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The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1928, Page 3

Concordia Seminary Library, St. Louis (scholar.csl.edu/lutheran_pioneer/50)

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

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ship. Bligh entreated Christian to desist from
carrying out this plan and vowed that he would
forget all that had happened and be a different man.
But Christian replied that he could not trust him.
The pleadings of others were also without avail.
Christian’s last word was: “It is too late; I have
been in hell this fortnight and am determined to
bear it no longer. You know that during the whole
voyage I have been treated like a dog.”

mutiny, and it is certain that at least four of
those who remained behind did so because actual
force had been used. Others probably remained
behind because the boat could not possibly carry
a greater load.

After the launch had been set adrift, the Bounty
was cleared of all the plants that had been so
laboriously gathered by the crew, and then, under
Christian’s command, cruised about for weeks in

Heathen South Sea Islanders.

Christian forced nineteen into the open launch,
which was only twenty-three feet long. Besides its
passengers it held a carpenter’s tool-chest, one hun-
dred and fifty pounds of bread, thirty pounds of
pork, six quarts of rum, six bottles of wine, twenty-

eight gallons of water, and four empty barrels. No.

arms were given them. When all were on board,
the boat was only a few inches out of. the water.
Just why Christian chose the nineteen, besides
Bligh, to go in the launch cannot be explained.
Of the twenty-five who remained on the Bounty
only twelve had taken an actual part in the

search of a suitable place for settlement. Having
finally decided upon the small island of Toobanai,
or Tubuai, the Bounty sailed for Tahiti, there to
lay in a stock of provisions and secure some live
stock. The Tahitians supplied them with much
fruit and vegetables, a number of hogs, and even
returned to them a cow and a bull which Bligh had
presented to them. On June 23, 1789, they re-
turned to Tubuai and at once began to build a fort.
Being attacked by the natives of the island, they
again went on board the Bounty. Here it became
apparent that only a few actually were in sympathy