Editing Mutiny on the Bounty (section)

== Expedition ==
=== To Cape Horn ===
On 15 October 1787, ''Bounty'' left [[Deptford]] for [[Spithead]], in the [[English Channel]], to await final sailing orders.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p= 78}}{{#tag:ref|Dates are given as recorded by Bligh in ''Bounty''{{'}}s log (where applicable), which was kept according to the [[nautical time|"nautical", "navy" or "sea" time]] then used by the Royal Navy—each day begins at noon and continues until noon the next day, twelve hours ahead of regular "civil", "natural", or "land" time. The nautical "15 October", for example, equates to the land time period between noon on the 14th and noon on the 15th.{{sfn|McKinney|1999|p=180}}|group="n"|name="nauticaltime"}} Adverse weather delayed arrival at Spithead until 4 November. Bligh was anxious to depart quickly and reach Cape Horn before the end of the short southern summer,{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp= 70–71}} but the Admiralty did not accord him high priority and delayed issuing the orders for a further three weeks. When ''Bounty'' finally sailed on 28 November, the ship was trapped by contrary winds and unable to clear Spithead until 23 December.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=72–73}}{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=78–80}} With the prospect of a passage around Cape Horn now in serious doubt, Bligh received permission from the Admiralty to take, if necessary, an alternative route to Tahiti via the [[Cape of Good Hope]].{{sfn|McKinney|1999|pp=25–26}}

As the ship settled into its sea-going routine, Bligh introduced Cook's strict discipline regarding sanitation and diet. According to the expedition's historian Sam McKinney, Bligh enforced these rules "with a fanatical zeal, continually fuss[ing] and fum[ing] over the cleanliness of his ship and the food served to the crew."{{sfn|McKinney|1999|pp=13–14, 28}} He replaced the navy's traditional [[watch system]] of alternating four-hour spells on and off duty with a three-watch system, whereby each four-hour duty was followed by eight hours' rest.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=83}} For the crew's exercise and entertainment, he introduced regular music and dancing sessions.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=88}} Bligh's despatches to Campbell and Banks indicated his satisfaction; he had no occasion to administer punishment because, he wrote: "Both men and officers tractable and well disposed, & cheerfulness & content in the countenance of every one".{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=86}} The only adverse feature of the voyage to date, according to Bligh, was the conduct of the surgeon Huggan, who was revealed as an indolent, unhygienic drunkard.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=88}}

From the start of the voyage, Bligh had established warm relations with Christian, according him a status which implied that he was Bligh's second-in-command rather than Fryer.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=79}}{{#tag:ref|An early example of Bligh's esteem for Christian was indicated at [[Tenerife]], where ''Bounty'' stopped between 5 and 11 January. On arrival, Bligh sent Christian ashore as the ship's representative to pay respect to the island's governor.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=79}}{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=27}}|group="n"|name="tenerife"}} On 2 March, Bligh formalised the position by assigning Christian to the rank of acting-Lieutenant.{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=25}}{{#tag:ref| This was not a formal naval promotion, but it gave Christian the authority of a full lieutenant on the voyage, and greatly increased his chances of a permanent lieutenant's commission from the Admiralty on his return.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=86–87}}{{sfn|McKinney|1999|p=31}} |group="n"|name="promotion"}} Fryer showed little outward sign of resentment at his junior's advancement, but his relations with Bligh significantly worsened from this point.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=87}} A week after the promotion, and on Fryer's insistence, Bligh ordered the [[flogging]] of seaman [[Matthew Quintal]], who received twelve lashes for "insolence and mutinous behaviour",{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=27}} thereby dashing Bligh's expressed hope of a voyage free from such punishment.{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=22}}

On 2 April, as ''Bounty'' approached Cape Horn, a strong [[gale]] and high seas began an unbroken period of stormy weather which, Bligh wrote, "exceeded what I had ever met with before&nbsp;... with severe squalls of [[hail]] and [[Rain and snow mixed|sleet]]".{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=30}} The winds drove the ship back; on 3 April, it was further north than it had been a week earlier.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p= 90}} Again and again, Bligh forced the ship forward, to be repeatedly repelled. On 17 April, he informed his exhausted crew that the sea had beaten them, and that they would turn and head for the Cape of Good Hope—"to the great joy of every person on Board", Bligh recorded.{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=33}}

=== Cape to Pacific ===
On 24 May 1788, ''Bounty'' anchored in [[False Bay]], east of the [[Cape of Good Hope]], where five weeks were spent in repairs and reprovisioning.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=95–96}} Bligh's log emphasised how fit and well he and his crew were, by comparison with other vessels, and expressed hope that he would receive credit for this.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=92–94}} At one stage during the sojourn, Bligh lent money to Christian, a gesture that the historian Greg Dening suggests might have sullied their relationship by becoming a source of anxiety and even resentment to the younger man.{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=69}} In her account of the voyage, [[Caroline Alexander (author)|Caroline Alexander]] describes the loan as "a significant act of friendship", but one which Bligh ensured Christian did not forget.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=92–94}}

After leaving False Bay on 1 July, ''Bounty'' set out across the southern Indian Ocean on the long voyage to their next port of call, [[Adventure Bay, Tasmania|Adventure Bay]] in [[Van Diemen's Land]] (now called [[Tasmania]]). They passed the remote [[Île Saint-Paul]], a small uninhabited island which Bligh knew from earlier navigators contained fresh water and a hot spring, but he did not attempt a landing. The weather was cold and wintry, conditions akin to the vicinity of Cape Horn, and it was difficult to take navigational observations, but Bligh's skill was such that on 19 August he sighted [[Mewstone|Mewstone Rock]], on the south-west corner of Van Diemen's Land and, two days later, made anchorage in Adventure Bay.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=97–99}}

The ''Bounty'' party spent their time at Adventure Bay in recuperation, fishing, replenishment of water casks, and felling timber. There were peaceful encounters with the native population.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=97–99}} The first sign of overt discord between Bligh and his officers occurred when the captain exchanged angry words with the carpenter, William Purcell, over the latter's methods for cutting wood.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=97–98}}{{#tag:ref|Suggestions that Bligh was an exceptionally harsh commander are not borne out by evidence. His violence was more verbal than physical;{{sfn|Frost|2004}} as a captain, his overall flogging rate of less than one in ten seamen was exceptionally low for the time.{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=127}} He was known for shortness of temper and sharpness of tongue, but his rages were generally directed at his officers, particularly when he perceived incompetence or [[dereliction of duty]].{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=127}} |group="n"|name="carpenter"}} Bligh ordered Purcell back to the ship and, when the carpenter stood his ground, Bligh withheld his rations, which "immediately brought him to his senses", according to Bligh.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=97–98}}

Further clashes occurred on the final leg of the journey to Tahiti. On 9 October, Fryer refused to sign the ship's account books unless Bligh provided him with a certificate attesting to his complete competence throughout the voyage. Bligh would not be coerced. He summoned the crew and read the [[Articles of War]], at which Fryer backed down.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=100–101}} There was also trouble with the surgeon Huggan, whose careless [[blood-letting]] of able seaman James Valentine while treating him for [[asthma]] led to the seaman's death from a [[blood infection]].{{sfn|Wahlroos|1989|pp=297–298}} To cover his error, Huggan reported to Bligh that Valentine had died from [[scurvy]],{{sfn|Dening|1992|p=71}} which led Bligh to apply his own medicinal and dietary [[antiscorbutic]] remedies to the entire ship's company.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=101–103}} By now, Huggan was almost incapacitated with drink, until Bligh confiscated his supply. Huggan briefly returned to duty; before ''Bounty''{{'}}s arrival in Tahiti, he examined all on board for signs of [[venereal disease]] and found none.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=103–104}} ''Bounty'' came to anchor in [[Matavai Bay]], Tahiti, on 26 October 1788, concluding a journey of {{convert|27086|nmi}}.{{sfn|McKinney|1999|p=47}}{{clarify|date=February 2024}}

=== Tahiti ===
[[File:William Hodges - Tahitian War Galleys in Matavai Bay, Tahiti - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|[[Matavai Bay]] in [[Tahiti]], depicted in a 1776 painting by [[William Hodges]]]]

Bligh's first action on arrival was to secure the co-operation of the local chieftains, as well as the King of Tahiti, [[Pōmare I]]. The paramount chief Tynah remembered Bligh from Cook's voyage fifteen years previously and greeted him warmly. Bligh presented the chiefs with gifts and informed them that their own [[George III of the United Kingdom|King George]] wished in return only breadfruit plants. They happily agreed with this simple request.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=105–107}} Bligh assigned Christian to lead a shore party charged with establishing a compound in which the plants would be nurtured.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=115}}

Whether based ashore or on board, the men's duties during ''Bounty''{{'}}s five-month stay in Tahiti were relatively light. Many led [[promiscuity|promiscuous]] lives among the native women—altogether, eighteen officers and men, including Christian, received treatment for venereal infections{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=122–125}}—while others took regular partners.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=112}} Christian formed a close relationship with a Polynesian woman named [[Mauatua]], to whom he gave the name "Isabella" after a former sweetheart from Cumberland.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|p=26}} Bligh remained chaste himself,{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|p=24}} but was tolerant of his men's activities, unsurprised that they should succumb to temptation when "the allurements of dissipation are beyond any thing that can be conceived".{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=162}} Nevertheless, he expected them to do their duty efficiently, and was disappointed to find increasing instances of neglect and slackness on the part of his officers. Infuriated, he wrote: "Such neglectful and worthless petty officers I believe were never in a ship such as are in this."{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=122–125}}

Huggan died on 10 December. Bligh attributed this to "the effects of intemperance and indolence&nbsp;... he never would be prevailed on to take half a dozen turns upon deck at a time, through the whole course of the voyage".{{sfn|Bligh|1792|p=102}} For all his earlier favoured status, Christian did not escape Bligh's wrath. He was often humiliated by the captain—sometimes in front of the crew and the Tahitians—for real or imagined slackness,{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=122–125}} while severe punishments were handed out to men whose carelessness had led to the loss or theft of equipment. Floggings, rarely administered during the outward voyage, now became increasingly common.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=115–120}} On 5 January 1789 three members of the crew—[[Charles Churchill (mutineer)|Charles Churchill]], [[William Muspratt]] and John Millward—[[desertion|deserted]], taking a small boat, arms and ammunition. Muspratt had recently been flogged for neglect. Among the belongings Churchill left on the ship was a list of names that Bligh interpreted as possible accomplices in a desertion plot—the captain later asserted that the names included those of Christian and Heywood. Bligh was persuaded that his protégé was not planning to desert, and the matter was dropped. Churchill, Millward and Muspratt were found after three weeks and, on their return to the ship, were flogged.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=115–120}}

From February onwards, the pace of work increased; more than 1,000 breadfruit plants were potted and carried into the ship, where they filled the great cabin.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=124–125}} The ship was overhauled for the long homeward voyage, in many cases by men who regretted the forthcoming departure and loss of their easy life with the Tahitians. Bligh was impatient to be away, but as [[Richard Hough]] observes in his account, he "failed to anticipate how his company would react to the severity and austerity of life at sea&nbsp;... after five dissolute, [[hedonism|hedonistic]] months at Tahiti".{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=128}} The work was done by 1 April 1789, and four days later, after an affectionate farewell from Tynah and his queen, ''Bounty'' left the harbour.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=124–125}}

=== Towards home ===
In their ''Bounty'' histories, both Hough and Alexander maintain that the men were not at a stage close to mutiny; however, they were sorry to leave Tahiti. The journal of [[James Morrison (mutineer)|James Morrison]], the boatswain's mate, supports this.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=133}}{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=126}}{{#tag:ref|Morrison's journal was probably written with the advantage of hindsight, after his return to London as a prisoner. Hough argues that Morrison could not have maintained a day-by-day account of all the experiences he underwent, including the mutiny, his capture, and the return to England.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=312–313}}|group="n"|name="morrison"}} The events that followed, Hough suggests, were determined in the three weeks following the departure, when Bligh's anger and intolerance reached [[paranoia|paranoid]] proportions. Christian was a particular target, always seeming to bear the brunt of the captain's rages.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=131–132}} Unaware of the effects of his behaviour on his officers and crew,{{sfn|Frost|2004}} Bligh would forget these displays instantly and attempt to resume normal conversation.{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=133}}

On 22 April 1789, ''Bounty'' arrived at [[Nomuka]], in the [[Tonga|Friendly Islands]] (now called Tonga), intending to pick up wood, water, and further supplies on the final scheduled stop before the Endeavour Strait.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=135–136}} Bligh had visited the island with Cook and knew that the inhabitants could behave unpredictably. He put Christian in charge of the watering party and equipped him with [[musket]]s, but at the same time ordered that the arms should be left in the boat instead of carried ashore.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=135–136}} Christian's party was harassed and threatened continually but were unable to retaliate, having been denied the use of arms. He returned to the ship with his task incomplete, and was cursed by Bligh as "a damned cowardly rascal".{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=129–130}} Further disorder ashore resulted in the thefts of a small anchor and an [[adze]], for which Bligh further berated Christian and Fryer.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=138–139}} In an attempt to recover the missing property, Bligh briefly detained the island's chieftains on the ship, but to no avail. When he finally gave the order to sail, neither the anchor nor the adze had been restored.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|pp=132–133}}

By 27 April, Christian was in a state of despair, depressed and brooding.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=27–29}}{{#tag:ref|The historian Leonard Guttridge suggests that Christian's psychological state may have been further affected by the venereal disease contracted in Tahiti.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=27–29}} |group="n"|name="depressed"}} His mood was worsened when Bligh accused him of stealing coconuts from the captain's private supply. Bligh punished the whole crew for this theft, stopping their rum ration and reducing their food by half.{{sfn|Alexander|2003|p=136}}{{sfn|Hough|1972|p=144}} Feeling that his position was now intolerable, Christian considered constructing a raft with which he could escape to an island and take his chances with the natives. He may have acquired wood for this purpose from Purcell.{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=27–29}}{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=13–14, 147}} In any event, his discontent became common knowledge among his fellow officers. Two of the young gentlemen, George Stewart and [[Ned Young|Edward Young]], urged him not to desert; Young assured him that he would have the support of almost all on board if he were to seize the ship and depose Bligh.{{sfn|Hough|1972|pp=14–16}} Stewart told him the crew were "ripe for anything".{{sfn|Guttridge|2006|pp=27–29}}