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his wife about a month after their arrival, by a fall from a rock while collecting birds' eggs, became dissatisfied, and insisted on having another wife, or threatened to leave the island in one of the Bounty's boats. Being useful as an armourer, the Europeans were unwilling to part with him, and he, still persisting in his unreasonable demand, had the injustice to compel one of the Tahitians to give up his wife to him.

By this act of flagrant oppression his countrymen made common cause with their injured companion, and laid a plan for the extermination of the Europeans; but the women gave a hint of what was going forward in a song, the burden of which was, "Why does black man sharpen axe?-to kill white man." The plot being thus discovered, the husband who had his wife taken from him, and another whom Christian had shot at, (though, it is stated, with powder only,) fled into the woods, and were treacherously murdered by their countrymen on the promise of pardon for the perpetration of this foul deed.

Tranquillity being thus restored, mat

ters went on tolerably well for a year or two longer; but the oppression and ill treatment which the Tahitians received, more particularly from Quintal and McKoy, the most active and determined of the mutineers, drove them to the formation of another plot for the destruction of their oppressors, which was but too successfully accomplished. A day was fixed for attacking and putting to death all the Englishmen while at work in their respective plantations. Williams was the first man that was shot. They next proceeded to Christian, who was working at his 'yamplot, and shot him. Mills, confiding in the fidelity of his Tahitian friend, stood his ground, and was murdered by him and another. Martin and Brown were separately attacked and slain, one with a maul, the other with a musket. Adams was wounded in the shoulder, but succeeded in making terms with the Tahitians, and was conducted by them to Christian's house, where he was kindly treated. Young, who was a great favourite of the women, was secreted by them during the attack, and

[graphic]

Look-out Ridge and Christian s house. Pitcairn.-p. 151.

afterward carried to Christian's house. McKoy and Quintal, the worst of the gang, escaped to the mountains. Here this day of bloodshed ended, leaving only four Englishmen alive out of nine. It was a day of emancipation to the blacks, who were now masters of the island, and of humiliation and retribution to the whites.

The Tahitians now began to quarrel, and the result was the destruction of the whole of them, some falling by the hands. of the women, and one of them by Young, who, it would seem, coolly and deliberately shot him. Adams now proceeded into the mountains to communicate the fatal intelligence to the two Europeans, McKoy and Quintal, and to solicit their return to the village. All these events happened as early as October, 1793.

In 1794, the state of the island had become so intolerable to the women, that they resolved to brave the perils of the sea, rather than remain. They had accordingly prepared to set off secretly in a boat, which, fortunately for them, upset in launching; as the men whc had built it probably in

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