19. The carpenter mutinied against Bligh while seeking food on another island
The numerous small islands passed as the launch bore westward were the subject of discussion among the men. Many of them wanted to stop at several, while Bligh demurred, based on the number of natives he saw. After two days of full stomachs, the idea of privation rations was unacceptable to some of the crew, when surrounded by islands which offered sustenance in plenty. Bligh noted the questioning of authority in the launch in his journal, but it was an instance ashore which he recorded, in which a member of the crew threatened him and forced the Captain to assert his authority.
Bligh did not identify the crewman, but the subsequent memoirs of others in the launch revealed it was Purcell, the carpenter. After landing to obtain whatever supplies could be found at a place Bligh named Sunday Island, Bligh ordered Purcell and a party to reconnoiter for food. Purcell refused, told the Captain he had done enough, and that he was as good a man as Bligh, who had done little. The Captain grabbed two cutlasses, thrust one into Purcell’s hand, and told him to defend himself. Purcell backed down. The launch again headed to the west.