Chapter VII · Chapter 7

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "Well, it ain't a very strong force, sir, be it?"

(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Well, it ain't a very strong force, sir, be it?"

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Ay, ay, sir, o' course."

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

a flat bread made of oat or barley flour; common in New England and Scotland

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "Well, it ain't a very strong force, sir, be it?"

the past participle of “be”

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

an authoritative direction or instruction to do something

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading "Ay, ay, sir, o' course."

absence of light or illumination

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

someone who is a detective

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

having dropped by the force of gravity

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

the experiencing of affective and emotional states

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

a powerful effect or influence

From this reading "Well, it ain't a very strong force, sir, be it?"

yet to be or coming

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

an utterance expressing pain or disapproval

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

muscular and heavily built

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Well, it ain't a very strong force, sir, be it?"

plural of “lad” — a boy or man

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

engage in

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

attach a tag or label to

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

a written account of what transpired at a meeting

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

a particular point in time

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

not one thing; not anything

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading "Ay, ay, sir, o' course."

an implement used to propel or steer a boat

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

and nothing more

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

have the will and intention to carry out some action

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

the particular portion of space occupied by something

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

cause to move by pulling

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

experience anew

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

a large beer glass

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

term of address for a man

From this reading "Well, it ain't a very strong force, sir, be it?"

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

appearing to be as specified; usually used as combining forms

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

having strength or power greater than average or expected

From this reading "Well, it ain't a very strong force, sir, be it?"

happening unexpectedly

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

in or at that place or location

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

male cat

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

tested and proved useful or correct

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

a source of difficulty

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

precisely as stated

From this reading "Well, it ain't a very strong force, sir, be it?"

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading "Well, it ain't a very strong force, sir, be it?"

used to ask for information about something

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading At one moment insane ideas as to the recapture of the schooner came to trouble him, and this brought to mind what ought to have been his first duty as the officer upon whom the command had suddenly fallen.

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "We must wait for daylight, Tom, and I hope by then some of the lads will be able to pull an oar."

in the company of; together with

From this reading "I'm ready now," said Dick Bannock, with his voice sounding husky out of the darkness; and there was silence, broken only by a groan or two for a few minutes, during which Mark, feeling the terrible responsibility of his position, tried to make some plan as to his future proceedings, but only to be compelled to come back to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done but wait for morning.