The Cruise of the Alerte [Paperback]

E. F. Knight (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2004

Finding that there were no suitable stones near this beach, we got in the boat again and rowed to West Bay, to see if we should have better luck there. Three islets-- as indicated in the plan of Trinidad-- lie off the east side of the Ness. We found that the narrow deep-water channel between these and the cape could be taken with safety on a fine day like this. As a rule, this channel is impracticable, for the ocean swell penetrating it produces a great commotion, the sea being dashed with violence from the cliffs on one side to those on the other, so that the entire channel presents the appearance of a boiling cauldron; and, even on this quiet day, we had to keep the boat carefully in the middle, for the waves leapt high up the rocky walls with a loud noise, which was repeated in manifold echoes by the crags above. When we were in the passage between the third islet and the shore the scene before us was most impressive.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419158260
• ISBN-13: 978-1419158261
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,772,410 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Chaps Take The Boat Out., November 14, 2002

By 

P. Guy (Sydney) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cruise of the Alerte (Paperback)

It's not my custom typically to scratch out anything more than a rudimentary summary of a book's narrative when reviewing it. However, as there are presently no other customer reviews of this title, and since the editorial review is too short, utterly unenlightening, and, frankly, reads a little like a publisher's promotional spiel, I shall indulge.

Marooned between the genres of maritime adventure and travel literature is the curious little vessel that sails under the flag THE CRUISE OF THE ALERTE. First published in 1890, it recounts the 1889 journey of the author, Edward Frederick Knight, English barrister and occasional war correspondent, and his crew of thirteen (four paid hands and nine volunteers, or 'gentleman adventurers', each having contributed to costs one hundred pounds and each wanting of any practicable maritime experience). They were to sail aboard Knight's craft, the 64ft cutter yacht ALERTE, to the little-known isle of Trinidad, a jut of volcanic rock of Brazilian dominion adrift in the Atlantic, seven hundred miles east of Rio de Janeiro.

Knight had been to Trinidad eight years previous, though by equal parts chance and curiosity. While tracking the Brazilian coast in a former craft, the FALCON, he had been forced to windward for close on a thousand miles after running before a heavy pampero. Finding himself in Trinidad's locale, and after having his interest aroused by the description of the isle in the South Atlantic Directory, he chose to land and explore. He and his crew lay at anchor for nine days, during which time several onshore excursions were made. He says of Trinidad, 'It bears all the appearance of being an accursed spot, whereupon no creatures can live, save the hideous land-crabs and foul and cruel sea-birds.' Their departure from 'one of the most uncanny and dispiriting spots on earth' was 'anything but regretful.'

At that time Knight was unawares of the treasure said to be hidden there. It was four years later, in 1885, that he learnt of the island's secret. Associates pointed out to him newspaper articles which reported the tribulations of another craft, the AUREA, whose crew had sailed for the island munitioned with the tools and supplies deemed appropriate for the recovery of treasure. The AUREA attempt was an abject disaster, however. After 14 days ashore the digging party, dehydrated and exhausted, had to be carried aboard the ship. Fever struck the weakened men and two died. No treasure was found.

Knight looked into matters. He learnt that the catalyst for the voyage of the AUREA was the valediction of a dying seaman in which indicated was the whereabouts of 'an immense treasure...consisting principally of gold and silver plate...the plunder of Peruvian churches which certain pirates had concealed there in the year 1821...much of this plate being from the cathedral of Lima, having been carried away from there during the war of independence.' The seaman also produced a map, scrawled on a rip of tarpaulin, that showed the location of the treasure: 'under the mountain known as the Sugarloaf.'

Knight researched the seaman's story and found the details to be consistent with records concerning the movements of the peoples and factions of Peru at that time. He readied the ALERTE and assembled the crew. On the thirtieth day of August in the year 1889 he weighed anchor and sailed from Southampton.

Weighing in at a little over two hundred pages, this is clearly no dense tome borne of the mind of the philosopher-as-traveller. Rather, it is an observational account deeply rooted in logic, one which spurns fanciful musings and literary gimmickry. The prose is a fairly typical product of the time; upright and watertight.

The overzealous curricula of the School of Political Correctness still a century or so off, Knight is free to charge his assertions in any manner he sees fit: 'The ragged sea urchins of Santa Cruz are as like each other as so many John Chinamen,' and, 'He was too thorough a Brazilian to express much surprise at anything, or to rouse himself from the almost Oriental apathy of manner that distinguishes this somewhat indolent race.'

The paying crew, cracking English chaps to the man, appear to derive greatest pleasure from firing up the old pipe after any sort of physical exertion: 'Having attained the summit of the island the doctor and myself took a rest under the shade of the tree-ferns, while we partook of a frugal lunch of biscuits and rum, the indispensable pipes, of course, following.' I'd suggest that the flask was as indispensable as the pipe, for tots from it accompanied not only most meals but appeared to fortify one's constitution before, during, and after tasks of any toil. In fact, were it not for rum, I'm certain that the ALERTE would have cruised no further than the Southampton dock ends.

While the paying crew are, of course, individuals of infrangible moral fibre, the paid hands are at best cretinous loafers. Occasionally it is necessary for Knight to spur them into action with a spot of gentlemanly coercion: 'He had done this on two previous occasions, also when under the influence of smuggled spirits, and had quickly been brought to his senses and to his work by having his head punched.'

I don't mean to imply that the individuals who character this voyage are in any way mean-spirited or beastly - they are not. The bulk of affairs are seen through with good cheer and an adventurer's camaraderie. There is humour even to be unearthed in THE CRUISE OF THE ALERTE (the monkey, Jacko, warrants particular mention here). Indeed, in light of today's multinational-sponsored, helicopter-flying media savvy adventurers, one can't help but lament for days gone past and the refreshingly unambiguous fellows who inhabited them.

***1/2 stars