The Spell of the White Sturgeon

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Spell of the White Sturgeon is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Jim Kjelgaard • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Spell of the White Sturgeon

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

Ramsay looked again at the little Captain's face.

It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

At the same time, and even though Captain Schultz remained completely in command, there was about him a certain air that had nothing to do with getting the _Holter's_ engine working again.

Ramsay sought for the answer, and finally he found it.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter II Reading 1/83

The Spell of the White Sturgeon Jim Kjelgaard

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Spell of the White Sturgeon is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon. Ramsay looked again at the little Captain's face. It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship. At the same time, and even though Captain Schultz remained completely in command, there was about him a certain air that had nothing to do with getting the _Holter's_ engine working again. Ramsay sought for the answer, and finally he found it.

The Spell of the White Sturgeon

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Spell of the White Sturgeon is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

/ˈɑːbviəsli əˈmʌŋ leɪk ˈmɪʃɪɡən ˈseɪlərz ɔːr ˈenihaʊ sʌm ʌv ðem ðer wɑːz ə fɜːrm bɪˈliːf ɪn ðə ˈiːvəl ˈpaʊərz ʌv ðə waɪt ˈstɜːrdʒən/

Line 2

Ramsay looked again at the little Captain's face.

Line 3

It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

/ɪt wɑːz ə kənˈsɜːrnd ˈwɜːrid feɪs wʌt wʌn maɪt ɪkˈspekt tuː siː ɪn ə mæn huː wɑːz ɪn ˈdeɪndʒər ʌv ˈluːzɪŋ hɪz ʃɪp/

Line 4

At the same time, and even though Captain Schultz remained completely in command, there was about him a certain air that had nothing to do with getting the _Holter's_ engine working again.

Line 5

Ramsay sought for the answer, and finally he found it.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Captain's noun US /ˈkæptənz/

possessive form of “captain” — an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading “Ramsay looked again at the little Captain's face.”

engine noun US /ˈendʒən/

motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work

From this reading “At the same time, and even though Captain Schultz remained completely in command, there was about him a certain air that had nothing to do with getting the _Holter's_ engine working again.”

losing verb US /ˈluːzɪŋ/

-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense

From this reading “It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.”

Michigan noun US /ˈmɪʃɪɡən/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading “Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.”

Obviously adverb US /ˈɑːbviəsli/

unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)

From this reading “Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.”

sailors noun US /ˈseɪlərz/

plural of “sailor” — any member of a ship's crew

From this reading “Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.”

Sturgeon noun US /ˈstɜːrdʒən/

large primitive fishes valued for their flesh and roe; widely distributed in the North Temperate Zone

From this reading “Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.”

worried adjective US /ˈwɜːrid/

afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief

From this reading “It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

firm belief adjective + noun

In this reading “Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.”

same time adjective + noun

In this reading “At the same time, and even though Captain Schultz remained completely in command, there was about him a certain air that had nothing to do with getting the _Holter's_ engine working again.”

in danger preposition + noun

In this reading “It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.”

All words in this reading · 72

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading At the same time, and even though Captain Schultz remained completely in command, there was about him a certain air that had nothing to do with getting the _Holter's_ engine working again.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading Ramsay looked again at the little Captain's face.

airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

answerverbUS /ˈænsər/

react verbally

From this reading Ramsay sought for the answer, and finally he found it.

anyhowadverbUS /ˈenihaʊ/

used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Ramsay looked again at the little Captain's face.

beliefnounUS /bɪˈliːf/

any cognitive content held as true

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

CaptainnounUS /ˈkæptən/

an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

Captain'snounUS /ˈkæptənz/

possessive form of “captain” — an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading Ramsay looked again at the little Captain's face.

certainadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtən/

definite but not specified or identified

commandnounUS /kəˈmænd/

an authoritative direction or instruction to do something

completelyadverbUS /kəmˈpliːtli/

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

concernedadjectiveUS /kənˈsɜːrnd/

feeling or showing worry or solicitude

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

dangernounUS /ˈdeɪndʒər/

the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

enginenounUS /ˈendʒən/

motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

evilnounUS /ˈiːvəl/

morally objectionable behavior

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

expectverbUS /ɪkˈspekt/

regard something as probable or likely

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading Ramsay looked again at the little Captain's face.

finallyadverbUS /ˈfaɪnəli/

after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay

From this reading Ramsay sought for the answer, and finally he found it.

firmadjectiveUS /fɜːrm/

marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Ramsay sought for the answer, and finally he found it.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading Ramsay sought for the answer, and finally he found it.

gettingnounUS /ˈɡetɪŋ/

the act of acquiring something

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Ramsay sought for the answer, and finally he found it.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

Holter's

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

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

LakenounUS /leɪk/

a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Ramsay looked again at the little Captain's face.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Ramsay looked again at the little Captain's face.

losingverbUS /ˈluːzɪŋ/

-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

MichigannounUS /ˈmɪʃɪɡən/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

ObviouslyadverbUS /ˈɑːbviəsli/

unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

powersnounUS /ˈpaʊərz/

plural of “power” — possession of controlling influence

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

Ramsay

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

From this reading Ramsay looked again at the little Captain's face.

remainedverbUS /rɪˈmeɪnd/

past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

sailorsnounUS /ˈseɪlərz/

plural of “sailor” — any member of a ship's crew

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

Schultz

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

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

shipverbUS /ʃɪp/

transport commercially

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

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

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

soughtadjectiveUS /sɔːt/

that is looked for

From this reading Ramsay sought for the answer, and finally he found it.

SturgeonnounUS /ˈstɜːrdʒən/

large primitive fishes valued for their flesh and roe; widely distributed in the North Temperate Zone

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

WhitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading Obviously, among Lake Michigan sailors, or anyhow some of them, there was a firm belief in the evil powers of the White Sturgeon.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

workingadjectiveUS /ˈwɜːrkɪŋ/

actively engaged in paid work

worriedadjectiveUS /ˈwɜːrid/

afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief

From this reading It was a concerned, worried face, what one might expect to see in a man who was in danger of losing his ship.

Chapter 2 of The Spell of the White Sturgeon by Jim Kjelgaard holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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.

What does chapter 2 of The Spell of the White Sturgeon contain?

Chapter 2 holds 418 sentences of The Spell of the White Sturgeon, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Spell of the White Sturgeon by Jim Kjelgaard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 2 of The Spell of the White Sturgeon?

Work through the 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 84 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 2 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 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 Spell of the White Sturgeon

Common questions about reading The Spell of the White Sturgeon by Jim Kjelgaard on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Spell of the White Sturgeon?

Yes. All 4144 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41662 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Spell of the White Sturgeon is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #41662, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Spell of the White Sturgeon take to read?

About 345 minutes of reading across 829 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Spell of the White Sturgeon section by section

How to work through The Spell of the White Sturgeon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Spell of the White Sturgeon 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 Spell of the White Sturgeon

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Spell of the White Sturgeon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Library: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Spell of the White Sturgeon; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Congress: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Spell of the White Sturgeon; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Catalog: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Spell of the White Sturgeon; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Number: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Spell of the White Sturgeon; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter II

What does chapter 2 of The Spell of the White Sturgeon contain?

How do I study chapter 2 of The Spell of the White Sturgeon?

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

Questions about reading The Spell of the White Sturgeon

How to read The Spell of the White Sturgeon section by section

Open a chapter

Read one section

Listen and tap

Vocabulary met early in The Spell of the White Sturgeon