از انگلیس تا تاهیتی

CHAPTER ONE

From England to Tahiti

It was a cold day in December, 1787. There was a strong wind and a green sea. Three men and a boy stood on the deck of the little ship, HMS Bounty. Behind them, on the land, were some hills and small white houses. The ship moved slowly out to sea.

The boy, Peter Heywood, was fourteen years old. He was a young officer, and he was happy and excited.

‘England looks very small, Mr Christian,’ he said. Fletcher Christian smiled at him. Christian was a tall young man with black hair and a long tired face.

‘England is small,’ he said. ‘But we’re going to some much smaller islands. Tahiti. The Friendly Islands. They’re small, but they’re very warm and beautiful.’

A sailor, John Adams, laughed. ‘That’s right, Mr Christian, sir,’ he said.

‘Good food, warm sun, blue skies - and hot, beautiful women, too! I want-‘

‘Be quiet, man’ someone shouted. Christian and Hey wood looked behind them. They saw the captain, William Bligh. He was a small man with brown hair.

Christian knew Bligh well; they were friends. But Bligh was a captain now, so things were different. The Bounty was his first ship, and it was very important to him.

‘Don’t talk about women on my ship, Adams’ he said angrily. ‘Be quiet, and sail this ship! Do you hear?’

‘Yes, sir,’ said Adams quietly.

‘Now, listen to me, Mr Christian. And you, too, Mr Heywood.’ Bligh stood very near them, but he didn’t speak quietly. All the sailors could hear him. ‘I’m the captain of this ship-remember that!

We’re going thirty thousand kilometres through bad weather and very bad seas, and I don’t want any accidents. You are officers, so you don’t talk to sailors about women or drink, or anything! You must work hard, and your sailors must work hard, too. Do you understand me, Mr Christian?’

‘Yes, sir,’ said Christian. But he didn’t look happy.

‘Good. And you, Mr Heywood?’

‘Yes, sir.’ The boy looked at Bligh, afraid. Then Bligh smiled.

‘Is this your first time at sea, boy?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Well, you must work hard, and listen to me. One day, perhaps, you can be a captain too. Would you like that?’

‘Yes, sir, of course.’ Peter Heywood smiled.

‘Right then. Mr Christian! Look at those men there - they aren’t working! Run and talk to them, quickly!’

Bligh smiled again at Heywood. ‘In a happy ship, the men must work hard, but the officers must work harder. Do you understand, boy?’

The Bounty sailed south across the Atlantic. For ten days they were in a storm near Cape Horn, but they could not sail west because of the strong west wind. So they sailed east to South Africa, Tasmania, and Tahiti.

There were thirty-three sailors on the Bounty, and eleven officers. Bligh was the captain, Christian was his second officer. The ship was often wet and cold, but no one was ill.

Once Bligh gave the sailors some apples, but they would not eat them because they were old and bad. Bligh was very angry.

‘Damn you men’ he shouted. ‘Apples are good for you! You eat them, I say!’

On 26 October 1788 the Bounty arrived at Tahiti. The islanders came to the ship in big canoes with food. The King of Tahiti, Otoo, was friendly. Bligh went to Otoo’s house, and gave him things from the King of England.

‘Thank you, Captain,’ Otoo said. ‘You are welcome here. I must give the King of England something, too. But he’s a rich man. What would he like? Do you know?’

Bligh smiled. It was an important question. ‘My King is very rich, Otoo,’ he said. ‘But we don’t have any breadfruit trees in England. My King would like some, for his people in Jamaica. Can I take some on my ship?’

Otoo laughed. ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘That’s easy! Take lots of them. My people can help you.’

The Bounty stayed at Tahiti for five months, and by March there were a thousand breadfruit trees on the ship.

Tahitian children played on the ship, and in the evenings the sailors danced and sang with the women.

One morning, some sailors and Tahitian women took a ship’s boat to a different island. Bligh was very angry. When the sailors came back, he put chains on their legs.

Then he shouted at his officers and men. ‘You men must stay away from these women’ he said. ‘You must all listen to me, and work hard for me and the King!’

Some officers kept pigs on the ship. Sometimes Bligh took the pigs from his officers. ‘I’m giving this food to the sailors,’ he said. ‘They need it, not you!’

April 4th was the Bounty’s last day in Tahiti. The ship was full of food and people - Otoo and his family, all the sailors and their Tahitian friends. But nobody sang or danced. Everyone was quiet and sad.

Peter Hey wood saw John Adams with a Tahitian woman. She cried, and he talked to her for the last time. Then she got into a canoe and went back to the island. Peter stood near him, sadly. The sun went down in the west.

‘Mr Christian,’ shouted Captain Bligh. ‘Are all the Tahitians off the ship?’

‘Yes, sir,’ Christian answered.

‘Good. Then we sail for Jamaica, and then back to old England!’ He looked at Peter. ‘Don’t stand there, boy! Get to work! Look at all our beautiful breadfruit trees! King George is going to be very happy about them!’