 The fellow broadcasting company presents the first in the new series of famous stories for young people. Adventure Ahead. This week, a tale suggested by that epic of the sea two years before the mass by Richard Henry Dana. A story which has brought reading excitement to six generations of American boys and girls. And so, Adventure Ahead. It was 1844, and the first time that I ever saw the pilgrim, I knew she was the ship for me. Because in all of Boston Harbor, she had the finest lines, the deepest drafts, and masks that almost scraped the sky. Yes, the clipper pilgrim seemed the answer to my dreams. The largest, tallest, most sea-worthy ship that I had ever seen. And even though I'd never been to sea and hardly knew my way around a deck, I climbed aboard to find the captain. You're looking for somebody? Well, yes, I am. I want to speak to the captain. Right after a job, are you? A bird? Yes, sir. She's a fine ship. Maybe. There's worse ships afloat in the pilgrim, and there's better ones, too. What do you mean? You'll find out soon enough. Got a tale of time, John. Do you think you'll take me? I've never been to sea. We'll make much difference this trip. The pilgrim's due to sail at night, and we need men. You look strong enough, Husky. You can learn. We'll make a sailor out of you. You might be first mate by the time we sail back home again. Well, thank you, Mr... My name's Harris. Save the mister for the office. I'm just one of the crew. All right, Harris, you'll find Captain Taylor at. At? Need men to fill out the crew. I expect you'll be glad to see you. What a sailor before the mast, eh, lad? Yes, Captain. You're kind of young. Any experience? I want to learn, sir. I'm not afraid to work. You seem mighty anxious to sign aboard. Yes, sir, I am. Nowhere we're bound for? Well, uh... No, sir. California, that's well. You know what that means? It's a long ways off, sir. It may be a year or two years before we sail into Boston Harbor again. Make no difference, Captain. I want to go to sea. I like to cut of your jib lad. Thank you, Captain Taylor. You'll be kind of an apprentice seamen to start out. What we call a soldier. Let the crew or so you're the ropes. Won't take you long to get the drifter sailing. No, sir. Keep your eyes and ears open, Dana. And to be the auditors of the meet. The mates, sir? First meet, Mr. Ragged. Yes, sir. Take your gear and go along now. Report to Mr. Ragged. You're the new man, eh? Yes, Mr. Ragged. Ever been to sea, Dana? No, sir. Ah, a land lover. Please, sir, I want to be a sailor. All right, Dana, none of you are. When I talk, Linda, do you understand? Yes, sir. Startin' off as bad as the rest of the crew. Not as the captain expect me to run this ship with a bunch of shoe clerks. Cherry pickers, land lovers. McCabe! Mr. McCabe! Hi, sir. Hi, Nick. He's a new man, McCabe. Give him a bunk and a postal. Hi, Nick. Dana here thinks he wants to be a sailor. Yes, sir. But I'll take that out of him with the time we were on the horn. Hey, we all love her. That's not that way, Nick. Oh, did we, Mr. McCabe? Hi. And who asked for your opinion? Well, I only... Don't forget, you're just her second mate on this ship, McCabe. When I want your opinion, I'll ask. But I only want... Shut up! I don't like a man that talks a lot, McCabe. I'll make you wait. You never failed aboard the ship, woman. Well, Dana, your gear all stowed away. Oh, hello, Harris. Yeah, I'm all ready. You think we'll sail soon? Sometime tonight, the wind comes up all. Tell you better get some sleep, Dana. After we get underway, you'll be busy climbing around the rigging most of the night. I'm too excited for sleep. After a few months, I'll be glad to take your sleep, and you can get it. Especially aboard this ship. What do you mean, Harris? When you've been around a little... Well, Dana, this is it. You mean we're underway? Hi, get a move on. This way you'll learn to spread canvas. The sails were loose, the yards were braced, and the clipper pilgrim was on her way, leaning from the damp night breeze and rolling with a heavy ground swell. Everything seemed beautiful that night, as we sailed into the dark Atlantic bound southward for Cape Horn and California. But in the morning, things didn't seem so beautiful. With all the crew on deck, the day started off with a few words from the captain and Mr. Agat. Welcome to the Clipper Man. Some of you are old hands. You know the work I want. And the new men will manage fine if you obey the officers. That's me, the first mate, Mr. Agat, and second mate, Mr. McCabe. All right, take over, Mr. Agat. All right, all right, all right. All right, stop the gas! You didn't sign aboard the pilgrim for no pleasure, crews. I expect every man deck of you to work. And after that, work harder. Obey orders to your duty. Farewell enough. But if you don't, I'll break the man that crosses me. Understand? All right, come and watch on deck. Rest of you below! From that day on, our work seemed never to cease. For there was always work to do aboard a sailing ship, rigging to be examined, continually replaced. Sales to be mended. And ropes are yards repaired. Taking off, mending, putting on. Taking off, mending, putting on. There's no rest for those at sea, regardless of the weather. It was difficult to learn at first. The scheme of things aboard a full rig clipper. But the crew helped me in every way. I never will forget Tom Harris' advice to me before I went a loss among the sales. First time. It's not hard, Dana. Keep one hand for yourself, one for the ship, and never spit the wind in. The winds blew up and down the pilgrim's deck. Days blew into weeks and months. But there was always work to do. More work and still more work. Our Mr. Ragged thought of that. Washing down the deck, rubbing, holy sand, boiling up the rigging, bracing up, mending sails. The ship was like a lady's watch, never in repair. One afternoon, when the weather was bright, we stood well off the coast of Brazil with a strong wind that I turned. See you later! Move along! Bring the top rope! Rigging your boots! You, Dana Harris, I said right along, coil up this rigging. I said, coil up there! I want to see you swabbed at work! At work from sinless time! Water rains the fields and rigging your boots! Well, Dana, three months of this, what do you think of sea life now? Well, it's hard enough work, Harris, but I don't mind. I'll get used to it, I suppose. No, Dana. Long as Mr. Ragged's aboard, none of the crew get used to this driving, driving. Well, you ship with them before, haven't you? Time, any time. Hard work and never a kind word. What about the captain? He's hardly ever up on desk. Doesn't he know the makes go stirring trouble? I doubt it. Captain Taylor trust them, and I'm sure of that. And since the captain's sick so much, well, someone has to take the man. The captain sits in his cabin most of the time. What's wrong with Captain Taylor? I don't know. No one knows, I guess, except Dr. Ragged. Dr. Ragged? Aye. Does he know about medicine? I suppose his cabin's full of jars and bottles. Well, does that make him a medical man? Well, he's the maid, he keeps the medicine chair. Well, I hope then is I never get sick on this voyage. Well, none of that gets the cures or remedies from me either. Well, I need to keep me in ship shape as my good luck charm. As long as I have this, I'm safe. Can I see it? Aye. The lucky elephant. Yeah. Oh, an ivory elephant. Where'd you get it, Harris? India, four years ago. Oh, I'll give it to you, Dana. Someday, when I quit the sea. I'd like to have it, but that'll be a long time waiting. When's up, Dana? Aye. Squally off the starboard. Dirty weather on the way, all right. Get near Cape Horn. It won't be many days. Here's McCabe. He looks sad. Aye. What's wrong, McCabe? Aye, it's dogged again. I just had another set, too, with him. Oh. He's been after me ever since we left Boston. Aye, I'm afraid of him. What are you afraid of? I don't know. He might do anything. As long as I first make the run in the ship, we're headed straight for trouble. And so it went. As we neared the Horn, Mr. Agate seemed more and more in charge the keeper of our destiny. And we scarcely ever saw the captain. But by that time, the spring storms of October broke upon us. And we were busy hauling, furling canvas to keep the ship upright on course through tempest scales and freezing icy rain. Day after night after day, we plunged through mountainous waves driven westward through the straits by savage lashing gales. We were on deck on watch continuously, furling sails, tying broken yards and spars, drenched by rain and snow and sleet and hail, and waves that tried to wash us over them. Dana. Dana. Aye. Slack off, Irish. Huh? Against the head pump. Here's another. Steady on. Right. There he caught me. Been below deck. Stay out of it. Everything's awash. Dana, the bell's following us. Look out! Another! Are we shipping water? No. Help them to build the way to the nest. Hello! It's McCabe. Easy on there. Careful does it. What a nice day. A rough night. Let me get that rigging errands. Where you going? Up the main man. Why do you dash? Order. Royal yards. Get it away. But in this weather... You can't climb along McCabe. Pass to order. Who's ordered? He says I go along. The other way. I go along. He'll never make it. Not in this scale. Hold on! Watch it! There he is. He's still climbing along. Can't we... Can't we do that? An honor. An honor, Dana. Especially when it comes from Mr. Rack. How can he hold on in this wind? Look out! He's... He's falling. Ah! McCabe was lost. There was nothing we could do to save him. Four days later, when the Cape Storm blew itself away, Harrison and I were caught. He ordered the Cape of the Rican. Mr. Rack had ordered him along. What do you mean, Harrison? I think he tried to kill McCabe. I wonder. Harrison, do you know where on deck he is? He's on the ship. He's on the ship. He's on the ship. He's on the ship. He's on the ship. He's on the ship. He's on the ship. He's on the ship. He's on the ship. Do you know where on deck that night? They saw it happen. The mate ordered McCabe lost. Hey, man! What an officer in his right mind. Order a man aloft like that? He's a mixed man. He is. Hi, Hayes Mad. Well, man, what are we going to do about Mr. Agar? We can't do a thing. What's that, Dana? There's nothing to be done, man. Can't we go to Captain Taylor? No, it wouldn't do any good. What do you mean, Dana? We don't know a thing for certain. And Captain Taylor, sick or well, has faith in Mr. Rack. What if the mate is really mad? That's not for us to say. Why not? Why can't we take the law in our own hands? That's mutiny, man! And at sea, mutiny's never the answer to the troubles of a crew. You'd better think it over. With fresh strong winds behind us, we sailed on. Northward, up along the coast of South America. Past Chile, Panama, Mexico, closer. Drawing closer to our goal of California. And throughout the long five months of travel, we suffered beneath the stinging lash of Mr. Agar's vicious tongue, and dawned a dusky scream at us, threatened us, and swore at us. And when the good ship Pilgrimankered at our destination San Diego, and our voyage halfway through, the worst we hoped was over. And we celebrated with assurances. Our first since leading Boston as the crew was emptied of a cargo, and the hulls refilled with cattle hide. And then, in April, we set sail again, bound for the Cape and Horn. The Pilgrim was going back to Boston, and we were going home. We thought the mate might change, but he was no different than before. He managed everything, and ran to Gordon Ray. He didn't have a friend aboard the ship. I brushed with Mr. Agar just after he left the captain's cabin. Excuse me, sir. What are you doing here, Dana? Nothing, sir. I'm going forward to my bunk. Get away from this cabin. I don't want none of you swaps even getting near Captain Taylor. Understand? Hi, Dana. Hi. You look like somebody jogged your compass. I just fell follow the mate. Oh, in today, huh? Where'd you want to go to Mr. Agar this time? Outside Captain Taylor's cabin. Give me old man medicine, I guess. How is the captain? No one knows but the mate. The old man hasn't been out of his cabin since we left California. He's been in there alone nearly two months. Except for Mr. Agar. Aye. Except for Mr. Agar. Strict orders of the mate. Nobody goes inside. The captain doors most always locked. Captain Taylor must be very sick. We have to take the mate's word, Dana. He knows more about medicine than anyone else aboard. Maybe he knows too much. You know, Harris? I'm curious about that cabin. What do you mean? Do you suppose someone could get inside? Find out about Captain Taylor? Talk to him? Alone? I don't know, Dana. I mean, is the cabin door always locked? Most of the time, yes. But who dare to go inside against the mate's orders? I might. What? You? I'm curious about that cabin, Harris. I take the chance. But the mate, he'd kill you if he found you there. Aye, he would that. But it's worth a try. If you and the crew will help me. I have a plan. Of course we'll help you, Dana. We must get word to the captain. Tell him about the ship and the mate. It's our only chance. We must get word to the captain. Careful now. The mate, huh? Here he comes, careful. Uh, Mr. Agate. Well? Well, what do you swabs want? We, uh, we're, uh, having trouble binding these spars. Huh? Can't lash them tight enough, mister. Let me have a look. There. Ah. This rope's too wet, see? Aye, aye. You two calling yourself sailors, huh? You use some dryer off like this. Make a bite, circle around twice. Captain Taylor? Yeah. Yeah. What do you want? You thought that door was locked. I, uh, I'm sorry to bother you, sir. But I have to talk to you. You see, I, that is, we of the crew didn't know how well you were, sir. And we want to... Crew. You speak for the crew? Aye, sir. Mr. Agate tells me the crew's going to mutiny. You're dissatisfied with your work. Mutiny? That's what he says. Oh, no, Captain. Eh? We, uh, well, we're not exactly satisfied with Mr. Agate's way of running the ship in your absence. But we're all working, sir. Working hard. There'll be no mutiny. But, but he told me, and they... It's not true, Captain Taylor. Believe me, sir, I speak for all the crew. Why did they tell me that? Mutiny is a serious charge. I thought it is. It doesn't change about all this, lads. But he's been telling me. Why, I... Can I help you, sir? It's, it's just my complaint. Can I do the medicine, lads? Medicine? Tablet. That's the tablet. Oh. You see, Captain? Hi, lad. And some water. And what's wrong, lad? Sir, these tablets, eh? Did, did Mr. Agate give you these? Hi, lad. And you've been taking them? The last two months. I'm a sick man, lad. Of course, sir, I understand. But if I may ask, sir, do you really feel better after taking these? Well, no, not so much. Mr. Agate says if I don't take the tablets, I might feel worse. The mate told you that, sir. Eh? Captain, I have a suspicion that all isn't right. What's that, lad? These tablets. What you talking about? Captain Taylor, speaking for the crew, I'd like to tell you about the way the ship's been run since you've been locked in here. All right, lad. The mate wasn't wrong when he said we talked about mutiny. But we had a reason, sir. And that's what I want to tell you. We agreed that I should come and tell you about these things. We thought you'd want to know, Captain. It's incredible. Incredible, lad. I have wondered about the mate. And this explains a lot of things to me. But what can I do, lad? I'm too weak to leave this bed. What can I do? Well, if I may suggest, sir. First of all, stop taking these tablets, sir. I don't know what they are, but I'd stake my life. They're harmful. But if I stop, then they may get worse. Well, possibly. I'll chance it. Crew and my ship mean more to me in life. I'll chance it. We need you, sir, to take control of the ship again. That'll be the jail, lad. If a scheme works. It must work, Captain Taylor. He must come back and take command. We're five or six weeks off Cape Horn. And in the dead of winter, we can never sail around without you, sir. The captain followed our advice and slowly came around to help again. Lots of exercise. When he was hungry, we sneaked him bully beef and biscuit. All unknown to Mr. Agatha. And then, one day in June, Captain Taylor left his cabin, came on deck. Quite suddenly, surprising all the crew at work. But most of all, surprising Mr. Agatha. Faster, faster, you swabs! What I needed of black snake whip, I'll make you move along. Did you say something about a whip, Mr. Agatha? What? Hi, Captain. Surprised to see me, eh, mate? You? You, sir. You shouldn't be up. Oh, no. Why not, Mr. Agatha? Why, your health, sir. My health? I never felt better. Your, uh, cure was real good, Mr. Agatha. I feel fine. Oh, you do. Well, you got no ride up here. No? Then why not? I've earned my right to run this ship. Oh. I've been running a pilgrim for the last three months and before that. So I understand. And I can sail her into Boston myself. Oh, can you now, Mr. Agatha? And nobody'll stop. No! Well, I can stop you, Mr. Mate. You've been running things too long aboard my ship. You've made several big mistakes. First, when you tried to poison me. And then when you didn't recognize men, real men, these men, you're crew. Crew? There's not a better crew on any ocean, Mr. Agatha. You might learn a lot by watching them. They're mutiny. What about them? It seems to me, Mr. Mate, that if anybody is guilty of insurrection and taking over the control of a ship, it's you, Mr. Mate, and nobody else. Yes, sir. Yes, Captain. If I didn't need every manjack aboard a ship to get around the horn, I'd toss you in the break, Mr. Mate. So you're on good behavior. And if you make good, I'll forget about the charges I mean to bring against you, mate. Yes, sir. Watch your step, Mr. Agath. And don't be asking any manjack to do a job you wouldn't do yourself. There's a boat headed out of the south, sir. Aye, lad. First to the Cape Storms. You'll have them all the time from now on. Your turn, sail! Man the clouton! Man! You're getting dark, sir, in the south, eh? Aye. It'll be rough and heavy through the straightest time of year. Aye, sir. Mr. Agath! Aye, sir. Aye, Captain. You think you can manage to help us out? Aye, sir. On your way, then, mate. But I'd advise you, watch your step. We'd prepared for winter weather, but we never expected the heavy storms that lashed our ship from stem to stern as we went around the Cape. The worst of all the storms struck late one night when I'd come up on watch. A great ship rolled and pitched and wallowed in a heavy sea, driven blindly eastward by a gale of rain and sleet and snow. It's all a man could do to keep his feet upon the wetness that protects. Ada! Ada! Aye, sir. Aye, Captain. Easy on there, lads. Aye, sir. Harry's with you. Right here, Captain. Good. She's rough tonight, lads. Aye, she's heavy. You lashed the long boats. Aye, sir. Now, hold on. Here comes your towel. Aye. And if the rigged horse will weather through... Every sparring yard on splash down, sir. That's right, Captain. We'll hope for the best, lads. Have you seen the maid, Mr. Haggert? It's along with that, Captain. No. Believe me! Mr. Haggert! Light her up, Mr. Haggert! Aye, Captain. Good morning, sir. Aye, Mr. Haggert. More snogging? Aye, Captain. Look another turn of lashing round. We stop, lads! Don't, sir! Aye! She's down all right. If she's able to break off saving the day, somebody ought to go aloft. Aye! Leisure down against the man. But it's dangerous. A man can't climb up in this wind and see. But she's got to be lashed. Can't be done, Captain. Not in this weather. Now, where's the knight you sent the cable off? What did you say, Harry? You heard him, Mr. Haggert. You set the case up and weather is bad, isn't it? Oh, you're going to order aloft this time, Mr. Haggert. Well, uh... Aye, Captain. She's got to be mended, mage. You're going to aloft yourself? Me? No! No, I won't! No! It's death for the man that tries to... But you ordered the cable off, didn't you? I won't! It's death! Certain death! All right, Mr. Haggert. You've had your chance to make good. And you've failed. I don't care! I won't go up! I won't! I won't! No! No! Captain Taylor! Aye, Dana. I'll go aloft, sir. I'll go up. You? She must be lashed down, sir. I think I can do the job. It's a long chance, Dana. I know, Harris. But I'll try if I may, Captain. Well, I'm not ordering you, Dana. But if you think you can make it... Aye, sir. Then go aloft, Dana. And best to luck. Thank you, sir. The wind's bitter. The rope's icy. Be careful, lads. Watch your step, Dana. I'll be careful. But you'll make a place for me. I don't know, Harris. Mr. Haggert! Aye, sir. Keep your eye on young Dana. Doing the job you're afraid to do. Climbin' higher. Higher. Up and up, I climb. Hand over hand upon the icy roads and rigging. Sweet and rain, beat down and splice my face. Bullshit lurk, sonny. It escaped me into the sea. Seemed like hours until my frosty, gleaming hands had laced the gross spoken mass. I'd started down to death. There he is, sir. Yes, Dana? Easy, lad. Easy. Aye, Captain. Give me a hand, Dana. I'll help you. Aye. You're lashed her down, tight lad. Aye, Captain. As good as McCabe might've done himself. Watch another one. Aye. You're a brave lad, Dana. A brave lad. Haggert! Mr. Haggert! Aye, sir. Aye, Captain. You call yourself a mate? Take a look at our real seamen. And I want to tell you men, members of my crew, that I know what you went through under the rule of Mr. Haggert. And he'll stand trial for his misdeeds when we get to Boston. Since Mr. Haggert's in the brig, that leaves us without a first mate. And since young Dana had the most to do with bringing Mr. Haggert to justice, I'd like for Richard Dana to be first mate of the pilgrim till we get to Boston. Well, congratulations, Mr. Dana. I don't know what to say, Harris. You should've been the one to get the first mate's birth. Well, you weren't at Dana. I didn't. I guess your good luck white elephant wasn't working this time. One thing more, man. Mr. Haggert won't be drawing your salary down in the brig. Do I propose to divide it up equally among the crew? I suspect you can use the extra money when we get to Boston. When we get to Boston? Those were magic words to us who had been away from home so long. And the last weeks and days went quickly. After two long years at sea. Two years at sea. Well, Mr. Dana. All right, Harris. Now that we're sailing into Boston Harbor, you can drop the formality. Why? Well, in a few hours I won't be first mate. And the pilgrim and our long voyage will just be a memory. Well, in that case, Dana. Here's a good luck piece I'd like to give you. You know, the tiny elephant you always like. Oh, yes, but here, Dana. Little souvenir. Oh, thank you. Little souvenir for our trip together. Two years before the mass. This story of two years before the mass, suggested by Richard Henry Dana's classic of that name, was written by Tom Gute, and was the first in NBC's new series, Adventure Ahead. Young Dana was played by John Thomas. Music was by Doc Whiffle. The entire production was directed by Joseph Mansfield. During the weeks to come, as each Saturday morning unfolds Adventure Ahead, you will meet a gallery of heroes and heroines who appeal to youthful-minded listeners of every age. From the pages of books and stories, both old and new, your adventures will come to life, solely for your pleasure. NBC and its affiliated independent stations present Adventure Ahead as a public service. This is The National Broadcasting Company.