One on one with yourself: strange adventures of a sailor (7 photos)

There are many stories about people who survived the crash and subsequent loneliness. Books were subsequently written and films were made based on them. But the adventures of this man will be more interesting and scarier than any adapted story.





Philip Ashton was an ordinary fisherman and lived in Nova Scotia, a province in Canada. And in 1722 he went to sea as part of the crew of the ship “Milton”. In a Canadian port, they encountered a boat containing the people of Edward Lowe, a pirate famous for his bestial cruelty and sadistic tendencies.



Pirate Edward Lowe

The pirates drew their weapons and demanded that the schooner be surrendered. Several people from the team agreed to join their ranks under threat of death. Others refused, but people understood that it was only a matter of time. The damp hold, hunger, shackles and regular beatings will break the spirit of any daredevil.

Philip was forced to take the oath to serve the pirate brotherhood, since the sailor had no other choice. And over the next months, the guy regularly followed the instructions of his new “colleagues,” participating in attacks, robberies, and all that entailed. The prospect did not please him: on the one hand, cruel pirates, on the other, the threat of execution by the authorities if caught at the scene of another crime.





Therefore, when in the spring of 1723 they landed on the island of Roatan (Honduras) to replenish fresh water supplies, Ashton did not think long. He carefully walked away from the group, and then ran with all his might into the forest. His comrades tried to find him. But they weren’t particularly zealous in their efforts. Firstly, the guy was quite problematic and unpredictable. Secondly, he still wouldn’t get away from the uninhabited island: if he didn’t run into a poisonous snake, he would die of hunger. The team set sail.

Hello, complicated life



And the sailor experienced first-hand all the delights of lonely life on an island without weapons, supplies or tools. Ashton's food consisted of fruits and turtle eggs. Not a particularly rich diet, but the guy had enough.

But dangers lurked at every step. It was impossible to relax even for a minute, because the island was uninhabited only in terms of people. But there were snakes, lizards and boars in abundance. Once, a fisherman was even attacked by a shark in shallow water and only miraculously escaped. But the most terrible thing was a small thing - a midge that did not give life either day or night, itched, bit, got into the eyes, nose and ears.

The sailor understood that despondency was tantamount to death. And luck did not smile on him, but at least it turned in his direction and looked favorably. Another inhabitant has appeared on the island. Even two: a boat with a British man, accompanied by a dog, moored to the shore. He fled from the Spaniards and planned to stay on the island forever.

It didn’t work out forever: the new resident went hunting and disappeared. Ashton was very upset, but his zero reserves were replenished with some provisions, tobacco, and tools. The most important treasure was the knife.

Unexpected Rescue



The guy lived on the island for a year and a half. And quite unexpectedly, two boats with people landed on the shore. Ashton watched them from the side. What if there are pirates? Then he will definitely be finished.

But judging by how cautious the newcomers themselves were, they were also afraid of something. And they were scared out of their wits when an overgrown, skinny ragamuffin looking like a ghost appeared before them. The men managed to escape from the ship, which was captured by the Spaniards. Two of them remained with Philip, the rest sailed in search of another refuge.



And then luck deigned to show the unfortunate man his smile, deciding that he had enough trials. And not even a ship, but a whole fleet moored to the shore of the island. The English merchants took the delighted prisoners. And the captain of one of the brigs turned out to be Philip’s fellow countryman and brought the fisherman home.

Almost three years later. The sailor wrote a book about his misadventures called “The Philip Ashton Memorial: A Story of Strange Adventures and Miraculous Rescue.” For a long time it was considered a work of fiction, because several years earlier Daniel Defoe’s famous novel “Robinson Crusoe” was published. And the topic was, as they say, trendy.



Gregory Flemming and the book “The Philip Ashton Memorial: A Story of Strange Adventures and Miraculous Rescue”

Already today, journalist Gregory Flemming has become interested in history. After conducting an investigation, carefully studying archives, newspaper files, ship logs and other documents, he made a clear conclusion: Ashton’s story is the true truth. And he really spent almost three years of his life in a mode of dangerous adventures, from which he managed to extricate himself with honor.