the rash mercy of
the Dons-better to die here alone than
| in the mines.
| He had some bedding with him and q
knife, hatchet. a firelock. some powder
1t was gone In few weeks-a hatchet and
a Bible. And the island was alive with
goats These he shot at first: after his
powder was gone nc depended upon run
Mig them down, and he told his res
cuers how once he fell with goat
through . fringe OF bushes from q cliff.
and revived at last, stunned and faint, the
goat lying dead under him. And for day
and night he could not move; then made