solemn warning, that it is not for man to avenge his own wrongs! Thus might this unfortunate young man have been saved from the abyss of ruin into which he had so recklessly plunged, and in which all, more or less, were hopelessly involved.

The men raised the cry-"Hurrah for Tahiti !” the ship wore round and Christian roused himself from his painful reflections. The die was cast; all that had been done was irrevocable, and it was essential for his own and the common weal that he should assume command and maintain discipline.

Instead of Tahiti he ordered the vessel to be steered for the small island of Toubouai; where they arrived on the 28th May. It appeared a very fertile island, wooded almost to the water's edge, and surrounded by coral reefs. Among these there was but one openingthat described by Captain Cook-through which a vessel might be warped and moored close to the shore. The natives were assembled in great numbers as the vessel approached, armed with clubs and spears, and vehemently blowing their conch shells. Their aspect was so savage, and they seemed so determined to oppose a landing, that Christian thought it as well for the time being to give up the attempt to form a settlement there, and he gave orders to change the course of the vessel for Tahiti. He also directed that the ship could be cleared of all the young bread-fruit trees, which were accordingly thrown overboard, and he appropriated to himself the captain's cabin, which was filled with all the curiosities collected during the voyage, and which he intended to use as articles of barter.

The mutineers had no sooner freed themselves from the odious tyranny of one man than they became tyrants to one another, and those who had taken no part in the mutiny were oppressed and regarded with especial dislike and suspicion. Some had endeavoured to form a plot to retake the ship, but their arrangements having been overheard, the arm-chest was removed from the care of Colman into the great cabin, and the key given to Churchill, whose bedding was placed on the chest itself for security. But though Christian might be considered strict in the maintenance of discipline, he never lost the respect of any one on board, and was invariably addressed and spoken of as "Mr. Christian."

All the clothes left by the officers and crew who accompanied Lieutenant Bligh, and the different curiosities and articles of barter, Christian ordered to be divided by lot among all hands on board, to make what use of them they pleased, as he intended returning to Toubouai after collecting live-stock at Tahiti.

They landed in Matavaye Bay the 6th of June, 1789, the thirty-ninth day from that of the mutiny, and the natives of Tahiti soon flocked on board the 'Bounty,' delighted to see their old friends, particularly Christian to whom they were as partial as to Captain Cook, while Lieutenant Bligh was held by them in contempt and detestation. The speedy return of the ship was a matter of great surprise; they were acute enough to know she could not have returned from England, as they had frequently heard of its great distance. By way of ingratiating himself with the islanders, and

inducing them to barter freely, Bligh had represented himself as the son of Captain Cook, whom they regarded with great affection, and of this artifice Christian availed himself in answering their numerous inquires as to the absence of the rest of the officers and men. He replied that they had met Captain Cook, who took those people on board, and despatched him back in the 'Bounty to collect live-stock and other provisions. The unsuspicious islanders gave full credence to the story, and were willing to barter to any extent, as Christian had always treated them with great kindness, and given the full value for whatever was required. The armourer was incessantly employed, polishing and improving the stock of iron articles on board as they were greatly in request among the natives.

By the 16th of June, 1789, hogs, goats, and fowls had been collected in great numbers, some dogs and cats; and even for a few red feathers, the bull and cow which Captain Cook had left, and upon which they set no value, were placed at Christian's disposal. With these, and a quantity of provisions for present use, he prepared to put to sea. There were on board after sailing, nine Tahitian men, twelve women, and eight boys. Most of them had secreted themselves about the ship, and only made their appearance when she was out at sea. They were urgent to remain on board, and Christian, unwilling to return, being a considerable distance from Tahiti, was induced to yield to their entreaties.

On the 23rd of June, after a very rough passage, which killed several of their live-stock, and among them the fine bull, they arrived at Toubouai.

The natives on this occasion evinced a more friendly spirit, although the sudden change seemed unaccountable; and they even assisted in the long and laborious task of warping the ship through the narrow opening in the reef (which has been mentioned), to a kind of natural quay. Landing the animals and the stores occupied several days, and the Tahitian people, speaking a similar dialect to that of Toubouai, were of great assistance, as they soon understood the language, and for a time promoted a good understanding among all parties. Christian, however, had much difficulty in coming to terms with any of the chiefs for the purchase of land suitable for the fort he proposed to erect. One was very friendly, and offered any portion of his land Christian would wish to possess. He accordingly chose a spot four miles to the eastward of the entrance between the reefs. In spite of the shoal water and of the rocks, he determined to haul the ship up there,-a truly Herculean task, as the water was very shallow, and there were no means of carrying any warps and anchors, the largest boat left belonging to the 'Bounty' being only a light cutter twenty feet long. By lightening the ship, landing every article that it was possible to remove, and emptying the water casks, they at last succeeded in bringing her up to the desired position.

Parties of men were soon formed to fell timber, and an armed guard accompanied them. Christian again made a fair division among the Englishmen of all the cloth and red feathers they had brought from Tahiti for barter, together with the much coveted ironwork. As soon as the size of the fort was marked out, and the walls

commenced, a ditch twenty feet deep was dug around it -a task of immense labour-in which Christian took his part as continuously as any of the rest. He proposed to place on the parapet the armament of the 'Bounty,' consisting of four 4-pounders and ten swivels; but all this was not accomplished without determined opposition on the part of the islanders. There were frequent battles, in one of which Christian and another man were severely wounded, and a number of the natives slain.

A new obstacle now arose to thwart Christian's plans. Those of the 'Bounty's' people who felt innocent of complicity in the mutiny declared their intention not to pass their lives in the island. In fact, Christian had been privately informed of a plot, in which Morrison, Stewart, and Peter Heywood were concerned, to lay in water and provision by night, and escape in the cutter. It was well for them that they were unable to carry out their perilous enterprise, and that their release was brought about without danger to themselves or others.

1

On all sides there were discontents and murmurings, arising principally from difficulties in the way of intercourse with the natives, and Christian would not countenance any violence towards them. He had, unfortunately, to deal with a number of ignorant, reckless seamen, who considered then-and even in this enlightened age the same idea is too prevalentthat people of colour have no rights of any kind,

1 Misunderstandings, no doubt, arose from the live-stock having been turned adrift on landing: and the goats, finding their way to the yam and taro plantations, would necessarily do much injury to these important articles of food, of which the Toubouainans were careful and laborious cultivators.