81 



opening the casks two cheeses were missed by Mr. Bligh, who declared 

 they had been stolen. The cooper, however, declared that the casks had 

 been opened before while the ship was in the river by Mr. Samuel's 

 orders, and the cheeses sent to Mr. Bligh's ovm house. Mr. Bligh, 

 without making any further enquiry into the matter, ordered the allowance 

 of cheese to be stopped until the deficiency had been made good, and 



told the cooper he would give him a d d good flogging if he said 



more about it. The order was strictly obeyed by Mr. Samuel, who was 

 both clerk and steward, and next day butter was only issued. This the 

 seamen refused, alleging that their acceptance of the butter without cheese 

 would be a tacit acknowledgment of the supposed theft, and John Williams 

 (a sailor) declared that he had carried the cheeses to Mr. Bligh's 

 house, with a cask of vinegar and some other things. The crew persisted 

 in their refusal of the butter for two more days, and then no more notice 

 was taken of the matter." Later on Bligh ordered pumpkins to be served 

 out instead of bread, at which the men grumbled ; whereupon Bligh 



told them they were a lot of d d infernal scoundrels, and that he 



would make them eat grass before he was done with them. Afterwards 

 the officers took up this grievance and remonstrated with Bligh, who 

 ordered all hands aft and told them " everything relating to the provisions 

 was done by his orders, and it was therefore needless to complain, for 

 they would get no redress. He added that he would flog the first man 

 severely who dared to make another complaint." Further on Morrison 

 records that the junior officers raised a complaint that all the pick of the 

 provisions was devoured at the cabin table by Bligh and his messmates, 

 the master and the surgeon. The result is not given ; but as thieves fall 

 out, so Bligh and these two messmates at last quarrelled, and during the 

 rest of the voyage the latter sulked in their own cabins, and would not 

 speak to Bligh when they could help it. 



After a tedious passage, checkered apparently by many such troubles 

 and also by a good deal of bad weather and of sickness, the " Bounty" 

 anchored at Otaheite on the 25th of October, 1788. The winter was 

 spent in collecting and storing bread-fruit plants, and as provisions were 

 now plentiful and the natives treated their visitors with the utmost 



