John Fryer Quotes in The Bounty (1984)

Bligh: We are still faced with a long, hard voyage. I mean to make good use of every hour of sailing time, and to assist me in this, I am replacing Mr. Fryer with Mr. Christian, who will now act as executive second in command, with the rank of Acting Second Lieutenant...

[Fryer walks away]

Bligh: Mr. Fryer, come back here.

[shouts after Mr. Fryer, who is continuing to walk away]

Bligh: Mr. Fryer, sir! Come back here!

[Mr. Fryer returns; Bligh continues, quietly]

Bligh: I will dismiss when I have done with you, sir. Do you hear me?

John Fryer: This is an outrage!

Bligh: Mr. Fryer!

John Fryer: In all my years at sea...

Bligh: Your "years at sea"? Good Lord, man! If I'd known your nature, I would not have accepted you as boatswain of a river barge.

John Fryer: Must I suffer this before the men?

Bligh: You will suffer my correction whenever you're at fault, sir!

John Fryer: What fault?

Bligh: [shouts] God damn your eyes, man! You turned your back on me!

John Fryer: Well for that, I apologize.

Bligh: Very well.

John Fryer: But I protest.

Bligh: You protest, do you?

John Fryer: I am Master of the Bounty!

Bligh: [shouts] And I, sir, am *Commander*! By law! I am the first! Do you understand? God damn your hide! And now you may dismiss, sir!

John Fryer: What are we going to do, sir?

Bligh: Well, we shall have to try and reach Kupang.

John Fryer: Without charts?

Bligh: Well, I shall have to try and navigate from memory, Mr. Fryer. It will take us close to the most savage islands in these waters, the Fiji Islands, where cannibalism is perfected almost to a science, and from there, my friends, God willing, we shall proceed on to the Great Barrier Reef itself, then to New Holland, and from there across the Timor Sea to Kupang. And now it will take us at least two months, and we have provisions and water enough to last us one week. So that is the situation, gentlemen, plain and simple.

John Smith: Well we'll just have to make the best of it, won't we, sir?

Bligh: Make the best of it, Smith? Yes! But will you? That's what I'd ask myself. Will you make the best of it? You hear me? Are you prepared to make the best of it, all of you? Because all I can promise you, lads, is relentless pain and hardship. Now if you're prepared to make do, and make sacrifices, and furthermore are willing to swear by it, I promise you our chances of survival are fair. You hear me? You all say "Aye"?

All: Aye.

Bligh: Good!

John Fryer: Captain Bligh is surprised that he hasn't had the pleasure of your company at supper for some weeks.

Christian: Do you still do that?

John Fryer: And the Captain said he'd expect you this evening.

Christian: Well, today... today is not Friday.

John Fryer: Six o'clock. Prompt, if you please.