The bestselling author of The Endurance reveals the startling truth behind the legend of the Mutiny on the Bounty – the most famous sea story of all time.More than two centuries have passed since Fletcher Christian mutinied against Lt. Bligh on a small armed transport vessel called Bounty. Why the details of this obscure adventure at the end of the world remain vivid and enthralling is as intriguing as the truth behind the legend. Caroline Alexander focusses on the court martial of the ten mutineers captured in Tahiti and brought to justice in Portsmouth. Each figure emerges as a richly drawn character caught up in a drama that may well end on the gallows. With enormous scholarship and exquisitely drawn characters, The Bounty is a tour de force.Note that it has not been possible to include the same picture content that appeared in the original print version.
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Caroline Alexander. The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty
The Bounty. The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty. Caroline Alexander
Table of Contents
SHIP’S COMPANY
AUTHOR’S NOTE
PRELUDE
PANDORA
BOUNTY
VOYAGE OUT
TAHITI
MUTINY
RETURN
PORTSMOUTH
COURT-MARTIAL
DEFENCE
SENTENCE
JUDGEMENT
LATITUDE 25° S, LONGITUDE 130° W
HOME IS THE SAILOR
A NOTE ON SOURCES. ABBREVIATIONS
PRELUDE
PANDORA
BOUNTY
VOYAGE OUT
TAHITI
MUTINY
RETURN
PORTSMOUTH
COURT-MARTIAL
DEFENCE
SENTENCE
JUDGEMENT
LATITUDE 25° S, LONGITUDE 130° W
HOME IS THE SAILOR
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS
Index
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Praise
Also by Caroline Alexander
Copyright
About the Publisher
Отрывок из книги
TO SMOKEY
Title Page
.....
‘The ship struck so violently on the Reef that the carpenters reported that she made 18 Inches of water in 5 Minutes,’ the captain was compelled to write in his Admiralty report. ‘In 5 minutes after there was 4 feet of water in the hold.’ Still chained fast in the darkness of Pandora’s Box, the fourteen prisoners could only listen as sounds of imminent disaster broke around them – cries, running feet, the heavy, confused splash of a sail warped under the broken hull in an attempt to hold the leak, the ineffectual working of the pumps and more cries that spread the news that there was now nine feet of water in the hold. Coleman, McIntosh and Norman – three of the men Bligh had singled out as being innocent – were summarily released from the prison to help work the pumps, while at the same time the ship’s boats were readied.
In the darkness of their box, the remaining prisoners followed the sounds with growing horror; seasoned sailors, they knew the implication of each command and each failed outcome. The release of the exonerated men added to their sense that ultimate disaster was imminent, and in the strength of their terror they managed to break free of their irons. Crying through the scuttle to be released, the prisoners only drew attention to their broken bonds; and when Edwards was informed, he ordered the irons to be replaced. As the armourer left, the mutineers watched in incredulity as the scuttle was bolted shut behind him. Sentinels were placed over the box, with the instructions to shoot if there were any stirring within.
