It was now forty-seven years since the island had been settled, and in all that time no rules had been enacted for the government of the people. Conscience sometimes, and more frequently inclination, ruled them. But this state of things was about to be ended.
GROUP OF NATIVE MEN.
In the year 1838 Her Majesty’s ship Fly came on a visit, and for the first time, to the evident satisfaction and pleasure of the islanders, the flag of Old England was hoisted on Pitcairn Island, Captain Elliott observing, “You are now under the protection of the English flag.” From that time until the entire community was removed to Norfolk Island, they were annually visited by one or more of Her Majesty’s ships of war.
Captain Elliott also strongly advised the people to have written laws by which they might be governed, and, further, to appoint a magistrate from among themselves to enforce those laws. Mr. Hill had also spoken strongly about the necessity and importance of such a step being taken, but his advice had not been acted upon. The captain’s proposal was received differently, everybody being willing to carry out any plans that he thought would be best for them. Their unanimous choice fell upon the youngest son of Quintall, whose strong common sense and really excellent abilities recommended him as the fittest person to be nominated. When Hill first came among the people, Quintall attracted his particular notice, and Hill constituted him his chief elder. The two men possessed many similar traits of character, and on no point were they more agreed than in the intense dislike to the three other Englishmen. That Quintall could be a staunch friend was proved by the fact that he stood by Hill to the last, when everyone else had deserted him. In after years the intermarriages that took place between his own children and those of Nobbs and Buffett were evident proofs that they did not share their father’s prejudices.
Like Hill, he, too, when aroused by anger, was capable of committing deeds of cruelty, as the following story will show. Engaged in a dispute one day with John Evans, both men lost control over themselves, and began to abuse one another. The quarrel increased, and Quintall, being a powerful man, brought it to a termination by lifting Evans, who was small, as easily as he would a child, and throwing him violently into a pigsty, thereby causing him serious injury. This wicked act was recorded in the register of those times, for it was customary to enter therein every occurrence, however trivial, and whenever a case occurred which could not be satisfactorily adjusted by the local authorities, it was usual to postpone it until the arrival of a ship of war, to whose captain the matter was referred for decision. It was so in this case, but the fact that the perpetrator of the deed was at the time laid on his sick bed, from which he never again arose, prevented his receiving his just deserts, and so the passing of the sentence awaited a higher tribunal than that of earth.
A more pleasing theme than the story just related was the arrival of the first missionary vessel that ever called at the island. This was the Camden, which was sent out by the London Missionary Society. In her missionary visits to the various islands of the Pacific, she made a brief call at Pitcairn Island, having but one missionary on board, a Mr. Heath. The Camden’s stay extended only to four days, during which time Mr. Heath gave two public addresses, and held several meetings in Mr. Nobbs’ house. Captain Morgan, who commanded the vessel, also delivered an impressive discourse from the text, “My son, give me thine heart.” A good supply of Bibles was left on the island, enough for each family to have one. Captain Morgan also sent out from England, on his arrival there, a box of books, schoolbooks as well as religious publications, and slates and pencils for the use of the school. These were all thankfully received, as they supplied a very pressing want, especially the last-named gifts.
In the year 1841 Christian’s widow died. Her name, given by the Englishmen, was Isabella, but as Christian himself had dubbed her “Mainmast,” this latter name was the one by which she was exclusively called, only it was abbreviated to “Mai’mas’.” She was of very advanced age when she died, but to the last retained vivid recollections of the events of earlier years, and used often to relate to her attentive listeners the story of Captain Cook’s visit to the Society Islands. Once when he was in Tahiti he was suffering from a severe attack of rheumatism. Some of the Tahitian women took him in hand, and effected a cure by means of the native remedy. This consisted of a preparation of the a’pi-plant (arum gigantum) which was externally applied to the part or parts affected. The painful, stinging properties of the plant (compared to which the sting of the nettle is almost enjoyable) would seem to lead one to decide in favor of the rheumatism, as this remedy seems certainly worse than the disease. But Mainmast declared that the dreadful remedy cured Captain Cook. This old woman’s death left but one more remaining of the original party that came in the Bounty, thus severing, link by link, the tie that bound the younger portion of the community to those who originally settled the colony.