The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle: Chapters 13–16

by Avi
In this work of historical fiction, thirteen-year-old Charlotte encounters adventure on the high seas as she sails from England to America.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–6, Chapters 7–12, Chapters 13–16, Chapters 17–22
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. begrudge
    allow unwillingly or reluctantly
    Even when he begrudged a willingness to believe in my sincerity he warned that agreement from the rest of the men would be improbable.
  2. stoutly
    in a resolute manner
    “I don’t care,” I said stoutly.
  3. quail
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    “All right then,” Foley said. “The captain’s still in his cabin and not likely to come out till five bells. You can do it now.”
    “Now?” I quailed.
  4. audacity
    aggressive or outright boldness
    Having fully committed myself, I was overwhelmed by my audacity.
  5. yaw
    swerve unpredictably from a set course
    I all but slipped, saving myself only by a sudden grasp of a line before the ship yawed the opposite way.
  6. metronome
    clicking pendulum indicating the tempo of a piece of music
    But there the metronome motion of the mast was at its most extreme, the Seahawk turning, tossing, swaying as if trying to shake me off—like a dog throwing droplets of water from its back.
  7. veritable
    being truly so called; real or genuine
    Using all my strength, I levered myself up and, wrapping my arms into the lines, made a veritable knot of myself, mast, and rigging.
  8. exaltation
    a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
    Oh, how my heart swelled with exaltation!
  9. raucous
    disturbing the public peace; loud and rough
    No sooner had he done so than the crew—though not Mr. Hollybrass—let out another raucous cheer!
  10. full-fledged
    having gained complete status
    In just such a fashion did I become a full-fledged crew-member of the Seahawk.
  11. thwart
    hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire
    Whatever grievous errors I had made before—in thwarting the mutiny led by Cranick and in causing the resulting cruelty toward Zachariah—the sailors appeared to accept my change of heart and position without reservation.
  12. mutiny
    open rebellion against constituted authority
    Whatever grievous errors I had made before—in thwarting the mutiny led by Cranick and in causing the resulting cruelty toward Zachariah—the sailors appeared to accept my change of heart and position without reservation.
  13. atonement
    the act of making amends for sin or wrongdoing
    They saw my desire to become a crew member not only as atonement, but as a stinging rebuff to Captain Jaggery.
  14. rebuff
    a deliberate discourteous act
    They saw my desire to become a crew member not only as atonement, but as a stinging rebuff to Captain Jaggery.
  15. prelude
    something that introduces what follows
    Indeed, that first journey to the top of the mainmast was but the prelude to many daily climbs.
  16. righteousness
    the quality of adhering to moral principles
    And when my watch was done I flung myself into my hammock and slept the sleep of righteousness—though never more than four hours and more often less.
  17. nimble
    moving quickly and lightly
    Thus it was that after a fortnight, I found myself atop the foremast, hugging the topgallant spar, my bare brown feet nimbly balancing on the foot ropes.
  18. acrid
    strong and sharp, as a taste or smell
    “He’s waiting, wanting you to make a mistake,” Morgan put in, taking a deep pull on his pipe, then filling the forecastle with its acrid smoke.
  19. straddle
    sit or stand astride of
    This time I used the momentum to swing over, so I was now atop the bowsprit, straddling it, then lying on it.
  20. despot
    a cruel and oppressive dictator
    But I, in a rage myself, wouldn’t give way. “I can’t wait till Providence!” I shouted at him. “I’ll go right to the courts! You won’t be captain long! You’ll be seen by everyone as the cruel despot you are!” And I spat upon the deck by his boots.
  21. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    But I woke to find myself sprawling on the floor, the curtain torn asunder, the forecastle in wildest confusion.
  22. asunder
    into parts or pieces
    But I woke to find myself sprawling on the floor, the curtain torn asunder, the forecastle in wildest confusion.
  23. maelstrom
    a powerful circular current of water
    The rain hissed. Thunder boomed. Lightning cracked. Human cries came too, shouts that rose up through the maelstrom, words I couldn’t catch. But what they betokened was terror.
  24. betoken
    be a signal for or a symptom of
    The rain hissed. Thunder boomed. Lightning cracked. Human cries came too, shouts that rose up through the maelstrom, words I couldn’t catch. But what they betokened was terror.
  25. ensuing
    following immediately and as a result of what went before
    Desperately, I clung to the ropes with legs and arms. Then out the sail snapped. The ensuing vacuum all but sucked me off. God knows how, but I held on and continued up.
  26. impede
    be a hindrance or obstacle to
    The wind and rain—as well as the tossing motion of the ship—kept impeding me.
  27. oblivion
    the state of being disregarded or forgotten
    As the sail spun off in the wind I caught a glimpse of its gray mass twisting and turning into oblivion like a tormented soul cast down to Hell.
  28. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
    I jumped the last few feet onto the deck. I don’t know if the storm had somewhat abated or I’d just grown used to it.
  29. subside
    wear off or die down
    The sea subsided into a roiling calm.
  30. roiling
    (of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence
    The sea subsided into a roiling calm.
  31. disheveled
    in disarray; extremely disorderly
    He was looking much like the rest of us, wild and disheveled.
  32. gunwale
    a plank or ridge at the top of the side of a boat
    Wind shrieked and howled; more than once water poured over us from above, or the ship heeled to the gunwales, bringing hearts to mouths.
  33. ebb
    fall away or decline
    Barlow, my partner, did most of the work. Great strength was wanted just to hold the wheel steady. Whatever strength I had was fast ebbing.
  34. demise
    the time when something ends
    On the edge of sleep I suddenly recalled the visitation of Zachariah and the demise of Mr. Hollybrass.
  35. consolation
    the act of giving relief in affliction
    This thought of the dead served to remind me that I was still alive. And that consolation eased my body and calmed my mind.
  36. equanimity
    steadiness of mind under stress
    Within seconds I slept the sleep of the dead who wait—with perfect equanimity—upon the final judgment.
  37. blithely
    in a joyous, carefree, or unconcerned manner
    For the moment, however, I remained in my hammock, blithely assuming it was simply not yet time for my normal watch.
  38. fastidious
    giving careful attention to detail
    True, he still wore his fine clothes, but the jacket was soiled and showed any number of rips. A cuff was frayed, a button gone. Small points perhaps, but not for a man of his fastidiousness.
  39. willful
    done by design
    “Miss Doyle,” the captain proclaimed for all to hear, “I charge you in the willful murder of Mr. Hollybrass.”
  40. tumultuous
    characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination
    For a brief moment I caught a distant vision of myself as I had been before the Seahawk, before this tumultuous voyage.
Created on Sat Aug 29 20:12:18 EDT 2020 (updated Thu Sep 10 13:14:24 EDT 2020)

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