FROM THE MUTINY TO PITCAIRN ISLAND—-MAUDE 553 
Both Williams and Wyatt Gill were under no doubt that Rarotonga 
had been visited by the Bounty, though not having the evidence we 
now possess Gill concluded that she called there immediately after 
the mutiny and on her way to Tahiti (Gill, 1911, p. 192).7* Gosset, 
who lived in the Cook Islands from 1899 to 1904, found a definite 
tradition among the older generations in Rarotonga that the Bounty 
had called; and Pa Maretu, then chief of Ngati-Tangia, assured him 
that the first orange trees on the island grew from the seeds of the 
fruit found in the stolen box (Gosset, 1940, pp. 9-10). 
But even if we admit the authenticity of the tradition of a ship’s 
call, was that ship necessarily the Bounty? I suggest that an analysis 
of the evidence, especially that relating to the cargo on board, indi- 
cates that it was. 
In the first place, an exhaustive search has established that only 
two vessels reported sighting Rarotonga before Goodenough’s visit, 
and both passed the island within a few months of the event.?? Of 
these, one had no contact with the shore, while the other was known 
to be short of provisions and would certainly not have given the 
appearance of a floating horticultural exhibition. 
In fact, even in the unlikely event of some other vessel calling and 
omitting to record the visit is it conceivable that she would be carrying 
a cargo of growing taro tubers, young banana shoots, and breadfruit 
trees, obviously plant material for an agricultural settlement on some 
South Sea (or at least tropical) island? But the Bounty was: for 
Morrison tells us that when Christian left Tahiti she was full of live- 
stock “together with plants of all the kinds that are Common in these 
Islands” and Jenny reports that on her arrival at Pitcairn the settlers 
set to work immediately planting the yams, taro, bananas and aute * 
which they had brought with them (Teehuteatuaonoa, 1819). That 
they did not need to plant the breadfruit trees, which Adams says 
they had also kept on board from Bligh’s plants, was only because 
there were found to be plenty already growing on the island. 
As regards the name McCoy,” although this is not a common name 
it can scarcely be regarded as sufficient proof of the visit in itself, but 
is valuable as supporting evidence. The fact that McCoy (one of the 
most refractory of the able seamen on the Bounty, who had caused 
trouble to both Bligh and Christian) was believed to be the captain is, 
of course, of no significance. In the intense excitement which must 
have prevailed on that brief visit to the first European ship ever seen, 
21 Aaron Buzacott, missionary on Rarotonga from 1828 to 1857, thought the same (Cal- 
kin, 1953, pp. 49-50). 
2The Endeavour (September or October 1813) and the Seringapatam (May 1814). 
*3'The paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera), from which the Tahitian brown cloth 
was made. 
*4The name is spelled Mickoy in the Bounty’s Muster Book and Pay Book, and by Bligh 
in his Log; elsewhere one finds it spelled variously M’Coy, M’Koy and McKoy. His de- 
scendants, however, have called themselves McCoy, and this has become the accepted usage. 
