14. Bligh rationed the wine and rum to restore the men’s strength
The season deepened and the weather grew steadily colder as May dragged on. Bligh used the meager store of alcohol in the launch as a restorative after especially difficult nights. The only solace taken from the near-constant rain was its alleviation of the men’s thirst. The price was constant, numbing, cold, with few calories of nutrition with which to ward it off. On May 26, the day which followed Bligh’s reduction of the bread ration, seabirds hovered around the launch, an indication they were near as yet unsighted land. One of the birds, a booby about the size of a small duck, flew too near the boat, and was caught by one of the men.
After killing the bird, and serving its blood to the three men Bligh considered to be the weakest among them, it was divided and meted out through the seamen’s tradition of “Whom shall have this?” Two sailors sat back to back. One held up a single serving, and asked “whom shall have this?”. The other, unable to see the portion offered, called out a name. The entire bird was divided, including head and entrails, and consumed in that fashion. The 18 portions of the booby were accompanied by the usual ration of 1/25 of a pound of bread, along with water, and Bligh referred to the repast as “a good supper, compared with our usual fare”. The following morning, they caught another and distributed it in the same manner.