Back to civilisation

They still had four more nights to suffer before reaching a small village in southern Timor, where they finally found food and fresh water. Another three more days along the Timor coast finally saw them make the safety of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) settlement at Kupang.

They were treated kindly at Kupang by the Dutch authorities and after nearly five weeks recuperation they made their way to Batavia (Jakarta) in the VOC ship Rembang. There they were able to arrange for passages on VOC ships, which would eventually get them home to England.

Before they set sail for Batavia, a group of convicts-escapees from the penal colony in New South Wales-was entrusted to Captain Edwards' care. In addition to this, there was a fortuitous reunion at Samarang with the missing Pandoras from the Matavai. But Thomas Barker, one of the nine missing men on the Matavai, had already died in Surabaya hospital before the reunion.

Two of the escaped convicts and five wreck survivors subsequently died in Batavia Hospital. The remaining Pandoras were divided into four groups under lieutenants Larkan, Corner and Hayward, each travelling back home via Holland on one of three VOC ships-Horssen, Zwaan and Hoornweg. Captain Edwards, several warrant officers, the escaped convicts and the 10 Bounty prisoners embarked with the fourth group on the Vredenburg.

Several more were to die at sea on the journey home. Among them was William Oliver, the 19 year old master's mate who had been given command of the Matavai, and, in a feat of seamanship and survival rivalling Bligh's much-vaunted open boat voyage in the Bounty's launch, had safely navigated the Matavai from the Friendly Islands to Samarang via Surabaya.