# The Narrator — The Cruise of the Alerte character guide > The Narrator in The Cruise of the Alerte by E. F. Knight. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Unknown, I, me, my, mine, myself, we, us, our, ours, ourselves **First appearance:** 0000-i-the-history-of-the-treasure ## Snapshot The first-person chronicler of the Alerte, equal parts practical seaman and credulous romantic, who turns a dying sailor's tarpaulin map into a real voyage. ## Who they are He is the expedition's originator and chief worrier: he purchases the Alerte, converts her to a yawl, fits a condenser, and hand-picks his crew from a crowd of eager applicants. His tension is between careful seamanship and the gambler's itch that a scrap of tarpaulin might be true. Because he narrates every gale, ration, and shovelful of sand, his skepticism and hope become the reader's own. ## In the story ### [The History of the Treasure](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/i-the-history-of-the-treasure) The author and organizer of the Alerte expedition; he investigates the treasure story and decides to mount his own search. ### [II: The Alerte Is Fitted Out](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/ii-the-alerte-is-fitted-out) Organizes the expedition, interviews Mr. A⸺, purchases and fits out the Alerte, and selects the crew. ### [IV: A Romance of the Salvages](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/iv-a-romance-of-the-salvages) Receives numerous letters about treasure schemes and decides to investigate the Salvages after hearing the story from a retired naval officer. ### [Our First Voyage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/v-our-first-voyage) The narrator organizes the expedition, deals with last-minute crew changes, and leads the voyage to the Salvages. ### [On the Salvages](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/vi-on-the-salvages) Leads the exploration and decision-making on the Salvages. ### [VIII: Bahia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/viii-bahia) Reflects on treasure security, navigates Bahia's bureaucracy, and reorganizes the crew after the mates leave. ### [IX: Treasure Island at Last](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/ix-treasure-island-at-last) Leads the expedition, describes the island's dangers, and plans the overland survey. ### [The Summit of Trinidad](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/x-the-summit-of-trinidad) Leads the exploration, describes the landing and ascent, and reflects on the island's dangers and mysteries. ### [On the Road to Treasure Bay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/xi-on-the-road-to-treasure-bay) Leads the expedition, relying on memories from nine years prior to navigate the island's dangerous slopes and ravines. ### [We Explore the Ravine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/xii-we-explore-the-ravine) Leads the exploration of the ravine, reflects on the treasure site, and discovers the river. ### [A Narrow Escape](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/xiii-a-narrow-escape) Leads the expedition, takes responsibility for the near-wreck, and orchestrates the rescue of himself and the doctor. ### [XIV: We Land the Stores in the Bay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/xiv-we-land-the-stores-in-the-bay) Decides to risk landing the stores, leads the landing party, and returns to the yacht after establishing camp. ### [Our Camp](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/xv-our-camp) Spends a fortnight on shore but mostly remains on the yacht; describes camp and operations. ### [Discoveries in Southwest Bay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/xvi-discoveries-in-southwest-bay) Decides to join the shore party, makes an expedition to the north end, and communicates with the camp. ### [Pick and Shovel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/xvii-pick-and-shovel) Describes the digging operations, camp routine, and exploration of the island. ### [XVIII: A Voyage to Market](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/xviii-a-voyage-to-market) Commands the voyage to Bahia for oatmeal, handles crew discipline, and interacts with authorities. ### [XIX: Hove To](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/xix-hove-to) Describes the harrowing experience of being hove to, the daily attempts to communicate with shore, and the relief when the whaleboat finally launches. ### [The Adventures of the Shore-Party](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/xx-the-adventures-of-the-shore-party) Describes the shore party's experiences and recounts Mr. Pursell's narrative. ### [XXI: We Abandon the Search](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/xxi-we-abandon-the-search) Returns to the island after 48 days, surveys the abandoned camp, and makes the final decision to abandon the search. ### [Homeward Bound](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/chapters/xxii-homeward-bound) Decides to lay up the Alerte in Port of Spain and reflects on the treasure hunt's outcome. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/characters/narrator - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cruise_of_the_alerte_se/characters