Table of Contents From the Pages of Two Years Before the Mast Title Page Copyright Page Richard Henry Dana Jr. The World of Richard Henry Dana Jr. and Two Years Before the Mast Introduction A Log of Dana’s Two Years TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST Preface CHAPTER I - Departure CHAPTER II - First Impressions—“Sail Ho!” CHAPTER III - Ship’s Duties—Tropics CHAPTER IV - A Rogue—Trouble on Board—“Land Ho!”—Pompero—Cape Horn CHAPTER V - Cape Horn—A Visit CHAPTER VI - Loss of a Man—Superstition CHAPTER VII - Juan Fernandez—The Pacific CHAPTER VIII - “Tarring Down”—Daily Life—“Going Aft”—California CHAPTER IX - California-A South-easter CHAPTER X - A South-easter—Passage up the Coast CHAPTER XI - Passage up the Coast—Monterey CHAPTER XII - Life at Monterey CHAPTER XIII - Trading—A British Sailor CHAPTER XIV - Santa Barbara—Hide-Droghing—Harbor Duties—Discontent —San Pedro CHAPTER XV - A Flogging—A Night on Shore—The State of Things on Board —San Diego CHAPTER XVI - Liberty-day on Shore CHAPTER XVII - San Diego—A Desertion—San Pedro Again—Beating up Coast CHAPTER XVIII - Easter Sunday—“Sail Ho!”—Whales—San Juan—Romance of ... CHAPTER XIX - The Sandwich Islanders—Hide-curing—Wood-cutting— Rattlesnakes—New-comers CHAPTER XX - Leisure—News from Home—“Burning the Water” CHAPTER XXI - California and Its Inhabitants CHAPTER XXII - Life on Shore—The Alert CHAPTER XXIII - New Ship and Shipmates—My Watchmate CHAPTER XXIV - San Diego Again—A Descent—Hurried Departure-A New Shipmate CHAPTER XXV - Rumors of War—A Spouter-Slipping for a South-easter-A Gale CHAPTER XXVI - San Francisco—Monterey CHAPTER XXVII - The Sunday Wash-up—On Shore—A Set-to—A Grandee —“Sail Ho!”—A Fandango CHAPTER XXVIII - An Old Friend - A Victim—California Rangers—News from ... CHAPTER XXIX - Loading for Home—A Surprise—Last of an Old Friend— The Last ... CHAPTER XXX - Beginning the Long Return Voyage—A Scare CHAPTER XXXI - Bad Prospects—First Touch of Cape Horn—Icebergs— Temperance ... CHAPTER XXXII - Ice Again—A Beautiful Afternoon—Cape Horn—“Land Ho!”—Heading ... CHAPTER XXXIII - Cracking on—Progress Homeward—A Pleasant Sunday— A Fine Sight—By-Play CHAPTER XXXIV - Narrow Escapes—The Equator—Tropical Squalls—A Thunder Storm CHAPTER XXXV - A Double-reef-top-sail Breeze - Scurvy-A Friend in ... CHAPTER XXXVI - Soundings—Sights from Home—Boston Harbor— Leaving the Ship Concluding Chapter AFTERWORD - Twenty-four Years After Afterword Twenty-four Years After Endnotes APPENDIX Dictionary of Sea Terms Inspired by Richard Henry Dana Jr. and Two Years Before the Mast Comments & Questions For Further Reading From the Pages of Two Years Before the Mast In the following pages I design to give an accurate and authentic narrative of a little more than two years spent as a common sailor, before the mast, in the American merchant service. (page 4) There is not so helpless and pitiable an object in the world as a landsman beginning a sailor’s life. (page 9) However much I was affected by the beauty of the sea, the bright stars, and the clouds driven swiftly over them, I could not but remember that I was separating myself from all the social and intellectual enjoyments of life. Yet, strange as it may seem, I did then and afterwards take pleasure in these reflections, hoping by them to prevent my becoming insensible to the value of what I was leaving. (page 11) The second-mate’s is proverbially a dog’s berth. He is neither officer nor man. (page 16) “Six days shalt thou labor and do all thou art able, And on the seventh—holystone the decks and scrape the cable.” (page 20) A sailor’s life is at best but a mixture of a little good with much evil, and a little pleasure with much pain. The beautiful is linked with the revolting, the sublime with the commonplace, and the solemn with the ludicrous. (page 41) The Californians are an idle, thriftless people, and can make nothing for themselves. (page 78) What is there for sailors to do? If they resist, it is mutiny; and if they succeed, and take the vessel, it is piracy. If they ever yield again, their punishment must come; and if they do not yield, they are pirates for life. (page 103) RICHARD H. DANA JR., IN 1842