than
willing to join the conspirators. Those who hesitated, whatever might
have been their motives, had not sufficient regard for their commander
to warn him of his danger. Perhaps the very suddenness of the proposal,
as well as fear of the mutineers, induced them to remain silent. In
passing along the deck Christian encountered a man named William Brown.
He was assistant-botanist, or gardener, to the expedition, and having
been very intimate with Christian, at once agreed to join him. Although
a slenderly made young man, Brown was full of vigour and resolution.

"We must look sharp," said Christian to him, in that low eager whisper
in which the conversation among the mutineers had hitherto been carried
on. "It will soon be daylight. You know the men as well as I do. Go
below and gain over those whom you feel sure of influencing. Don't
waste your time on the lukewarm or cowardly. Away with you. Here,
Williams," he added, turning to another man who was already in the plot,
"go below and send up the gunner's mate, I want him; then call John
Adams,--I feel sure that Reckless Jack will join; but do it softly. No
noise or excitement."

In a few seconds John Mills, the gunner's mate, a strongly-built
middle-aged man, came on deck, and agreeing at once to join, was sent to
fetch the keys of the arm-chest from the armourer, under pretence of
getting out a musket to shoot a shark which was alongside.

Meanwhile John Williams went to the hammock of John Adams and roused
him.

"I don't half like it," said Adams, when he was sufficiently awake to
understand the message of his mate. "It's all very true what you say,
Williams; the ship _has_ been little better than a hell since we left
Spithead, and Captain Bligh don't deserve much mercy, but mutiny is
wrong any way you look at it, and I've got my doubts whether any
circumstances can make it right."

The reasoning of Adams was good, but his doubts were cleared away, if
not solved, by the abrupt entrance of Christian, who went to the
arm-chest just opposite Adams's hammock and began to distribute arms to
all the men who came for them. Seeing this, and fearing to be left on
the weaker side, Adams rose, armed himself with a cutlass, and went on
deck.

The morning of the 28th of April was now beginning to dawn. Before that
the greater part of the ship's company had been gained over and armed;
yet all this was done so quietly and with such firmness that the
remainde