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Lot Essay
Bligh and his 18 men were cast adrift in the Bounty's launch on the morning of 28 April 1789. His log entry on the day recorded 'The exact quantity of Provisions I found they had got in the Boat was 150lbs Bread, 16 pieces of Pork - 6 Quarts of Rum, 6 bottles of wine and 28 galls of water and four empty Breakers' (W. Bligh, 'Log of the Proceedings of His Majesty's Ship Bounty on a Voyage to the South Seas', original autograph manuscript, Mitchell Library, Z Safe 1/46).
After making Tofoa, Bligh tried to protect these meagre provisions, landing a party on 30 April to search for water and food: '... I determined, if possible, to keep out first stock entire. We therefore weighed, and rowed along shore, to see if anything could be got; and at last discovered some cocoa-nut trees ... some of the people, with much difficulty, climbed the cliffs, and got about 20 cocoa-nuts, and others slung them to ropes, by which we hauled them through the surf into the boat.' (W. Bligh, A Voyage to the South Sea..., London, 1792, p.166.)
A coconut was served to each man for dinner that evening (Thursday, 30 April), Bligh presumably carving his initials and the date into the shell of his coconut as they lay off shore that night.
After the Tofoans attacked Bligh and his men on the beach on Sunday 3 May, killing Norton, Bligh and his surviving 17 men rowed the launch out to safety and set sail: 'My mind was employed in considering what was best to be done, when I was solicited by all hands to take them towards home: and, when I told them that no hopes for us of relief for us remained (except what might be found at New Holland) till I came to Timor, a distance of full 1200 leagues, where there was a Dutch settlement, but in what part of the island I knew not; they all agreed to live on one ounce of bread, and a quarter of a pint of water, per day. Therefore, after examining our stock of provisions, and recommending to them, in the most solemn manner, not to depart from their promise, we bore away across a sea, where the navigation is but little known, in a small boat, twenty-three feet long from stem to stern, deep laden with eighteen men ... Our stock of provisions consisted of about one hundred and fifty pounds of bread, twenty-eight gallons of water, twenty pounds of pork, three bottles of wine, and five quarts of rum. The difference between this and the quantity we had on leaving the ship, was principally owing to our loss in the hustle and confusion of the attack. A few cocoa-nuts were in the boat, and some breadfruit, but the latter was trampled to pieces.' (W. Bligh, A Voyage to the South Sea..., London, 1792, p.176).
On the eleventh day (Friday 9 May): 'In the afternoon we cleaned out the boat, and it employed us till sun-set to get everything dry and in order. Hitherto I had issued the allowance by guess, but I now made a pair of scales, with two cocoa-nut shells; and having accidentally some pistol-balls in the boat, 25 of which weighed one pound, or 16 ounces, I adopted one, as the proportion of the weight that each person should receive of bread, and a quarter of a pint of water, at eight in the morning, at noon, and at sun-set. Today [Sunday 10 May] I gave about half an ounce of pork for dinner, which, though any moderate person would have considered only a mouthful, was divided into three or four.' (W. Bligh, op. cit., pp.184-5).
Two weeks later Bligh shortened the rations again, making provision for contrary winds and the possibility of missing Timor and having to continue on to Java: 'It was accordingly settled that every person should receive one twenty-fifth of a pound of bread for breakfast, and the same quantity for dinner; so that by omitting the proportion for supper, we had forty-three days' allowance ... Tuesday the 26th ... To make the bread a little savoury, most of the people frequently dipped it in salt water; but I generally broke mine into small pieces, and eat it in my allowance of water, out of a coconut shell, with a spoon: economically avoiding to take too large a piece at a time, so that I was as long at dinner as if it had been a much more plentiful meal.' (W. Bligh, op. cit., pp.194-5).
After making Tofoa, Bligh tried to protect these meagre provisions, landing a party on 30 April to search for water and food: '... I determined, if possible, to keep out first stock entire. We therefore weighed, and rowed along shore, to see if anything could be got; and at last discovered some cocoa-nut trees ... some of the people, with much difficulty, climbed the cliffs, and got about 20 cocoa-nuts, and others slung them to ropes, by which we hauled them through the surf into the boat.' (W. Bligh, A Voyage to the South Sea..., London, 1792, p.166.)
A coconut was served to each man for dinner that evening (Thursday, 30 April), Bligh presumably carving his initials and the date into the shell of his coconut as they lay off shore that night.
After the Tofoans attacked Bligh and his men on the beach on Sunday 3 May, killing Norton, Bligh and his surviving 17 men rowed the launch out to safety and set sail: 'My mind was employed in considering what was best to be done, when I was solicited by all hands to take them towards home: and, when I told them that no hopes for us of relief for us remained (except what might be found at New Holland) till I came to Timor, a distance of full 1200 leagues, where there was a Dutch settlement, but in what part of the island I knew not; they all agreed to live on one ounce of bread, and a quarter of a pint of water, per day. Therefore, after examining our stock of provisions, and recommending to them, in the most solemn manner, not to depart from their promise, we bore away across a sea, where the navigation is but little known, in a small boat, twenty-three feet long from stem to stern, deep laden with eighteen men ... Our stock of provisions consisted of about one hundred and fifty pounds of bread, twenty-eight gallons of water, twenty pounds of pork, three bottles of wine, and five quarts of rum. The difference between this and the quantity we had on leaving the ship, was principally owing to our loss in the hustle and confusion of the attack. A few cocoa-nuts were in the boat, and some breadfruit, but the latter was trampled to pieces.' (W. Bligh, A Voyage to the South Sea..., London, 1792, p.176).
On the eleventh day (Friday 9 May): 'In the afternoon we cleaned out the boat, and it employed us till sun-set to get everything dry and in order. Hitherto I had issued the allowance by guess, but I now made a pair of scales, with two cocoa-nut shells; and having accidentally some pistol-balls in the boat, 25 of which weighed one pound, or 16 ounces, I adopted one, as the proportion of the weight that each person should receive of bread, and a quarter of a pint of water, at eight in the morning, at noon, and at sun-set. Today [Sunday 10 May] I gave about half an ounce of pork for dinner, which, though any moderate person would have considered only a mouthful, was divided into three or four.' (W. Bligh, op. cit., pp.184-5).
Two weeks later Bligh shortened the rations again, making provision for contrary winds and the possibility of missing Timor and having to continue on to Java: 'It was accordingly settled that every person should receive one twenty-fifth of a pound of bread for breakfast, and the same quantity for dinner; so that by omitting the proportion for supper, we had forty-three days' allowance ... Tuesday the 26th ... To make the bread a little savoury, most of the people frequently dipped it in salt water; but I generally broke mine into small pieces, and eat it in my allowance of water, out of a coconut shell, with a spoon: economically avoiding to take too large a piece at a time, so that I was as long at dinner as if it had been a much more plentiful meal.' (W. Bligh, op. cit., pp.194-5).