The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
The H.M.S Wager was ship that was sailing around South America in the 1700s. It ran into trouble and eventually was run aground. Then trouble started. Order started to break down among the sailors. There were questions as to whether the leadership still applied since the would no longer be paid while aground. The acting captain, David Cheap killed one man in anger. Much of the other group decided to mutiny. They managed to fix things up and get back home. They were under provisioned, and dropped people off on the way. Only a small few made it back. They expected those left behind to die. However, Cheap and a few others managed to survive. They met some Natives and some Spanish and eventually made it back home. There was a trial regarding the events. With a murder and mutiny, there was a possibility for the death penalty all around. However, that did not occur. Britain was concerned with other wars and other events. Afterwards, Cheap was able to sail again, and captured a treasure-laden Spanish ship, making him rich. The book presents the story of the shipwreck and mutiny in the context of the day. Things are complicated. Different groups tried to tell their own stories, but got "caught" when others appeared.
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