s an unpleasant one, about _such_ offenders having no
feelings of honour or sense of shame.

On the 7th March, a native Otaheitan, whom Bligh had confined in irons,
contrived to break the lock of the bilboa-bolt and make his escape. 'I
had given,' says Bligh, 'a written order that the mate of the watch was
to be answerable for the prisoners, and to visit and see that they were
safe in his watch, but I have such a neglectful set about me, that I
believe nothing but condign punishment can alter their conduct. Verbal
orders, in the course of a month, were so forgotten, that they would
impudently assert no such thing or directions were given, and I have
been at last under the necessity to trouble myself with writing, what,
by decent young officers, would be complied with as the common rules of
the service. Sir. Stewart was the mate of the watch.'

These extracts show the terms on which Bligh was with his officers; and
these few instances, with others from Morrison's Journal, make it pretty
clear, that though Christian, as fiery and passionate a youth as his
commander could well be, and with feelings too acute to bear the foul
and opprobious language constantly addressed to him, was the sole
instigator of the mutiny;--the captain had no support to expect, and
certainly received none, from the rest of his officers. That Christian
was the sole author appears still more strongly from the following
passage in Morrison's Journal. 'When Mr. Bligh found he must go into the
boat, he begged of Mr. Christian to desist, saying "I'll pawn my honour,
I'll give my bond, Mr. Christian, never to think of this, if you'll
desist," and urged his wife and family; to which Mr. Christian replied,
"No, Captain Bligh, if you had any honour, things had not come to this;
and if you had any regard for your wife and family, you should have
thought on them before, and not behaved so much like a villain."
Lieutenant Bligh again attempted to speak, but was ordered to be silent.
The boatswain also tried to pacify Mr. Christian, to whom he replied,
"It is too late, I have been in hell for this fortnight past, and am
determined to bear it no longer; and you know, Mr. Cole, that I have
been used like a dog all the voyage."'

It is pretty evident, therefore, that the mutiny was not, as Bligh in
his narrative states it to have been, the result of a conspiracy. It
will be seen by the minutes of the court-martial, that the whole affair
was planned and executed