been attended with many circumstances equally pleasing and satisfactory. A very different scene was now to be experienced. A conspiracy had been formed, which was to render all our past labour productive only of extreme misery and distress. The means had been concerted and prepared with so much secrecy and circumspection, that no one circumstance appeared to occasion the smallest suspicion of the impending calamity.“It is now our business to shew, that so far from a conspiracy having existed prior to the Bounty’s departure from the Society Islands, the plot was conceived and carried into execution between the hours of 4 and 8 A.M. on the 28th April, the second day after she quitted Annamooka.
“In the afternoon of the 27th,” adds the writer of the MS. “Lieutenant Bligh came upon deck, and missing some of the cocoa-nuts, which had been piled up between the guns, said they had been stolen, and could not have been taken away without the knowledge of the officers, all of whom were sent for and questioned on the subject. On their declaring that they had not seen any of the people touch them, he exclaimed, ‘Then you must have taken them yourselves;’ and proceeded to enquire of them, separately, how many they had purchased. In the mean time, Mr. Elphinstone, Master’s Mate, was ordered to see every nut in the ship brought aft. On coming to Mr. Christian, that gentleman answered, ‘I do not know, sir, but I hope you don’t think me so mean as to be guilty of stealing yours.’ Mr. Bligh replied, ‘Yes, you d___d hound, I do – You must have stolen them from me, or you would be able to give a better account of them:’ then, turning to the other officers, he said, ‘God d___n you, you scoundrels, you are all thieves alike, and combine with the men to rob me: I suppose you’ll steal my yams next; but I’ll sweat you for it you rascals – I’ll make half of you jump overboard before you get through Endeavour’s Straits.’ This threat was followed by an order to the clerk to ‘stop the villains’ grog, and give them but half a pound of yams tomorrow; if they steal then, I’ll reduce them to a quarter.’ He then went below, and the officers were heard to murmur very much at such foul aspersions being cast upon their characters; whilst the men, fearing that their yams would soon meet with the same fate as the cocoa-nuts, immediately set about concealing as many of them as possible, the circumstance of their having purchased a large quantity being well-known to Lieutenant Bligh.
“In the morning of the 28th the boatswain came to my hammock, and after awaking, told me, to my great surprise, that Mr. Christian had taken possession of the ship. I hurried on deck, and saw Lieutenant Bligh in his shirt, with his hands tied behind him, and Mr. Christian, with a drawn bayonet, standing by his side. Several of the men were under arms, the small cutter was already hoisted out, and the large cutter getting ready.
