The Eventful History of the Mutiny and Piratical Seizure of H.M.S. Bounty by John Barrow

Author:John Barrow [Barrow, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789356567344
Barnesnoble:
Published: 2004-12-23T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER VI

THE COURT-MARTIAL

If any person in or belonging to the fleet shall make,

or endeavour to make, any mutinous assembly, upon

any pretence whatsoever, every person offending

herein, and being convicted thereof, by the sentence

of the Court-martial, shall suffer DEATH.

Naval Articles of War, Art. 19.

The Court assembled to try the prisoners on board his Majesty’s ship Duke, on the 12th September, 1792, and continued by adjournment from day to day

(Sunday excepted) until the 18th of the same month. [24]

PRESENT

Vice-Admiral Lord Hood, President.

Capt. Sir Andrew Snape Hamond, Bart.,

” John Colpoys,

” Sir George Montagu,

” Sir Roger Curtis,

” John Bazeley,

” Sir Andrew Snape Douglas,

” John Thomas Duckworth,

” John Nicholson Inglefield,

” John Knight,

” Albemarle Bertie,

” Richard Goodwin Keats.

The charges set forth that Fletcher Christian, who was mate of the Bounty, assisted by others of the inferior officers and men, armed with muskets and bayonets, had violently and forcibly taken that ship from her commander,

Lieutenant Bligh; and that he, together with the master, boatswain, gunner, and

carpenter, and other persons (being nineteen in number), were forced into the launch and cast adrift;—that Captain Edwards, in the Pandora, was directed to

proceed to Otaheite, and other islands in the South Seas, and to use his best endeavours to recover the said vessel, and to bring in confinement to England the said Fletcher Christian and his associates, or as many of them as he might be

able to apprehend, in order that they might be brought to condign punishment,

&c. That Peter Heywood, James Morrison, Charles Norman, Joseph Coleman,

Thomas Ellison, Thomas M’Intosh, Thomas Burkitt, John Millward, William

Muspratt, and Michael Byrne, had been brought to England, &c., and were now

put on their trial.

Mr. Fryer, the master of the Bounty, being first sworn, deposed—

That he had the first watch; that between ten and eleven o’clock Mr. Bligh came

on deck, according to custom, and after a short conversation, and having given

his orders for the night, left the deck; that at twelve he was relieved by the gunner, and retired, leaving all quiet; that at dawn of day he was greatly alarmed

by an unusual noise; and that, on attempting to jump up, John Sumner and

Matthew Quintal laid their hands upon his breast and desired him to lie still, saying he was their prisoner; that on expostulating with them, he was told, ‘Hold

your tongue, or you are a dead man, but if you remain quiet there is none on board will hurt a hair of your head’; he further deposes, that on raising himself on

the locker, he saw on the ladder, going upon deck, Mr. Bligh in his shirt, with his

hands tied behind him, and Christian holding him by the cord; that the master-at-

arms, Churchill, then came to his cabin and took a brace of pistols and a hanger,

saying, ‘I will take care of these, Mr. Fryer’; that he asked, on seeing Mr. Bligh

bound, what they were going to do with the captain; that Sumner replied, ‘D——

n his eyes, put him into the boat, and let the see if he can live upon three-fourths

of a pound of yams a day’; that he remonstrated with such conduct, but in vain.

They said he must go in the small cutter. ‘The small cutter!’ Mr. Fryer exclaimed;

‘why her bottom is almost out, and very much eaten by the worms!’ to which Sumner and Quintal both said, ‘D—— n his eyes, the boat is too good for him’;

that after much entreaty he prevailed on them to ask Christian if he might be allowed to go on deck, which, after some hesitation, was granted. When I came

on deck, says Mr. Fryer, Mr. Bligh was standing by the mizen-mast, with his hands tied behind him, and Christian holding the cord with one hand, and a bayonet in the other. I said, ‘Christian, consider what you are about.’ ‘Hold your

tongue, Sir,’ he said; ‘I have been in hell for weeks past; Captain Bligh has brought all this on himself.’ I told him that Mr. Bligh and he not agreeing was no

reason for taking the ship. ‘Hold your tongue, Sir,’ he said. I said,—Mr.

Christian, you and I have been on friendly terms during the voyage, therefore

give me leave to speak,—let Mr. Bligh go down to his cabin, and I make no doubt we shall all be friends again;—he then repeated, ‘Hold your tongue, Sir; it

is too late’; and threatening me if I said anything more. Mr. Fryer then asked him

to give a better boat than the cutter; he said, ‘No, that boat is good enough.’ Bligh

now said to the master, that the man behind the hen-coops (Isaac Martin) was his

friend, and desired him (the master) to knock Christian down, which Christian must have heard, but took no notice; that Fryer then attempted to get past Christian to speak to Martin, but he put his bayonet to his breast, saying, ‘Sir, if

you advance an inch farther, I will run you through,’ and ordered two armed men

to take him down to his cabin. Shortly afterwards he was desired to go on deck,

when Christian ordered him into the boat: he said, ‘I will stay with you, if you will give me leave.’ ‘No, Sir,’ he replied, ‘go directly into the boat.’ Bligh, then on the gangway, said, ‘Mr. Fryer, stay in the ship.’ ‘No, by G—— d, Sir,’ Christian

said, ‘go into the boat, or I will run you through.’ Mr. Fryer states, that during this time very bad language was used by the people towards Mr. Bligh; that with great difficulty they prevailed on Christian to suffer a few articles to be put into

the boat; that after the persons were ordered into the boat to the number of nineteen, such opprobrious language continued to be used, several of the men calling out ‘Shoot the——,’ that Cole, the boatswain, advised they should cast off

and take their chance, as the mutineers would certainly do them a mischief if they stayed much longer. Mr. Fryer then states the names of those who were under arms; and that Joseph Coleman, Thomas M’Intosh, Charles Norman, and

Michael Byrne (prisoners), wished to come into the boat, declaring they had

nothing to do in the business; that he did not perceive Mr. Peter Heywood on deck at the seizure of the ship.

On being asked what he supposed Christian meant when he said he had been in

hell for a fortnight? he said, from the frequent quarrels that they had, and the abuse he had received from Mr. Bligh, and that the day before the mutiny Mr.

Bligh had challenged all the young gentlemen and people with stealing his

cocoa-nuts.

Mr. Cole, the boatswain, deposes,—that he had the middle watch; was awakened

out of his sleep in the morning, and heard a man calling out to the carpenter, that

they had mutinied and taken the ship; that Christian had the command, and that

the captain was a prisoner on the quarter-deck; that he went up the hatchway, having seen Mr.

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