ct it soon became perfectly clear that
there would never have been a mutiny at all but for Tonkin, who was its
sole instigator, as well as the murderer of the unfortunate Captain
Williams, who had provoked the turbulent boatswain to the highest pitch
of exasperation by his alternations of jovial good-fellowship with
truculent arrogance of demeanour. Poor Carter seemed to find it a
little difficult to make up his mind how to deal with the matter, as he
confessed to me somewhat later that same evening; but I pointed out to
him that, the chief offender having been removed, there was exceedingly
small likelihood of any recurrence of insubordination, especially as the
men had really nothing to complain of, either in their treatment or in
the matter of their food. Looked at after the event, the outbreak wore
very much the appearance of an impulsive act on the part of the men,
skilfully engineered by Tonkin for some evil purpose of his own, now
effectually frustrated. I therefore advised Carter to let them resume
duty, with the distinct understanding that upon their own behaviour
during the remainder of the voyage would it depend whether or not they
were called to account for their disastrous act of insubordination.
These arguments of mine, coupled with the hint that we should need the
services of all hands to protect the ship--should the natives take it
into their heads to attack her--and also to get her afloat again,
convinced him; and he at once had them aft and spoke to them in the
terms which I had suggested.

But although the ugly and awkward incident of the mutiny was ended we
were by no means "out of the wood", for the ship was still hard-and-fast
aground--having apparently run upon the sandbank on the top of a
springtide--and it looked more than likely that it would be necessary to
lighten her considerably before we could hope to get her afloat again.
Meanwhile there were the savages to be kept in mind. Had our lesson of
the afternoon brought home to them a good, wholesome realisation of the
danger of meddling with white men? or had it, on the other hand, only
inflamed them against us, and made them resolve to wreak a terrible
revenge? The question was one which we felt it impossible to answer,
and meanwhile all that we could do, while in our present helpless
condition, was to keep a bright look-out, night and day, and to hold
ourselves ready for any emergency.

Needless to say, Carter and I both took especial c