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The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Arthur Conan Doyle • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

“Hold hard!” cried the captain.

“Ease her! stop her!

Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

We were fairly started upon our fortnight’s voyage.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XII Reading 1/33

The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales Arthur Conan Doyle

Cover illustration for The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales

Chapter XII

Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

“Hold hard!” cried the captain. “Ease her! stop her! Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore. There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay. We were fairly started upon our fortnight’s voyage.

The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

“Hold hard!” cried the captain.

Line 2

“Ease her! stop her!

Line 3

Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

Line 4

There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

Line 5

We were fairly started upon our fortnight’s voyage.

All words in this reading · 61

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.

a

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

aboard

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

across

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

and

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

another

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

as

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

away

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

bay

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

captain

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

From this reading “Hold hard!” cried the captain.

cheer

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

clear

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

convulsive

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

cried

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

From this reading “Hold hard!” cried the captain.

deck

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

Ease

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

From this reading “Ease her! stop her!

engine

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

fairly

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

From this reading We were fairly started upon our fortnight’s voyage.

fluttering

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

fortnight's

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

From this reading We were fairly started upon our fortnight’s voyage.

from

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

gangway

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

grandly

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

great

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

handkerchiefs

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

harbour

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

hard

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

From this reading “Hold hard!” cried the captain.

her

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

From this reading “Ease her! stop her!

Hold

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

From this reading “Hold hard!” cried the captain.

its

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

just

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

men

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

mighty

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

of

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

our

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

From this reading We were fairly started upon our fortnight’s voyage.

out

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

parted

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

placid

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

ploughed

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

quay

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

second

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

shore

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

shot

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

sprang

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

started

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

From this reading We were fairly started upon our fortnight’s voyage.

steamed

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

stop

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

From this reading “Ease her! stop her!

the

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

From this reading “Hold hard!” cried the captain.

There

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

throb

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

two

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

Up

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

upon

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

From this reading We were fairly started upon our fortnight’s voyage.

us

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

vessel

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

voyage

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

From this reading We were fairly started upon our fortnight’s voyage.

warp

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

was

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

way

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

From this reading There was a cheer from the deck, another from the quay, a mighty fluttering of handkerchiefs, and the great vessel ploughed its way out of the harbour, and steamed grandly away across the placid bay.

We

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

From this reading We were fairly started upon our fortnight’s voyage.

were

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

From this reading We were fairly started upon our fortnight’s voyage.

with

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

From this reading Up with the gangway!” and the two men sprang aboard just as the second warp parted, and a convulsive throb of the engine shot us clear of the shore.

Chapter 12 of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales by Arthur Conan Doyle holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 12 of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales contain?

Chapter 12 holds 166 sentences of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales by Arthur Conan Doyle exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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.

How do I study chapter 12 of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales?

Work through the 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 34 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.

Can chapter 12 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 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.

Questions about reading The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales

Common questions about reading The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales by Arthur Conan Doyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales?

Yes. All 4188 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #294 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #294, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales take to read?

About 349 minutes of reading across 838 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales section by section

How to work through The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Other: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tales: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Preface: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Following: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.