# Two Years Before the Mast

By Richard Henry Dana.

"Two Years Before the Mast" by Richard Henry Dana Jr. is a memoir published in 1840, recounting his 1834-1836 voyage as a common sailor from Boston to California. Dana vividly chronicles life at sea aboard a merchant brig trading for cow hides along the Mexican California coast. He describes navigating Cape Horn's treacherous winter storms, witnessing brutal floggings by his captain, befriending Hawaiian sailors, and observing early California settlements. This groundbreaking account exposed the harsh realities of maritime life and advocated for seamen's rights. (Summary by Project Gutenberg, written by machine.)

- Language: English
- Author of introduction, etc.: Homer Eaton Keyes
- Subjects: Seafaring life; Dana, Richard Henry, 1815-1882; Voyages and travels; Sailors

[Read it](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/books/gutenberg/2055/read)
[Plain text](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/api/books/gutenberg/2055/text)

## Audiobooks of it

- [Two Years Before the Mast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/books/librivox/2742) by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. (17 h 42 min, English)

From Project Gutenberg. Public domain in the United States.