THE OPEN-BOAT NAVIGATION
The boat is lower’d
with all the haste of hate,
With its slight plank
between thee and thy fate;
Her only cargo such
a scant supply
As promises the death
their hands deny;
And just enough of water
and of bread
To keep, some days,
the dying from the dead:
Some cordage, canvas,
sails, and lines, and twine.
But treasures all to
hermits of the brine,
Were added after, to
the earnest prayer
Of those who saw no
hope save sea and air;
And last, that trembling
vassal of the Pole,
The feeling compass,
Navigation’s soul.
The launch is crowded with the faithful
few Who wait their Chief a melancholy
crew: But some remained reluctant on the
deck Of that proud vessel, now a moral wreck And
view’d their Captain’s fate with piteous
eyes; While others scoff’d his augur’d
miseries, Sneer’d at the prospect of his
pigmy sail, And the slight bark so laden and
so frail.
Christian had intended to send away
his captain and associates in the cutter, and ordered
that it should be hoisted out for that purpose, which
was done a small wretched boat, that could
hold but eight or ten men at the most, with a very
small additional weight; and, what was still worse,
she was so worm-eaten and decayed, especially in the
bottom planks, that the probability was, she would
have gone down before she had proceeded a mile from
the ship. In this ‘rotten carcass of a boat,’
not unlike that into which Prospero and his lovely
daughter were ‘hoist,’
not
rigg’d,
Nor tackle, sail, nor
mast; the very rats
Instinctively had quit
it,
did Christian intend to cast adrift
his late commander and his eighteen innocent companions,
or as many of them as she would stow, to find, as
they inevitably must have found, a watery grave.
But the remonstrances of the master, boatswain, and
carpenter prevailed on him to let those unfortunate
men have the launch, into which nineteen persons were
thrust, whose weight, together with that of the few
articles they were permitted to take, brought down
the boat so near to the water, as to endanger her
sinking with but a moderate swell of the sea and
to all human appearance, in no state to survive the
length of voyage they were destined to perform over
the wide ocean, but which they did most miraculously
survive.
The first consideration of Lieutenant
Bligh and his eighteen unfortunate companions, on
being cast adrift in their open boat, was to examine
the state of their resources. The quantity of
provisions which they found to have been thrown into
the boat, by some few kind-hearted messmates, amounted
to one hundred and fifty pounds of bread, sixteen pieces
of pork, each weighing two pounds, six quarts of rum,
six bottles of wine, with twenty-eight gallons of
water, and four empty barricoes. Being so near
to the island of Tofoa, it was resolved to seek there
a supply of bread-fruit and water, to preserve if
possible the above-mentioned stock entire; but after
rowing along the coast, they discovered only some
cocoa-nut trees, on the top of high precipices, from
which, with much danger owing to the surf, and great
difficulty in climbing the cliffs, they succeeded
in obtaining about twenty nuts. The second day
they made excursions into the island, but without
success. They met however with a few natives,
who came down with them to the cove where the boat
was lying; and others presently followed. They
made inquiries after the ship, and Bligh unfortunately
advised they should say that the ship had overset
and sunk, and that they only were saved. The story
might be innocent, but it was certainly indiscreet
to put the people in possession of their defenceless
situation; however, they brought in small quantities
of bread-fruit, plantains, and cocoa-nuts,
but little or no water could be procured. These
supplies, scanty as they were, served to keep up the
spirits of the men; ’They no longer, says Bligh,
’regarded me with those anxious looks, which
had constantly been directed towards me, since we
lost sight of the ship: every countenance appeared
to have a degree of cheerfulness, and they all seemed
determined to do their best.’
The numbers of the natives having
so much increased as to line the whole beach, they
began knocking stones together, which was known to
be the preparatory signal for an attack. With
some difficulty on account of the surf, our seamen
succeeded in getting the things that were on shore
into the boat, together with all the men, except John
Norton, quarter-master, who was casting off the stern-fast.
The natives immediately rushed upon this poor man,
and actually stoned him to death. A volley of
stones was also discharged at the boat, and every
one in it was more or less hurt. This induced
the people to push out to sea with all the speed they
were able to give to the launch, but to their surprise
and alarm, several canoes, filled with stones, followed
close after them and renewed the attack; against which,
the only return the unfortunate men in the boat could
make, was with the stones of the assailants that lodged
in her, a species of warfare in which they were very
inferior to the Indians. The only expedient left
was to tempt the enemy to desist from the pursuit,
by throwing overboard some clothes, which fortunately
induced the canoes to stop and pick them up; and night
coming on, they returned to the shore, leaving the
party in the boat to reflect on their unhappy situation.
The men now intreated their commander
to take them towards home; and on being told that
no hope of relief could be entertained till they reached
Timor, a distance of full twelve hundred leagues, they
all readily agreed to be content with an allowance,
which, on calculation of their resources, the commander
informed them would not exceed one ounce of bread,
and a quarter of a pint of water, per day. Recommending
them, therefore, in the most solemn manner, not to
depart from their promise in this respect, ‘we
bore away,’ says Bligh, ’across a sea where
the navigation is but little known, in a small boat
twenty-three feet long from stem to stern, deeply
laden with eighteen men. I was happy, however,
to see that every one seemed better satisfied with
our situation than myself. It was about eight
o’clock at night on the 2nd May, when we bore
away under a reefed lug-foresail; and having divided
the people into watches, and got the boat into a little
order, we returned thanks to God for our miraculous
preservation, and, in full confidence of His gracious
support, I found my mind more at ease than it had
been for some time past.’
At day-break on the 3rd, the forlorn
and almost hopeless navigators saw with alarm the
sun to rise fiery and red, a sure indication
of a severe gale of wind; and accordingly, at eight
o’clock it blew a violent storm, and the sea
ran so very high, that the sail was becalmed when between
the seas, and too much to have set when on the top
of the sea; yet it is stated that they could not venture
to take it in, as they were in very imminent danger
and distress, the sea curling over the stern of the
boat, and obliging them to bale with all their might.
‘A situation,’ observes the commander,
’more distressing has, perhaps, seldom been
experienced.’
The bread, being in bags, was in the
greatest danger of being spoiled by the wet, the consequence
of which, if not prevented, must have been fatal,
as the whole party would inevitably be starved to death,
if they should fortunately escape the fury of the
waves. It was determined, therefore, that all
superfluous clothes, with some rope and spare sails,
should be thrown overboard, by which the boat was considerably
lightened. The carpenter’s tool-chest was
cleared, and the tools stowed in the bottom of the
boat, and the bread secured in the chest. All
the people being thoroughly wet and cold, a teaspoonful
of rum was served out to each person, with a quarter
of a bread-fruit, which is stated to have been scarcely
eatable, for dinner; Bligh having determined to preserve
sacredly, and at the peril of his life, the engagement
they entered into, and to make their small stock of
provisions last eight weeks, let the dally proportion
be ever so small.
The sea continuing to run even higher
than in the morning, the fatigue of baling became
very great; the boat was necessarily kept before the
sea. The men were constantly wet, the night very
cold, and at daylight their limbs were so benumbed,
that they could scarcely find the use of them.
At this time a teaspoonful of rum served out to each
person was found of great benefit to all. Five
small cocoa-nuts were distributed for dinner, and
every one was satisfied; and in the evening, a few
broken pieces of bread-fruit were served for supper,
after which prayers were performed.
On the night of the 4th and morning
of the 5th, the gale had abated; the first step to
be taken was to examine the state of the bread, a great
part of which was found to be damaged and rotten but
even this was carefully preserved for use. The
boat was now running among some islands, but after
their reception at Tofoa, they did not venture to
land. On the 6th, they still continued to see
islands at a distance; and this day, for the first
time, they hooked a fish, to their great joy; ‘but,’
says the commander, ’we were miserably disappointed
by its being lost in trying to get it into the boat.’
In the evening, each person had an ounce of the damaged
bread, and a quarter of a pint of water for supper.
Lieutenant Bligh observes, ’it
will readily be supposed our lodgings were very miserable,
and confined for want of room’; but he endeavoured
to remedy the latter defect, by putting themselves
at watch and watch; so that one half always sat up,
while the other lay down on the boat’s bottom,
or upon a chest, but with nothing to cover them except
the heavens. Their limbs, he says, were dreadfully
cramped, for they could not stretch them out; and
the nights were so cold, and they were so constantly
wet, that, after a few hours’ sleep, they were
scarcely able to move. At dawn of day on the
7th, being very wet and cold, he says, ’I served
a spoonful of rum and a morsel of bread for breakfast.’
In the course of this day they passed
close to some rocky isles, from which two large sailing-canoes
came swiftly after them, but in the afternoon gave
over the chase. They were of the same construction
as those of the Friendly Islands, and the land seen
for the last two days was supposed to be the Fiji
Islands. But being constantly wet, Bligh says,
’it is with the utmost difficulty I can open
a book to write, and I feel truly sensible I can do
no more than point out where these lands are to be
found, and give some idea of their extent.’
Heavy rain came on in the afternoon, when every person
in the boat did his utmost to catch some water, and
thus succeeded in increasing their stock to thirty-four
gallons, besides quenching their thirst for the first
time they had been able to do so since they had been
at sea: but it seems an attendant consequence
of the heavy rain caused them to pass the night very
miserably; for being extremely wet, and having no dry
things to shift or cover themselves, they experienced
cold and shiverings scarcely to be conceived.
On the 8th, the allowance issued was
an ounce and a half of pork, a teaspoonful of rum,
half a pint of cocoa-nut milk, and an ounce of bread.
The rum, though so small in quantity, is stated to
have been of the greatest service. In the afternoon
they were employed in cleaning out the boat, which
occupied them until sunset before they got every thing
dry and in order. ‘Hitherto,’ Bligh
says, ’I had issued the allowance by guess,
but I now made a pair of scales with two cocoa-nut
shells; and having accidentally some pistol-balls in
the boat, twenty-five of which weighed one pound or
sixteen ounces, I adopted one of these balls as the
proportion of weight that each person should receive
of bread at the times I served it. I also amused
all hands with describing the situations of New Guinea
and New Holland, and gave them every information in
my power, that in case any accident should happen
to me, those who survived might have some idea of what
they were about, and be able to find their way to
Timor, which at present they knew nothing of more
than the name, and some not even that. At night
I served a quarter of a pint of water and half an
ounce of bread for supper.
On the morning of the 9th, a quarter
of a pint of cocoa-nut milk and some of the decayed
bread were served for breakfast; and for dinner, the
kernels of four cocoa-nuts, with the remainder of the
rotten bread, which, he says, was eatable only by
such distressed people as themselves. A storm
of thunder and lightning gave them about twenty gallons
of water. ’Being miserably wet and cold,
I served to the people a teaspoonful of rum each,
to enable them to bear with their distressing situation.
The weather continued extremely bad, and the wind increased;
we spent a very miserable night, without sleep, except
such as could be got in the midst of rain.’
The following day, the 10th, brought
no relief, except that of its light. The sea
broke over the boat so much, that two men were kept
constantly baling; and it was necessary to keep the
boat before the waves for fear of its filling.
The allowance now served regularly to each person
was one twenty-fifth part of a pound of bread and a
quarter of a pint of water, at eight in the morning,
at noon, and at sunset. To-day was added about
half an ounce of pork for dinner, which, though any
moderate person would have considered only as a mouthful,
was divided into three or four.
The morning of the 11th did not improve.
’At day-break I served to every person a teaspoonful
of rum, our limbs being so much cramped that we could
scarcely move them. Our situation was now extremely
dangerous, the sea frequently running over our stern,
which kept us baling with all our strength. At
noon the sun appeared, which gave us as much pleasure
as is felt when it shows itself on a winter’s
day in England.
’In the evening of the 12th
it still rained hard, and we again experienced a dreadful
night. At length the day came, and showed a miserable
set of beings, full of wants, without any thing to
relieve them. Some complained of great pain in
their bowels, and every one of having almost lost
the use of his limbs. The little sleep we got
was in no way refreshing, as we were constantly covered
with the sea and rain. The weather continuing,
and no sun affording the least prospect of getting
our clothes dried, I recommended to every one to strip
and wring them through the sea-water, by which means
they received a warmth that, while wet with rain-water,
they could not have.’ The shipping of seas
and constant baling continued; and though the men were
shivering with wet and cold, the commander was under
the necessity of informing them, that he could no
longer afford them the comfort they had derived from
the teaspoonful of rum.
On the 13th and 14th the stormy weather
and heavy sea continued unabated, and on these days
they saw distant land, and passed several islands.
The sight of these islands, it may well be supposed,
served only to increase the misery of their situation.
They were as men very little better than starving
with plenty in their view; yet, to attempt procuring
any relief was considered to be attended with so much
danger, that the prolongation of life, even in the
midst of misery, was thought preferable, while there
remained hopes of being able to surmount their hardships.
The whole day and night of the 15th
were still rainy; the latter was dark, not a star
to be seen by which the steerage could be directed,
and the sea was continually breaking over the boat.
On the next day, the 16th, was issued for dinner an
ounce of salt pork, in addition to their miserable
allowance of one twenty-fifth part of a pound of bread.
The night was again truly horrible, with storms of
thunder, lightning, and rain; not a star visible,
so that the steerage was quite uncertain.
On the morning of the 17th, at dawn
of day, ‘I found,’ says the commander,
’every person complaining, and some of them solicited
extra allowance, which I positively refused.
Our situation was miserable; always wet, and suffering
extreme cold in the night, without the least shelter
from the weather. The little rum we had was of
the greatest service: when our nights were particularly
distressing, I generally served a teaspoonful or two
to each person, and it was always joyful tidings when
they heard of my intentions. The night was again
a dark and dismal one, the sea constantly breaking
over us, and nothing but the wind and waves to direct
our steerage. It was my intention, if possible,
to make the coast of New Holland to the southward of
Endeavour Straits, being sensible that it was necessary
to preserve such a situation as would make a southerly
wind a fair one; that we might range along the reefs
till an opening should be found into smooth water,
and we the sooner be able to pick up some refreshments.’
On the 18th the rain abated, when,
at their commander’s recommendation, they all
stripped and wrung their clothes through the sea-water,
from which, as usual, they derived much warmth and
refreshment; but every one complained of violent pains
in their bones. At night the heavy rain recommenced,
with severe lightning, which obliged them to keep baling
without intermission. The same weather continued
through the 19th and 20th; the rain constant at
times a deluge the men always baling; the
commander, too, found it necessary to issue for dinner
only half an ounce of pork.
At dawn of day, Lieutenant Bligh states,
that some of his people seemed half dead; that their
appearances were horrible; ‘and I could look,’
says he, ’no way, but I caught the eye of some
one in distress. Extreme hunger was now too evident,
but no one suffered from thirst, nor had we much inclination
to drink, that desire perhaps being satisfied through
the skin. The little sleep we got was in the midst
of water, and we constantly awoke with severe cramps
and pains in our bones. At noon the sun broke
out and revived every one.
’During the whole of the afternoon
of the 21st we were so covered with rain and salt
water, that we could scarcely see. We suffered
extreme cold, and every one dreaded the approach of
night. Sleep, though we longed for it, afforded
no comfort; for my own part, I almost lived without
it. On the 22nd, our situation was extremely calamitous.
We were obliged to take the course of the sea, running
right before it, and watching with the utmost care,
as the least error in the helm would in a moment have
been our destruction. It continued through the
day to blow hard, and the foam of the sea kept running
over our stern and quarters.
’The misery we suffered this
night exceeded the preceding. The sea flew over
us with great force, and kept us baling with horror
and anxiety. At dawn of day I found every one
in a most distressed condition, and I began to fear
that another such night would put an end to the lives
of several, who seemed no longer able to support their
sufferings. I served an allowance of two
teaspoonfuls of rum; after drinking which, and having
wrung our clothes and taken our breakfast of bread
and water, we became a little refreshed.
On the evening of the 24th, the wind
moderated and the weather looked much better, which
rejoiced all hands, so that they ate their scanty
allowance with more satisfaction than for some time
past. The night also was fair; but being always
wet with the sea, we suffered much from the cold.
I had the pleasure to see a fine morning produce some
cheerful countenances; and for the first time, during
the last fifteen days, we experienced comfort from
the warmth of the sun. We stripped and hung up
our clothes to dry, which were by this time become
so thread-bare, that they could not keep out either
wet or cold. In the afternoon we had many birds
about us, which are never seen far from land, such
as boobies and noddies.’
As the sea now began to run fair,
and the boat shipped but little water, Lieutenant
Bligh took the opportunity to examine into the state
of their bread; and it was found that, according to
the present mode of living, there was a sufficient
quantity remaining for twenty-nine days’ allowance,
by which time there was every reason to expect they
would be able to reach Timor. But as this was
still uncertain, and it was possible that, after all,
they might be obliged to go to Java, it was determined
to proportion the allowance, so as to make the stock
hold out six weeks. ‘I was apprehensive,’
he says, ’that this would be ill received, and
that it would require my utmost resolution to enforce
it; for, small as the quantity was which I intended
to take away for our future good, yet it might appear
to my people like robbing them of life; and some who
were less patient than their companions, I expected
would very ill brook it. However, on my representing
the necessity of guarding against delays that might
be occasioned by contrary winds, or other causes,
and promising to enlarge upon the allowance as we got
on, they cheerfully agreed to my proposal.’
It was accordingly settled that every person should
receive one twenty-fifth part of a pound of bread for
breakfast, and the same quantity for dinner as usual,
but that the proportion for supper should be discontinued;
this arrangement left them forty-three days’
consumption.
On the 25th about noon, some noddies
came so near to the boat, that one of them was caught
by hand. This bird was about the size of a small
pigeon. ‘I divided it,’ says Bligh,
’with its entrails, into eighteen portions,
and by a well-known method at sea, of “Who
shall have this?" it was distributed, with
the allowance of bread and water for dinner, and eaten
up, bones and all, with salt water for sauce.
In the evening, several boobies flying very near to
us, we had the good fortune to catch one of them.
This bird is as large as a duck. They are the
most presumptive proof of being near land, of any sea-fowl
we are acquainted with. I directed the bird to
be killed for supper, and the blood to be given to
three of the people who were the most distressed for
want of food. The body, with the entrails, beak,
and feet, I divided into eighteen shares, and with
the allowance of bread, which I made a merit of granting,
we made a good supper compared with our usual fare.
’On the next day, the 26th,
we caught another booby, so that Providence appeared
to be relieving our wants in an extraordinary manner.
The people were overjoyed at this addition to their
dinner, which was distributed in the same manner as
on the preceding evening; giving the blood to those
who were the most in want of food. To make the
bread a little savoury, most of the men frequently
dipped it in salt water, but I generally broke mine
into small pieces, and ate it in my allowance of water,
out of a cocoa-nut shell, with a spoon; economically
avoiding to take too large a piece at a time, so that
I was as long at dinner as if it had been a much more
plentiful meal.’
The weather was now serene, which,
nevertheless, was not without its inconveniences,
for, it appears, they began to feel distress of a
different kind from that which they had hitherto been
accustomed to suffer. The heat of the sun was
now so powerful, that several of the people were seized
with a languor and faintness, which made life indifferent.
But the little circumstance of catching two boobies
in the evening, trifling as it may appear, had the
effect of raising their spirits. The stomachs
of these birds contained several flying-fish, and
small cuttle-fish, all of which were carefully saved
to be divided for dinner the next day; which were
accordingly divided with their entrails, and the contents
of their maws, into eighteen portions, and, as the
prize was a very valuable one, it was distributed as
before, by calling out, ‘Who shall have this?’ ’so
that to-day,’ says the lieutenant, ’with
the usual allowance of bread at breakfast and at dinner,
I was happy to see that every person thought he had
feasted.’ From the appearance of the clouds
in the evening, Mr. Bligh had no doubt they were then
near the land, and the people amused themselves with
conversing on the probability of what they would meet
with on it.
Accordingly, at one in the morning
of the 28th, the person at the helm heard the sound
of breakers. It was the ‘barrier reef’
which runs along the eastern coast of New Holland,
through which it now became the anxious object to
discover a passage; Mr. Bligh says this was now become
absolutely necessary, without a moment’s loss
of time. The idea of getting into smooth water
and finding refreshments kept up the people’s
spirits. The sea broke furiously over the reef
in every part; within, the water was so smooth and
calm, that every man already anticipated the heartfelt
satisfaction he was about to receive, as soon as he
should have passed the barrier. At length a break
in the reef was discovered, a quarter of a mile in
width, and through this the boat rapidly passed with
a strong stream running to the westward, and came immediately
into smooth water, and all the past hardships seemed
at once to be forgotten.
They now returned thanks to God for
His generous protection, and with much content took
their miserable allowance of the twenty-fifth part
of a pound of bread, and a quarter of a pint of water,
for dinner.
The coast now began to show itself
very distinctly, and in the evening they landed on
the sandy point of an island, when it was soon discovered
there were oysters on the rocks, it being low water.
The party sent out to reconnoitre returned highly
rejoiced at having found plenty of oysters and fresh
water. By help of a small magnifying glass
a fire was made, and among the things that had been
thrown into the boat was a tinder-box and a piece
of brimstone, so that in future they had the ready
means of making a fire. One of the men too had
been so provident as to bring away with him from the
ship a copper pot; and thus with a mixture of oysters,
bread, and pork, a stew was made, of which each person
received a full pint. It is remarked that the
oysters grew so fast to the rocks, that it was with
great difficulty they could be broken off; but they
at length discovered it to be the most expeditious
way to open them where they were fixed.
The general complaints among the people
were a dizziness in the head, great weakness in the
joints, and violent tenesmus, but none of them are
stated to have been alarming; and notwithstanding their
sufferings from cold and hunger, all of them retained
marks of strength. Mr. Bligh had cautioned them
not to touch any kind of berry or fruit that they might
find; yet it appears they were no sooner out of sight,
than they began to make free with three different
kinds that grew all over the island, eating without
any reserve. The symptoms of having eaten too
much began at last to frighten some of them; they
fancied they were all poisoned, and regarded each
other with the strongest marks of apprehension, uncertain
what might be the issue of their imprudence: fortunately
the fruit proved to be wholesome and good.
‘This day (29th May) being,’
says Lieutenant Bligh, ’the anniversary of the
restoration of King Charles II, and the name not being
inapplicable to our present situation (for we were
restored to fresh life and strength), I named
this “Restoration Island”; for I thought
it probable that Captain Cook might not have taken
notice of it.’
With oysters and palm-tops stewed
together the people now made excellent meals, without
consuming any of their bread. In the morning of
the 30th, Mr. Bligh saw with great delight a visible
alteration in the men for the better, and he sent
them away to gather oysters, in order to carry a stock
of them to sea, for he determined to put off again
that evening. They also procured fresh water,
and filled all their vessels to the amount of nearly
sixty gallons. On examining the bread, it was
found there still remained about thirty-eight days’
allowance.
Being now ready for sea, every person
was ordered to attend prayers; but just as they were
embarking, about twenty naked savages made their appearance,
running and hallooing, and beckoning the strangers
to come to them; but, as each was armed with a spear
or lance, it was thought prudent to hold no communication
with them. They now proceeded to the northward,
having the continent on their left, and several islands
and reefs on their right.
On the 31st they landed on one of
these islands, to which was given the name of ‘Sunday.’
’I sent out two parties (says Bligh), one to
the northward and the other to the southward, to seek
for supplies, and others I ordered to stay by the
boat. On this occasion, fatigue and weakness
so far got the better of their sense of duty, that
some of the people expressed their discontent at having
worked harder than their companions, and declared
that they would rather be without their dinner than
go in search of it. One person, in particular,
went so far as to tell me, with a mutinous look, that
he was as good a man as myself. It was not possible
for one to judge where this might have an end, if not
stopped in time; to prevent therefore such disputes
in future, I determined either to preserve my command
or die in the attempt; and seizing a cutlass, I ordered
him to lay hold of another and defend himself; on
which he called out that I was going to kill him, and
immediately made concessions. I did not allow
this to interfere further with the harmony of the
boat’s crew, and every thing soon became quiet.’
On this island they obtained oysters,
and clams, and dog-fish; also a small bean, which
Nelson, the botanist, pronounced to be a species of
dolichos. On the 1st of June, they stopped in
the midst of some sandy islands, such as are known
by the name of keys, where they procured a
few clams and beams. Here Nelson was taken very
ill with a violent heat in his bowels, a loss of sight,
great thirst, and an inability to walk. A little
wine, which had carefully been saved, with some pieces
of bread soaked in it, was given to him in small quantities,
and he soon began to recover. The boatswain and
carpenter were also ill, and complained of headache
and sickness of the stomach. Others became shockingly
distressed with tenesmus; in fact, there were few without
complaints.
A party was sent out by night to catch
birds; they returned with only twelve noddies, but
it is stated, that, had it not been for the folly
and obstinacy of one of the party, who separated from
the others and disturbed the birds, a great many more
might have been taken. The offender was Robert
Lamb, who acknowledged, when he got to Java, that he
had that night eaten nine raw birds, after he
separated from his two companions. The birds,
with a few clams, were the whole of the supplies afforded
at these small islands.
On the 3rd of June, after passing
several keys and islands, and doubling Cape York,
the north-easternmost point of New Holland, at eight
in the evening the little boat and her brave crew
once more launched into the open ocean. ‘Miserable,’
says Lieutenant Bligh, ’as our situation was
in every respect, I was secretly surprised to see
that it did not appear to affect any one so strongly
as myself; on the contrary, it seemed as if they had
embarked on a voyage to Timor in a vessel sufficiently
calculated for safety and convenience. So much
confidence gave me great pleasure, and I may venture
to assert that to this cause our preservation is chiefly
to be attributed. I encouraged every one with
hopes that eight or ten days would bring us to a land
of safety; and, after praying to God for a continuance
of His most gracious protection, I served out an allowance
of water for supper, and directed our course to the
west south-west.
’We had been just six days on
the coast of New Holland, in the course of which we
found oysters, a few clams, some birds and water.
But a benefit, probably not less than this, was that
of being relieved from the fatigue of sitting constantly
in the boat, and enjoying good rest at night.
These advantages certainly preserved our lives; and
small as the supply was, I am very sensible how much
it alleviated our distresses. Before this time
nature must have sunk under the extremes of hunger
and fatigue. Even in our present situation, we
were most deplorable objects, but the hopes of a speedy
relief kept up our spirits. For my own part,
incredible as it may appear, I felt neither extreme
hunger nor thirst. My allowance contented me,
knowing that I could have no more.’ In
his manuscript journal, he adds, ’This, perhaps,
does not permit me to be a proper judge on a story
of miserable people like us being at last driven to
the necessity of destroying one another for food but,
if I may be allowed, I deny the fact in its greatest
extent. I say, I do not believe that, among us,
such a thing could happen, but death through famine
would be received in the same way as any mortal disease.’
On the 5th a booby was caught by the
hand, the blood of which was divided among three of
the men who were weakest, and the bird kept for next
day’s dinner; and on the evening of the 6th the
allowance for supper was recommenced, according to
a promise made when it had been discontinued.
On the 7th, after a miserably wet and cold night, nothing
more could be afforded than the usual allowance for
breakfast; but at dinner each person had the luxury
of an ounce of dried clams, which consumed all that
remained. The sea was running high and breaking
over the boat the whole of this day. Mr. Ledward,
the surgeon, and Lawrence Lebogue, an old hardy seaman,
appeared to be giving way very fast. No other
assistance could be given to them than a teaspoonful
or two of wine, that had been carefully saved for
such a melancholy occasion, which was not at all unexpected.
On the 8th the weather was more moderate,
and a small dolphin was caught, which gave about two
ounces to each man: in the night it again blew
strong, the boat shipped much water, and they all suffered
greatly from wet and cold. The surgeon and Lebogue
still continued very ill, and the only relief that
could be afforded them was a small quantity of wine,
and encouraging them with the hope that a very few
days more, at the rate they were then sailing, would
bring them to Timor.
’In the morning of the 10th,
after a very comfortless night, there was a visible
alteration for the worse,’ says Mr. Bligh, ’in
many of the people, which gave me great apprehensions.
An extreme weakness, swelled legs, hollow and ghastly
countenances, a more than common inclination to sleep,
with an apparent debility of understanding, seemed
to me the melancholy presages of an approaching dissolution.
The surgeon and Lebogue, in particular, were most
miserable objects. I occasionally gave them a
few teaspoonfuls of wine, out of the little that remained,
which greatly assisted them. The hope of being
able to accomplish the voyage was our principal support.
The boatswain very innocently told me that he really
thought I looked worse than any in the boat. The
simplicity with which he uttered such an opinion amused
me, and I returned him a better compliment.’
On the 11th Lieutenant Bligh announced
to his wretched companions that he had no doubt they
had now passed the meridian of the eastern part of
Timor, a piece of intelligence that diffused universal
joy and satisfaction. Accordingly at three in
the morning of the following day Timor was discovered
at the distance only of two leagues from the shore.
‘It is not possible for me,’
says this experienced navigator, ’to describe
the pleasure which the blessing of the sight of this
land diffused among us. It appeared scarcely
credible to ourselves that, in an open boat, and so
poorly provided, we should have been able to reach
the coast of Timor in forty-one days after leaving
Tofoa, having in that time run, by our log, a distance
of three thousand six hundred and eighteen nautical
miles; and that, notwithstanding our extreme distress,
no one should have perished in the voyage.’
On Sunday the 14th they came safely
to anchor in Coupang Bay, where they were received
with every mark of kindness, hospitality, and humanity.
The houses of the principal people were thrown open
for their reception. The poor sufferers when
landed were scarcely able to walk; their condition
is described as most deplorable. ’The abilities
of a painter could rarely, perhaps, have been displayed
to more advantage than in the delineation of the two
groups of figures which at this time presented themselves
to each other. An indifferent spectator (if such
could be found) would have been at a loss which most
to admire, the eyes of famine sparkling at immediate
relief, or the horror of their preservers at the sight
of so many spectres, whose ghastly countenances, if
the cause had been unknown, would rather have excited
terror than pity. Our bodies were nothing but
skin and bones, our limbs were full of sores, and
we were clothed in rags, in this condition, with the
tears of joy and gratitude flowing down our cheeks,
the people of Timor beheld us with a mixture of horror,
surprise, and pity.
‘When,’ continues the
commander, ’I reflect how providentially our
lives were saved at Tofoa, by the Indians delaying
their attack? and that, with scarcely anything to
support life, we crossed a sea of more than twelve
hundred leagues, without shelter from the inclemency
of the weather; when I reflect that in an open boat,
with so much stormy weather, we escaped foundering,
that not any of us were taken off by disease, that
we had the great good fortune to pass the unfriendly
natives of other countries without accident, and at
last to meet with the most friendly and best of people
to relieve our distresses I say, when I
reflect on all these wonderful escapes, the remembrance
of such great mercies enables me to bear with resignation
and cheerfulness the failure of an expedition, the
success of which I had so much at heart, and which
was frustrated at a time when I was congratulating
myself on the fairest prospect of being able to complete
it in a manner that would fully have answered the
intention of his Majesty, and the humane promoters
of so benevolent a plan.’
Having recruited their strength by
a residence of two months among the friendly inhabitants
of Coupang, they proceeded to the westward on the
20th August in a small schooner, which was purchased
and armed for the purpose, and arrived on the 1st
October in Batavia Road, where Mr. Bligh embarked
in a Dutch packet, and was landed on the Isle of Wight
on the 14th March, 1790. The rest of the people
had passages provided for them in ships of the Dutch
East India Company, then about to sail for Europe.
All of them, however, did not survive to reach England.
Nelson, the botanist, died at Coupang; Mr. Elphinstone,
master’s-mate, Peter Linkletter and Thomas Hall,
seamen, died at Batavia; Robert Lamb, seaman (the
booby-eater), died on the passage; and Mr. Ledward,
the surgeon, was left behind, and not afterwards heard
of. These six, with John Norton, who was stoned
to death, left twelve of the nineteen, forced by the
mutineers into the launch, to survive the difficulties
and dangers of this unparalleled voyage, and to revisit
their native country. With great truth might
Bligh exclaim with the poet,
’Tis
mine to tell their tale of grief,
Their constant peril
and their scant relief;
Their days of danger,
and their nights of pain;
Their manly courage,
even when deem’d in vain;
The sapping famine,
rendering scarce a son
Known to his mother
in the skeleton;
The ills that lessen’d
still their little store,
And starved even Hunger
till he wrung no more;
The varying frowns and
favours of the deep,
That now almost engulphs,
then leaves to creep
With crazy oar and shatter’d
strength along
The tide, that yields
reluctant to the strong;
Th’ incessant
fever of that arid thirst
Which welcomes, as a
well, the clouds that burst
Above their naked bones,
and feels delight
In the cold drenching
of the stormy night,
And from the outspread
canvas gladly wrings
A drop to moisten Life’s
all-gasping springs;
The savage foe escaped,
to seek again
More hospitable shelter
from the main;
The ghastly spectres
which were doom’d at last
To tell as true a tale
of dangers past,
As ever the dark annals
of the deep
Disclosed for man to
dread or woman weep.
It is impossible not fully to accord
with Bligh when he says, ’Thus happily ended,
through the assistance of Divine Providence, without
accident, a voyage of the most extraordinary nature
that ever happened in the world, let it be taken
either in its extent, duration, or the want of every
necessary of life.’ We may go further and
say, it is impossible to read this extraordinary and
unparalleled voyage, without bestowing the meed of
unqualified praise on the able and judicious conduct
of its commander, who is in every respect, as far as
this extraordinary enterprise is concerned, fully
entitled to rank with Parry, Franklin, and Richardson.
Few men, indeed, were ever placed for so long a period
in a more trying, distressing, and perilous situation
than he was; and it may safely be pronounced, that,
to his discreet management of the men and their scanty
resources, and to his ability as a thorough seaman,
eighteen souls were saved from imminent and otherwise
inevitable destruction, it was not alone the dangers
of the sea, in an open boat, crowded with people,
that he had to combat, though they required the most
consummate nautical skill, to be enabled to contend
successfully against them; but the unfortunate situation,
to which the party were exposed, rendered him subject
to the almost daily murmuring and caprice of people
less conscious than himself of their real danger.
From the experience they had acquired at Tofoa of the
savage disposition of the people against the defenceless
boat’s crew, a lesson was learned how little
was to be trusted, even to the mildest of uncivilized
people, when a conscious superiority was in their
hands. A striking proof of this was experienced
in the unprovoked attack made by those amiable people,
the Otaheitans, on Captain Wallis’s ship, of
whose power they had formed no just conception; but
having once experienced the full force of it, on no
future occasion was any attempt made to repeat the
attack. Lieutenant Bligh, fully aware of his own
weakness, deemed it expedient, therefore, to resist
all desires and temptations to land at any of those
islands, among which they passed in the course of the
voyage, well knowing how little could be trusted to
the forbearance of savages, unarmed and wholly defenceless
as his party were.
But the circumstance of being tantalized
with the appearance of land, clothed with perennial
verdure, whose approach was forbidden to men chilled
with wet and cold, and nearly perishing with hunger,
was by no means the most difficult against which the
commander had to struggle. ‘It was not
the least of my distresses,’ he observes, ’to
be constantly assailed with the melancholy demands
of my people for an increase of allowance, which it
grieved me to refuse.’ He well knew that
to reason with men reduced to the last stage of famine,
yet denied the use of provisions within their reach,
and with the power to seize upon them in their own
hands, would be to no purpose. Something more
must be done to ensure even the possibility of saving
them from the effect of their own imprudence.
The first thing he set about, therefore, was to ascertain
the exact state of their provisions, which were found
to amount to the ordinary consumption of five days,
but which were to be spun out so as to last fifty
days. This was at once distinctly stated to the
men, and an agreement entered into, and a solemn promise
made by all, that the settled allowance should never
be deviated from, as they were made clearly to understand
that on the strict observance of this agreement rested
the only hope of their safety; and this was explained
and made so evident to every man, at the time it was
concluded, that they unanimously agreed to it; and
by reminding them of this compact, whenever they became
clamorous for more, and showing a firm determination
not to swerve from it, Lieutenant Bligh succeeded in
resisting all their solicitations.
This rigid adherence to the compact,
in doling out their miserable pittance, the
constant exposure to wet, the imminent peril
of being swallowed up by the ocean, their
cramped and confined position, and the
unceasing reflection on their miserable and melancholy
situation; all these difficulties and sufferings
made it not less than miraculous, that this voyage,
itself a miracle, should have been completed, not
only without the loss of a man from sickness, but with
so little loss of health. ‘With respect
to the preservation of our health,’ says the
commander, ’during the course of sixteen days
of heavy and almost continual rain, I would recommend
to every one in a similar situation, the method we
practised of dipping their clothes in salt-water,
and to wring them out, as often as they become soaked
with rain; it was the only resource we had, and I
believe was of the greatest service to us, for it
felt more like a change of dry clothes than could
well be imagined. We had occasion to do this so
often, that at length all our clothes were wrung to
pieces.’
But the great art of all was to divert
their attention from the almost hopeless situation
in which they were placed, and to prevent despondency
from taking possession of their minds; and in order
to assist in effecting this, some employment was devised
for them; among other things, a logline, an object
of interest to all, was measured and marked; and the
men were practised in counting seconds correctly, that
the distance run on each day might be ascertained with
a nearer approach to accuracy than by mere guessing.
These little operations afforded them a temporary
amusement; and the log being daily and hourly hove
gave them also some employment, and diverted their
thoughts for the moment from their melancholy situation.
Then, every noon, when the sun was out, or at other
times before and after noon, and also at night when
the stars appeared, Lieutenant Bligh never neglected
to take observations for the latitude, and to work
the day’s work for ascertaining the ship’s
place. The anxiety of the people to hear how
they had proceeded, what progress had been made, and
whereabouts they were on the wide ocean, also contributed
for the time to drive away gloomy thoughts that but
too frequently would intrude themselves. These
observations were rigidly attended to, and sometimes
made under the most difficult circumstances, the sea
breaking over the observer, and the boat pitching
and rolling so much, that he was obliged to be ’propped
up,’ while taking them. In this way, with
now and then a little interrupted sleep, about a thousand
long and anxious hours were consumed in pain and peril,
and a space of sea passed over equal to four thousand
five hundred miles, being at the rate of four and one-fifth
miles an hour, or one hundred miles a day.
Lieutenant Bligh has expressed his
conviction, that the six days spent among the coral
islands, off the coast of New Holland, were the salvation
of the whole party, by the refreshing sleep they here
procured, by the exercise of walking about, and, above
all, by the nutriment derived from the oysters and
clams, the beans and berries, they procured while
there; for that such, he says, was the exhausted condition
of all on their arrival at the ‘barrier reef,’
that a few days more at sea must have terminated the
existence of many of them. This stoppage, however,
had likewise been nearly productive of fatal consequences
to the whole party. In fact, another mutiny was
within an ace of breaking out, which, if not checked
at the moment, could only, in their desperate situation,
have ended in irretrievable and total destruction.
Bligh mentions, in his printed narrative, the mutinous
conduct of a person to whom he gave a cutlass to defend
himself. This affair, as stated in his original
manuscript journal, wears a far more serious aspect.
’The carpenter (Purcell) began
to be insolent to a high degree, and at last told
me, with a mutinous aspect, he was as good a man as
I was. I did not just now see where this was
to end; I therefore determined to strike a final blow
at it, and either to preserve my command or die in
the attempt; and taking hold of a cutlass, I ordered
the rascal to take hold of another and defend himself,
when he called out that I was going to kill him, and
began to make concessions. I was now only assisted
by Mr. Nelson; and the master (Fryer) very deliberately
called out to the boatswain, to put me under an arrest,
and was stirring up a greater disturbance, when I
declared, if he interfered, when I was in the execution
of my duty to preserve order and regularity, and that
in consequence any tumult arose, I would certainly
put him to death the first person. This had a
proper effect on this man, and he now assured me that,
on the contrary, I might rely on him to support my
orders and directions for the future. This is
the outline of a tumult that lasted about a quarter
of hour’; and he adds, ’I was told that
the master and carpenter, at the last place, were
endeavouring to produce altercations, and were the
principal cause of their murmuring there.’
This carpenter he brought to a court-martial on their
arrival in England, on various charges, of which he
was found guilty in part, and reprimanded. Purcell
is said to be at this time in a mad-house.
On another occasion, when a stew of
oysters was distributed among the people, Lieutenant
Bligh observes (in the MS. Journal), ’In the
distribution of it, the voraciousness of some and the
moderation of others were very discernible. The
master began to be dissatisfied the first,
because it was not made into a larger quantity by the
addition of water, and showed a turbulent disposition,
until I laid my commands on him to be silent.’
Again, on his refusing bread to the men, because they
were collecting oysters, he says, ’this occasioned
some murmuring with the master and carpenter, the
former of whom endeavoured to prove the propriety
of such an expenditure, and was troublesomely ignorant,
tending to create disorder among those, if any were
weak enough to listen to him.’
If what Bligh states with regard to
the conduct of the master and the carpenter be true,
it was such, on several occasions, as to provoke a
man much less irritable than himself. He thus
speaks of the latter, when in the ship and in the
midst of the mutiny. ’The boatswain and
carpenter were fully at liberty; the former was employed,
on pain of death, to hoist the boats out, but the
latter I saw acting the part of an idler, with an
impudent and ill-looking countenance, which led me
to believe he was one of the mutineers, until he was
among the rest ordered to leave the ship, for it appeared
to me to be a doubt with Christian, at first, whether
he should keep the carpenter or his mate (Norman),
but knowing the former to be a troublesome fellow,
he determined on the latter.’
The following paragraph also appears
in his original journal, on the day of the mutiny,
but is not alluded to in his printed narrative.
’The master’s cabin was opposite to mine;
he saw them (the mutineers) in my cabin, for our eyes
met each other through his door-window. He had
a pair of ship’s pistols loaded, and ammunition
in his cabin a firm resolution might have
made a good use of them. After he had sent twice
or thrice to Christian to be allowed to come on deck,
he was at last permitted, and his question then was,
“Will you let me remain in the ship?” “No.”
“Have you any objection, Captain Bligh?”
I whispered to him to knock him down Martin
is good (this is the man who gave the shaddock), for
this was just before Martin was removed from me.
Christian, however, pulled me back, and sent away the
master, with orders to go again to his cabin, and
I saw no more of him, until he was put into the boat.
He afterwards told me that he could find nobody to
act with him; that by staying in the ship he hoped
to have retaken her, and that, as to the pistols,
he was so flurried and surprised, that he did not
recollect he had them.’ This master tells
a very different story respecting the pistols, in
his evidence before the court-martial.
Whatever, therefore, on the whole,
may have been the conduct of Bligh towards his officers,
that of some of the latter appears to have been on
several occasions provoking enough, and well calculated
to stir up the irascible temper of a man, active and
zealous in the extreme, as Bligh always was, in the
execution of his duty. Some excuse may be found
for hasty expressions uttered in a moment of irritation,
when passion gets the better of reason; but no excuse
can be found for one, who deeply and unfeelingly,
without provocation, and in cold blood, inflicts a
wound on the heart of a widowed mother, already torn
with anguish and tortured with suspense for a beloved
son, whose life was in imminent jeopardy: such
a man was William Bligh. This charge is not loosely
asserted; it is founded on documentary evidence under
his own hand. Since the death of the late Captain
Heywood, some papers have been brought to light, that
throw a still more unfavourable stigma on the character
of the two commanders, Bligh and Edwards, than any
censure that has hitherto appeared in print, though
the conduct of neither of them has been spared, whenever
an occasion has presented itself for bringing their
names before the public.
Bligh, it may be recollected, mentions
young Heywood only as one of those left in the ship;
he does not charge him with taking any active part
in the mutiny; there is every reason, indeed, to believe
that Bligh did not, and indeed could not, see him
on the deck on that occasion: in point of fact,
he never was within thirty feet of Captain Bligh, and
the booms were between them. About the end of
March, 1790, two months subsequent to the death of
a most beloved and lamented husband, Mrs. Heywood
received the afflicting information, but by report
only, of a mutiny having taken place on board the
Bounty. In that ship Mrs. Heywoods son had been serving as
midshipman, who, when he left his home, in August, 1787, was under fifteen years
of age, a boy deservedly admired and beloved by all who knew him, and, to his
own family, almost an object of adoration, for his superior understanding and
the amiable qualities of his disposition. In a state of mind little short
of distraction, on hearing this fatal intelligence, which was at the same time
aggravated by every circumstance of guilt that calumny or malice could invent
with respect to this unfortunate youth, who was said to be one of the
ringleaders, and to have gone armed into the captains cabin, his mother
addressed a letter to Captain Bligh, dictated by a mothers tenderness, and
strongly expressive of the misery she must necessarily feel on such an occasion.
The following is Blighs reply:
’London, April
2nd, 1790.
’MADAM, I received
your letter this day, and feel for you very much,
being perfectly sensible of the extreme distress you
must suffer from the conduct of your son Peter. His
baseness is beyond all description, but I
hope you will endeavour to prevent the loss of
him, heavy as the misfortune is, from afflicting
you too severely. I imagine he is, with the
rest of the mutineers, returned to Otaheite.
I am, Madam,
(Signed) ‘WM.
BLIGH.’
Colonel Holwell, the uncle of young Heywood, had previously addressed Bligh
on the same melancholy subject, to whom he returned the following answer:
’26th March,
1790.
’SIR, I have just
this instant received your letter. With much
concern I inform you that your nephew, Peter Hey wood,
is among the mutineers. His ingratitude to
me is of the blackest dye, for I was a father
to him in every respect, and he never once had
an angry word from me through the whole course of the
voyage, as his conduct always gave me much pleasure
and satisfaction. I very much regret that
so much baseness formed the character of
a young man I had a real regard for, and it
will give me much pleasure to hear that his friends
can bear the loss of him without much concern -- I
am, Sir, etc.
(Signed) ‘WM.
BLIGH.’
The only way of accounting for this
ferocity of sentiment towards a youth, who had in
point of fact no concern in the mutiny, is by a reference
to certain points of evidence given by Hayward, Hallet,
and Purcell on the court-martial, each point wholly
unsupported. Those in the boat would no doubt,
during their long passage, often discuss the conduct
of their messmates left in the Bounty, and the
unsupported evidence given by these three was well
calculated to create in Bligh’s mind a prejudice
against young Heywood; yet, if so, it affords but a
poor excuse for harrowing up the feelings of near and
dear relatives.
As a contrast to these ungracious
letters, it is a great relief to peruse the correspondence
that took place, on this melancholy occasion, between
this unfortunate young officer and his amiable but
dreadfully afflicted family. The letters of his
sister, Nessy Heywood (of which a few will be inserted
in the course of this narrative), exhibit so lively
and ardent an affection for her beloved brother, are
couched in so high a tone of feeling for his honour,
and confidence in his innocence, and are so nobly
answered by the suffering youth, that no apology seems
to be required for their introduction, more especially
as their contents are strictly connected with the
story of the ill-fated crew of the Bounty. After a state of long
suspense, this amiable and accomplished young lady thus addresses her brother:
’Isle of Man,
2nd June, 1792.
’In a situation of mind only
rendered supportable by the long and painful
state of misery and suspense we have suffered on his
account, how shall I address my dear, my fondly beloved
brother! how describe the anguish we
have felt at the idea of this long and painful
separation, rendered still more distressing by
the terrible circumstances attending it! Oh! my
ever dearest boy, when I look back to that dreadful
moment which brought us the fatal intelligence
that you had remained in the Bounty after
Mr. Bligh had quitted her, and were looked upon
by him as a mutineer! when I contrast
that day of horror with my present hopes of again
beholding you, such as my most sanguine wishes
could expect, I know not which is the most predominant
sensation, pity, compassion, and terror
for your sufferings, or joy and satisfaction at
the prospect of their being near a termination,
and of once more embracing the dearest object
of our affections.
’I will not ask you, my beloved
brother, whether you are innocent of the dreadful
crime of mutiny; if the transactions of that
day were as Mr. Bligh has represented them, such is
my conviction of your worth and honour, that
I will, without hesitation, stake my life on
your innocence. If, on the contrary, you
were concerned in such a conspiracy against your
commander, I shall be as firmly persuaded his
conduct was the occasion of it; but, alas! could
any occasion justify so atrocious an attempt
to destroy a number of our fellow-creatures?
No, my ever dearest brother, nothing but conviction
from your own mouth can possibly persuade me, that
you would commit an action in the smallest degree
inconsistent with honour and duty; and the circumstance
of your having swam off to the Pandora
on her arrival at Otaheite (which filled us with
joy to which no words can do justice), is sufficient
to convince all who know you, that you certainly
staid behind either by force or from views of
preservation.
’How strange does it seem to
me that I am now engaged in the delightful task
of writing to you. Alas! my beloved brother,
two years ago I never expected again to enjoy
such a felicity, and even yet I am in the most
painful uncertainty whether you are alive.
Gracious God, grant that we may be at length blessed
by your return I but, alas! the Pandora’s
people have been long expected, and are not even
yet arrived. Should any accident have happened,
after all the miseries you have already suffered,
the poor gleam of hope with which we have been
lately indulged, will render our situation ten thousand
times more insupportable than if time had inured
us to your loss. I send this to the care
of Mr. Hayward, of Hackney, father to the young
gentleman you so often mention in your letters
while you were on board the Bounty, and who
went out as third lieutenant of the Pandora a
circumstance which gave us infinite satisfaction,
as you would, on entering the Pandora,
meet your old friend. On discovering old Mr.
Hayward’s residence, I wrote to him, as
I hoped he could give me some information respecting
the time of your arrival, and in return he sent
me a most friendly letter, and has promised this
shall be given to you when you reach England, as I
well know how great must be your anxiety to hear
of us, and how much satisfaction it will give
you to have a letter immediately on your return.
Let me conjure you, my dearest Peter, to write
to us the very first moment do not lose
a post ’tis of no consequence
how short your letter may be, if it only informs
us you are well. I need not tell you that you
are the first and dearest object of our affections.
Think, then, my adored boy, of the anxiety we
must feel on your account; for my own part, I
can know no real joy or happiness independent
of you, and if any misfortune should now deprive us
of you, my hopes of felicity are fled for ever.
’We are at present making all
possible interest with every friend and connexion
we have, to ensure you a sufficient support and
protection at your approaching trial; for a trial
you must unavoidably undergo, in order to convince
the world of that innocence, which those who
know you will not for a moment doubt; but, alas!
while circumstances are against you, the generality
of mankind will judge severely. Bligh’s
representations to the Admiralty are, I am told,
very unfavourable, and hitherto the tide of public
opinion has been greatly in his favour.
My mamma is at present well, considering the
distress she has suffered since you left us; for,
my dearest brother, we have experienced a complicated
scene of misery from a variety of causes, which,
however, when compared with the sorrow we felt
on your account, was trifling and insignificant;
that misfortune made all others light, and
to see you once more returned, and safely restored
to us, will be the summit of all earthly happiness.
’Farewell, my most beloved brother!
God grant this may soon be put into your hands
I Perhaps at this moment you are arrived in England,
and I may soon have the dear delight of again beholding
you. My mamma, brothers, and sisters, join with
me in every sentiment of love and tenderness.
Write to us immediately, my ever-loved Peter,
and may the Almighty preserve you until you bless
with your presence your fondly affectionate family,
and particularly your unalterably faithful friend
and sister,
(Signed) ’NESSY
HEYWOOD.’
The gleam of joy which this unhappy
family derived from the circumstance, which had been
related to them, of young Heywood’s swimming
off to the Pandora, was dissipated by a letter
from himself to his mother, soon after his arrival
in England, in which he says: ’The
question, my dear mother, in one of your letters,
concerning my swimming off to the Pandora, is
one falsity among the too many, in which I have often
thought of undeceiving you, and as frequently forgot.
The story was this: On the morning she arrived,
accompanied by two of my friends (natives), I was going
up the mountains, and having got about a hundred yards
from my own house, another of my friends (for I was
an universal favourite among those Indians, and perfectly
conversant in their language) came running after me,
and informed me there was a ship coming. I immediately
ascended a rising ground, and saw, with indescribable
joy, a ship laying-to off Hapiano; it was just after
daylight, and thinking Coleman might not be awake,
and therefore ignorant of this pleasing news, I sent
one of my servants to inform him of it, upon which
he immediately went off in a single canoe. There
was a fresh breeze, and the ship working into the
bay; he no sooner got alongside than the rippling capsized
the canoe, and he being obliged to let go the tow-rope
to get her righted, went astern, and was picked up
the next tack and taken on board the Pandora,
he being the first person. I, along with my messmate
Stewart, was then standing upon the beach with a double
canoe, manned with twelve paddles ready for launching;
and just as she made her last tack into her berth
(for we did not think it requisite to go off sooner),
we put off and got alongside just as they streamed
the buoy; and being dressed in the country manner,
tanned as brown as themselves, and I tattooed
like them in the most curious manner, I do not in
the least wonder at their taking us for natives.
I was tattooed, not to gratify my own desire, but
theirs; for it was my constant endeavour to acquiesce
in any little custom which I thought would be agreeable
to them, though painful in the process, provided I
gained by it their friendship and esteem, which you
may suppose is no inconsiderable object in an island
where the natives are so numerous. The more a
man or woman there is tattooed, the more they are
respected; and a person having none of these marks
is looked upon as bearing an unworthy badge of disgrace,
and considered as a mere outcast of society.’
Among the many anxious friends and
family connexions of the Heywoods, was Commodore Pasley,
to whom this affectionate young lady addressed herself
on the melancholy occasion; and the following is the
reply she received from this officer.
’Sheerness,
June 8th, 1792.
’Would to God, my dearest Nessy,
that I could rejoice with you on the early prospect
of your brother’s arrival in England. One
division of the Pandora’s people has arrived,
and now on board the Vengeance (my ship).
Captain Edwards with the remainder, and all the
prisoners late of the Bounty, in number
ten (four having been drowned on the loss of that
ship), are daily expected. They have been
most rigorously and closely confined since taken,
and will continue so, no doubt, till Bligh’s
arrival. You have no chance of seeing him, for
no bail can be offered. Your intelligence
of his swimming off on the Pandoras arrival
is not founded; a man of the name of Coleman
swam off ere she anchored your brother and
Mr. Stewart the next day; this last youth, when
the Pandora was lost, refused to allow
his irons to be taken off to save his life.
’I cannot conceal it from you,
my dearest Nessy, neither is it proper I should your
brother appears, by all accounts, to be the greatest
culprit of all, Christian alone excepted. Every
exertion, you may rest assured, I shall use to
save his life, but on trial I have no hope of
his not being condemned. Three of the ten
who are expected are mentioned, in Bligh’s narrative,
as men detained against their inclination. Would
to God your brother had been one of that number!
I will not distress you more by enlarging on
this subject; as intelligence arises on their
arrival, you shall be made acquainted. Adieu!
my dearest Nessy present my affectionate
remembrances to your mother and sisters, and believe
me always, with the warmest affection, Your
uncle,
THOS. PASLEY.’
How unlike is this from the letter
of Bligh! while it frankly apprises this amiable lady
of the real truth of the case, without disguise, as
it was then understood to be from Mr. Bligh’s
representations, it assures her of his best exertions
to save her brother’s life. Every reader
of sensibility will sympathise in the feeling displayed
in her reply.
’Isle of Man,
22nd June, 1792.
’Harassed by the most torturing
suspense, and miserably wretched as I have been,
my dearest uncle, since the receipt of your last,
conceive, if it is possible, the heartfelt joy and
satisfaction we experienced yesterday morning, when,
on the arrival of the packet, the dear delightful
letter from our beloved Peter (a copy of which
I send you enclosed) was brought to us.
Surely, my excellent friend, you will agree with
me in thinking there could not be a stronger proof
of his innocence and worth, and that it must
prejudice every person who reads it most powerfully
in his favour. Such a letter in less distressful
circumstances than those in which he writes, would,
I am persuaded, reflect honour on the pen of a person
much older than my poor brother. But when
we consider his extreme youth (only sixteen at
the time of the mutiny, and now but nineteen),
his fortitude, patience, and manly resignation under
the pressure of sufferings and misfortunes almost
unheard of, and scarcely to be supported at any
age, without the assistance of that which seems
to be my dear brother’s greatest comfort
a quiet conscience, and a thorough conviction
of his own innocence when I add, at the
same time, with real pleasure and satisfaction,
that his relation corresponds in many particulars
with the accounts we have hitherto heard of the
fatal mutiny, and when I also add, with inconceivable
pride and delight, that my beloved Peter never was
known to breathe a syllable inconsistent with truth
and honour; when these circumstances,
my dear uncle, are all united, what man on earth
can doubt of the innocence which could dictate
such a letter? In short, let it speak for him:
the perusal of his artless and pathetic story
will, I am persuaded, be a stronger recommendation
in his favour than any thing I can urge.
’I need not tire your patience,
my ever loved uncle, by dwelling longer on this
subject (the dearest and most interesting on
earth to my heart); let me conjure you only, my kind
friend, to read it, and consider the innocence and
defenceless situation of its unfortunate author,
which calls for, and I am sure deserves, all
the pity and assistance his friends can afford
him, and which, I am sure also, the goodness
and benevolence of your heart will prompt you to exert
in his behalf. It is perfectly unnecessary for
me to add, after the anxiety I feel, and cannot
but express, that no benefit conferred upon myself
will be acknowledged with half the gratitude
I must ever feel for the smallest instance of kindness
shown to my beloved Peter. Farewell, my dearest
uncle. With the firmest reliance on your
kind and generous promises, I am, ever with the
truest gratitude and sincerity, Your
most affectionate niece,
NESSY HEYWOOD.’