, for although Christian was the
acknowledged leader of the party, he took no important step without
consulting his comrades.

"You see it is useless," he said, "to think of venturing again to sea in
the _Bounty_; we are too short-handed for that. Besides, we could not
find a more suitable island than this. I therefore propose that we
should burn the ship, to prevent her being seen by any chance vessel
that may pass this way. If she were observed, men might be tempted to
land, and of course they would tell that we were here, and His Majesty
would soon have a cruiser out in search of us. What say you?"

"I say wait a bit and consider," replied Young.

"Ditto," said Adams.

Some of the others thought with Christian. Quintal, in particular, who
seemed to live in a chronic state of objection to being hanged, was
strong for destroying the vessel. Eventually, after a good deal of
delay and much discussion, the good ship _Bounty_ finished her career by
being burned to the water's edge in Bounty Bay. This occurred on the
23rd January 1790. The lower part of the vessel, which would not burn,
was towed out into deep water and sunk, so that not a vestige of her
remained.

And now all was bustling activity. A spot some few hundred yards
farther inland than that selected as their camping-ground on the day of
arrival, was fixed on as suitable for their permanent location. It was
beautifully situated, and pleasantly sheltered by trees, through between
the stems of which the sea was visible. To this spot everything was
conveyed, and several of the most powerful of the men began to clear the
ground, and fell the trees with axes.

One morning, soon after landing, a party was organised to traverse the
island and investigate its character and resources. As they were not
yet quite sure that it was uninhabited, this party was a strong one and
well armed. It consisted of Christian, Adams, Brown, Martin, and four
of the Otaheitans. Edward Young stayed at the encampment with the
remaining men and the women.

"In which direction shall we go?" asked Christian, appealing to Brown.

The botanist hesitated, and glanced round him.

"If I might make so bold, sir," said Isaac Martin, "I would suggest that
we go right up to the top o' the mountains. There's nothin' like a
bird's-eye view for fillin' the mind wi' right notions o' form, an'
size, an' character."

Following this advice, they traversed the lower ground, which was