![]() ![]() Some suggest that the thought of leaving Tahiti and its very, very friendly people was too hard - some of the sailors had formed actual relationships and partnerships with Tahitian women, including Christian. Some suggest that Bligh was too harsh on his crew, but comparisons with other British naval commanders show he was nothing out of the norm. What drove the men to take such a remarkable step? If the mutiny failed and they were caught, they'd be tried and, if convicted, hanged. ![]() But now a mutiny was in progress - the sailors were taking control from the ship's captain, a truly heinous act by the standards of the time (or any standards, before or since). Which seems odd, on the surface of it - they'd all just spent over six months on what was generally considered an island paradise in the South Pacific, inhabited by generous, friendly - very, very friendly - people. But as History tells us, at dawn he was awakened by five members of his crew, including one of his Master's Mates, Fletcher Christian. He was leader of a successful mission so far - sailing from England to Tahiti to gather up bread plants, which would then be taken to grow and inexpensively feed workers (read: slaves) on plantations in the West Indies. It's safe to say that April 28, 1789, was not Lieutenant William Bligh's best day ever. ![]()
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