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David Cheap

A Scottish seaman in his forties and the captain of the Wager. David Cheap became a sailor to escape his debts and family difficulties on land and begins The Wager as first lieutenant to Commodore George Anson. After the respective departure and death of two of the squadron’s captain’s, Cheap is promoted to captain of the Wager, where he fixates on dreams of personal heroism and glory. Cheap’s unwillingness to listen to his crew leads to shipwreck, after which Cheap attempts to lead the castaways on land using the authority of his captainship. As Cheap’s insecurity and paranoia eventually drive him to actions that spur a mutiny among his former crew, he becomes a case study for the book’s argument that official titles are no replacement for natural leadership abilities.

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John Bulkeley

The gunner of the Wager, one of its most prolific recordkeepers, and the reluctant leader of mutiny against Captain Cheap. John Bulkeley serves as one of Cheap’s two chief antagonists throughout The Wager. After working his way up from the lowest-ranking positions on a ship during more than a decade in the Navy, Bulkeley puts his natural leadership skills and ingenuity to use on Wager Island, building homes for the men and boosting their morale. He publishes A Voyage to the South Seas, a book version of his journals written during the journey of the Wager, which he coauthors with the ship’s carpenter, John Cummins.

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John Byron

A young volunteer midshipman on the Wager who was born into nobility and keeps a detailed journal of his experiences. He will eventually survive to become the grandfather of famed English poet Lord Byron. John Byron’s fascination with seafaring is unusual for a man of his station and comes from his love of reading adventure stories that emphasize the romanticism of life on the sea. Byron’s writing demonstrates the important role that stories play for seamen of his era, from giving them points of comparison for their own experiences to providing past navigation records to plot their own routes.

George Anson

Commodore of the squadron that includes the Wager, who is a strong leader and popular among many sailors. Before serving as commodore, George Anson was captain of the Centurion, where Cheap was his first lieutenant and protégé. Anson is broadly respected as a leader by men of high rank and by average crewmembers, thanks to his willingness to work side by side with his men regardless of their titles.

John Duck

A free Black seaman on the crew of the Wager who survives the shipwreck but leaves no written record behind. Unlike his white counterparts, Duck faces the constant threat of being sold into slavery if captured overseas, which finally happens once he reaches Buenos Aires.

James Mitchell

The hot-tempered, dangerous carpenter’s assistant of the Wager who leads a band of outlaws on Wager Island known as the “seceders.” James Mitchell is suspected of at least two murders during the crew’s time as castaways before he is presumed dead after an ill-fated attempt to sail to the mainland on a raft.

Henry Cozens

A midshipman on the Wager and John Byron’s closest friend among the crew. Henry Cozens is frequently drunk and disorderly, both on the ship and on Wager Island, and this behavior stokes tensions between Cheap and the other men. Cozens’s death at the hands of Cheap is an important catalyst for mutiny among the crew.

John Cummins

The carpenter of the Wager, the primary architect of the Speedwell, and Bulkeley’s credited co-author on A Voyage to the South Seas. John Cummins is the crew member who finally accuses Captain Cheap of causing the shipwreck of the Wager. He goes on to lead the mutiny with Bulkeley.

Robert Baynes

The first lieutenant and second-in-command of the Wager. Baynes lacks curiosity and courage, preferring to go along with established plans. After the shipwreck, Baynes is uninterested in leadership and hesitates to take a side in the mutiny. Bulkeley hopes to give command of the mutineers to Baynes because of his official ranking, but Baynes is too unsuited for leadership to actively rebel against Captain Cheap.

John King

The burly, violent, and bad-tempered boatswain of the Wager. A boatswain is in charge of checking and maintaining the ship and supervising the deck crew. During the journey of the Wager and the crew’s subsequent time as castaways, King often finds himself leading drunk and unruly gangs of disgruntled men. In an act of rebelliousness, he punches Captain Cheap in the face during the mutiny on Wager Island.

Richard Walter

The chaplain of the Centurion who leaves behind a detailed account of his journey, A Voyage Round the World in the Years 1740–1744 by George Anson. Walter’s book is extremely popular and serves as a piece of propaganda for the British Empire. However, Grann determines that Anson himself is the true voice behind Rev. Walter’s version of the story, which contains no religious language and references multiple incidents that Walter could not have witnessed.

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