Read "Two Years before the Mast" by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
Friday, Sept. 16th. Lat. 38° N., long. 69° 00′ W. A fine southwest wind; every hour carrying us nearer in toward land. All hands on deck at the dog watch, and nothing talked about, but our getting in; where we should make the land; whether we should arrive before Sunday; going to church; how Boston would look; friends; wages paid; -- and the like. Everyone was in the best of spirits; and, the voyage being nearly at an end, the strictness of discipline was relaxed; for it was not necessary to order in a cross tone, what everyone was ready to do with a will.
The little differences and quarrels which a long voyage breeds on board a ship, were forgotten, and everyone was friendly; and two men, who had been on the eve of a battle half the voyage, were laying out a plan together for a cruise on shore. When the mate came forward, he talked to the men, and said we should be on George's Bank before tomorrow noon; and joked with the boys, promising to go and see them, and to take them down to Marblehead in a coach.