that although they had no animals on the island, and lived only on fruit, vegetables, and fish, they detested the idea of eating human flesh.

"We stood to the N.N.E. with a fine breeze and fine weather. During the passage Colman was employed in making iron-work for barter.

"On the 20th we made the island Mytea, under which we hove to and divided the trade, ammunition, arms, wine, slops, etc., etc., in lots, which were put into the cabin for safety till the ship should come to anchor. On the 21st we bore away, and anchored on the 22d of September, 1789, in Maatavaye Bay, where, every thing being settled, the following persons prepared to go on shore:

"Those who remained on board were:

Fletcher Christian.....Acting lieuten't.

John Mills..

Isaac Martin..

Edward Young*.

William M'Koy..

..Able-bodied.

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William Brown.......Gardener.

and with them the young Toubouaian chief and his two friends, who had become so fond of Christian they would not leave him. Three Tahitian men, with their wives, also joined the party, and one of the women took with her her infant daughter ten months old; in all twenty-eight persons determined to follow the fortunes of Christian.

*It is singular that Edward Young should have preferred to accompany Christian. He had remained passive during the mutiny, and even when the uproar on deck took so many by surprise who had been asleep in their hammocks, and who naturally went up to ascertain the cause, Edward Young was not seen by any one; nor did he make his appearance until the ship was turned about and was steering for Toubouai.

† This little girl will be mentioned again in the course of the narrative.

"As soon as the ship came to an anchor, those for the shore began to land their chests, hammocks, etc., but having only one boat that would swim, and a tolerable high surf going, it was night before we all got off, being afraid to venture many at a time in the canoes of the natives, though they made a much better hand of landing in the surf than we could do in the boat. As we were fearful of the canoes, we were forced to wait for the boat returning to carry the ammunition, which was not landed until every thing else was on shore, and then only two men's stores at a time.

"Having landed our baggage, etc., we found the Tahitians ready to receive us with every mark of hospitality; the whole of them striving to outdo each other in civility and kindness towards us, and all were glad when we said that we had come to stay with them.

Among the things we carried on shore were carpenters' tools, and part of those belonging to the armorer, a pig of iron for an anvil, a grindstone, some bar-iron, a suit of clothes, some iron pots, a copper kettle, and about three gallons of wine per man. Each man, except Byrne (who was blind), had a musket, pistol, cutlass, bayonet, cartridge-box, seventeen charges of powder, a quantity of lead whereof to make bullets, and some spare belts. Having a musquetoon and two muskets to spare, the former was kept under my care, and the muskets fell by lot to Charles Norman and Thomas Birkett. We asked for the saws, of which there were a 'whip' and 'cross' in the ship, but as Mr. Christian wanted them himself he gave some trade in lieu, also two spy-glasses and an old azimuth compass. He also told us to take the swivels on shore, but we declined, as they could be of no use. and sails, which he said we should not want, were however divided among us, and two Toubouaian images which we had brought from the island were put into my hands as a present for the young king.

The canvas

"Mr. Christian told us he would stay a day or two, and hoped we would assist him to fill some water, as he in

tended cruising about in search of some uninhabited island, where he would land his stock (of which a large number were on board, together with the plants common to all these islands), and where he hoped to live the remainder of his days, without seeing the face of any European, except those who accompanied him.

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Having made Poeno (one of the chiefs of Maatavaye Bay) my friend, and Millward also having done the same, we went to live with him, and were treated as members of his family; but with more attention and respect. The others also went to the houses of their friends, where they were treated in like manner.

"At daylight on the 23d of September, we found the ship under weigh, and standing out of the bay; but it proving calm she was not out of sight until noon, at which time she stood out to the northward on a wind. We were surprised to see the ship gone, as Mr. Christian had said he intended staying a day or two; but we thought that perhaps he was afraid of remaining at Tahiti, in case of detection, and also lest some of the people might desert him if he did so.”

Christian, however, had landed, and spent some hours with Stewart and Peter Heywood at the house of the worthy chief who had been their friend on the two former visits to Tahiti, and whose property was situated on the bay near the landing-place. As the day began to dawn, he prepared for departure, and Stewart and his young friend accompanied him to the beach; when a conversation took place to the following effect: Christian said, that in the event of Bligh reaching England in safety, and making known to the authorities what had happened, a ship of war would certainly be sent out in search of the Bounty, and the remainder of the ship's company. In any case search would be made, if no intelligence of the expedition was received in England within a reasonable peri

od. He earnestly, advised the young men to go off at once to any ship of war that might appear, and give themselves up to the commander. "You are both innocent,"

he said, "no harm can come to you, for you took no part in the mutiny." Then turning to young Heywood, he recapitulated all the events connected with "that unfortunate disaster," as he termed it; and again declared that when Stewart came to call him to relieve the watch on the fatal morning of the mutiny, and he went on deck, his brain seemed on fire, and finding Thomas Hayward asleep, and Hallett not yet up on duty, the idea of taking the ship then first entered his mind." He added emphatically that he alone was responsible for the act, and exonerated all, even his adherents, from so much as suggesting it. Christian also related other circumstances in connection with the mutiny, which young Heywood was to communicate to his (Christian's) family, when he returned to England; circumstances, he thought, which might extenuate, though they could not justify, the crime he had committed against the laws of his country.*

At the conclusion of this last conversation, Christian stepped into the boat, and took a final leave of his young friends. Mingled feelings of regret and pity towards their misguided shipmate caused them to linger long on the beach as they watched the departing vessel, until, standing in a northerly direction, she disappeared on the distant horizon.

* Many years after the date of these events, the substance of this conversation was related in a letter from Captain Heywood to Captain Beechy, who had submitted to him that portion of the voyage of the Blossom which related to Pitcairn; and Captain Heywood pointed out the inaccuracies in the statement of John Adams (Alexander Smith) relative to the mutiny-no doubt unintentional.

CHAPTER IV.

Lieutenant Bligh's Boat-voyage. —Arrival in England. -Correspondence.-H.M.S. Pandora dispatched to Tahiti.

On his dismissal from the Bounty, Lieutenant Bligh was compelled to make his way as best he could to the main land. He kept a journal, in which he described the perils and hardships endured by himself and his eighteen. companions on their voyage in the launch. Some extracts from it may be interesting, as showing his skill and courage as a navigator; his care in recording the daily events of this remarkable feat in navigation; and also the way in which, towards its termination, he enforced his commands on men who had accompanied him at the imminent risk of their lives:

"My first determination," he says, "after leaving the ship, was to seek a supply of bread-fruit and water at Tofoa, and afterwards to sail for Tongataboo, and there risk a solicitation to Poulaho, the king, to equip our boat, and grant us a supply of water and provisions, so as to enable us to reach the East Indies. The quantity of provisions I found in the boat was one hundred and fifty pounds of bread, sixteen pieces of pork-each piece weighing two pounds-six quarts of rum, six bottles of wine, with twenty-eight gallons of water, and four empty barricos (small barrels).

"We reached Tofoa when it was dark, but found the shore so steep and rocky that we could not land. We were obliged, therefore, to remain all night in the boat, keeping it on the lee side of the island with two oars. Next day (Wednesday, April 29th) we found a cove,