When we last left Marblehead castaway Phillip Ashton, the young man had successfully escaped from his pirate captors, befriended a fellow castaway who later disappeared during a violent storm and struggled to overcome the challenges of Roatan Island.
However, did Ashton eventually escape from the island?
Following the disappearance of his fellow castaway, Ashton found a “canoo” and “put off for the Island of Bonacco, an Island of about 4 or 5 Leagues long, and some 5 or 6 Leagues to the Eastward of Roatan.” While paddling about the island, he observed a sloop off in the distance. For some inexplicable reason, Ashton decided to approach the ship by land rather than water. He pulled his canoe ashore and spent the next two days making the difficult overland journey. According to the castaway, “I could go but very slowly, and sometimes the Woods and Bushes were so thick that I was forced to Crawl upon my Hands and Knees for half a Mile together.” When he arrived at his destination, he discovered the sloop and its crew were gone. Exhausted from his journey, Ashton collapsed to the ground and fell asleep.
Unfortunately, his slumber was disrupted when he was awoken by musket fire. Startled, he saw Spanish pirates rowing towards the shoreline. According to Ashton “I started up in a fright, and saw Nine … large Canooes, full of Men firing upon me. I soon turned about and ran as fost as my sore Feet would let me into the Bushes; and the Men which were Spaniards, cryed after me, ‘O Englishman, we'll give you good Quarter’ … So I made into the Woods, and they continued Firing after me, to the Number of 150 small Shot at least, many of which out off several small twigs of the Bushes along side of me as I went off. When I had got out of the reach of their Shot, into a very great Thicket, I lay close for several Hours; and perceiving they were gone by the noise of their Oars in Rowing off, I came out of my Thicket, and Travelled a Mile or two along the Water side.”
Ashton eventually paddled back to Roatan Island, where he remained for eight more months.
In June 1724, he spied a pair of long boats carefully approaching the shoreline. He “came down upon the Beech shewing my self openly to them; for their caution made me think they were no Pirates … But before I called, they, who were as full of fears as I could be, lay upon their Ors and hallooed to me, enquiring who I was, and whence I came; I told them I was an English Man, and had Runaway from the Pirates. Upon this they drew something nearer and enquired who was there besides myself; I assured them I was alone. Then I took my turn, and asked them who they were, and whence they came.”
When the sailors revealed they were English, the castaway became elated. After recounting his harrowing adventures with pirates and Spaniards, the crew brought him aboard their ship. Ashton later suggested that his rescuers may have been pirates. “They were Bad Company, and there was but little difference between them and the Pirates ... only I thought they were not now engaged in any such bad design as rendred it unlawful to Joyn with them, nor dangerous to be found in their Company … they treated me with a great deal of Civility.”
The castaway and his new friends remained on the island for an additional six to seven months hunting, fishing and making repairs to their boats. One day, as some of the crew was on shore tarring the hulls of their long boats, Ashton heard “the report of a Gun, which we thought was much louder than a Musket … This put us into a great Consternation, and we knew not what to make of it. Within a Minute or two we heard a Volley of 18 or 20 small Arms discharged upon the shoar, and heard some Guns also fired off from the shoar. Upon which we were satisfied that some Enemy, Pirates or Spaniards were attacking our People … Then they called to us, and told us they were Pirates, and not Spaniards, and we need not fear, they would give us good Quarter; supposing this would easily move us to surrender ourselves to them.”
Ashton and a few other men were able to escape and remained hidden from the pirates. Unfortunately, the other crewmen did not fare so well. They were captured, beaten and put to sea onboard a “flat” without any supplies. To his horror, the castaway later learned the raiding party was affiliated with his former captor, the pirate Edward Low.
After the pirates left the island, the flat returned. After some discussion, the crew decided to abandon Roatan Island for the mainland. Surprisingly, Ashton and another Englishman named Symonds declined the offer to join them and remained behind. As Ashton later recalled, Symonds was desperate to get to Jamaica while he longed for New England.
Three months later, two vessels appeared off the coast of Roatan Island. “The Larger Vessels came to Anchor at a great Distance off; but a Brigantine came over the Shoals . . . I plainly saw they were Englishmen, and by their Garb & Air, and number, being but three Men in the Boat, concluded they were Friends, and shewed my self openly upon the Beech before them: as soon as they saw me they stop'd rowing, and called out to me to know who I was. I told them, and enquired who they were. They let me know they were honest Men, about their Lawful Business, I then called to them to come ashoar, for there was no Body here that would hurt them. They came ashoar, and a happy meeting it was … Mr.Symonds … came up to us and became a sharer in my joy.”
To his joy, Ashton discovered the smaller of the two vessels was the Diamond of “Salem,(within two or three Miles of my Fathers House) Capt. Dove Commander, a Gentleman whom I knew. So now I had the prospect of a Direct Passage Home. I sent off to Capt.Dove, to know if he would give me a Passage home with him, and he was very ready to comply with my desire; and upon my going on Board him, besides the great Civilities he treated me with, he took me into pay; for he had lost a hand and needed me to supply his place.”
The castaway was finally going home. “We came to Sail … and thro' the good hand of GOD upon us came safe thro' the Gulf of Florida, to Salem-Harbour, where we Arrived upon Saturday-Evening, the first of May: I went the same Evening to my Father's House, where I was received, as one coming to them from the Dead, with all Imaginable Surprise of Joy.”
Later that year, Ashton's Memorial was published with the help of his minister. Some historians have suggested that the author Daniel Defoe borrowed elements of the story for his 1726 novel The Four Years Voyages of Capt. George Roberts.
Phillip Ashton remained in Marblehead for the remainder of his life. He married twice before passing away in 1746 at the age of forty-four.
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