Blood on the River: Chapters 19–27

by Elisa Carbone
Based on the true story of the settlement of Jamestown, this novel follows twelve-year-old Samuel Collier as he goes from being an orphan on the streets of London to the page of Captain John Smith on his journey to the New World.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–18, Chapters 19–27
15 words 714 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. vengeful
    disposed to take action in return for a perceived wrong
    Namontack nods enthusiastically. “Yes, yes. I learn of your gods in England. And I tell them of my gods.” He launches into a lively description of Okeus, the vengeful god, who requires sacrifices of tobacco, copper, beads, and sometimes animal blood, and sends punishment if he is not made happy.
  2. wan
    pale, as of a person's complexion
    What I see takes my breath away. It is Richard, Nathaniel, Henry, Abram, and several others. They look thin and wan. They are walking toward us. Richard calls out, speaking Algonquian as if he has memorized just what to say.
  3. mesmerize
    attract strongly, as if with a magnet
    I think of how I want to teach him what I have learned — how to make snares to catch beavers, otters, and squirrels; how to build a fire in a canoe at night so the fish will be mesmerized and come close so we can spear them; how to find mushrooms and roots and berries that are good to eat.
  4. escapade
    a wild and exciting undertaking
    Captain Smith marches to where the two men are still gloating, telling of their escapades to anyone who will listen.
  5. sheepishly
    in a manner showing embarrassment or shame
    Captain Smith’s glowering eyes silence the men at once. He demands to hear it all, and the men sheepishly give a full account.
  6. delirium
    a usually brief state of excitement and mental confusion
    When Captain Smith comes back to us, he is crazed with pain, moaning in a delirium.
  7. servitude
    the state of being required to labor for someone else
    "...Reverend Hunt told me you were a fighter, full of anger and energy. I knew you would make a good settler, and you have. You will be fine here without me. You have your skills — building, farming, hunting, and you have your Algonquian language. You will stay because the colony needs you. I release you from your servitude.”
  8. fiasco
    a complete failure or collapse
    I feel as though there is a noose closing in around James Town, ready to strangle all of us here. Chief Powhatan is angry about the coronation fiasco. The new settlers have attacked Indian villages and made enemies where we used to have friends.
  9. midwife
    a woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babies
    There is one bright spot in all of this: Ann Laydon will soon have her baby. She is very happy to have other women here now, including a midwife, and children to hold and admire as she waits for her own to arrive.
  10. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    John groans with relief. “They’re both alive,” he says, almost incredulous. “My wife and my baby girl.”
  11. brig
    a prison, especially a military prison on board a ship
    It is a makeshift brig but it does the job. Shackles on my wrists and ankles do not allow me to move much.
  12. retract
    formally reject or disavow
    After she heard what happened to Captain Ratcliffe, Ann begged Captain Davies to retract my sentence.
  13. befall
    happen or be the case in the course of events or by chance
    It was not until spring that those at Point Comfort found out about the horror that befell James Town that winter.
  14. indentured
    bound or forced to work by contract
    In 1619, the first Africans arrived in the Virginia colony on a privateering ship. It is not clear whether they were slaves or indentured servants, which means they would have to work for a number of years and then they would be free.
  15. decimate
    kill in large numbers
    Chief Opechancanough did mount one more large attack on the settlers, in 1644, but by then the European population had grown and the Indian population had been decimated.
Created on Thu Jun 09 20:13:57 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Jul 28 16:58:43 EDT 2025)

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