Richard Henry Dana

Name: Two Years Before the Mast — Chapter XXXIV
Author: Richard Henry Dana

Two Years Before the Mast — Chapter XXXIV

Summary

“Two Years Before the Mast — Chapter XXXIV”, is a work by Richard Henry Dana. It explores elements such as sail, studding and squall.

Quotes from Two Years Before the Mast — Chapter XXXIV (Richard Henry Dana)

Richard Henry Dana, Two Years Before the Mast — Chapter XXXIV

“ It is not easy to sleep, when the very next flash may tear the ship in two, or set her on fire; or where the deathlike calm may be broken by the blast of a hurricane, taking the masts out of the ship. But a man is no sailor if he cannot sleep when he turns-in, and turn out when he’s called. And when, at seven bells, the customary “All the larboard watch, ahoy!” brought us on deck, it was a fine, clear, sunny morning, the ship going leisurely along, with a good breeze and all sail set. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard Henry Dana, Two Years Before the Mast — Chapter XXXIV

“ One would have thought so, to have seen our watch, some nights, sleeping through a heavy rain. And often have we come on deck, and finding a dead calm and a light, steady rain, and determined not to lose our sleep, have laid a coil of rigging down so as to keep us out of the water which was washing about decks, and stowed ourselves away upon it, covering a jacket over us, and slept as soundly as a Dutchman between two feather beds. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard Henry Dana, Two Years Before the Mast — Chapter XXXIV

“ Had the tie parted one instant sooner, or had I stood an instant longer on the yard, I should inevitably have been thrown violently from the height of ninety or a hundred feet, overboard; or, what is worse, upon the deck. However, “a miss is as good as a mile;” a saying which sailors very often have occasion to use. An escape is always a joke on board ship. A man would be ridiculed who should make a serious matter of it. A sailor knows too well that his life hangs upon a thread, to wish to be always reminded of it; so, if a man has an escape, he keeps it to himself, or makes a joke of it. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard Henry Dana, Two Years Before the Mast — Chapter XXXIV

“ At the same time a drenching rain, which soaks one through in an instant. Yet no one puts on a jacket or cap; for if it is only warm, a sailor does not mind a ducking; and the sun will soon be out again. As soon as the force of the squall has passed, though to a common eye the ship would seem to be in the midst of it,—“Keep her up to her course, again!”—“Keep her up, sir,” (answer) ;—“Hoist away the top-gallant yards!”—“Run up the flying jib!”—“Lay aloft, you boys, and loose the royals!”—and all sail is on her again before she is fairly out of the squall ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard Henry Dana, Two Years Before the Mast — Chapter XXXIV

“ A ship is not often injured by lightning, for the electricity is separated by the great number of points she presents, and the quantity of iron which she has scattered in various parts. The electric fluid ran over our anchors, top-sail sheets and tie ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard Henry Dana, Two Years Before the Mast — Chapter XXXIV

“ We were now to the northward of the line, and every day added to our latitude. The Magellan Clouds, the last sign of South latitude, were sunk in the horizon, and the north star, the Great Bear, and the familiar signs of northern latitudes, were rising in the heavens. Next to seeing land, there is no sight which makesgone realize more that he is drawing near home, than to see the same heavens, under which he was born, shining at night over his head. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard Henry Dana, Two Years Before the Mast — Chapter XXXIV

“ The first night after the tradewinds left us, while we were in the latitude of the island of Cuba, we had a specimen of a true tropical thunder storm. A light breeze had been blowing directly from aft during the first part of the night which gradually died away, and before midnight it was dead calm, and a heavy black cloud had shrouded the whole sky. When our watch came on deck at twelve o’clock, it was as black as Erebus; the studding-sails were all taken in, and the royals furled ”

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Source: Wikisource

Richard Henry Dana, Two Years Before the Mast — Chapter XXXIV

“ These rain squalls came up in the manner usual between the tropics.—A clear sky; burning, vertical sun; work going lazily on, and men about decks with nothing but duck trousers, checked shirts, and straw hats ”

Richard Henry Dana

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