In 1787 the Royal Navy ship HMS Bounty, captained by William Bligh,
set sail for Tahiti in search of breadfruit plants. Soon after leaving
Tahiti, Master's Mate Fletcher Christian led a successful revolt,
setting Bligh and eighteen of his men adrift. In his journal,
Boatswain's Mate James Morrison recounts the Bounty's voyage, placing
considerable blame for the mutiny on Bligh's irascible personality and
style of command.
This event, however, only introduces Morrison's remarkable journey
through the South Seas. A born storyteller, Morrison pens compelling
tales of the time after the mutiny, beginning with ringleader Fletcher
Christian's two ill-fated attempts to establish a refuge on the island
of Tubuai. Morrison then recounts his eighteen-month sojourn on Tahiti,
where he constructed a seaworthy schooner and closely observed the
island and its way of life. He tells of the subsequent arrival of HMS
Pandora, which was charged with bringing the mutineers back to England
for trial, and his imprisonment in the horrific "Pandora's Box."
Morrison once again faces peril when the Pandora sinks on Australia's
Great Barrier Reef, where thirty-one of the crew and four prisoners
perished.
Although Morrison did not actively participate in the Bounty
insurrection, he had remained with Fletcher Christian's party, which was
enough evidence for his eventual condemnation. While imprisoned,
Morrison began composing his journal. King George III granted a pardon,
and soon after his release, Morrison wrote the second half of the
journal, which he filled with detailed descriptions of Tahitian life,
culture, and natural history. Morrison's journal is an invaluable
resource for naval and cultural historians and an enthralling tale for
the general reader.
