Kidnapped: Chapters 1–6

by Robert Louis Stevenson
After young orphan David Balfour discovers he may be the true heir to his uncle's estate, he is kidnapped and swept up in the struggle of Scottish highlanders against the English. Read the adventure story here.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–15, Chapters 16–24, Chapters 25–30

Here are links to our lists for other works by Robert Louis Stevenson: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Treasure Island
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. behoove
    be appropriate or necessary
    Then it behooves me to tell your fortune; or so far as I may.
  2. prospect
    the possibility of future success
    My heart was beating hard at this great prospect now suddenly opening before a lad of seventeen years of age, the son of a poor country dominie in the Forest of Ettrick.
  3. heresy
    a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion
    There, then, with uplifted forefinger, he first put me on my guard against a considerable number of heresies, to which I had no temptation, and urged upon me to be instant in my prayers and reading of the Bible.
  4. circumspect
    careful to consider potential consequences and avoid risk
    In yon great, muckle house, with all these domestics, upper and under, show yourself as nice, as circumspect, as quick at the conception, and as slow of speech as any.
  5. blithe
    carefree and happy and lighthearted
    The other three are gifties that Mrs. Campbell and myself would be blithe of your acceptance.
  6. conscience
    a feeling of shame when you do something immoral
    Then it came in upon my mind that this was all his sorrow at my departure; and my conscience smote me hard and fast, because I, for my part, was overjoyed to get away out of that quiet country-side, and go to a great, busy house, among rich and respected gentlefolk of my own name and blood.
  7. tremulous
    quivering as from weakness or fear
    To be sure, I laughed over this; but it was rather tremulous laughter; and I was glad to get my bundle on my staff's end and set out over the ford and up the hill upon the farther side
  8. kiln
    a furnace for firing, burning, or drying porcelain or bricks
    On the forenoon of the second day, coming to the top of a hill, I saw all the country fall away before me down to the sea; and in the midst of this descent, on a long ridge, the city of Edinburgh smoking like a kiln.
  9. dapper
    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
    The next person I came across was a dapper little man in a beautiful white wig, whom I saw to be a barber on his rounds; and knowing well that barbers were great gossips, I asked him plainly what sort of a man was Mr. Balfour of the Shaws.
  10. malignant
    dangerous to health
    The woman's face lit up with a malignant anger. "That is the house of Shaws!" she cried. "Blood built it; blood stopped the building of it; blood shall bring it down.
  11. defiantly
    in a rebellious manner
    Another pause, and then defiantly, "Well, man," he said, "I'll let ye in;" and he disappeared from the window.
  12. daunt
    cause to lose courage
    He was long unshaved; but what most distressed and even daunted me, he would neither take his eyes away from me nor look me fairly in the face.
  13. timidity
    fear of the unknown or fear of making decisions
    This set me in a muse, whether his timidity arose from too long a disuse of any human company; and whether perhaps, upon a little trial, it might pass off, and my uncle change into an altogether different man.
  14. indignant
    angered at something unjust or wrong
    Many of the window-panes, besides, were broken; and indeed this was so common a feature in that house, that I believe my uncle must at some time have stood a siege from his indignant neighbours--perhaps with Jennet Clouston at their head.
  15. reconciled
    made compatible or consistent
    Indeed, the time passed so lightly in this good company, that I began to be almost reconciled to my residence at Shaws; and nothing but the sight of my uncle, and his eyes playing hide and seek with mine, revived the force of my distrust.
  16. comprehension
    an ability to understand the meaning of something
    Now this last passage, this laying of hands upon my person and sudden profession of love for my dead father, went so clean beyond my comprehension that it put me into both fear and hope.
  17. covert
    secret or hidden
    With this notion, all unacknowledged, but nevertheless getting firmly settled in my head, I now began to imitate his covert looks; so that we sat at table like a cat and a mouse, each stealthily observing the other.
  18. raillery
    light teasing
    I could see, besides, that the whole story was a lie, invented with some end which it puzzled me to guess; and I made no attempt to conceal the tone of raillery in which I answered
  19. miserly
    characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity
    Now, my uncle seemed so miserly that I was struck dumb by this sudden generosity, and could find no words in which to thank him.
  20. gratitude
    a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation
    I told him I was ready to prove my gratitude in any reasonable degree, and then waited, looking for some monstrous demand.
  21. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    It was not only that the flash shone in on every side through breaches in the wall, so that I seemed to be clambering aloft upon an open scaffold, but the same passing brightness showed me the steps were of unequal length, and that one of my feet rested that moment within two inches of the well.
  22. scabbard
    a sheath for a sword or dagger or bayonet
    The first was full of meal; the second of moneybags and papers tied into sheaves; in the third, with many other things (and these for the most part clothes) I found a rusty, ugly-looking Highland dirk without the scabbard.
  23. cease
    put an end to a state or an activity
    He lay as he had fallen, all huddled, with one knee up and one arm sprawling abroad; his face had a strange colour of blue, and he seemed to have ceased breathing.
  24. righteous
    morally justified
    It is true I felt some pity for a man that looked so sick, but I was full besides of righteous anger; and I numbered over before him the points on which I wanted explanation: why he lied to me at every word; why he feared that I should leave him; why he disliked it to be hinted that he and my father were twins
  25. replenish
    fill something that had previously been emptied
    All aglow from my bath, I sat down once more beside the fire, which I replenished, and began gravely to consider my position.
  26. enmity
    a state of deep-seated ill-will
    There was now no doubt about my uncle's enmity; there was no doubt I carried my life in my hand, and he would leave no stone unturned that he might compass my destruction.
  27. consummation
    the act of bringing to completion or fruition
    I had come to his door no better than a beggar and little more than a child; he had met me with treachery and violence; it would be a fine consummation to take the upper hand, and drive him like a herd of sheep.
  28. tribulation
    an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event
    The warlock of Essendean, they say, had made a mirror in which men could read the future; it must have been of other stuff than burning coal; for in all the shapes and pictures that I sat and gazed at, there was never a ship, never a seaman with a hairy cap, never a big bludgeon for my silly head, or the least sign of all those tribulations that were ripe to fall on me.
  29. remonstrance
    the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
    He showed me tattoo marks, baring his breast in the teeth of the wind and in spite of my remonstrances, for I thought it was enough to kill him
  30. vengeance
    harming someone in retaliation for something they have done
    And so he ran on, until it came in on me what he meant by twenty-pounders were those unhappy criminals who were sent over-seas to slavery in North America, or the still more unhappy innocents who were kidnapped or trepanned (as the word went) for private interest or vengeance.
  31. skiff
    a small boat propelled by oars or by sails or by a motor
    A skiff, however, lay beside the pier, with some seamen sleeping on the thwarts; this, as Ransome told me, was the brig's boat waiting for the captain
  32. abhorrence
    hate coupled with disgust
    After all I had listened to upon the way, I looked at that ship with an extreme abhorrence; and from the bottom of my heart I pitied all poor souls that were condemned to sail in her.
  33. studious
    characterized by diligent study and fondness for reading
    In spite of the heat of the room, he wore a thick sea-jacket, buttoned to the neck, and a tall hairy cap drawn down over his ears; yet I never saw any man, not even a judge upon the bench, look cooler, or more studious and self-possessed, than this ship-captain.
  34. jeopardy
    a source of danger
    Now, I longed to see the inside of a ship more than words can tell; but I was not going to put myself in jeopardy, and I told him my uncle and I had an appointment with a lawyer.
  35. gape
    look with amazement
    As soon as we were alongside (where I sat fairly gaping at the ship's height, the strong humming of the tide against its sides, and the pleasant cries of the seamen at their work) Hoseason, declaring that he and I must be the first aboard, ordered a tackle to be sent down from the main-yard.
Created on Wed Jun 18 16:43:01 EDT 2014 (updated Thu Sep 20 12:35:53 EDT 2018)

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