Fryer Voyage Page 6 Home John Fryer Fryer Voyage Page 8
Revised May 19 2021
Boat is onshore — and at the [?] she will fill with water you must come into the water and I will haul you in at this time John Norton a very good man was going up to cast the beach Rope off. I call'd to him to come into the Boat but poor fellow he could not hear me — I then call to Mr Bligh to come into the Boat or we would knock her bottom out at the same time Kept playing with the Rope that was fast on shore — when the Natives hauld I slack and then hauld in — Mr Purcel stood by Captn Bligh longer than one man in twenty would have done. in that situation, if Mr Bligh had thought of that — he would not have tryed him by
a courtmartial. at last Mr Bligh came to the Boat. when the stones began to fly pretty thick Mr Hall lifted and I hauld him into the Boat [?] was hauld off his legs but hung at the Boat [stem/stern?] — I then calld out to cut the Rope as it had foul[ed] in the Bottom of the boat — at the same time the People were hauling on the grapnel Rope the small Rope was cut — by whom I do not know Mr Bligh says it was him — lucky for us the grapnel broke it had caugh[t] hold of a Rock had this not been the case we should most certainly been cut to pieces.