The cooper, Henry Hillbrant, informed him that the cask in question had been opened by the orders of Mr.Samuel, his clerk, who acted also as steward, and the cheese sent on shore to his own house, previous to the _Bounty_ leaving the river on her way to Portsmouth.
Lieutenant Bligh, without making any further inquiry, immediately ordered the allowance of that article to be stopped, both from _officers_ and _men_, until the deficiency should be made good, and told the cooper he would give him a d--d good flogging if he said another word on the subject.

It can hardly be supposed that a man of Bligh's shrewdness, if disposed to play the rogue, would have placed himself so completely in the hands of the cooper, in a transaction which, if revealed, must have cost him his commission.
Again, on approaching the equator, some decayed pumpkins, purchased at Teneriffe, were ordered to be issued to the crew, at the rate of _one_ pound of pumpkin for _two_ pounds of biscuit.

The reluctance of the men to accept this proposed substitute, _on such terms_, being reported to Lieutenant Bligh, he flew upon deck in a violent rage, turned the hands up, and ordered the first man on the list of each mess to be called by name; at the same time saying, 'I'll see who will dare to refuse the pumpkin, or any thing else I may order to be served out;' to which he added, 'You d--d infernal scoundrels, I'll make you eat grass, or any thing you can catch, before I have done with you.' This speech had the desired effect, every one receiving the pumpkins, even the _officers_.
Next comes a complaint respecting the mode of issuing beef and pork: but when a representation was made to Lieutenant Bligh in the quiet and orderly manner prescribed by the twenty-first article of war, he called the crew aft, told them that every thing relative to the provisions was transacted by his orders; that it was therefore needless for them to complain, as they would get no redress, he being the fittest judge of what was right or wrong, and that he would flog the first man who should dare attempt to make any complaint in future.

To this imperious menace they bowed in silence, and not another murmur was heard from them during the remainder of the voyage to Otaheite, it being their determination to seek legal redress on the _Bounty's_ return to England.

Happy would it have been had they kept their resolution.