The Bryants
On 28 March 1791, a small cutter crept out of Port Jackson penal colony in New South Wales. Onboard were William and Mary Bryant, Mary's two children and seven other male convicts. They were about to escape the penal colony in a stolen boat. Their journey would take them along the east coast to Cape York, through the Barrier Reef and across the Arafura Sea to Timor. It was their intention to present themselves as shipwreck survivors. The escape had been carefully planned by William Bryant. A moonless night was chosen and there was no vessel in Port Jackson that could pursue them.
For 69 days they struggled to survive as they threaded their way along the coast, through the Great Barrier Reef and the Torres Strait, and across the Arafura Sea. When they finally reached Timor, they posed as shipwreck survivors, but their story was regarded as suspicious. When Captain Edwards arrived in Timor a few weeks later in the Pandora's boats, they were found out.
The escaped convicts were placed under Edwards' charge and were eventually transported back to England with the Bounty prisoners. William Bryant and one of Mary's children died in Batavia hospitals. After she arrived in England, Mary was not sent back to NSW. Her story became a cause cιlθbre, attracting the attention of important members of society-among them, the distinguished author James Boswell, who successfully pleaded her case that she had endured enough and should be pardoned.
James Martin (one of the Bryant party; from his memoirs):
" that Night we were drove out to Sea by a heavy Gale of Wind and Current, expecting every Moment to go to the Bottom, next Morn'g saw no Land the Sea running Mountains high the sea coming in so heavy upon us every now and then that two hands was Obliged to keep Bailing out and it rained very hard the Woman and the two little Babies was in a bad state we made Land which proved to be a little Island about 30 leagues from the Main the Surf running so very high but we Concluded amongst Ourselves that we might as well Venture in there as to keep out to Sea we got in safe without much damage and haul'd our boat up then we went to get a Fire which with great difficulty we got we had but one Gallon of fresh Water for there was not a drop of Fresh water to be had on this Island but found a great Quantity of very fine Large Turtles we staid on this Island six days during that Time we killed twelve Turtles and some of it we Took and dry'd over the fire to take to sea with us."