300-Year-Old Diaries Of Pirate Who Saved Real-Life Robinson Crusoe Discovered

[babylonsister]

Diaries of swashbuckling hero who rescued Robinson Crusoe unearthed

A 300-year-old journal of a British explorer who saved the real-life Robinson Crusoe and defeated pirates of the Caribbean has been discovered.


By Nick Britten
Last Updated: 3:37PM GMT 05 Jan 2009


The extremely rare account chronicles a three-year round-the world voyage of the swashbuckling privateer Capt Woodes Rogers, who made a fortune pillaging from pirate ships and Spanish galleons.

During that journey, Rogers, who was a friend of the author Daniel Defoe, even stopped off at a remote Pacific island and found castaway Alexander Selkirk, who inspired the character and book Robinson Crusoe. He said he found him "wild-looking" and wearing "goatskins", adding: "He had with him his clothes and bedding, with a firelock, some powder, bullets and tobacco, a hatchet, a knife, a kettle, a Bible and books."

Rogers, who left Britain in 1708, had been tasked with "victimising" pirates targeting his fellow British merchants.

Commanding two 36-gun ships, the Duke and the Duchess, and 333 men, he sailed the South Seas, the East Indies and the Cape of Good Hope, going about his task with great gusto.

more...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4125577/Diaries-of-swashbuckling-hero-who-rescued-Robinson-Crusoe-unearthed.html

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I love when history pops up like that. :^)

[1620rock]

2. Great story, I love Robinson Crusoe.

[ConcernedCanuk]

3. "played a major role in ridding the islands of 2,000 pirates," can he do that for the USA? - PLEASE?

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As we are becoming more increasingly aware

The "pirates" are within

always have been . . .