In August 1889 English barrister and writer E. F. Knight
left England in his cutter Alerte bound for the uninhabited island of
Trinidad off the coast of Brazil. He was on a hunt for pirate treasure.
The existence of the treasure was well documented, according
to Knight. A dying seaman had given a map to his captain.
There was an immense treasure buried, consisting
principally of gold and silver plate, the plunder of Peruvian churches
which certain pirates had concealed there in the year 1821. … He further
stated that he was the only survivor of the pirates, as all the others had
been captured by the Spaniards and executed in Cuba some years before…
The Alerte itself was an old but able craft, 64 feet
long, with a 14.5 foot beam, built in 1864 of seasoned teak. As for crew and
bankroll, Knight solved both problems in a single step: he advertised for
volunteers who would pay their own way, work as sailors, and receive a share
of the profits. His single ad drew 150 volunteers. He chose nine of these
"gentlemen adventurers." None of them had any practical knowledge
of the sea.
Several months later they reached the island. They went
ashore, climbed the peak at the center of the little island, and quickly
realized that the land conformed to the pirate's map.
The Cruise of the Alerte is a classic true-life
treasure hunt.
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