Two Years Before the Mast · Chapter
XXII explained
The narrator describes life ashore at San Diego, the arrival of the Alert, and his transfer to the ship.
What happens
The narrator describes life ashore at San Diego, the arrival of the Alert, and his transfer to the ship. He contrasts the Alert's clean, well-ordered condition with the Pilgrim's cramped quarters, and recounts his anxiety about returning home. After securing an exchange with a crew member, he boards the Alert.
Themes in this chapter
Labor and Economy
The chapter details the division of labor aboard the Alert, the hide-curing process, and the economic transactions involved in the California hide trade.
Transformation and Identity
The narrator's decision to transfer to the Alert reflects his desire to gain practical seamanship and keep open the possibility of a life beyond the sea.
Isolation and Longing
The narrator's daily vigil on the hill, watching for the Alert, underscores his deep longing for news from home and the chance to return.
Characters to notice
- Richard Henry Dana Jr.
Anxious to return home, he arranges an exchange to board the Alert and improve his seamanship.
- Captain Thompson
Grants permission for the narrator to transfer to the Alert, provided an exchange is arranged.
- Mr. Brown
The chief mate of the Alert, described as a hearty, noisy, and capable leader, well-liked by the crew.
Key passages
“I was anxious for her arrival, for I had been told by letter that the owners in Boston, at the request of my friends, had written to Captain T⸺ to take me on board the Alert, in case she returned to the United States before the Pilgrim; and I, of course, wished to know whether the order had been received, and what was the destination of the ship.”
I eagerly awaited the ship because I had learned from a letter that the Boston owners, at my friends' request, had instructed Captain Thompson to transfer me to the Alert if she sailed home before the Pilgrim. Naturally, I wanted to confirm the order and learn the ship's plans.
Reveals the narrator's hope for an early return and the stakes of the transfer.
“I certainly never saw such swimming before. He went through the water leaving a wake like a small steamboat.”
I had never witnessed swimming like that; he moved through the water with the speed and wake of a small steamboat.
Highlights the extraordinary swimming ability of the Kanaka who delivered the letter.