A Narrative Of The Mutiny, On Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty Part 4

[Sidenote: 1789. MAY 13.]

In the afternoon we saw a kind of fruit on the water, which Mr. Nelson knew to be the Barringtonia of Forster, and, as I saw the same again in the morning, and some men of war birds, I was led to believe we were not far from land.

We continued constantly shipping seas, and baling, and were very wet and cold in the night; but I could not afford the allowance of rum at day-break. The twenty-fifth of a pound of bread, and water I served as usual. At noon I had a sight of the sun, lat.i.tude 14 17' S; course W by N 79 miles; longitude made 14 28' W.

[Sidenote: Thursday 14.]

Thursday, May the 14th. Fresh breezes and cloudy weather, wind southerly. Constantly shipping water, and very wet, suffering much cold and shiverings in the night. Served the usual allowance of bread and water, three times a day.

At six in the morning, we saw land, from S W by S eight leagues, to N W by W 3/4 W six leagues, which I soon after found to be four islands, all of them high and remarkable. At noon discovered a rocky island N W by N four leagues, and another island W eight leagues, so that the whole were six in number; the four I had first seen bearing from S 1/2 E to S W by S; our distance three leagues from the nearest island. My lat.i.tude observed was 13 29' S, and longitude, by account, from Tofoa, 15 49'

W; course since yesterday noon N 63 W; distance 89 miles.

[Sidenote: Friday 15.]

Friday, May the 15th. Fresh gales at S E, and gloomy weather with rain, and a very high sea; two people constantly employed baling.

[Sidenote: 1789. MAY 15.]

At four in the afternoon I pa.s.sed the westernmost island. At one in the morning I discovered another, bearing W N W, five leagues distance, and at eight o'clock I saw it for the last time, bearing N E seven leagues.

A number of gannets, b.o.o.bies, and men of war birds were seen.

These islands lie between the lat.i.tude of 13 16' S and 14 10' S: their longitude, according to my reckoning, 15 51' to 17 6' W from the island Tofoa[*]. The largest island may be twenty leagues in circuit, the others five or six. The easternmost is the smallest island, and most remarkable, having a high sugar-loaf hill.

[*] By making a proportional allowance for the error afterwards found in the dead reckoning, I estimate the longitude of these islands to be from 167 17' E to 168 34' E from Greenwich.

The sight of these islands served but to increase the misery of our situation. We were very little better than starving, with plenty in view; yet to attempt procuring any relief was attended with so much danger, that prolonging of life, even in the midst of misery, was thought preferable, while there remained hopes of being able to surmount our hardships. For my own part, I consider the general run of cloudy and wet weather to be a blessing of Providence. Hot weather would have caused us to have died with thirst; and perhaps being so constantly covered with rain or sea protected us from that dreadful calamity.

As I had nothing to a.s.sist my memory, I could not determine whether these islands were a part of the New Hebrides or not: I believed them perfectly a new discovery, which I have since found to be the case; but, though they were not seen either by Monsieur Bougainville or Captain Cook, they are so nearly in the neighbourhood of the New Hebrides, that they must be considered as part of the same group. They are fertile, and inhabited, as I saw smoke in several places.

[Sidenote: 1789. MAY 16.]

[Sidenote: Sat.u.r.day 16.]

Sat.u.r.day, May the 16th. Fresh gales from the S E, and rainy weather. The night was very dark, not a star to be seen to steer by, and the sea breaking constantly over us. I found it necessary to act as much as possible against the southerly winds, to prevent being driven too near New Guinea; for in general we were forced to keep so much before the sea, that if we had not, at intervals of moderate weather, steered a more southerly course, we should inevitably, from a continuance of the gales, have been thrown in sight of that coast: in which case there would most probably have been an end to our voyage.

In addition to our miserable allowance of one 25th of a pound of bread, and a quarter of a pint of water, I issued for dinner about an ounce of salt pork to each person. I was often solicited for this pork, but I considered it better to give it in small quant.i.ties than to use all at once or twice, which would have been done if I had allowed it.

At noon I observed, in 13 33' S; longitude made from Tofoa, 19 27' W; course N 82 W; distance 101 miles. The sun gave us hopes of drying our wet cloaths.

[Sidenote: Sunday 17.]

Sunday, May the 17th. The sunshine was but of short duration. We had strong breezes at S E by S, and dark gloomy weather, with storms of thunder, lightning, and rain. The night was truly horrible, and not a star to be seen; so that our steerage was uncertain. At dawn of day I found every person complaining, and some of them soliciting extra allowance; but I positively refused it. Our situation was extremely miserable; always wet, and suffering extreme cold in the night, without the least shelter from the weather. Being constantly obliged to bale, to keep the boat from filling, was, perhaps, not to be reckoned an evil, as it gave us exercise.

[Sidenote: 1789. MAY 17.]

The little rum I had was of great service to us; when our nights were particularly distressing, I generally served a tea-spoonful or two to each person: and it was always joyful tidings when they heard of my intentions.

At noon a water-spout was very near on board of us. I issued an ounce of pork, in addition to the allowance of bread and water; but before we began to eat, every person stript and wrung their cloaths through the sea-water, which we found warm and refreshing. Course since yesterday noon W S W; distance 100 miles; lat.i.tude, by account, 14 11' S, and longitude made 21 3' W.

[Sidenote: Monday 18.]

Monday, May the 18th. Fresh gales with rain, and a dark dismal night, wind S E; the sea constantly breaking over us, and nothing but the wind and sea to direct our steerage. I now fully determined to make New Holland, to the southward of Endeavour straits, sensible that it was necessary to preserve such a situation as would make a southerly wind a fair one; that I might range the reefs until an opening should be found into smooth water, and we the sooner be able to pick up some refreshments.

In the morning the rain abated, when we stripped, and wrung our cloaths through the sea-water, as usual, which refreshed us wonderfully. Every person complained of violent pain in their bones: I was only surprised that no one was yet laid up. Served one 25th of a pound of bread, and a quarter of a pint of water, at supper, breakfast, and dinner, as customary.

At noon I deduced my situation, by account, for we had no glimpse of the sun, to be in lat.i.tude 14 52' S; course since yesterday noon W S W 106 miles; longitude made from Tofoa 22 45' W. Saw many b.o.o.bies and noddies, a sign of being in the neighbourhood of land.

[Sidenote: 1789. May 19. Tuesday 19.]

Tuesday, May the 19th. Fresh gales at E N E, with heavy rain, and dark gloomy weather, and no sight of the sun. We past this day miserably wet and cold, covered with rain and sea, from which we had no relief, but at intervals by pulling off our cloaths and wringing them through the sea water. In the night we had very severe lightning, but otherwise it was so dark that we could not see each other. The morning produced many complaints on the severity of the weather, and I would gladly have issued my allowance of rum, if it had not appeared to me that we were to suffer much more, and that it was necessary to preserve the little I had, to give relief at a time we might be less able to bear such hardships; but, to make up for it, I served out about half an ounce of pork to each person, with the common allowance of bread and water, for dinner. All night and day we were obliged to bale without intermission.

At noon it was very bad weather and constant rain; lat.i.tude, by account, 14 37' S; course since yesterday N 81 W; distance 100 miles; longitude made 24 30' W.

[Sidenote: Wednesday 20.]

Wednesday, May the 20th. Fresh breezes E N E with constant rain; at times a deluge. Always baling.

[Sidenote: 1789. May 20.]

At dawn of day, some of my people seemed half dead: our appearances were horrible; and I could look 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. This morning I served about two tea-spoonfuls of rum to each person, and the allowance of bread and water, as usual. At noon the sun broke out, and revived every one. I found we were in lat.i.tude 14 49'

S; longitude made 25 46' W; course S 88 W; distance 75 miles.

[Sidenote: Thursday 21.]

Thursday, May the 21st. Fresh gales, and heavy showers of rain. Wind E N E.

Our distresses were now very great, and we were so covered with rain and salt water, that we could scarcely see. Sleep, though we longed for it, afforded no comfort: for my own part, I almost lived without it: we suffered extreme cold, and every one dreaded the approach of night.

About two o'clock in the morning we were overwhelmed with a deluge of rain. It fell so heavy that we were afraid it would fill the boat, and were obliged to bale with all our might. At dawn of day, I served a large allowance of rum. Towards noon the rain abated and the sun shone, but we were miserably cold and wet, the sea breaking so constantly over us, that, notwithstanding the heavy rain, we had not been able to add to our stock of fresh water. The usual allowance of one 25th of a pound of bread and water was served at evening, morning, and noon. Lat.i.tude, by observation, 14 29' S, and longitude made, by account, from Tofoa, 27 25' W; course, since yesterday noon, N 78 W, 99 miles. I now considered myself on a meridian with the east part of New Guinea, and about 65 leagues distant from the coast of New Holland.

[Sidenote: Friday 22.]

Friday, May the 22nd. Strong gales from E S E to S S E, a high sea, and dark dismal night.

Our situation this day 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. The sea was continually breaking all over us; but, as we suffered not such cold as when wet with the rain, I only served the common allowance of bread and water.

[Sidenote: 1789. MAY 22.]

At noon it blew very hard, and the foam of the sea kept running over our stern and quarters; I however got propped up, and made an observation of the lat.i.tude, in 14 17' S; course N 85 W; distance 130 miles; longitude made 29 38' west.

[Sidenote: Sat.u.r.day 23.]

Sat.u.r.day, May the 23d. Strong gales with very hard squalls, and rain; wind S E, and S S E.

The misery we suffered this day exceeded the preceding. The night was dreadful. 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 now began to fear that another such a night would put an end to the lives of several who seemed no longer able to support such sufferings. Every one complained of severe pains in their bones; but these were alleviated, in some degree, by an allowance of two tea-spoonfuls of rum; after drinking which, having wrung our cloaths, and taken our breakfast of bread and water, we became a little refreshed.

Towards noon it became fair weather; but with very little abatement of the gale, and the sea remained equally high. With great difficulty I observed the lat.i.tude to be 13 44' S; course N 74 W; distance 116 miles since yesterday; longitude made 31 32' W from Tofoa.

[Sidenote: Sunday 24.]