Extract from the Joui'nal of Captain Henry King. 385 
their hands before them, in the position of prayer, and saying 
grace, they began to refresh themselves, and were much pleased 
with the porter. While they were eating, I had leisure to survey 
their fine open countenance^, which (notwithstanding their ex- 
posure to the sun) were truly British. They were nine young 
men, the offspring of the deluded crew of the Bounty, most of 
them standing six feet high, very muscular and agile, of an 
engaging deportment and open disposition. After their repastj 
they returned thanks to God, in the same pious manner as be- 
fore. They then went on deck, where they gave surprising 
proofs of their agility, by going aloft, jumping overboard, 
and swimming round the ship, while it was going through 
the water at the rate of two knots per hour. I now prepared 
to go on shore, and took the surgeon with me. Five of the 
tives accompanied us to assist in landing, the others remained 
on board till my return. When I got near the shore, I found 
the surf so violent, that I durst not attempt with my boat to 
go through it. I went into theirs, when one of them taking 
hold of me, bid me not fear, for should the boat upset, he 
would take me safe on shore. We now entered the surf, when, 
to my great surprise, a number of young women and children 
came half way into the surf to assist in landing the boat. These 
women ventured far beyond their depth, and assisted in bear- 
ing the boat up, by swimming and sustaining it with their 
hands. We landed in safety, and were immediately met by 
John Adams, a hearty corpulent old man, who, like the rest, 
was naked, with the exception of a piece of cloth round his 
middle. He invited us to his house, for which we set out direct- 
ly, accompanied by all the population of the island. Our way 
lay up a very steep hill, and along a foot-path so narrow, that they 
were actually obliged to carry the Doctor up. When we attained 
the summit of the hill, we had a fine road through the woods ; 
and after crossing two valleys, which abounded with cocoa-nut 
trees, we arrived at the village, situated in a beautiful valley, in 
which were seven houses, each of which had a fine lawn before 
it. Two of the houses had a storey above the ground, and 
all had very clean convenient places for their poultry and pigs. 
We stopped at the house of Thursday October Christian, the 
first born on the island, who gave us for dinner a sucking pig, 
c c S 
