Mutiny of the Bounty and story of Pitcairn Island, 1790-1894Young, Rosalind Amelia
History
Mutiny of the Bounty and story of Pitcairn Island, 1790-1894
Young, Rosalind Amelia
Bounty Mutiny, 1789; Pitcairn Island
Old Mrs. Waterson related a dream that made an impression upon her
mind. A few nights before the emigrants landed, she seemed to see a
woman, tall, large, and dark complexioned, standing by her side. So
vivid was everything connected with the dream, even to the woman’s
name, Rachel, that she felt convinced that the person was on the coming
ship. Accordingly, when the people landed, she started off in search
of the reality, and scanned with curious eagerness each face that she
saw. Not meeting on the street anyone that answered to the description,
she went on toward the pier, and, within a few minutes’ walk of the
place, discovered the object of her search sitting on the steps of the
Convicts’ Hospital. A warm welcome and greeting followed, with the
explanation that the acquaintance had been already made in a dream,
and Mrs. Waterson was especially gratified to learn that the dream was
true to the very name, the person being Rachel Evans, the daughter of
John Adams. Even before the old lady left the island, the pleasing
acquaintance had ripened into warm friendship.
Rogers’ occupation on the island was that of a stock keeper and
overseer. Walking along a certain road one day, in company with some of
the recent settlers, he observed, in a playful spirit, that when that
particular road was being made, he was among the gang of convicts so
employed, having been sent to Norfolk Island on the charge of striking
down his superior officer. “But,” he remarked pleasantly, “my term of
punishment expired some time ago.” Seven other men, ex-convicts nearly
all, made up the total of those who remained to look after the place.
These men attended to the live stock, milked the cows, kept the dairy,
and performed such work. The kindness and attention shown by every one
of them to the newcomers could not be surpassed.
Each one exerted himself in pointing out to the new arrivals the
different buildings and their various uses, among them the old and
new barracks, the government house, the jail and prison, all strongly
built of stone, some of which were beautiful as well as strong. Many
dreadful tales were also told concerning the island and those who were
sent there to be punished, but scarcely a trace remained to testify to
the truth of the dark stories of blood and crime. At one place, outside
of the burying ground, was shown a mound several feet in length, where
moldered the dust of thirteen men who were hung for some dreadful crime
on the trees above, while their open grave yawned beneath them.
[Illustration: GROUP OF NATIVE CHILDREN.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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