Editing Mutiny on the Bounty (section)

== Mutiny ==
=== Seizure ===
[[File:Mutiny on the Bounty.jpg|thumb|[[Fletcher Christian]] and the mutineers seize HMS ''Bounty'' on 28 April 1789, depicted in an 1841 engraving by [[Hablot Knight Browne]]]]

In the early hours of 28 April 1789, ''Bounty'' lay about {{convert|30|nmi}} south of the island of [[Tofua]].{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=148}} After a largely sleepless night, Christian had decided to act. He understood from his discussions with Young and Stewart which crewmen were his most likely supporters and, after approaching Quintal and Isaac Martin, he learned the names of several more. With the help of these men, Christian rapidly gained control of the upper deck; those who questioned his actions were ordered to keep quiet.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=17–21}} At about 05:15, Christian went below, dismissed Hallett (who was sleeping on the chest containing the ship's muskets) and distributed arms to his followers before making for Bligh's cabin.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=29–33}} Three men took hold of the captain and tied his hands, threatening to kill him if he raised the alarm;{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=140}} Bligh "however called sufficiently loud to alarm the officers".<ref>{{harvnb|Bligh|1789|p=[https://digital.sl.nsw.gov.au/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=FL3156700 54]}}. See also [https://archival-classic.sl.nsw.gov.au/_transcript/2017/D20192/a286.html#:~:text=however%20called%20sufficiently%20loud%20to%20alarm%20the%20officers transcript].</ref> The commotion woke Fryer, who saw, from his cabin opposite, the mutineers frogmarching Bligh away. The mutineers ordered Fryer to "lay down again, and hold my tongue or I was a dead man".{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=29–33}}

Bligh was brought to the quarterdeck, his hands bound by a cord held by Christian, who was brandishing a [[bayonet]];{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=21–24}} some reports maintained that Christian had a [[Depth sounding#Lead and Line|sounding plummet]] hanging from his neck so that he could jump overboard and drown himself if the mutiny failed.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=29–33}} Others who had been awakened by the noise left their berths and joined in the general pandemonium. It was unclear at this stage who were or were not active mutineers. Hough describes the scene: "Everyone was, more or less, making a noise, either cursing, jeering or just shouting for the reassurance it gave them to do so".{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=21–24}} Bligh shouted continually, demanding to be set free, sometimes addressing individuals by name, and otherwise exhorting the company generally to "knock Christian down!"{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=26}} Fryer was briefly permitted on deck to speak to Christian, but was then forced below at bayonet-point; according to Fryer, Christian told him: "I have been in hell for weeks past. Captain Bligh has brought this on himself."{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=29–33}}

Christian originally thought to cast Bligh adrift in ''Bounty''{{'}}s small [[jolly boat]], together with his clerk John Samuel and the loyalist midshipmen Hayward and Hallett. This boat proved unseaworthy, so Christian ordered the launching of a larger ship's boat, with a capacity of around ten. However, Christian and his allies had overestimated the extent of the mutiny—at least half on board were determined to leave with Bligh. Thus the ship's largest boat, a {{convert|23|ft|m|adj = on}} [[launch (boat)|launch]], was put into the water.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=149–151}} During the following hours the loyalists collected their possessions and entered the boat. Among these was Fryer, who with Bligh's approval sought to stay on board—in the hope, he later claimed, that he would be able to retake the ship{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=29–33}}—but Christian ordered him into the launch. Soon, the vessel was badly overloaded, with more than twenty persons and others still vying for places. Christian ordered the two carpenter's mates, Norman and McIntosh, and the armourer, Joseph Coleman, to return to the ship, considering their presence essential if he were to navigate ''Bounty'' with a reduced crew. Reluctantly they obeyed, beseeching Bligh to remember that they had remained with the ship against their will. Bligh assured them: "Never fear, lads, I'll do you justice if ever I reach England".{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=158–159}}

Samuel saved the captain's journal, commission papers and purser's documents, a compass and [[Backstaff#Davis quadrant|quadrant]], but was forced to leave behind Bligh's maps and charts—fifteen years of navigational work.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=29–33}} With the eighteen men who had remained loyal to Bligh, the launch was supplied with about five days' food and water and Purcell's tool chest.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=140–141}} Bligh mentions in his journals that a [[sextant]] and any time-keeper was refused by the mutineers, but boatswain's mate [[James Morrison (mutineer)|James Morrison]] stated Christian handed over his personal sextant saying, "There, Captain Bligh, this is sufficient for every purpose and you know the sextant to be a good one."{{sfn|McKinney|1999|p=73}} The ship's [[Larcum Kendall#K2|K2 chronometer]] was left on ''Bounty'',{{sfn|Bligh|1790}} but Peckover had his own [[pocket watch]] that Bligh used to keep time.<ref>{{harvnb|Bligh|1789|p=[https://digital.sl.nsw.gov.au/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=FL3156785 139]}}. See also [https://archival-classic.sl.nsw.gov.au/_transcript/2017/D20192/a286.html#:~:text=Unfortunately%20our%20watch%20stoped%20so%20that%20now%20I%20can%20only%20guess%20at%20time%20%E2%80%93%20it%20was%20belongg.%20to%20the%20Gunner. transcript].</ref>  At the last minute the mutineers threw four [[cutlass]]es down into the boat.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=29–33}} Of ''Bounty'''s complement—44 after the deaths of Huggan and Valentine—19 men were crowded into the launch, leaving it dangerously low in the water with only seven inches of [[Freeboard (nautical)|freeboard]].{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=140–141}} The 25 men remaining on ''Bounty'' included the committed mutineers who had taken up arms, the loyalists detained against their will, and others for whom there was no room in the launch. At around 10:00 the line holding the launch to the ship was cut; a little later, Bligh ordered a sail to be raised. Their immediate destination was the nearby island of Tofua, clearly marked on the horizon by the plume of smoke rising from its [[volcano]].{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=161–162}}

=== Bligh's open-boat voyage ===
[[File:Bounty Voyages Map.png|thumb|Map showing ''Bounty's'' movements in the [[Pacific Ocean]] between 1788 and 1790
{{legend|red|Voyage of ''Bounty'' to Tahiti and to location of the  mutiny, 28 April 1789}}
{{legend|green|Course of Bligh's open-boat journey to [[Kupang|Coupang]], [[Timor]], between 2 May and 14 June 1789}}{{legend|yellow|Movements of ''Bounty'' under Christian after the mutiny, from 28 April 1789 onwards}}]]
[[File:Nla.ms-ms5393-2-s1.jpg|thumb|"Fletcher Christian. Aged 24 years – 5.9 High. Dark swarthy complexion...", the beginning of Bligh's list of mutineers, written during the open-boat voyage and now housed in the collection of the [[National Library of Australia]] in [[Canberra]]]]

Bligh hoped to find water and food on Tofua, then proceed to the nearby island of [[Tongatapu]] to seek help from King Poulaho (whom he knew from his visit with Cook) in provisioning the boat for a voyage to the [[Dutch East Indies]].{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=165}} Ashore at Tofua, there were encounters with natives who were initially friendly but grew more menacing as time passed. On 2 May, four days after landing, Bligh realised that an attack was imminent. He directed his men back to the sea, shortly before the Tofuans seized the launch's stern rope and attempted to drag it ashore. Bligh coolly shepherded the last of his shore party and their supplies into the boat. In an attempt to free the rope from its captors, the quartermaster John Norton leapt into the water; he was immediately set upon and [[Stoning|stoned]] to death.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=165–169}}

The launch escaped to the open sea, where the shaken crew reconsidered their options. A visit to Tongatapu, or any island landfall, might incur similarly violent consequences; their best chance of salvation, Bligh reckoned, lay in sailing directly to the Dutch settlement of [[Kupang]] in [[Timor]], using the rations presently on board.{{#tag:ref|Bligh listed these provisions in his journal as {{convert|150|lb|kg}} of bread, 28 [[gallon]]s (130 litres) of water, {{convert|20|lb|kg}} of pork, and a few coconuts and breadfruit salvaged from Tofua. There were also three bottles of wine and five [[quart]]s of rum.{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=176}}|group="n"|name="provisions"}} This was a journey of some {{convert|3500|nmi}} to the west, beyond the Endeavour Strait, and it would necessitate daily rations of an ounce of bread and a quarter-pint of water for each man. The plan was unanimously agreed.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=169–172}}{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=148}}

From the outset, the weather was wet and stormy, with mountainous seas that constantly threatened to overwhelm the boat.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=175}} When the sun appeared, Bligh noted in his daily journal that it "gave us as much pleasure as a winter's day in England".{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=186}} Bligh endeavoured to continue his journal throughout the voyage, observing, sketching, and charting as they made their way west. To keep up morale, he told stories of his prior experiences at sea, got the men singing, and occasionally said prayers.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=33–35}} The launch made the first passage by Europeans through the [[Fiji|Fiji Islands]],{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=150}} but they dared not stop because of the islanders' reputation for [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]].{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=174}}{{#tag:ref|The strait through which the loyalists passed pursued by natives is still called [[Bligh Water]].{{sfn|Stanley|2004|pp=597–598}}|group="n"|name="blighwater"}} On 17 May, Bligh recorded that "our situation was miserable; always wet, and suffering extreme cold&nbsp;... without the least shelter from the weather".{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=189}}

A week later with the skies clearing, birds began to appear, signalling a proximity to land.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=179}} On 28 May, the [[Great Barrier Reef]] was sighted; Bligh found a navigable gap and sailed the launch into a calm [[lagoon]].{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=151}} Late that afternoon, he ran the boat ashore on a small island off the coast of northeast [[Australia]], which he named [[Ma’alpiku Island National Park#History|Restoration Island]]. Here, the men found oysters and berries in plentiful supply and were able to eat ravenously.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=180–182}}{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=200}} Over the next four days, the party island-hopped northward within the lagoon, aware that their movements were being closely monitored by natives on the mainland.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=184–185}} Strains were showing within the party; following a heated disagreement with Purcell, Bligh grabbed a cutlass and challenged the carpenter to fight. Fryer told Cole to arrest their captain but backed down after Bligh threatened to kill him if he interfered.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|p=35}}

On 2 June, the launch cleared [[Cape York Peninsula|Cape York]], the extreme northern point of the Australian continent. Bligh turned south-west and steered through a maze of [[shoal]]s, reefs, sandbanks, and small islands. The route taken was not the Endeavour Strait, but a narrower southerly passage later known as the Prince of Wales Channel. At 20:00 that evening they reached the open [[Arafura Sea]],{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=186–187}} still {{convert|1100|nmi}} from Kupang.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=152}} The following eight days encompassed some of the toughest travel of the entire journey and, by 11 June, many were close to collapse. The next day, the coast of Timor was sighted: "It is not possible for me to describe the pleasure which the blessing of the sight of this land diffused among us", Bligh wrote.{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=227}} On 14 June, with a makeshift [[Flag of the United Kingdom|Union Jack]] hoisted, they sailed into Kupang harbour.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=189}}

In Kupang, Bligh reported the mutiny to the authorities, and wrote to his wife: "Know then, my own Dear Betsey, I have lost the ''Bounty''&nbsp;..."{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=154}} Nelson the botanist quickly succumbed to the harsh Kupang climate and died.{{sfn|Bligh|1792|pp=239–240}} On 20 August, the party departed for [[Jakarta|Batavia]] (now called Jakarta) to await a ship for Europe;{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=213}} the cook Thomas Hall died there, having been ill for weeks.{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=257}} Bligh obtained passages home for himself, his clerk Samuel, and his servant John Smith, and sailed on 16 October 1789.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=163–164}} Four of the remainder—the master's mate Elphinstone, the quartermaster Peter Linkletter, the butcher Robert Lamb and the assistant surgeon Thomas Ledward—all died either in Batavia or on their journeys home.{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=264}}{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=215}}

=== ''Bounty'' under Christian ===
[[File:Tubuai.jpg|thumb|[[Tubuai]], where Christian first attempted to settle; the island is almost totally surrounded by a [[coral reef]]]]

After the departure of Bligh's launch, Christian divided the personal effects of the departed loyalists among the remaining crew and threw the breadfruit plants into the sea.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=12–13}} He recognised that Bligh could conceivably survive to report the mutiny, and that anyway the non-return of ''Bounty'' would occasion a search mission, with Tahiti as its first port of call. Christian therefore headed ''Bounty'' towards the small island of [[Tubuai]], some {{convert|450|nmi}} south of Tahiti.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|p=36}} Tubuai had been discovered and roughly charted by Cook; except for a single small channel, it was entirely surrounded by a coral reef and could, Christian surmised, be easily defended against any attack from the sea.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=192–195}}

''Bounty'' arrived at Tubuai on 28 May 1789. The reception from the native population was hostile; when a [[flotilla]] of war canoes headed for the ship, Christian used a four-pounder gun to repel the attackers. At least a dozen warriors were killed, and the rest scattered. Undeterred, Christian and an armed party surveyed the island and decided it would be suitable for their purposes.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=194–196}} However, to create a permanent settlement, they needed compliant native labour and women. The most likely source for these was Tahiti, to which ''Bounty'' returned on 6 June. To ensure the co-operation of the Tahiti chiefs, Christian concocted a story that he, Bligh, and Cook were founding a new settlement at [[Aitutaki]]. Although [[Death of James Cook|Cook had actually been killed]] ten years earlier, the use of his name ensured generous gifts of livestock and other goods and, on 16 June, the well-provisioned ''Bounty'' sailed back to Tubuai. On board were nearly thirty Tahitian men and women, some of whom were there by deception.{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=90}}{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=196–197}}

For the next two months, Christian and his forces struggled to establish themselves on Tubuai. They began to construct a large [[moat]]ed enclosure—called "Fort George", after the British king—to provide a secure fortress against attack by land or sea.{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=90}} Christian attempted to form friendly relations with the local chiefs, but his party was unwelcome.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=199–200}} There were persistent clashes with the native population, mainly over property and women, culminating in a pitched battle in which 66 islanders were killed and many wounded.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=14}} Discontent was rising among the ''Bounty'' party, and Christian sensed that his authority was slipping. He called a meeting to discuss future plans and offered a free vote. Eight remained loyal to Christian, the hard core of the active mutineers, but sixteen wished to return to Tahiti and take their chances there. Christian accepted this decision; after depositing the majority at Tahiti, he would "run before the wind, and&nbsp;... land upon the first island the ship drives. After what I have done I cannot remain at Tahiti."{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=199–200}} In order to flee, ''Bounty'' cut the ropes to two anchors in the bay; one was recovered by {{HMS|Pandora|1779|2}}, <ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://library.puc.edu/pitcairn/bounty/pandora-encyclopedia.shtml
|title=HMS ''Pandora'' Encyclopedia
|work=Pitcairn Islands Study Center
|publisher=[[Pacific Union College]]
|access-date=2012-10-31
}}</ref><!--end of refn--> while the other was rediscovered in 1957.<ref>National Geographic, December 1957, Luis Marden, "I Found the Bones of the Bounty"</ref>

=== Mutineers divided ===
When ''Bounty'' returned to Tahiti, on 22 September, the welcome was much less effusive than previously. The Tahitians had learned from the crew of a visiting British ship that the story of Cook and Bligh founding a settlement in Aitutaki was a fabrication, and that Cook had been long dead.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=201–203}} Christian worried that their reaction might turn violent and did not stay long. Of the sixteen men who had voted to settle in Tahiti, he allowed fifteen ashore; Joseph Coleman was detained on the ship, as Christian required his skills as an armourer.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=15}}

That evening, Christian coaxed aboard ''Bounty'' a party of Tahitians, mainly women, for a social gathering. With the festivities underway, he cut the anchor rope and ''Bounty'' sailed away with its captive guests.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=250}} Coleman escaped by diving overboard and reached land.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=15}} Among the abducted group were six elderly women, for whom Christian had no use; he put them ashore on the nearby island of [[Mo'orea]].{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=368–369}} ''Bounty''{{'}}s complement now comprised nine mutineers—Christian, Young, Quintal, Brown, Martin, John Williams, John Mills, [[William McCoy (mutineer)|William McCoy]] and [[John Adams (mutineer)|John Adams]] (known by the crew as "Alexander Smith"){{sfn|Dening|1992|p=84}}—and twenty Polynesians, of whom fourteen were women.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=204–205}}

The sixteen sailors on Tahiti began to organise their lives.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=229}} One group, led by Morrison and Tom McIntosh, began building a [[schooner]], which they named ''Resolution'' after Cook's ship.{{sfn|Dening|1992|pp=215–217}} Morrison had not been an active mutineer; rather than waiting for recapture, he hoped to sail the vessel to the Dutch East Indies and surrender to the authorities there, hoping that such action would confirm his innocence. Morrison's group maintained ship's routine and discipline, even to the extent of holding divine service each Sunday.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=220–221}}{{#tag:ref| Morrison and his men created a seaworthy schooner. When ''Pandora'' arrived in Tahiti in March 1791 in search of mutineers, the schooner was confiscated and commandeered to act as ''Pandora''{{'}}s [[ship's tender|tender]]. The schooner subsequently disappeared in a storm and was presumed lost, but was returned safely to Batavia by a skeleton crew.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=10, 19, 29–30}} |group="n"|name="schooner"}} Churchill and Matthew Thompson, on the other hand, chose to lead drunken and generally dissolute lives, which ended in the violent deaths of both. Churchill was murdered by Thompson, who was in turn killed by Churchill's native friends.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=8}} Others, such as Stewart and Heywood, settled into quiet domesticity; Heywood spent much of his time studying the [[Tahitian language]].{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=229}} He adopted native dress and, in accordance with the local custom, was heavily tattooed on his body.{{sfn|Tagart|1832|p=83}}