From Thomas Waters Jr. to his mother Elizabeth Waters (April 1, 1843)

[Thomas Waters to his mother, Elizabeth Waters]

addressed to Mrs Capt Waters, King St, Woolwich, Kent

Barque Fawn

[Undated; received by British Post

Office as a Ship Letter 13 July 1844;

must have been written early 1843.]

[Given the comments above, and the fact that his letter of Christmas Day 1843 says that he had been 8 months absent from the Fawn, this letter must have been written in April or earlier. It is therefore being entered with a date of 1 April 1843, to keep it in sequence.]

Dear Mother

Delays being dangerous I commence this letter before we reach port, in hopes it will find Old England previous to the Fawn.  You must have heard by the Thames that I deserted the ship at Woahoo [Oahu], but was caught again by a manouvre the Ship leaving port for some days and then returning, in the meantime I thinking the ship had gone for good, left my hiding place in the mountains to get some sugar cane to eat, as I had not eaten anything for four days being very weak and hungry as I only had a cotton shirt and a pair of duck trowsers on, and was wet through the whole time from the continual rain, and was very cold, however it being very dark (11^h P.M.) I missed the s. cane and in trying to return was taken by a dozen natives in search of me, and conveyed to the fort.  Another hand who had left the ship with me, at night, we having to swim ashore about two miles and a half, was nearly drowned, I help’d him in the water several times, but at last gave him up, wind blowing fresh, for as yet we could not see the shore and I was tired, he bid me good bye, and I swam ahead, however he reached the shore but was taken by the natives as he landed.  Why I left was on account of the second mate, who one day in port being in a bad humour said he would do his best with Capt Dunn to stop my liberty; because I (acting then in the capacity of steward as the right one was ashore and having done all my work and all the other hands being asleep I also went to sleep as the preceding night, Sunday, the Fawn had gone ashore on a reef, having dragged and foul’d her anchor, and of course had kept all hands hard at work to heave it up)(the ship received no apparent damage) did not exactly please him.  We are bound for the Marquesas where I intend to leave the ship again as I am not comfortable aboard.  Capt Dunn is very kind to me and does all he can to make me happy but for the last nine months he has been with a few days excepted very ill and not much on deck and of course cannot see all that passes on deck. The Chief mate Mr Williams is also very kind in fact I am his favourite.  E.Wild is like a brother and tries to persuade me to stop but now it is too late.  We have only captured thirty lbs of S.O. this season as yet.  You mention in one of your letters that you are going to try our coffee.  I do not know how it may act on you but to me it is very injurious making me short winded, I have not drank any the last two years.  I always drink cold water. I hope you and little Nancy are quite well.  I expect the Fawn will arrive home about April/44 but perhaps I shall not be in her I have lost best part of my clothes and have not got either shoe or stocking the captain has got none in his slop chest therefore if I was to go round the Horn in the Fawn I should be miserable.  You may think me foolish for acting as I do especially as the voyage is nearly over all the answer I shall give you is “no one knows where the shoes pinch but he who wears them”.  I hope you all spent a happy Xmas as when we all were together though I am afraid not if the proverb is true (the more the merrier)  It must have been a sad day when my dear Father left you after so short a stay and such a short notice but I hope it will not be for long.  I am glad to hear John is in the drawing department.  I suppose little Jane forgets me entirely.  We are now laying off and on the Marquese Ils I have been ashore at one of them trading for hogs. they are the worst looking natives that I ever saw, they tattoo themselves even to the lips and eyebrows. The men are a dark copper color the women nearly white and some good looking and fine made, they have no clothes but a couple of leaves. They are cannables, eating all they kill or take prisoners in war, they live in valleys in tribes and each valley or tribe is perpetually at war with others.  We were armed with cutlasses and musquets.  We bought plenty of hogs, cocoa nuts, bananas, plaintains, bread fruit etc. This morning for breakfast I had a hot bread fruit, the milk of half a dozen cocoa nuts and a pound of pork chops. a week ago I had for breakfast a drink of stinking water and a half of a hard and bad biscuit.  It’s either a feast or a famine aboard S.Seamen.  When we have plenty we feast and waste while it lasts and when there is no more we think of the next port.  I advise Ben.ⁿ never to go to sea in a S.Seaman if he ever goes to sea at all.  I expected a letter from him.  I am much obliged to Mary and John for their letters, I hope all are quite well.  Rem. me to Harry Watson, Bissett etc.  I hope Henry Mercer has passed his examinations.

I remain

Your affectionate son

        Thomas