fied
of its truth. Young Christian was at this time about twenty-four years
old, a tall handsome youth, fully six feet high, with black hair, and an
open interesting English countenance. As he wore no clothes, except a
piece of cloth round his loins, and a straw-hat ornamented with black
cock's feathers, his fine figure and well-shaped muscular limbs were
displayed to great advantage, and attracted general admiration. His body
was much tanned by exposure to the weather; but although his complexion
was somewhat brown, it wanted that tinge of red peculiar to the natives
of the Pacific. He spoke English correctly both in grammar and
pronunciation; and his frank and ingenuous deportment excited in every
one the liveliest feelings of compassion and interest. His companion was
a fine handsome youth, of seventeen or eighteen years of age, named
George Young, son of one of the _Bounty's_ midshipmen.

The youths expressed great surprise at everything they saw, especially a
cow, which they supposed to be either a huge goat or a horned sow, having
never seen any other quadrupeds. When questioned concerning the
_Bounty_, they referred the captains to an old man on shore, the only
surviving Englishman, whose name, they said, was John Adams, but who
proved to be the identical Alexander Smith before-mentioned, having
changed his name from some caprice or other. The officers went ashore
with the youths, and were received by old Adams (as we shall now call
him), who conducted them to his house, and treated them to an elegant
repast of eggs, fowl, yams, plantains, bread-fruit, etc. They now
learned from him an account of the fate of his companions, who, with
himself, preferred accompanying Christian in the _Bounty_ to remaining at
Otaheite--which account agreed with that he afterwards gave at greater
length to Captain Beechey in 1828. Our limits will not permit us to
detail all the interesting particulars at length, as we could have
wished, but they are in substance as follows:--

It was Christian's object, in order to avoid the vengeance of the British
law, to proceed to some unknown and uninhabited island, and the Marquesas
Islands were first fixed upon. But Christian, on reading Captain
Cartaret's account of Pitcairn's Island, thought it better adapted for
the purpose, and shaped his course thither. Having landed and traversed
it, they found it every way suitable to their wishes, possessing water,
wood, a good soil, and so