524 THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

 

He occasionally amused himself by: cutting upon the trees his name, and’ the date
when he was left on the island, and at times added to the first the period of his con-
“tinuance; so averse is man to be utterly forgotten by his species. Perishable as the
material was upon which he wrought, still the idea was pleasing to his lonely mind,
that, when he should have terminated his solitary life, some future navigator would
learn from these rude memorials, that Alexander Selkirk had lived and died upon the
island. He had no materials for writing, wherewith to trace a.more ample record.
Upon Lord’ Anson’s arrival, however, at Juan Fernandez, in the year 1741, there was
not, so far as his researches went, one of these names or dates to be discovered.

Abbé Raynal is not correct when he says, that Selkirk lost the use of speech while.
upon the island. All that Cook asserts is, that, at his first coming on board, he spoke
his words as it were by halves, from want of practice; while he states distinctly, that
he carried on conversation from the first, and that this hesitating manner gradually
wore off.

As to his clothing, it was very rude. Shoes he had none, as they were soon worn out.
This gave him very little concern, and he never troubled himself in contriving any sub-
stitute to supply their place. As his other clothes decayed, he dried the skins of the
goats he had killed to convert into garments, sewing them withslender thongs of leather,
which he cut for the purpose, and using a sharp nail for a needle, In this way he
made for himself .a cap, jacket, and short breeches, The hair being retained upon the
skin gave him a very uncouth appearance: but in this dress he ran through the under-
wood, and received as little injury as the animal he pursued. Having linen cloth with
him, he made it into shirts, sewing them by means of his nail and the threads of his
worsted stockings, which he untwisted for that purpose. Thus rudely equipped, he
thought his wants sufficiently supplied, fashion having no longer any empire over him.
His goats and cats being his sole companions, he was at least neighbour-like, and looked
as wild as they; his beard was of great length, as it had been untouched since he left
the ship. Still his mind was at ease, and he danced and sang amongst his dumb com-
panions for hours together; perhaps as happy a man, nay, happier, than the gayest
ball room could have presented in the most civilized country upon earth.

One day, in his ramble along the beach, he found a few iron hoops, which had been
left by some vessel as unworthy to be taken away. This was to him a discovery that
imparted more joy than if he had found a treasure of gold and silver; for with them
he made knives when his own was worn out, and, bad as they were, they stood him in
great stead. h }

Alexander Selkirk, at different times during his stay, saw vessels pass the island ;
but only two ever came to anchor. At these times he concealed himself; but being
anxious on the one occasion to learn whether the ship was French or Spanish, he
approached too near, and was perceived. A pursuit immediately commenced, and
several shots were fired in the direction in which he fled; but fortunately none of them
took effect, and he got up into a tree unobserved. His pursuers stopped near it, and
killed several of his goats, but the vessel soon left the island. Cook says, ‘‘ The prize
being so inconsiderable, it is likely they thought it not worth while to be at great
trouble to find it.” Had they been French, Alexander would have given himself up

"to them; but, being Spaniards, he chose rather to stay upon the island, and run the
risk of dying alone, and even of being devoured by his own cats, than fall into their
hands, as they. would either have murdered him in cold blood, or caused him to linger
out a life of misery in the mines of Peru or Mexico, unless he chose to profess him-
self a Roman Catholic, and even then he would have been compelled to pass his weary
days in one of their coasting vessels. in the Pacific Ocean; for, as we have already
mentioned, it was one of their maxims never to allow an Englishman to return to |
Europe, who had gained any knowledge of the South Seas. '

This adventure made him resolve to use more caution in future: never a day passed