Richard H.Dana，Jr.，1815— 1882，was the son of Richard H.Dana，the poet.He was born in Cambridge，Mass.In his boyhood he had a strong desire to be a sailor，but by his father's advice chose a student's life，and entered Harvard University.At the age of nineteen an affection of the eyes compelled him to suspend his studies.He now made a voyage to California as a common sailor，and was gone two years.On his return，he resumed his studies and graduated in 1837.He afterwards studied law，and entered upon an active and successful practice.Most of his life was spent in law and politics，although he won distinction in literature.
The following extract is from his “Two Years before the Mast，”a book published in 1840，giving an account of his voyage to California.This book details，in a most clear and entertaining manner，the everyday life of a common sailor on shipboard，and is the best known of all Mr.Dana's works.
It is usual，in voyages round the Cape from the Pacific，to keep to the eastward of the Falkland Islands；but，as there had now set in a strong，steady，and clear southwester，with every prospect of its lasting，and we had had enough of high latitudes，the captain determined to stand immediately to the northward，running inside the Falkland Islands.Accordingly，when the wheel was relieved at eight o'clock，the order was given to keep her due north，and all hands were turned up to square away the yards and make sail.
In a moment the news ran through the ship that the captain was keeping her off，with her nose straight for Boston，and Cape Horn over her taffrail.It was a moment of enthusiasm.Everyone was on the alert，and even the two sick men turned out to lend a hand at the halyards.The wind was now due southwest，and blowing a gale to which a vessel closehauled could have shown no more than a single close-reefed sail；but as we were going before it，we could carry on.Accordingly，hands were sent aloft and a reef shaken out of the topsails，and the reefed foresail set.When we came to masthead the topsail yards，with all hands at the halyards，we struck up，“Cheerly，men，”with a chorus which might have been heard halfway to Staten Island.
Under her increased sail，the ship drove on through the water.Yet she could bear it well；and the captain sang out from the quarter-deck—“ Another reef out of that fore topsail，and give it to her.”Two hands sprang aloft；the frozen reef points and earings were cast adrift，the halyards manned，and the sail gave out her increased canvas to the gale.All hands were kept on deck to watch the effect of the change.It was as much as she could well carry，and with a heavy sea astern，it took two men at the wheel to steer her.
She flung the foam from her bows；the spray breaking aft as far as the gangway.She was going at a prodigious rate.Still，everything held.Preventer braces were reeved and hauled taut；tackles got upon the backstays；and everything done to keep all snug and strong.The captain walked the deck at a rapid stride，looked aloft at the sails，and then to windward；the mate stood in the gangway，rubbing his hands，and talking aloud to the ship—“Hurrah，old bucket！the Boston girls have got hold of the towrope！”and the like；and we were on the forecastle looking to see how the spars stood it，and guessing the rate at which she was going，—when the captain called out—“Mr.Brown，get up the topmast studding sail！What she can't carry she may drag！”
The mate looked a moment；but he would let no one be before him in daring.He sprang forward，—“ Hurrah，men！rig out the topmast studding sail boom！Lay aloft，and I'll send the rigging up to you！”We sprang aloft into the top；lowered a girtline down，by which we hauled up the rigging；rove the tacks and halyards；ran out the boom and lashed it fast，and sent down the lower halyards as a preventer.It was a clear starlight night，cold and blowing；but everybody worked with a will.Some，indeed，looked as though they thought the “old man”was mad，but no one said a word.
We had had a new topmast studding sail made with a reef in it，—a thing hardly ever heard of，and which the sailors had ridiculed a good deal，saying that when it was time to reef a studding sail it was time to take it in.But we found a use for it now；for，there being a reef in the topsail，the studding sail could not be set without one in it also.To be sure，a studding sail with reefed topsails was rather a novelty；yet there was some reason in it，for if we carried that away，we should lose only a sail and a boom；but a whole topsail might have carried away the mast and all.
While we were aloft，the sail had been got out，bent to the yard，reefed，and ready for hoisting.Waiting for a good opportunity，the halyards were manned and the yard hoisted fairly up to the block；but when the mate came to shake the cat's-paw out of the downhaul，and we began to boom end the sail，it shook the ship to her center.The boom buckled up and bent like a whipstick，and we looked every moment to see something go；but，being of the short，tough upland spruce，it bent like whalebone，and nothing could break it.The carpenter said it was the best stick he had ever seen.
The strength of all hands soon brought the tack to the boom end，and the sheet was trimmed down，and the preventer and the weather brace hauled taut to take off the strain.Every rope-yarn seemed stretched to the utmost，and every thread of canvas；and with this sail added to her，the ship sprang through the water like a thing possessed.The sail being nearly all forward，it lifted her out of the water，and she seemed actually to jump from sea to sea.From the time her keel was laid，she had never been so driven；and had it been life or death with everyone of us，she could not have borne another stitch of canvas.
Finding that she would bear the sail，the hands we're sent below，and our watch remained on deck.Two men at the wheel had as much as they could do to keep her within three points of her course，for she steered as wild as a young colt.The mate walked the deck，looking at the sails，and then over the side to see the foam fly by her，—slapping his hands upon his thighs and talking to the ship—“Hurrah，you jade，you've got the scent！you know where you're going！”And when she leaped over the seas，and almost out of the water，and trembled to her very keel，the spars and masts snapping and creaking，“There she goes！—There she goes—handsomely！—As long as she cracks，she holds！”—while we stood with the rigging laid down fair for letting go，and ready to take in sail and clear away if anything went.
At four bells we have the log，and she was going eleven knots fairly；and had it not been for the sea from aft which sent the chip home，and threw her continually off her course，the log would have shown her to have been going somewhat faster.I went to the wheel with a young fellow from the Kennebec，who was a good helmsman；and for two hours we had our hands full.A few minutes showed us that our monkey jackets must come off；and，cold as it was，we stood in our shirt sleeves in a perspiration，and were glad enough to have it eight bells and the wheels relieved.We turned in and slept as well as we could，though the sea made a constant roar under her bows，and washed over the forecastle like a small cataract.
译文 TRANSLATION
小理查·H·戴纳（1815—1882），诗人理查·H·戴纳之子。小理查·H·戴纳出生于马萨诸塞州坎布里奇。少年时，戴纳梦想成为一名水手，但听从父亲的建议，他选择了学者生活，考入了哈佛大学。十九岁时，戴纳因眼疾辍学。在这两年间，他成为一名水手，曾远航加利福尼亚。归来后，他重拾学业，1837年由哈佛毕业。这之后，小戴纳研习法律，成为著名律师。虽然在文学方面，小理查·H·戴纳成绩斐然，但他主要的时间和精力都投身于政治、法律事业。
下文选自小理查·H·戴纳1840年出版的散文集《桅楼上的时光》。该书以细腻、清新的文笔描摹了水手们的日常生活，是其最著名的作品。
通常在穿越大洋的航行中，船只都从太平洋出发绕过合恩角，贴近福兰德群岛东侧前行。但因适逢强劲、稳定、清朗的西南风，而且这一风向有望持续，加之我们已在高纬航行了颇长时间，船长就决定即刻向北航行，驶入福兰德群岛内侧。于是，在舵轮八点换岗的当儿，船长向北航行的命令下达了，船员们马上一起动手打理帆桁，准备起航。
船长令船绕过合恩角驶向波士顿的消息不胫而走，传遍了全船。顿时，群情激昂。所有船员都整装待命，甚至两个病号也到帆绳前帮忙。当时，正掠过一阵强劲的西南风，面对这样的情形，逆风行驶的船或许仅能张开一叶紧缩的孤帆；不过，因为是顺风，所以我们能够继续。船员们把帆高高张起，上桅帆鼓荡了起来，紧缩的前桅帆也已就绪。大家一边齐心协力拉着帆绳把帆升至顶桅，一边高唱《欢乐吧，兄弟》，嘹亮的歌声似乎连史坦顿岛都能隐约听到。
风正一帆悬，我们的船犁破洋面，在波浪间乘风前行；船长在后甲板处高声喊道：“前顶桅处出现另一处礁石，大家全力以赴。”他一边说一边举起双手；冰冷的礁石历历可见，横帆角上的耳索飘来荡去，帆绳边站满了人，帆被风鼓得满满的。所有船员都待在甲板上关注着船能否转向成功。这时船的承受力想已达到极致，澎湃的巨浪奔向船尾，舵轮要两个船员才能把控。
船头雪浪涌起，船尾飞沫四溅，两舷边亦是波翻涛滚。我们的船仍以惊人的速度前进，一切尽在掌握。收起、绷紧辅助转桁索；将索具附着在桅杆上；为使设施坚固、熨帖，我们尽了全力。船长在甲板上阔步巡查，一会儿仰视云帆，一会儿眺望风向。大副站在舷边，搓着手，在跟船大声地说着话：“加油，老伙计！波士顿的姑娘们已经握紧船缆，盼着咱们呢！”他翻来覆去地说着诸如此类的话；我们则在水手舱里观察着风中的桅杆，揣度着船行的速度——这时船长高声喊道：“布朗先生，升起中桅翼帆！它会有助于换舷转向！”
大副略一愣神，但在勇气上，他是绝不甘于后人的。他向前一跃——“跟我来，兄弟们！把中桅翼帆升起来！把它升到顶，我这就把帆缆给你们！”我们一起涌到中桅，放低桅顶吊索，以此把帆缆拉上去；缚紧主帆索和升降索；放出张帆杆把它扎牢，再把下部的升降索放低作为辅助。那夜星光熠熠，冷风习习，大家戮力同心地工作着。的确，有些人看上去似乎在忖度这“老家伙”疯了，却没有一个人吭声。
我们还备了一个配有缩帆的新型中桅翼帆——这种翼帆水手们以前几乎从未听说过，他们常常以此打趣，认为多此一举。但那时我们却发现了它的用武之地。因为如果上桅帆安有缩帆装置，中桅帆也应有一个同样的装置。诚然，带有收缩帆装置的中桅帆是个新奇的东西，不过，安装它却自有道理，因为有了它，如果我们控制不住，失去的只是一叶帆、一根帆桁，但若是一个整叶上桅帆，一旦失控，就会把桅杆等都卷走。
我们在桅顶时，帆已经展开，系在帆桁上，准备升起。水手们站在升降索边，等待着恰当的时机，而帆桁则已竖在了龙骨墩上。但当大副走过来抖开落帆索上的猫爪结，我们开始一起张帆时，船整个震颤了起来。帆桁系好后，弯得像鞭柄一样，我们聚精会神地观察着动向，而由短小、坚韧的云杉制成的帆桁虽弯得像鲸骨一样，却绝不会折断。木匠说这是他见过的最好的张帆杆。
我们齐心协力把系帆索绑在帆桁上，调整好船帆迎风的角度，缚紧辅助索和上风舷的转桁索以减少应力。每条绳索，每叶帆都达到了极致。加上这叶中桅翼帆后，船有如神灵附体，在海上劈波斩浪。帆全力前倾，将船托举出水面，而船则似乎真的在从一片海跃向另一片海。从航行以来，这艘船还从未如此冲劲十足过。原以为那叶帆尽管对我们生死攸关，它却可能禁不起的。
见船扛住了那叶帆，水手们被派回到舱底，我们仍留在甲板上守望。船像马驹一样欢腾，两名舵手倾尽全力以免它偏离航线。这时，大副走过来，凝视着一叶叶白帆；又踱到舷边，望着飞溅的浪花，喃喃着：“加油！你已觉察到了！知道自己要去哪儿了！”蓦地，船从惊涛骇浪间跃起，几乎超离了水面，连龙骨都在战栗。帆桅吱呀作响。“好！好！太帅了！听它吱吱嘎嘎的，它扛得住！”说话间，我们把索具安置好，准备收帆和清除可能的故障。
四点铃响，我们举起计程仪，显示航速恰为十一海里每小时；如果不是船尾的浪使船经常偏离航行，计程仪上显示的速度应该更快些。我和一个小伙子一起走向舵盘，他是名优秀的舵手，来自肯纳贝克。在接下来的两个小时里，我们忙个不停。有几分钟，我们必须脱去紧身短上衣，天虽然冷，我们却穿着短袖衫站在那儿直冒汗。待到八点铃响时，我们高兴地换了岗，爬上床倒头便睡。我们睡得是那般香甜，尽管大海在船头不停地咆哮，海浪像小瀑布一样冲刷着前甲板。
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