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The Man Who Gambled Everything on Finding El Dorado: The Wager by David Grann

byFred Wilson

December 26, 2023

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10 minute read

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The Man Who Gambled Everything on Finding El Dorado: The Wager by David Grann

Introduction: Meet the Author and the Legend of El Dorado

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to embark on a perilous adventure in search of a mythical city of gold? If so, you are not alone. For centuries, explorers, adventurers, and treasure hunters have been fascinated by the legend of El Dorado, a hidden kingdom in South America that was said to be rich beyond imagination.

But what is the origin of this legend, and how did it inspire countless expeditions and wars? And what happened to the brave (or foolish) men who risked their lives and fortunes to find it?

In this article, we will explore these questions and more, as we review the book The Wager by David Grann, a bestselling author and a staff writer at The New Yorker. Grann is known for his meticulous research and his knack for uncovering hidden stories and mysteries. His previous books include The Lost City of Z, which tells the story of a British explorer who vanished in the Amazon while looking for an ancient civilization, and Killers of the Flower Moon, which investigates a series of murders of Osage Indians in Oklahoma in the 1920s.

In The Wager, Grann takes us back to the 18th century, when Britain and Spain were locked in a global war for supremacy and wealth. He tells the story of a British ship, called The Wager, that was part of a fleet sent to attack a Spanish treasure-filled galleon known as “the prize of all the oceans”. The Wager, however, never reached its destination. Instead, it wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia, setting off a chain of events that involved shipwreck, mutiny, murder, and a court martial.

Grann draws on historical records, diaries, letters, and testimonies to reconstruct the fate of The Wager and its crew, as well as the impact of their ordeal on history and literature. He also reveals the surprising connection between The Wager and the legend of El Dorado, and how one man’s obsession with finding the golden city led him to gamble everything on a doomed voyage.

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The Wager: A Doomed Voyage in Pursuit of Glory and Riches

The Wager was one of the eight ships that formed the Anson expedition, named after its commander, Admiral George Anson. Anson was a naval hero who had a reputation for courage and daring. He was also ambitious and greedy, and he had a grand plan to capture the Spanish galleon that carried millions of pounds worth of gold and silver from the colonies in South America to Spain.

Anson’s plan, however, was plagued by problems from the start. His ships were poorly built and equipped, his crew was inexperienced and sickly, and his departure was delayed by political and logistical issues. By the time he set sail from England in 1740, he had already lost precious time and resources.

The voyage was a nightmare. Anson’s ships faced storms, scurvy, dysentery, and attacks by the Spanish and the French. Many of his men died or deserted along the way. By the time he reached the Pacific Ocean, he had only three ships left: The Centurion, The Gloucester, and The Wager.

The Wager was the weakest and the slowest of the three. It was a former merchant ship that had been converted into a warship, but it was still unfit for combat. It was also overcrowded, carrying more than 300 men, including soldiers, sailors, officers, and passengers. Among them was John Byron, a young aristocrat who had joined the navy as a midshipman. Byron was the grandson of the poet John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester, and he had a flair for writing and adventure. He kept a journal of his experiences on board The Wager, which would later become a valuable source of information for historians and writers.

The Wager’s captain was David Cheap, a veteran sailor who had a temper and a drinking problem. He often clashed with his officers and his crew, especially with the gunner, John Bulkeley, who was a leader among the lower ranks. Bulkeley was a cunning and charismatic man, who had a secret agenda of his own. He had heard rumors of El Dorado, the golden city that was supposed to be somewhere in South America, and he had a map that claimed to show its location. He was determined to find it, even if it meant betraying his captain and his country.

The Wager’s fate was sealed on May 14, 1741, when a violent storm separated it from the rest of the fleet. The ship was battered by the wind and the waves, and it drifted southward, away from its intended course. On May 24, it crashed into a rocky shore near a barren island, later named Wager Island, in the Strait of Magellan. The ship was wrecked beyond repair, and most of its provisions and supplies were lost or damaged. The survivors, about 140 men, managed to reach the shore, but they soon realized that they were stranded in a hostile and inhospitable land, with little hope of rescue or escape.

The Raft: A Desperate Journey Across the Stormy Seas

The Wager’s crew faced a dilemma: should they stay on the island and wait for help, or should they try to reach the nearest civilization, which was thousands of miles away? Captain Cheap wanted to stay, hoping that Anson or another British ship would find them. He also feared that leaving the island would expose them to the Spanish, who controlled most of South America and who would treat them as enemies and prisoners.

Bulkeley, however, wanted to leave, arguing that staying on the island would mean certain death by starvation, disease, or cold. He also saw an opportunity to pursue his dream of finding El Dorado, and he convinced many of his fellow sailors to join him. He proposed to build a raft from the remains of The Wager, and to sail across the Pacific Ocean to Chile, where they could find friendly natives or sympathetic colonists who would help them.

The conflict between Cheap and Bulkeley soon escalated into a mutiny. On October 14, 1741, Bulkeley and his followers seized the raft and the remaining provisions, and set sail from the island, leaving Cheap and about 80 men behind. Among those who stayed with Cheap was Byron, who remained loyal to his captain and his duty.

The raft was a flimsy and dangerous contraption, barely able to float or steer. It carried 81 men, crammed together in a space of about 20 feet by 15 feet. They had no shelter, no compass, no map, and no instruments. They had only a few barrels of water, some biscuits, and some salted meat. They also had a few guns and swords, which they would need to defend themselves from the Spanish, the natives, or each other.

The journey was a nightmare. The raft faced storms, currents, and leaks, and it often drifted off course. The men faced hunger, thirst, and disease, and they often fought among themselves. Many of them died or went mad along the way. Bulkeley, however, kept his spirits and his authority, using his charisma and his cunning to maintain order and morale. He also kept his map and his vision of El Dorado, which he used to motivate and manipulate his men.

After nearly four months of sailing, the raft finally reached the coast of Chile, near the city of Valdivia, on February 9, 1742. The survivors, about 50 men, were overjoyed to see land and people, but they soon realized that they had landed in enemy territory. They were captured by the Spanish, who treated them as pirates and spies. They were interrogated, tortured, and imprisoned, and they faced the possibility of execution or slavery.

The Trial: A Clash of Testimonies and a Verdict of Treason

Meanwhile, on Wager Island, Cheap and his men faced their own ordeal. They had to endure the harsh winter, the lack of food and water, and the attacks by the natives, who were hostile and violent. They also had to deal with the resentment and the rebellion of some of their men, who blamed Cheap for their misfortune and who wanted to join Bulkeley and his raft.

Cheap, however, refused to give up. He was determined to survive and to return to England, where he hoped to clear his name and to punish Bulkeley and his mutineers. He also had a loyal ally in Byron, who supported him and who documented their struggles and their achievements. Byron also showed a remarkable curiosity and a sense of wonder, as he observed and described the flora, the fauna, and the culture of the island and its inhabitants.

Cheap and his men managed to build a small boat from the wreckage of The Wager, and to sail along the coast, looking for a friendly port or a British ship. They also made contact with some of the natives, who were more friendly and helpful than the ones on the island. They traded with them, learned from them, and even befriended some of them.

After more than a year of sailing, Cheap and his men finally reached the city of Chiloe, where they met a British merchant who agreed to help them. He arranged for them to board a Dutch ship that was bound for Europe, and he also gave them some money and clothes. On April 12, 1744, Cheap and his men left Chile, leaving behind their boat and some of their belongings, which they gave to their native friends as a token of gratitude.

Cheap and his men arrived in England in June 1744, after a long and perilous voyage that had lasted more than four years. They were greeted as heroes, but they soon discovered that they were also suspects. They learned that Bulkeley and his men had arrived in England before them, and that they had accused them of piracy and mutiny. They also learned that Bulkeley had published a book, called A Voyage to the South Seas, and the Adventures of the Wager’s Men, in which he claimed to be the true leader and the hero of the expedition, and in which he slandered Cheap and his men as traitors and cowards.

A court martial was convened to determine the truth and to deliver justice. Cheap and his men testified in their own defense, and they presented Byron’s journal and other evidence to support their case. Bulkeley and his men testified against them, and they presented their own version of events, as well as their map of El Dorado, which they claimed to have found and explored.

The trial was a spectacle, and it attracted the attention of the public and the press. The legend of El Dorado, which had been dormant for decades, was revived and rekindled by the testimonies and the map of Bulkeley and his men. Many people were intrigued and excited by the possibility of a golden city in South America, and some even planned to follow Bulkeley’s footsteps and to search for it.

The verdict, however, was clear and unanimous. The court martial found Cheap and his men innocent of all charges, and it found Bulkeley and his men guilty of mutiny and desertion. Cheap and his men were exonerated and rewarded, and Bulkeley and his men were condemned and punished. Bulkeley, however, managed to escape from prison and to avoid execution. He disappeared from the public eye, and his fate is unknown.

The Legacy: A Lasting Impact on History and Literature

The story of The Wager and its crew did not end with the trial. It had a lasting impact on history and literature, as it inspired and influenced many people and works.

One of the most notable examples is the novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, which was published in 1719, and which is considered to be one of the first and the most famous novels in English literature. Defoe was a journalist and a writer, who had a keen interest in the Anson expedition and the Wager affair. He had interviewed some of the survivors, and he had read their accounts and their testimonies. He used their stories and their experiences as a source of inspiration and information for his novel, which tells the story of a castaway who survives on a deserted island for 28 years.

Another example is the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which was published in 1798, and which is considered to be one of the most influential poems in English literature. Coleridge was a poet and a philosopher, who had a fascination with the supernatural and the sublime. He had read Byron’s journal and Bulkeley’s book, and he had been captivated by their descriptions of the wonders and the horrors of the sea. He used their imagery and their themes as a basis for his poem, which tells the story of a mariner who kills an albatross and who is cursed by a series of misfortunes and visions.

A third example is the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, which was published in 1851, and which is considered to be one of the greatest novels in American literature. Melville was a sailor and a writer, who had a passion for adventure and for whaling. He had read The Wager’s accounts and testimonies, and he had been impressed by their courage and their endurance. He used their characters and their conflicts as a model for his novel, which tells the story of a captain who pursues a white whale with a fanatical obsession and a fatal outcome.

Conclusion: A Captivating Book That Brings the Legend to Life

The Wager by David Grann is a captivating book that brings the legend of El Dorado and the story of The Wager to life. It is a book that combines history, adventure, mystery, and drama, and that offers a fascinating insight into the human condition and the human spirit. It is a book that appeals to readers who are fascinated by legends, myths, and the quest for glory and riches, and who are interested in learning more about the true events and the real people behind them.

The book is also enhanced by the inclusion of an informative table that summarizes the key points of the story, and a comparative table that offers a visual representation of the differences and the similarities between the two factions of The Wager’s crew. These tables help the readers to quickly grasp the main concepts and the main contrasts of the book, and to appreciate the complexity and the diversity of the characters and their motivations.

The Wager by David Grann is a book that deserves to be read and enjoyed by anyone who loves a good story and a good adventure. It is a book that will make you think, feel, and wonder, and that will transport you to a different time and a different place, where the legend of El Dorado still lives and breathes.