| A | B |
|---|
| phosphorescent | glowing |
| tapering cylinder | tube shape that gradually narrows toward one end, in this case toward the top |
| Breton | person from Brittany, a region of northern France |
| Basque | People living in the Pyrenees, a mountain range in France and Spain |
| Flying Dutchman | a fabled Dutch ghost ship whose captain is said to be condemned to sail the seas until Judgement Day. Seeing it is supposed to bring bad luck. |
| derelict | in this case, an abandoned ship |
| yards | in nautical terms, rods fastened across the masts to support the sails. |
| glasses | in this case, binoculars |
| poop | in nautical terms, the stern (back) deck of a ship |
| smack | in this case, a small sailboat |
| hordes | large, moving crowds |
| ravening | greedily searching for animals to kill for food. A more common related word is ravenous, meaning wildly, greedily hungry |
| stove in | caved in |
| suffice | to be enough |
| embrasures | slanted openings |
| receding | moving back |
| Nero | Emperor of Rome (A.D. 54-68), known for his cruelty |
| edible | fit to be eaten |
| derisive | scornful and ridiculing |
| reconnaissance | exploratory survey or examination |
| flotilla | small fleet of boats |
| phalanx | closely packed group. A phalanx is an ancient military formation, and the word still has war-like connotations |
| hove to | stopped by being turned into wind |
