
Chapters 1–5
Shipwrecked and blinded from a torpedo attack, Phillip must conquer his prejudices when his only companion is an elderly West Indian man named Timothy.
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Explore the Words
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crudenot refined or processedThen they blew up six of our small lake tankers, the tubby ones that still bring
crude oil from Lake Maracaibo to the refinery, Curagaosche Petroleum Maatschappij, to be made into gasoline, kerosene, and diesel oil. -
galleona large square-rigged sailing ship with three or more mastsOr sometimes we’d pretend we were the Dutch going out on raids against Spanish
galleons. -
schoonersailing vessel used in former timesOf course, they were only the tattered-sailed native
schooners from Venezuela, Aruba, or Bonaire coming in with bananas, oranges, papayas, melons, and vegetables. -
appealrequest earnestly; ask for aid or protectionThe radio was on, and a voice said that fifty-six men had died on the lake tankers that were blown up and that the governor of the Netherlands’ West Indies had
appealed to Washington for help. -
aviationthe art of operating aircraftLate in the afternoon, my father, whose name was also Phillip—Phillip Enright—returned home from the refinery where he was working on the program to increase production of
aviation gas. -
leewardon the side away from the windI loved the old fort, and the schooners, the Ruyterkade market with the noisy chickens and squealing pigs, the black people shouting; I loved the koenoekoe with its giant cactus; the divi-divi trees, their odd branches all on the
leeward side of the trunk; the beautiful sandy beach at Westpunt. -
refuseshow unwillingness towardsThe next morning my father said that the Chinese crews on the lake tankers that shuttled crude oil across the sand bars at Maracaibo had
refused to sail without naval escorts. -
dependbe contingent uponThe people had been very proud that the little islands of Aruba and Curasao were now among the most important islands in the world; that victory or defeat
depended on them. -
mutinyopen rebellion against constituted authorityThey were angry with the Chinese crews, and on the third day, my father said that
mutiny charges had been placed against them. -
ballastany heavy material used to stabilize a ship or airshipThe big tankers from the United States or England always carried fresh water to us in
ballast, and then it was distilled again so that we could drink it. -
aftnear or toward the stern of a ship or tail of an airplaneShe had machine guns fore and
aft, one of the few armed ships in the harbor. -
vanishbecome invisible or unnoticeableThe Empire Tern had
vanished in a wall of red flames, and black smoke was beginning to boil into the sky. -
clenchsqueeze together tightlyFather was smiling and very gay but when the Hato’s whistle blasted out three times, meaning it was time to go, he said good-by to us between
clenched teeth. -
abandonleave behind empty; move out ofShe helped me put on my life jacket, then put hers on, saying, “Now, remember everything that we were told about
abandoning ship.” -
stewardthe ship's officer who is in charge of dining arrangementsWe were thrown against the cabin door, which the
steward had warned us not to lock because it might become jammed. -
ignitecause to start burningTins of lubricating oil in the afterholds had
ignited and were exploding, but the ones forward had not been exposed to the fire. -
welta raised mark on the skinHe had a big
welt, like a scar, on his left cheek. -
latitudeangular distance between the equator and a parallel lineAs to our veree location, I mus’ guess we are somewhar roun d’cays, somewhar mebbe fifteen
latitude an’ eighty long. -
despairabandon hope; lose heartHe said, “Do not be
despair, young bahss. Someone will fin’ us. -
lullmake calm or stillAfter a bit,
lulled by the bobbing of the raft and by the soft, pleasant sounds of the sea against the oil barrel floats, I went to sleep again. -
outrageousgreatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderationHe said, “I knew a Phillip who feesh out of St. Jawn, but an
outrageous mahn he was.” -
parcheddried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlightMy lips were
parched and my throat was dry. -
defiantlyin a rebellious mannerI said
defiantly, “A schooner will find us. And my father has ships out looking for us.” -
clammyunpleasantly cool and humidThey were stiff from salt and felt
clammy. -
recollectionthe process of remembering“I 'ave no
recollection o’ anythin' cept dese islan’s. Tis pure outrageous, but I do not remember anythin’ 'bout a place called Afreca.” -
gropesearch blindly or uncertainlyHis eyes
groped through the darkness for mine. -
unbearableincapable of being put up withThe pain in my head was almost
unbearable now, and I remember moaning. -
dronemake a monotonous low dull soundThe faint
drone of the aircraft seemed closer now. -
douseput out, as of a candle or a lightAfter a moment of silence, I heard the sizzle of the water as Timothy
doused the torch. -
disheartentake away the enthusiasm of“Do not be
dishearten, young bahss. Today, we will be foun, to be true.”
Created on September 25, 2014
(updated September 4, 2018)
(updated September 4, 2018)