Editing Alexander Selkirk (section)

===Life on the island===
At first, Selkirk remained along the shoreline of Más a Tierra. During this time, he ate [[spiny lobster]]s and scanned the ocean daily for rescue, suffering all the while from loneliness, misery, and remorse. Hordes of raucous [[Mirounga leonina|sea lions]], gathering on the beach for the mating season, eventually drove him to the island's interior.{{sfnp|Steele|1713|p=169–171}} Once inland, his way of life took a turn for the better. More foods were available there: [[feral goat]]s—introduced by earlier sailors—provided him with meat and milk, while wild [[turnip]]s, the leaves of the indigenous [[Sonchus brassicifolius|cabbage tree]] and dried ''[[Schinus]]'' fruits ([[pink peppercorn]]s) offered him variety and spice. [[Rat]]s would attack him at night, but he was able to sleep soundly and in safety by domesticating and living near [[feral cat]]s.{{sfnp|Rogers|1712|pp=127–128}}

[[File:Selkirk reading his Bible.png|thumb|right|alt=Engraving of Selkirk sitting in the doorway of a hut reading a Bible|Selkirk reading his Bible in one of two huts he built on a mountainside]]
Selkirk proved resourceful in using materials that he found on the island: he forged a new knife out of [[barrel]] hoops left on the beach;{{sfnp|Rogers|1712|p=128}} built two huts out of [[Schinus molle|pepper]] trees, one of which he used for cooking and the other for sleeping; and employed his musket to hunt goats and his knife to clean their carcasses. As his gunpowder dwindled, he had to chase prey on foot. During one such chase, he was badly injured when he tumbled from a cliff, lying helpless and unable to move for about a day. His prey had cushioned his fall, probably sparing him a broken back.{{sfnp|Rogers|1712|pp=126–127}}

Childhood lessons learned from his father, a tanner, now served him well. For example, when his clothes wore out, he made new ones from hair-covered goatskins using a nail for sewing. As his shoes became unusable, he did not need to replace them, since his toughened, calloused feet made protection unnecessary.{{sfnp|Rogers|1712|p=128}} He sang [[Psalms#The Psalms in Christian worship|psalms]] and read from the Bible, finding it a comfort in his situation and a prop for his English.{{sfnp|Rogers|1712|p=126}}

During his sojourn on the island, two vessels came to anchor. Unfortunately for Selkirk, both were Spanish. Being British and a privateer, he would have faced a grim fate if captured and therefore did his best to hide. Once, he was spotted and chased by a group of Spanish sailors from one of the ships. His pursuers urinated beneath the tree in which he was hiding but failed to notice him. The would-be captors then gave up and sailed away.{{sfnp|Rogers|1712|p=125}}