April 1, 1854
Dearest Mother,
I have just sailed out of New Bedford on the whaleship The Bounty about three weeks ago. The captain told us that the next place we will sail off to is Portugal. As you know, the reason I wanted to be a whaler is to get money for our family. The captain of our ship told us that if we catch the white whale, he will give a gold doubloon to whoever kills it.
My job on the ship is the harpooner. This means that I have to go out on a little whale boat and if we catch the whale we have to row it back to the big ship. The smell of the whale oil smells like 100 year old eggs.If you are about to ask I am not homesick, yet. I am wondering if you are okay and hope that nothing important happens for the next two to five years.
I am making scrimshaw out of a whale’s bone that was left on the ship from another whale that the old crew caught and forgot about. The food is awful. I have to eat hardtack that tastes as if it is really hard bread. On the boat we are singing, “Leave her Johnny, Leave her.”
I have to go because my captain said, “There she blows!”
Love, Guy
Dearest Mother,
I have just sailed out of New Bedford on the whaleship The Bounty about three weeks ago. The captain told us that the next place we will sail off to is Portugal. As you know, the reason I wanted to be a whaler is to get money for our family. The captain of our ship told us that if we catch the white whale, he will give a gold doubloon to whoever kills it.
My job on the ship is the harpooner. This means that I have to go out on a little whale boat and if we catch the whale we have to row it back to the big ship. The smell of the whale oil smells like 100 year old eggs.If you are about to ask I am not homesick, yet. I am wondering if you are okay and hope that nothing important happens for the next two to five years.
I am making scrimshaw out of a whale’s bone that was left on the ship from another whale that the old crew caught and forgot about. The food is awful. I have to eat hardtack that tastes as if it is really hard bread. On the boat we are singing, “Leave her Johnny, Leave her.”
I have to go because my captain said, “There she blows!”
Love, Guy