Vocabulary

tempest - A violent windstorm, frequently accompanied by rain, snow, or hail.

For many days we had been tempest-tossed.

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excursion - A usually short journey made for pleasure; an outing; pleasure trip

At the mention of an excursion, the four children were wild with delight, and, capering around me, clapped their hands for joy.

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  tub - a large open vessel for holding or storing liquids; drum; pot; barrel

`Can't we each get into a big tub, and float there?' . . . . 'then make haste to collect any tubs you can find!' . . . My eight tubs now stood ranged in a row near the water's edge. . . I next procured a long thin plank on which my tubs could be fixed. . . Other two planks were nailed along the sides of the tubs. . . With a hearty prayer for God's blessing, we now began to take our seats, each in his tub.

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pulley - A simple machine consisting essentially of a wheel with a grooved rim in which a pulled rope or chain can run to change the direction of the pull and thereby lift a load.

I now called for a pulley, which my wife fastened to the cord hanging beside the ladder, I hauled it up, and finding the boys rather in my way, told them to go down while I proceeded to fasten the pulley to a stout branch above me, that we might be able to haul up the beams we should require the next day.

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landmark - A prominent identifying feature of a landscape.

For,' said I, `it will become more and more troublesome to explain what we mean, unless we do so. Besides which, we shall feel much more at home if we can talk as people do in inhabited countries: instead of saying, for instance, "the little island at the mouth of our bay, where we found the dead shark", "the large stream near our tent, across which we made the bridge", "that wood where we found coconuts, and caught the monkey", and so on. Let us begin by naming the bay in which we landed. What shall we call it?'

`Oyster Bay,' said Fritz.

`No, no!---Lobster Bay,' cried Jack, `in memory of the old fellow who took a fancy to my leg!'

`I think,' observed his mother, `that, in token of gratitude for our escape, we should call it Safety Bay.'

This name met with general approbation, and was forthwith fixed upon.

Other names were quickly chosen. Our first place of abode we called Tentholm; the islet in the bay, Shark's Island; and the reedy swamp, Flamingo Marsh. It was some time before the serious question of a name for our leafy castle could be decided. But finally it was entitled Falconhurst; and we then rapidly named the few remaining points: Prospect Hill, the eminence we first ascended; Cape Disappointment, from whose rocky heights we had strained our eyes in vain search for our ship's company; and Jackal River, as a name for the large stream at our landing place, concluded our geographical nomenclature.

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pemmican - A food made chiefly from beef, dried fruit, and suet, used as emergency rations.

Before they started, Fritz begged some bear's meat from his mother, to make pemmican.

`And what may pemmican be?' she asked.

`It is food carried by the fur-traders of North America on their long journeys through the wild country they traverse; and consists of bear or deer's flesh, first cooked and then pounded or ground to powder. It is very portable, and nourishing.'

His mother consented `to humour him', as she said, although without much faith in the value of the preparation; and in the course of two days a stock of pemmican, sufficient for a Polar expedition, was fabricated by our enthusiastic son.

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kayak - A lightweight canoe

At last came the day when Fritz was to make his trial trip with the kayak. The kayak was made out of the skeleton of a whale, and bamboo canes were used to strengthen the sides and deck.

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commission - The act of granting certain powers or the authority to carry out a particular task or duty; To put (a ship) into active service; hire; appoint; authorize; order; contract

For the past three years, he had searched for Jenny, and he commissioned other ships to search for her as well.