Description
Two Years Before the Mast is a classic travel narrative which inspired canonical works like Moby Dick and Sailing Alone Around the World. As he follows Richard Henry Dana (a Harvard dropout-turned-sailor) on his voyages around North America (encountering racial injustices and struggling through the battered life of a foremast crewman), Rod Scher annotates his tale with critiques, compliments, tie-ins to today, and little-known facts about both the book and the milieu of Dana’s time.
Chapter
III SHIP’S DUTIES—TROPICS
IV A ROGUE—TROUBLE ON BOARD—"LAND HO!"—POMPERO—CAPE HORN
VI LOSS OF A MAN—SUPERSTITION
VII JUAN FERNANDEZ—THE PACIFIC
VIII "TARRING DOWN"—DAILY LIFE—"GOING AFT"—CALIFORNIA
IX CALIFORNIA—A SOUTH-EASTER
X A SOUTH-EASTER—PASSAGE UP THE COAST
XI PASSAGE UP THE COAST—MONTEREY
XIII TRADING—A BRITISH SAILOR
XIV SANTA BARBARA—HIDE-DROGHING—HARBOR DUTIES—DISCONTENT—SAN PEDRO
XV A FLOGGING—A NIGHT ON SHORE—THE STATE OF THINGS ON BOARD—SAN DIEGO
XVII SAN DIEGO—A DESERTION—SAN PEDRO AGAIN—BEATING THE COAST
XVIII EASTER SUNDAY—"SAIL HO!"—WHALES—SAN JUAN—ROMANCE OF HIDE-DROGHING—SAN DIEGO AGAIN
XIX THE SANDWICH ISLANDERS—HIDE-CURING—WOOD-CUTTING—RATTLE-SNAKES—NEWCOMERS
XX LEISURE—NEWS FROM HOME—"BURNING THE WATER"
XXI CALIFORNIAAND ITS INHABITANTS
XXII LIFE ON SHORE—THE ALERT
XXIII NEW SHIP AND SHIPMATES—MYWATCHMATE
XXIV SAN DIEGO AGAIN—A DESCENT—HURRIED DEPARTURE—A NEW SHIPMATE
XXV RUMORS OF WAR—A SPOUTER—SLIPPING FOR A SOUTH-EASTER—A GALE
XXVI SAN FRANCISCO—MONTEREY
XXVII THE SUNDAYWASH-UP—ON SHORE—A SET-TO—A GRANDEE—"SAIL HO!"—A FANDANGO
XXVIII AN OLD FRIEND—A VICTIM—CALIFORNIA RANGERS—NEWS FROM HOME—LAST LOOKS
XXIX LOADING FOR HOME—A SURPRISE—LAST OF AN OLD FRIEND—THE LAST HIDE—A HARD CASE—UP ANCHOR, FOR HOME!—HOMEWARD BOUND
XXX BEGINNING THE LONG RETURN VOYAGE—A SCARE
XXXI BAD PROSPECTS—FIRST TOUCH OF CAPE HORN—ICEBERGS—TEMPERANCE SHIPS—LYING-UP—ICE—DIFFICULTY ON BOARD—CHANGE OF COURSE—STRAITS OF MAGELLAN
XXXII ICE AGAIN—A BEAUTIFUL AFTERNOON—CAPE HORN—"LAND HO!"—HEADING FOR HOME
XXXIII CRACKING ON—PROGRESS HOMEWARD—A PLEASANT SUNDAY—A FINE SIGHT—BY-PLAY
XXXIV NARROW ESCAPES—THE EQUATOR—TROPICAL SQUALLS—A THUNDER STORM
XXXV A DOUBLE REEF-TOP-SAIL BREEZE—SCURVY—A FRIEND IN NEED—PREPARING FOR PORT—THE GULF STREAM
XXXVI SOUNDINGS—SIGHTS FROM HOME—BOSTON HARBOR—LEAVING THE SHIP
The Annotated Two Years Before the Mast
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