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Mutiny on the Bounty
CHAPTER VI
THE COURT-MARTIAL
If any person in or belonging to the fleet shall make, or endeavour to
make, any mutinous assembly, upon any pretence whatsoever, every
person offending herein, and being convicted thereof, by the sentence
of the Court-martial, shall suffer DEATH.
_Naval Articles of War, Art._ 19.
The Court assembled to try the prisoners on board his Majesty's ship
_Duke_, on the 12th September, 1792, and continued by adjournment from
day to day (Sunday excepted) until the 18th of the same month.[24]
PRESENT
Vice-Admiral Lord Hood, _President_. Capt. Sir Andrew Snape Hamond,
Bart., " John Colpoys, " Sir George Montagu, " Sir Roger Curtis,
" John Bazeley, " Sir Andrew Snape Douglas, " John Thomas
Duckworth, " John Nicholson Inglefield, " John Knight, "
Albemarle Bertie, " Richard Goodwin Keats.
The charges set forth that Fletcher Christian, who was mate of the
_Bounty_, assisted by others of the inferior officers and men, armed
with muskets and bayonets, had violently and forcibly taken that ship
from her commander, Lieutenant Bligh; and that he, together with the
master, boatswain, gunner, and carpenter, and other persons (being
nineteen in number), were forced into the launch and cast
adrift;--that Captain Edwards, in the _Pandora_, was directed to
proceed to Otaheite, and other islands in the South Seas, and to use
his best endeavours to recover the said vessel, and to bring in
confinement to England the said Fletcher Christian and his associates,
or as many of them as he might be able to apprehend, in order that
they might be brought to condign punishment, &c. That Peter Heywood,
James Morrison, Charles Norman, Joseph Coleman, Thomas Ellison, Thomas
M'Intosh, Thomas Burkitt, John Millward, William Muspratt, and Michael
Byrne, had been brought to England, &c., and were now put on their
trial.
_Mr. Fryer_, the master of the _Bounty_, being first sworn, deposed--
That he had the first watch; that between ten and eleven o'clock Mr.
Bligh came on deck, according to custom, and after a short
conversation, and having given his orders for the night, left the
deck; that at twelve he was relieved by the gunner, and retired,
leaving all quiet; that at dawn of day he was greatly alarmed by an
unusual noise; and that, on attempting to jump up, John Sumner and
Matthew Quintal laid their hands upon his breast and desired him to
lie still, saying he was their prisoner; that on expostulating with
them, he was told, 'Hold your tongue, or you are a dead man, but if
you remain quiet there is none on board will hurt a hair of your
head'; he further deposes, that on raising himself on the locker, he
saw on the ladder, going upon deck, Mr. Bligh in his shirt, with his
hands tied behind him, and Christian holding him by the cord; that the
master-at-arms, Churchill, then came to his cabin and took a brace of
pistols and a hanger, saying, 'I will take care of these, Mr. Fryer';
that he asked, on seeing Mr. Bligh bound, what they were going to do
with the captain; that Sumner replied, 'D---- n his eyes, put him into
the boat, and let the see if he can live upon three-fourths of a pound
of yams a day'; that he remonstrated with such conduct, but in vain.
They said he must go in the small cutter. 'The small cutter!' Mr.
Fryer exclaimed; 'why her bottom is almost out, and very much eaten by
the worms!' to which Sumner and Quintal both said, 'D---- n his eyes,
the boat is too good for him'; that after much entreaty he prevailed
on them to ask Christian if he might be allowed to go on deck, which,
after some hesitation, was granted. When I came on deck, says Mr.
Fryer, Mr. Bligh was standing by the mizen-mast, with his hands tied
behind him, and Christian holding the cord with one hand, and a
bayonet in the other. I said, 'Christian, consider what you are
about.' 'Hold your tongue, Sir,' he said; 'I have been in hell for
weeks past; Captain Bligh has brought all this on himself.' I told him
that Mr. Bligh and he not agreeing was no reason for taking the ship.
'Hold your tongue, Sir,' he said. I said,--Mr. Christian, you and I
have been on friendly terms during the voyage, therefore give me leave
to speak,--let Mr. Bligh go down to his cabin, and I make no doubt we
shall all be friends again;--he then repeated, 'Hold your tongue, Sir;
it is too late'; and threatening me if I said anything more. Mr. Fryer
then asked him to give a better boat than the cutter; he said, 'No,
that boat is good enough.' Bligh now said to the master, that the man
behind the hen-coops (Isaac Martin) was his friend, and desired him
(the master) to knock Christian down, which Christian must have heard,
but took no notice; that Fryer then attempted to get past Christian to
speak to Martin, but he put his bayonet to his breast, saying, 'Sir,
if you advance an inch farther, I will run you through,' and ordered
two armed men to take him down to his cabin. Shortly afterwards he was
desired to go on deck, when Christian ordered him into the boat: he
said, 'I will stay with you, if you will give me leave.' 'No, Sir,' he
replied, 'go directly into the boat.' Bligh, then on the gangway,
said, 'Mr. Fryer, stay in the ship.' 'No, by G---- d, Sir,' Christian
said, 'go into the boat, or I will run you through.' Mr. Fryer states,
that during this time very bad language was used by the people towards
Mr. Bligh; that with great difficulty they prevailed on Christian to
suffer a few articles to be put into the boat; that after the persons
were ordered into the boat to the number of nineteen, such opprobrious
language continued to be used, several of the men calling out 'Shoot
the----,' that Cole, the boatswain, advised they should cast off and
take their chance, as the mutineers would certainly do them a mischief
if they stayed much longer. Mr. Fryer then states the names of those
who were under arms; and that Joseph Coleman, Thomas M'Intosh, Charles
Norman, and Michael Byrne (prisoners), wished to come into the boat,
declaring they had nothing to do in the business; that he did not
perceive Mr. Peter Heywood on deck at the seizure of the ship.
On being asked what he supposed Christian meant when he said he had
been in hell for a fortnight? he said, from the frequent quarrels that
they had, and the abuse he had received from Mr. Bligh, and that the
day before the mutiny Mr. Bligh had challenged all the young gentlemen
and people with stealing his cocoa-nuts.
_Mr. Cole_, the boatswain, deposes,--that he had the middle watch; was
awakened out of his sleep in the morning, and heard a man calling out
to the carpenter, that they had mutinied and taken the ship; that
Christian had the command, and that the captain was a prisoner on the
quarter-deck; that he went up the hatchway, having seen Mr. Heywood
and Mr. Young in the opposite berth; that coming on deck he saw the
captain with his hands tied behind him, and four sentinels standing
over him, two of which were Ellison and Burkitt, the prisoners; that
he asked Mr. Christian what he meant to do, and was answered by his
ordering him to hoist the boat out, and shook the bayonet, threatening
him and damning him if he did not take care; that when he found the
captain was to be sent out of the ship, he again went aft with the
carpenter to ask for the long-boat; that they asked three or four
times before he granted it; that he saw Mr. Peter Heywood, one of the
prisoners, lending a hand to get the fore-stayfall along, and when the
boat was hooked on, spoke something to him, but what it was does not
know, as Christian was threatening him at the time; that Heywood then
went below, and does not remember seeing him afterwards; that after
the few things were got into the boat, and most of the people in her,
they were trying for the carpenter's tool-chest, when Quintal said,
'D---- n them, if we let them have these things they will build a
vessel in a month'; but when all were in the boat she was veered
astern, when Coleman, Norman, and M'Intosh, prisoners, were crying at
the gangway, wishing to go in the boat; and Byrne in the cutter
alongside was also crying; that he advised Mr. Bligh to cast off, as
he feared they would fire into the boat.
_The Court_ asked if he had any reason to believe that any other of
the prisoners than those named were detained contrary to their
inclinations? Answer--'I believe Mr. Heywood was; I thought all along
he was intending to come away; he had no arms, and he assisted to get
the boat out, and then went below; I heard Churchill call out, 'Keep
them below.' _The Court_--'Do you think he meant Heywood?' 'I have no
reason to think any other.'
_Mr. Peckover_ the gunner's evidence is similar to that of Mr. Cole's,
and need not be detailed.
_Mr. Purcell_, the carpenter, corroborated, generally, the testimony
of the three who had been examined. _The Court_ asked, 'Did you see
Mr. Heywood standing upon the booms?' 'Yes; he was leaning the flat
part of his hand on a cutlass, when I exclaimed, In the name of God,
Peter, what do you with that? when he instantly dropped it, and
assisted in hoisting the launch out, and handing the things into the
boat, and then went down below, when I heard Churchill call to
Thompson to keep them below, but could not tell whom he meant; I did
not see Mr. Heywood after that.' _The Court_--'In what light did you
look upon Mr. Heywood, at the time you say he dropped the cutlass on
your speaking to him?' _Witness_--'I looked upon him as a person
confused, and that he did not know he had the weapon in his hand, or
his hand being on it, for it was not in his hand; I considered him to
be confused, by his instantly dropping it, and assisting in hoisting
the boat out, which convinced me in my own mind that he had no hand in
the conspiracy; that after this he went below, as I think, on his own
account, in order to collect some of his things to put into the boat.'
_The Court_--'Do you, upon the solemn oath you have taken, believe
that Mr. Heywood, by being armed with a cutlass at the time you have
mentioned, by anything that you could collect from his gestures or
speeches, had any intention of opposing, or joining others that might
oppose, to stop the progress of the mutiny?' _Witness_--'No.' _The
Court_--'In the time that Mr. Heywood was assisting you to get the
things into the boat, did he, in any degree whatever, manifest a
disposition to assist in the mutiny?' _Witness_--'No.' _The
Court_--'Was he, during that time, deliberate or frightened, and in
what manner did he behave himself?' _Witness_--'I had not an
opportunity of observing his every action, being myself at that time
engaged in getting several things into the boat, so that I cannot
tell.' _The Court_--'Putting every circumstance together, declare to
this court, upon the oath you have taken, how you considered his
behaviour, whether as a person joined in the mutiny, or as a person
wishing well to Captain Bligh?' _Witness_--'I by no means considered
him as a person concerned in the mutiny or conspiracy.'
_Lieutenant Thomas Hayward_, late third lieutenant of the _Pandora_,
and formerly midshipman of the _Bounty_, deposes,--that he had the
morning watch; that at four o'clock Fletcher Christian relieved the
watch as usual; that at five he ordered him, as master's mate of his
watch, to look out, while he went down to lash his hammock up; that
while looking at a shark astern of the ship, to his unutterable
surprise, he saw Fletcher Christian, Charles Churchill, Thomas Burkitt
(the prisoner), John Sumner, Matthew Quintal, William M'Koy, Isaac
Martin, Henry Hillbrant, and Alexander Smith, coming aft, armed with
muskets and bayonets; that on going forward, he asked Christian the
cause of such an act, who told him to hold his tongue instantly; and
leaving Isaac Martin as a sentinel on deck, he proceeded with the rest
of his party below to Lieutenant Bligh's cabin; that the people on
deck were Mr. John Hallet, myself, Robert Lamb, Butcher, Thomas
Ellison (prisoner) at the helm, and John Mills at the conn; that he
asked Mills if he knew any thing of the matter, who pleaded total
ignorance, and Thomas Ellison quitted the helm and armed himself with
a bayonet; that the decks now became thronged with armed men; that
Peter Heywood, James Morrison (two of the prisoners), and George
Stewart, were unarmed on the booms; that Fletcher Christian and his
gang had not been down long before he heard the cry of murder from
Lieutenant Bligh, and Churchill calling out for a rope, on which
Mills, contrary to all orders and entreaties, cut the deep-sea line
and carried a piece of it to their assistance; that soon after
Lieutenant Bligh was brought upon the quarter-deck with his hands
bound behind him, and was surrounded by most of those who came last on
deck.
This witness then states, that on the arrival of the _Pandora_ at
Matavai Bay, Joseph Coleman was the first that came on board; that he
was upset in a canoe and assisted by the natives; that as soon as the
ship was at anchor, George Stewart and Peter Heywood came on board;
that they made themselves known to Captain Edwards, and expressed
their happiness that he was arrived; that he asked them how they came
to go away with his Majesty's ship the _Bounty_, when George Stewart
said, when called upon hereafter, he would answer all particulars;
that he was prevented by Captain Edwards from answering further
questions, and they were sent out of the cabin to be confined. He then
describes the manner in which the rest of the mutineers were taken on
the island. Having stated that when he went below to get some things
he saw Peter Heywood in his berth, and told him to go into the boat,
he was asked by _the Court_ if Heywood was prevented by any force from
going upon deck, he answered, 'No.' _The Court_--'Did you, from his
behaviour, consider him as a person attached to his duty, or to the
party of the mutineers?' _Witness_--'I should rather suppose, after my
having told him to go into the boat, and he not joining us, to be on
the side of the mutineers; but that must be understood only as an
opinion, as he was not in the least employed during the active part of
it.' _The Court_--'Did you observe any marks of joy or sorrow on his
countenance or behaviour?' _Witness_--'Sorrow.'
_Lieutenant Hallet_, late midshipman of the _Bounty_, states,--that he
had the morning-watch; that he heard Lieutenant Bligh call out murder,
and presently after saw him brought upon deck naked, excepting his
shirt, with his hands tied behind him, and Christian holding the end
of the cord which tied them in one hand, and either a bayonet or a
cutlass in the other; that the cutter was hoisted out, and Mr. Samuel,
Mr. Hayward, and myself ordered to go into her; but the boatswain and
carpenter going aft, and telling Christian they wished to go with the
captain rather than stay in the ship, and asking to have the launch,
it was granted. On being asked if he saw Peter Heywood on that day, he
replied, once, on the platform, standing still and looking attentively
towards Captain Bligh; never saw him under arms nor spoke to him; does
not know if he offered to go in the boat, nor did he hear any one
propose to him to go in the boat; that when standing on the platform,
Captain Bligh said something to him, but what he did not hear, upon
which Heywood laughed, turned round, and walked away.
_Captain Edwards_ being then called and sworn, was desired by the
Court to state the conversation that passed between him and Coleman,
Peter Heywood, and George Stewart, when they came on board the
_Pandora_.
_Edwards_--'Joseph Coleman attempted to come on board before the ship
came to an anchor at Otaheite; he was soon afterwards taken up by
canoes and came on board before the ship came to an anchor; I began to
make inquiries of him after the _Bounty_ and her people. The next who
came on board were Stewart and Peter Heywood; they came after the ship
was at anchor, but before any boat was on shore. I did not see them
come alongside. I desired Lieutenant Larkin to bring them down to the
cabin. I asked them what news; Peter Heywood, I think, said he
supposed I had heard of the affair of the _Bounty_. I don't recollect
all the conversation that passed between us; he sometimes interrupted
me by asking for Mr. Hayward, the lieutenant of the _Pandora_, whether
he was on board or not--he had heard that he was; at last I
acknowledged that he was, and I desired him to come out of my
state-room, where I had desired him to go into, as he happened to be
with me at the time. Lieutenant Hayward treated him with a sort of
contemptuous look, and began to enter into conversation with him
respecting the _Bounty_, but I called the sentinel in to take them
into custody, and ordered Lieutenant Hayward to desist, and I ordered
them to be put into irons; some words passed, and Peter Heywood said
he should be able to vindicate his conduct.