640 WOODFS ROGERS’S NARRATIVE.

I.

NARRATIVE OF SELKIRK’S RESIDENCK ON THE
ISLAND OF JUAN FERNANDEZ,

FROM A SORUISING VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. BY CAPTAIN WoOoDKS
ROGERS. LONDON, 1712.”

On Vobruary 1, 1709, wo camo before the island of Juan Fernandez,
having had a good observation the day before, and found our latitude to
be 84° 10% south. In tho afternoon we hoisted ont our pinnace; and
Captain Dover, with the boat's crew, went in her to go ashore, though
wo could not bo less than four leagues off. As soon as tho pinnace was gone,
I wont on board the Pyehess, who admired our boat attempting going ashore
at that distance from land. It was against my inclination; but, to oblige
Captain Dover, IT let her go. As soon as it was dark wo saw a light ashore,
Onur boat was then about a league off the island, and bore away for the
ships as soon as sho saw the lights. We put our lights aboard for the boat,
thongh some were of opinion the lights we saw were our boat's lights; but,
as night eamo on, it appeared too large for that. Wo tired our quarter-dock
gun and several muskets, showing lights in our mizzon and fore-shrouds,
that our boat might find us whilst we were in the leo of the island. | About
two in the morning our boat came on board, having been two hours on board
the Duchess, that took them up astern of us. Wo were glad they got well off,
hoeanse it began to blow. Wo were all convinced the light was on the
shore, and designod to mako our ships ready to engage, believing them to be
French ships at anchor, and we must. either fight thom or want water, All
this stir and apprehonsion arose, as we afterwards found, from one poor,
naked man, who passed in our imagination, at present, for a Spanish garri-
son, a body of Frenchmen, or a crew of pirates. While woe were under these
apprehensions woe stood on the back sido of tho island, in order to fall in
with the southerly wind, till we were past the island; and then we came
back to it again, and ran close aboard the land that hegins to make the
north-east side,

Wo still continued to reason upon this matter; and if is in a manner in-
credible what strange notions many of our people entertained from tho sight
of tho fire upon tho island. It served, however, to show people’s tempers
and spirits; and woe were ablo to give a tolerable guess how our men would
behave, in case there were really any enemies upon the island, The flaws
came heavy off the shore, and wo were forced to reef our topsails when we
openod the middle bay, where we expected to have found our enemy; but
snw all clear, and no ships, nor in the other bay next the north-east end.
These two bays are all that ships ride in which recruit on this island; but