The Lonely Island | Page 9

and one of the wives had a baby
girl by a former husband. The European sailors named the infant Sally.
She was a round light-brown embodiment of gleeful impudence, and
had barely reached the staggering age of infancy when taken on board
the Bounty to begin her strange career.
Thus the party consisted of twenty-eight souls--namely, nine mutineers,
six native men, twelve native women, and the light-brown baby.
It was a pleasant bright morning in September 1790 when Fletcher
Christian and his followers bade farewell to Otaheite. For some time
the breeze was light, and the Bounty hovered round the Island as if
loath to leave it. In the dusk of evening a boat put off from her, pulled
to the shore, and Christian landed, alone, near the house of a chief who
had become the special friend of Peter Heywood and Stewart. With the
two midshipmen he spent some time in earnest conversation.
"I could not leave you," he said in conclusion, "without relieving my
mind of all that I have just said about the mutiny, because you are sure
to be sent for and taken to England as soon as the intelligence of this
sad affair reaches. I advise you to go off at once to the first ship that
may appear, and give yourselves up to the commander."
"Such is our intention," said Heywood.
"Right," rejoined Christian; "you are both innocent. No harm can come
to you, for you took no part in the mutiny. For me, my fate is fixed. I
go to search for some remote and uninhabited island, where I hope to
spend the remainder of my days without seeing the face of any
Europeans except those who accompany me. It is a dreary thought, lads,
to lose country and kindred and friends for ever by the act of one dark
hour. Now, remember, Heywood, what I have told you to tell my
friends. God knows I do not plead guiltless; I am alone responsible for
the mutiny, and I exonerate all, even my adherents, from so much as

suggesting it to me; nevertheless, there are some who love me in
England, to whom I would beg of you to relate the circumstances that I
have told you. These may extenuate though they cannot justify the
crime I have committed. I assure you, most solemnly, that almost up to
the last I had no intention of doing more than making my own escape
from the ship which the injustice and brutality of Bligh had made a
place of torment to me. When you called me, Stewart, to relieve the
watch, my brain seemed on fire, and it was when I found the two
officers both asleep, who should have been on duty, that I suddenly
made up my mind to take the ship. Now," concluded Christian,
grasping the hands of the youths, "I must say farewell. I have done you
grievous wrong. God forgive me, and bless you. Good-bye, Peter;
good-bye, Stewart, good-bye."
He turned abruptly, stepped into his boat, and was rowed out to sea.
The young midshipmen, with moistened eyes, stood silently watching
the boat until it reached the ship. Then they saw the Bounty steering
away to the northward. Before daylight was quite gone she had
disappeared on the distant horizon.
Thus did Fletcher Christian and his comrades pass from the sight and
ken of man, and they were not heard of after that for more than twenty
years!
But you and I, reader, have a special privilege to follow up these
mutineers. Before doing so, however, let us note briefly what became
of their comrades left on Otaheite.
These, to the number of sixteen, soon distributed themselves among the
houses of their various friends, and proceeded to make themselves quite
at home. Some of them, however, were not disposed to take up a
permanent abode there. Among these was the boatswain's mate, James
Morrison, a man of superior mental power and energy, who kept an
interesting and graphic journal of events. [See note.] He, with the
armourer, cooper, carpenter's mate, and others, set to work to construct
a small vessel, in which they meant to sail to Batavia, whence they
hoped to procure a passage to England. The natives opposed this at first,

but on being told that the vessel was only meant for pleasure trips
round the island, they ceased their opposition, and watched with great
wonder at the process of ship-building, which was carried on
industriously from day to day.
During the progress of the work there was witnessed an interesting
ceremony, which, according to custom, was annually performed by the
chief of the district and a vast concourse of natives. It shows how
deeply the celebrated Captain Cook had gained the reverence and love
of the people of Otaheite.