21. The Dutch provided the Bounty crew with food, shelter, clothing and medical care
Bligh wrote of his reception in Coupang, “Our bodies were nothing but skin and bones, our limbs were full of sores, and we were clothed in rags; in this condition, with the tears of joy and gratitude flowing down our cheeks, the people of Timor beheld us with a mixture of horror, surprise, and pity”. The Dutch settlers made every effort to aid the Bounty crew. They lodged together in a small house provided by the governor, were given medical attention, and fed several small meals a day until, as their strength returned, they resumed a normal meal schedule. All showed signs of recovering before the malarial climate of the area wreaked its havoc.
The crew of the launch was too weak to resist the disease-laden region, and nearly all the voyagers, including Bligh, were stricken with various tropical ailments. Bligh suffered from malaria, which would continue to give him bouts of ill health for the rest of his life. Several of the launch’s crew died at Coupang, including Nelson, the botanist, Lawrence Lebogue, William Elphinstone, and others. Of the 19 men who were cast adrift from Bounty, 12 eventually made it home to Great Britain, including William Bligh, who was given a hero’s welcome when he arrived on March 14, 1790, at Portsmouth. The news of the mutiny and his voyage preceded him.