Two Years Before the Mast

by Richard Henry Dana, Jr.

Contents

• Introductory Note
• 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 Hide-Droghing—San Diego Again
• Chapter XIX • The Sandwich Islanders—Hide-curing—Wood-cutting—Rattle-snakes—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
• 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 Home—Last Looks
• Chapter XXIX • Loading for Home—A Surprise—Last of an Old Friend—The Last Hide—A Hard Case—Up Anchor, for Home!—Homeward Bound
• Chapter XXX • Beginning the Long Return Voyage—A Scare
• Chapter XXXI • Bad Prospects—First Touch of Cape Horn—Icebergs—Temperance Ships—Lying-Up—Ice—Difficulty on Board—Change of Course—Straits of Magellan—Cape Horn
• Chapter XXXII • Ice Again—A Beautiful Afternoon—Cape Horn—“Land Ho!”—Heading For Home
• 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 Need—Preparing for Port—The Gulf Stream
• Chapter XXXVI • Soundings—Sights from Home—Boston Harbor—Leaving the Ship
• Concluding Chapter
• Twenty Fours Later: Part I
• Twenty Fours Later: Part II • The Bay of San Pedro—Pueblo De Los Angeles
• Twenty Fours Later: Part III • We Leave For the Orient