Everyone knows the word, mutiny.

We can't talk about life on the high seas without diving into the stories about sailors

rebelling against their captains or the reasons behind those insurrections.

And our intro today starts with one of the British Navy's most infamous captains and how the

mutiny all began, a tropical fruit related to the fig.

That would be breadfruit, discovered in 1769.

It was a cheap and nutritional food source.

It grew well in tropical areas, and plantation owners in the Caribbean used the fruit to supplement enslaved

workers' diets. Fast forward to 1787, when the British Crown sent the HMS bounty to Tahiti

to harvest saplings for transport to the West Indies, the journey wouldn't be difficult or long,

requiring a crew of just 46, including two botanists. On this trip, Captain William Bly

decided to take Fletcher Christian, the son of a family friend, and teach him how to be a good sailor.

Captain and crew departed England on December 23rd and looked forward to an easy trip. Three months

into the journey, though, the weather forced

them to take a longer route. Tempers flared and tensions ran high, but not because of the detour.

You see, the crew despised their captain. Bly seemed to find fault in everything they did,

often in the most condescending ways. He took delight in humiliating his men, the officers

in particular. By the time they reached Tahiti in October of 1787, the men were overjoyed to

leave the ship. It would be five months before the rainy season ended, delaying their journey to the

West Indies. While they indulged in relationships with the female population, Captain Bly worked on trading

with the indigenous people, picked out breadfruit saplings, and made extensive lists complaining

about his men.

...