TRAGEDIES OF THE SEA.

NZ Truth, Issue 127, 23 November 1907, Page 8

TRAGEDIES OF THE SEA.

MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY.

Bligh's Overbearing Behavior.

- prqfeWßg a-Discip!iHarian— " Harrah fer Otaheite!' 1

NO. I.

The boat is lowered with all the haste of hate, With its slight plank between thee ■ and thy fate*; Heir only cargo such a scant supply, As promises tke death their hands deny; And just enough of water and of bread . To keep, some days, the dying from the dead. —Byron. When onei reads of the deeds of the; old-time seamen, their reckless daring, their manly fights against tyranny m any shape or form, when failure, too, meant death at the yardarm or on the gallows, there is but' one conclusion' the : unbiassed mind" 'can cdme to, and- that, is, that 'the English-speaking seamen, rough,, uncouth, arid generally uneducated ,-.; were a race of giants, Not, perhaps, physical giants, but manly fellows, fashioned by Nature to act. as PIONEERS OF LIBERTY and to make the -way. smooth for their comparatively puny successors. The mutiny of the Bounty is a case m point, .the story of which every man, woman and boy of our race should be well! acquainted with. And .to be fair to the reader, we. propose to give the narrative of the mutiny | from two standpoints— from that of Captain Bligh, whose intellectual qualities enabled him so well to present his side of the question, and also'from that of the men themselves, handicapped .as they were by. many ! disadvantages. * . • In the year 1787, during the reign of mad George 111., the West India merchants m London, being cognizant of Dampier and others' florid description of the bread-fruit, represented to the British Government the advantages to be derived from the introduction of the .plant to the West Inaia islands. It was accordingly determined that aasn s expedition for this purpose should be fitted out. Its organisation was entrusted to Sir Joseph' Banks, who was himself aoquain-v ted with Tahiti and the .bread-fruit, arid every care was taken to ensure success m- the venture. A brig was- purchased at Deptford, and enrolled m the Navy by the significant name of the Bounty. Her burden was 215 tons— the size of a modern schooner— and from her build and draught she was peculiarly adapted for AN EXPLORING VOYAGE. , Lieutenant William Bligh, to whom the command of the vessel was given, was then about 33 years of age. He had 'been sailing master under Captain Cook, having' been four years with the great navigator m the Resolution. He was appointed to the command m August, 1787, and a complement of one ■master, three warrant officers, one surgeon, two master's mates, two midshipmen, and 34 petty officers and seamen were; allotted to her. Two persons wore also appointed to take charge of the plants that might be collected. The Bounty sailed from Spithead on December 23, 1787. As if ominous of her future fortunes, she met on the 26th, with a fearful gale, which lasted until the 29th, and in-* dieted considerable damage ; so that Lieutenant Bligh judged it prudent to put into Teneriffe to refit and obtain additional stores. The ROCK-ISLE OF TENERIFFE ~ was reached on January 5, l!? 88, and quitted on the 10th. And now, Bligh ! organised the crew into three watches, of which the third was given m charge of Fletcher Christian, one of the master's, mates, who, will play a prominent part m. "Truth's" narrative. Towards the close of March the Bounty, was off Cape Horn, tossing to and fro m a temptuous sea, baffled by contrary winds, and pursued by storms of hail and sleet. Not many two-hundred ton ships double Cape Stiff these days, and even the crews of the 3000-tonners are glad to leave it astern. For nine days the Bounty, braved this weather, and then Bligh, despairing of effecting at so unfavorable a season of the year, the passage' of the Horn, bore away for the Cape of Good Hope, to the great joy of every person on board. The Cape was reached on Mfay, 23, and there THE WEARY CREW remained for .38 days, refitting the ship, and taking on board a fresh supply of provisions. They sailed .again on July 1, and anchored m Adventure Bay, Van Diemen's Land, forwood and' water, on August 20. On the evening of October 25 they came m sight of the green hills, the prolific meadows, and wooded shores of Tahiti, and on the following day, the Bounty glided into the secure aiichorage of Matavai Bay, having sailed OTer'27,PB6 knots, an average of .10.8 'daily.- . Tahiti was then the sailor's paradise, the fortune island, m whose abundant pleasures he compensated himself for the toil and dreariness of his 'lo»g sea wanderings. The natives were hospitable, generous, and warm--: hearted. Cocoa-nuts, shaddocks, bananas, and bread-fruit trees were among the natural products of the island. No marvel that 'to the Bounty's crew Tahiti seemed a joyous Eden, a delightful isje of bowers and gardens, where all the women were beautiful, and all the men of the right sort. In the course of two or three days there was scarcely amai^ m the ship who had not secured his friend, and who did not live m the undisturbed enjoyment of. the luxuries of ease, idolence, and female conn panionship. Every house was free to the footsteps of every Britisher, afid Bligh and his crew seemed to have an uninterrupted holiday. THIS SEMI-ELYSIAN LIFE could not. however, be prolonged beyond certain limits. 'i T he Bounty had arrived at Otaheite on October 26 V 1788. Her departure was fixed for April 4, ,1789. In these intervening; weeks, Bligh had collected a vast number of bread-fruit trees, which were planted m pots, these, m turn, being put into the large cabin, that

had been specially prepared for the, plants. A false floor, cut full of holes, held the pots securely. After winding among various isles of this island-crowded sea, the Bounty anchored at Anamooka on April 23. Here Bligh landed to procure plants m the . place of those that were dead or dying, and made purchases of fowls and other articles. .Then the Bounty headed to the North, favored* by light winds and a smooth sea. On the morning of April 28 she sailed past Tofoa, the north-westernmost of the Friendly Islands, everything apparently promising a happy conclusion to a fortunate voyage. .; THE GREAT OBSTACLE, '.V however, was Lieutenant Bligh him-:, self, wkose notions of discipline r we£e rigid, andjhis capacities fox cammaaj^ few, while his temper was : har^h and his manner overbearing. At an unj expected moment, the smoldering embers of revolt against -tyranny burst into flame, 'and the particulars of the outbreak are .here first given m | Bligh's own words :— i "In the morning of April 28," says Bligh, "I made the north-western-most of the Friendly Islands, called Tofoa, bearing north-east, and was steering to the westward 'with a: ship m most perfect order, all my men and • officers m good health. . . . On leaving the deck I gave directions for the course to be steered during' the night. The master had the first watch, and Christian the morning watch. This was the' turn' of duty; for the night. >-• :■ "Just - before sunrise on Tuesday,, the 28th, while I was yet asleep, Christian, officer of. the watch; Charles Churchill, ship's corporal, "John/ Mills, gunner's mate, and' Thomas Burkitt,' seaman, came into 'my cabin, and, seizing me, tied my hands behind -my back, threatening me vrith instant death if I spoke or made the least noise. I called, however, as loudly as I could, but they- had already secured the officers wha were not of their party by placing sentinels at their doors. There were f three men at my cabin door, besides the four within. Christian had only' a cutlass m his hand; while the others had muskets and bayonets. I was HAULED OUT OF THE BED, and forced on deck m my shirt, suffering great pain ' from the tightness with which they had tied my hands behind my back, held by Fletcher, Christian, and Churchill with a bayonet at my breast, and two men,' Smith and Burkitt, behind me, witli muskets cocked and bayonets fixed. "I demanded the reason of^ such violence, but received no other answer than abuse for not holding my tongue. The master, the gunner, Elphinstonc, the master's mate, and Nelson were kept confined below, and the fore hatch was guarded by sentinels. The boatswain and carpenter, and also Samuel, the clerk, were allowed to come upon the deck, where they saw me standing abaft the mizzenmast, under a guard. The boatswain was ordered to hoist the launch .out, with a threat if he did not do it instantly, to take care of himself. "When the boat was out, Hay ward and Hallett, rtwo midshipmen, ' and Samuel were ordered into it. I demanded what was their intention m giving this order, and endeavored to persuade the people near -me not to persist m such acts of violence. But it was to no . effect. Hold your tongue, sir, or you are "DEAD THIS INSTANT," was shouted to me. , ' "The master toy this time had sent to request that' he might come on deck, which was permitted; but 4ie was soon ordered back to his cabin. . >■ . I continued my endeavors to turn the tide of affairs, when Christian changed the cutlass he carried' for a bayonet, and, holding me with' a strong grip, he threatened, -with, many oaths, to kill me immediately,] if I would, not be /quiet. Particular persons $s<ere called on to go into the boat, and were tiurri«d over the side. . . , The boatswain and seamen who were to go into the boat were allowed to collect twine, canvas, lines, sails, cordage, a 28-gallon cask of water ; and Samuel got 150 tb of bread, with a small quantity of rum and wine, also a quadrant and compass ;. but was forbidden, on pain or death, to touch either map, < ephemeris, book of astronomical observations, sextant, time-keeper; or any of my. surveys or drawings.' "Much altercation took place among THE'MUTINOUS. CFtEW . ' '■ during the whole business., Some swore and said, 'He will find his way home if he gets anything, with him,', and as the carpenter's chest was being carried to the boat, ? The fellow will have a vessel built m a .hicjatH ;' while others laughed at the helpless, situation of the boat, being very, deep, and as little room for those' who were m her. I asked for arms, but they, laughed at me, and said I was well acquainted among the people with whom I was going, and, there-, fore, did not want them.. Four cutlasses, however, were thrown into the boat after we were veered astern.: "The officers and men being in.' the boat, they only waited for nic, ; ot~ which the master-at-arms informed Christian, who then said; "Come, Captain Bligh, you must go with them, or be instantly put to death. ! And, without further ceremony, .with I* ■ • TRIBE OF ARMED RUFFIANS about me, I was forced over the side, where they untied my hands; and the boat wais veered astern by a rope. , A few pieces of pork were thrown to us, and some clothes. * ■«• . After having undergone a great deal of ridiculej and been kept for some theft to Make Sport for these unfeeling wretches, we were at length caat adrift m the open ocean. "1 had with me m the boat eighteen persons, and there remained m. the Bounty 25 seamen, who were the most able of the ship's company. : "It will naturally be asked, What could be the reason of such a reVolt ? In answer to which I can on-