Historians have speculated that something else must have happened between the time of the Bounty’s arrival at Tahiti on 25th October and its departure on 28th April to make Christian choose to spend the rest of his life as a fugitive rather than cope with his anguish a few months more, after which he could, if he chose, have disassociated himself from Bligh forever.

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Intriguingly, Sir John Barrow in his account of the mutiny, published in 1831, claimed that just before Christian left Tahiti for the final time he confided to Heywood a private message:

At that last interview with Christian [Heywood was quoted as saying], he … communicated to me, for the satisfaction of his relations, other circumstances connected with that unfortunate disaster, which, after their deaths, may or may not be laid before the public. And although they can implicate none but himself … they may extenuate but will contain not a word of his in defense of the crime he committed ….

Like so many of the details of the mutiny, though, Barrow’s account has only served to more thoroughly entangle legend and fact. Its authenticity is questionable, and the vague reference to unknown circumstances has given rise to some uninhibited speculation. The most notorious theory based on Barrow’s version of the mutiny is that Christian and Bligh were homosexual lovers. The supposition is that Christian reluctantly yielded to Bligh’s advances in return for promotions and other considerations, but that his distaste for the relationship finally led to the mutiny. This theory has remained popular, even though there is little or no direct evidence for it.

The controversy surrounding the mutiny, the trial of the conspirators, and Bligh’s supposed abuse of Christian did not begin to cool until about 1795. Even though England was at war with France, Bligh was not given an assignment by the Royal Navy until April of that year. He was then awarded the command of a warship and joined the force blockading the Dutch Fleet. During this tedious duty, Bligh fell victim to another mutiny. This time, however, there was no implication that he himself was at fault. The crew of his ship, the HMS Director, treated him no more harshly than any of the other officers who were put ashore when the entire British fleet erupted into mutiny on 19th May 1797.

This second mutiny of Bligh’s career, while of much greater consequence to England, involved none of the personal drama that had coloured the Bounty adventure. The Nore mutineers were orderly, politic, and principled, and once their grievances were addressed they returned to duty, except for the few ringleaders who were hanged. Bligh played a part in the resolution of the conflict, a role that did him credit.

Returning to active duty following the mutiny, Bligh, who until then had been known strictly for his feats of navigation and exploration, experienced the glory that comes with participation in a successful military campaign. After commanding a warship at the Battle of Camperdown, he served as captain of the HMS Glatton under Nelson’s command at Copenhagen. Coming near the end of a long and tempestuous naval career, the memory of these victories delighted Bligh, and he enjoyed telling embellished accounts of his role to anyone who cared to listen.

In 1804, however, Bligh’s temper and indiscreet tongue again caused him trouble. He charged a sailor with malingering and had him arrested. A court-martial found the defendant not guilty of the charge, but, dissatisfied with acquittal, the sailor accused Bligh of tyrannical conduct so persistently that the captain himself was brought before a court-martial and reprimanded for his behavior.

In the face of this humiliating turnabout, Bligh received an offer that proved too good to be true. A long-time friend with a great deal of influence had recommended him for the governorship of the colony of New South Wales. The pay attached to the officer was much more than Bligh had ever seen as a naval officer, and he seemed well suited to the job.

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