Chapter 17 of The Blood Ship is here in full — 316 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Blood Ship is here in full — 316 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Not so fast, my lad. I think I should like to look you over." These were the words with which Captain Swope arrested my progress. He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed. The cat and the mouse; aye, that was it!
Chapter 17 of The Blood Ship is here in full — 316 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/63 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
past form of “arrest” — take into custody
From this reading “These were the words with which Captain Swope arrested my progress.”
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “The cat and the mouse; aye, that was it!”
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading “He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.”
past form of “hail” — praise vociferously
From this reading “He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.”
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading “He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.”
any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading “The cat and the mouse; aye, that was it!”
inflected form of “permit” — consent to, give permission
From this reading “He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.”
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading “These were the words with which Captain Swope arrested my progress.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The cat and the mouse; aye, that was it!
past form of “arrest” — take into custody
From this reading These were the words with which Captain Swope arrested my progress.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The cat and the mouse; aye, that was it!
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading These were the words with which Captain Swope arrested my progress.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading The cat and the mouse; aye, that was it!
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading "Not so fast, my lad.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.
past form of “hail” — praise vociferously
From this reading He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I think I should like to look you over."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The cat and the mouse; aye, that was it!
a boy or man
From this reading "Not so fast, my lad.
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I think I should like to look you over."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I think I should like to look you over."
most important element
From this reading He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.
any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading The cat and the mouse; aye, that was it!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Not so fast, my lad.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not so fast, my lad.
above and across; more than
From this reading I think I should like to look you over."
inflected form of “permit” — consent to, give permission
From this reading He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading These were the words with which Captain Swope arrested my progress.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading He had permitted me to almost reach the ladder leading to the main deck, before he hailed.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I think I should like to look you over."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Not so fast, my lad.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These were the words with which Captain Swope arrested my progress.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The cat and the mouse; aye, that was it!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading These were the words with which Captain Swope arrested my progress.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These were the words with which Captain Swope arrested my progress.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I think I should like to look you over."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I think I should like to look you over."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The cat and the mouse; aye, that was it!
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These were the words with which Captain Swope arrested my progress.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading These were the words with which Captain Swope arrested my progress.
in the company of; together with
From this reading These were the words with which Captain Swope arrested my progress.
the words that are spoken
From this reading These were the words with which Captain Swope arrested my progress.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I think I should like to look you over."
Chapter 17 of The Blood Ship by Norman Springer holds 316 sentences, grouped into 64 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 17 holds 316 sentences of The Blood Ship, unabridged, divided into 64 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Blood Ship by Norman Springer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 316 sentences, grouped into 64 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 64 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 64 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Blood Ship by Norman Springer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5106 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17414 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17414, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 425 minutes of reading across 1022 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Blood Ship section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Blood Ship to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Blood Ship, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
