CHAPTER XXI. 



PITCAIRN ISLAND. 



AT six o'clock on the morning of March 22nd, 

 1903, we sighted Pitcairn. The history of this 

 island and its people is well-known, but a brief 

 account here of the origin of the inhabitants 

 may not be out of place. 



At the time of its discovery by Carteret in 1767, 

 Pitcairn was uninhabited, but afterwards it 

 became the home of some of the survivors of the 

 mutineers of H.M.S. " Bounty," who, after cap- 

 turing the ship, visited Tahiti and, taking native 

 wives, finally settled on Pitcairn and destroyed 

 the " Bounty." Here they remained undiscovered 

 for twenty years, until a passing ship, noticing 

 signs of inhabitants, lowered a boat and found 

 them with their descendants. Since that time 

 Pitcairn has been inhabited almost solely by the 

 descendants of the mutineers, and at the time of 

 our visit there were about one hundred and ninety 

 persons living there. 



As we drew close we could see that it was of 

 small size, and rose precipitously from the sea. 



