laimed, "Then you must have taken them
yourselves"; and proceeded to inquire of them separately, how many they
had purchased. On coming to Mr. Christian, that gentleman answered, "I
do not know, Sir, but I hope you do not 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 will 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 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 to-morrow; if they steal them, I'll reduce them to
a quarter."'

It is difficult to believe that an officer in his Majesty's service
could condescend to make use of such language to the meanest of the
crew, much less to gentlemen: it is to be feared, however, that there is
sufficient ground for the truth of these statements: with regard to the
last, it is borne out by the evidence of Mr. Fryer, the master, on the
court-martial. This officer, being asked, 'what did you suppose to be
Mr. Christian's meaning, when he said he had been in hell for a
fortnight?' answered, 'From the frequent quarrels they had had, and the
abuse which he had received from Mr. Bligh.'--'Had there been any very
recent quarrel?'--'The day before Mr. Bligh challenged all the young
gentlemen and people with stealing his cocoa-nuts.' It was on the
evening of this day that Lieutenant Bligh, according to his printed
narrative, says Christian was to have supped with him; but excused
himself on account of being unwell; and that he was invited to dine with
him on the day of the mutiny.

Every one of these circumstances, and many others, which might be stated
from Mr. Morrison's Journal, are omitted in Bligh's published narrative;
but many of them are alluded to in his original Journal, and others that
prove distinctly the constant reproofs to which his officers were
subject, and the bad terms on which they stood with their commander. A
few extracts from this Journal will sufficiently establish this point.

In so early a part of the voyage as their arrival in Adventure Bay, he
found fault with his officers, and put the carpenter into