gard for your wife and
family, you should have thought of them before and not behaved so much
like a villain. It is too late. You have treated me like a dog all the
voyage. Come, sir, your officers and men are now in the boat, and you
must go with them. If you attempt resistance you shall be put to
death."

Seeing that further appeal would be useless, Bligh allowed himself to be
forced over the side. When in the boat his hands were untied.

"You will at least allow us arms, to defend ourselves from the savages,"
he said. Fire-arms were refused, but four cutlasses were ultimately
allowed him. At this point Isaac Martin quietly descended into the
boat, but Quintal, pointing a musket at him, threatened to shoot him if
he did not return to the ship. He obeyed the order with reluctance, and
soon after the boat was cast adrift.

The crew of the _Bounty_ at the time consisted of forty-four souls, all
told. Eighteen of these went adrift with the Captain. The remaining
twenty-five steered back to the sunny isles of the Pacific.

CHAPTER TWO.

RECORDS THE DUTIES AND TROUBLES OF THE MUTINEERS.

It is not our purpose to follow the fortunes of Captain Bligh. The
mutineers in the _Bounty_ claim our undivided attention.

As regards Bligh, it is sufficient to say that he performed one of the
most remarkable boat-voyages on record. In an overloaded and open boat,
on the shortest allowance of provision compatible with existence,
through calm and tempest, heat and cold, exposed to the attacks of
cannibals and to the reproaches of worn-out and mutinous men, he
traversed 3618 miles of ocean in forty-one days, and brought himself and
his followers to land, with the exception of one man who was killed by
the natives. In this achievement he displayed those qualities of
indomitable resolution and unflagging courage which ultimately raised
him to high rank in the navy. But we leave him now to trace those
incidents which result from the display of his other qualities--
ungovernable passion, overbearing impetuosity, and incomprehensible
meanness.

The first act of Fletcher Christian, after taking command of the ship,
was to serve out a glass of grog all round. He then called a council of
war, in which the mutineers discussed the question what they should do.

"You see, lads," said Christian, "it is absolutely certain that we
shan't be left among these islands in peace. Whether Bligh manages to
get home or not, the Br