93 



that the rest might have the ship and find another hiding place for them- 

 selves. This resolution was acted upon, and taking with them the 

 Otaheitan emigrants and a young chief of Tonbouia, who had become 

 devotedly attached to Christian, on the 22nd of September, 1789, they 

 once more touched Otaheite. There the separation of the party at once 

 took place ; sixteen out of the twenty-five mutineers (including Peter 

 Heyvvood and Morrison) elected to abide their chance at Otaheite, and 

 then (to quote from Hey wood's account of the occurrence) "Mr. Christian 

 and the eight other men went away in the ship, but God knows whither!" 

 They were accompanied by nine Otaheitan men and twelve women. 

 Before leaving. Christian spent some hours with the young midshipmen, 

 Heywood and Stuart, when he earnestly advised them to give themselves 

 up to the first ship of war that passed Otaheite. Then turning to Hey- 

 wood, he recapitulated the events of the mutiny, and declared that on 

 that fatal morning his brain seemed to be on fire ; and with a magnanimity 

 worthy of his recent conduct at Tonbouia, he went on to exonerate all 

 his adherents from any blame for the mutiny — which he took wholly 

 upon himself Finally he charged Heywood to communicate to his 

 (Christian's) family, certain circumstances which he hoped would 

 extenuate in their eyes, the offence he had committed against the laws of 

 his country. He then bade a last farewell to his old comrades, who 

 evidently regarded him with great esteem and affection ; nor have I been 

 able to find any other feeling towards him, amongst either his English or 

 his Polynesian associates, except in the solitary instance of Captain 

 Bligh. Morrison notes in his diary that even during the troubles at 

 Tonbouia the most turbulent of the gang never failed in their respectful 

 attitude towards their leader, and never spoke of him but as Mr. 

 Christian. 



From the departure of the "Bounty" in September, 1789, until the 

 arrival of the "Pandora" in 1791, Heywood, Stuart, Morrison, and their 

 companions continued to reside at Otaheite, and to receive from the 

 natives every mark of kindness and distinction which it was in their 

 power to bestow upon the fugitives. The chiefs freely endowed them 



