LIVING HISTORY
10
wealthy 33-year-old merchant who hired the ship, had as
much say as the captain, Joseph Kirle. Should everyone swim
for land" 7Ke mariners couldn·t see tKe sKore but it Kad to be
there, somewhere beyond the thunderous crash of seas. Or
was it safer to squeeze out every last second inside the cracking
scKooner until sKe broNe aSart comSletel\" 7Ke\ decided
to stay put, and as hours passed, the tide slowly lowered and
water drained out of the ship.
'a\ligKt brougKt subsiding winds. 7Ke boat was on tKe
beacK. 7Kat migKt KaYe been cause for celebration but
eYer\one was eSecting tKe natiYes to soon Ànd tKem. $nd
it wasn’t long before bands of nearly naked Indians arrived,
bearing Spanish knives and grabbing them by their heads.
For an agonizing span of time, the castaways awaited a chieftain’s
decision regarding decapitation. He seemed to be debating
whether his captives were English or Spanish. Except
for one mariner, Solomon Cresson, none of the castaways
spoke more than a few phrases of Spanish. Yet, as a ruse to
gain favor and stay alive, all claimed allegiance to Spain. All
except for Robert Barrow.
THE CELEBRITY ANGLE
Shipwreck and capture were only the opening scenes of an
epic struggle that would stretch out over months, when some
would not survive. Dickinson’s book came out three years
later in . 8nliNe tKe Àctional account of Robinson Crusoe,
which wouldn’t be published for 20 more years, God’s Protecting
Providence was chock-full of real-life action. Nevertheless, >>
The Journal includes a list of everyone onboard the Reformation when it
wrecked on the Treasure Coast.
RICK CRARY
Copies of Dickinson’s Journal, also know as God’s Protecting Providence, are on display at the Elliott Museum in Stuart.