Hauff’s Tales

THE TALE OF THE GHOST SHIP

Chapter I

My father died when I was eighteen years old. I decided to leave home and try my luck in foreign parts. My sole companion was my father’s old servant who didn’t want to be separated from me and my fate.
We boarded a ship bound for India. We had followed our course for fifteen days when the captain announced that a storm was brewing. He looked gloomy; he did not seem to know the seas in those parts well enough to face a storm. He shortened sail and we crept along. Night fell, clear and cold, and the captain began to think that he had been mistaken.
Suddenly, a strange ship loomed out of the darkness, almost on top of us. She began to cruise round our vessel. From her decks came wild cheers and yells which, in that hour of fear and anxiety before the storm, threw us into confusion. The captain went as pale as a ghost.
“My ship is lost!” he cried. “There sails Death!”
The crew rushed towards him and cried: “It is the ship of Death! We are all doomed!”
Almost immediately the storm broke. Huge waves threatened to engulf us. The storm increased in violence and before an hour had passed the ship struck a reef and foundered. The boats were lowered, and hardly had the last sailors scrambled into them, than the ship sank before our eyes. Our sufferings were not ended. The storm continued with unabated ferocity. We could hardly handle the boats. I clasped my old servant in my arms, and we prayed that we should come through this ordeal alive. But suddenly the strong wind seized our boat and capsized it. I never saw the seamen in it again. A heavy blow knocked me unconscious. When I came to I was lying in the arms of my faithful servant. He had climbed on the upturned boat and dragged me after him, so he saved our lives.
The storm died down. There was no trace of our ship but we caught sight of another ship that was riding the waves towards us. As it drew nearer, I realized that it was the same ship which had struck terror into us the night before. I trembled, and the captain’s prophecy flashed through my mind, the prophecy that had been so terribly fulfilled. I was shocked by the deserted look of the ship but it was the only ship we could get on and save our lives. We were wet to the skin and chilled to the bone, so we could not stay on the upturned boat any longer.
A long rope hung from the prow of the ship. We paddled our boat with our hands and feet until we were near enough to catch hold of it. I shouted at the top of my voice, but there was no sign of life.

ACTIVITIES & EXERCISES

I. Comprehension Task

Read the sentences below and put them in the order in which they occur in the chapter.

Answers: 10; 7; 9; 6; 8; 5; 2; 3; 1; 4

II. Grammar

Put “a/an”, or “the”, or (–) into the gaps.

1. We had followed our course for fifteen days when the captain announced that ___ storm was brewing.
2. I decided to leave ___ home and try my luck in foreign parts.
3. Suddenly, ___ strange ship loomed out of the darkness, almost on ___ top of us.
4. _____ night fell, clear and cold, and the captain began to think that he had been mistaken.
5. ___ storm increased in ___ violence and before ___ hour had passed the ship struck ___ reef and foundered.
6. The storm continued with ____ unabated ferocity.
7. _____ heavy blow knocked me unconscious.
8. As it drew nearer, I realized that it was ___ same ship which had struck terror into us ___ night before.
9. ______ long rope hung from the prow of the ship.
10. I shouted at ___ top of my voice, but there was no ___ sign of life.

Answers: 1. a; 2. –; 3. a, –; 4. –; 5. the, –, an, a; 6. –; 7. a; 8. the, the; 9. a; 10. the, –

III. Pronunciation Task

Most verbs add –ed to form the past tense which sounds [d] or [t], or [id]. Put the verbs below into correct column.

decided, followed, announced, separated, looked, shortened, loomed, cried, doomed, threatened, increased, passed, foundered, lowered, scrambled, ended, continued, clasped, prayed, seized, capsized, knocked, climbed, dragged, saved, realized, trembled, flashed, fulfilled, shocked, chilled, upturned, paddled, shouted

[t] _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________

[d] _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________

[id] _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________

Practice saying these words, mind the pronunciation of “-ed”.

Answers:

[t] announced, looked, passed, clasped, knocked, flashed, shocked

[d] followed, shortened, loomed, cried, doomed, threatened, increased, foundered, lowered, scrambled, continued, prayed, seized, capsized, climbed, dragged, saved, realized, trembled, fulfilled, chilled, upturned, paddled,

[id] decided, separated, ended, shouted

IV. Vocabulary

Match the word on the left with the word on the right (according to the story).

1. unabated 2. sole 3. heavy 4. strong 5. faithful 6. foreign 7. upturned 8. struck 9. captain’s 10. deserted 11. huge 12. strange

a. parts b. waves c. servant d. boat e. terror f. ship g. look i. companion j. prophecy k. wind l. blow m. ferocity

Answers: 1. m; 2. i; 3. l; 4. k; 5. c; 6. a; 7. d; 8. e; 9. j; 10. g; 11. b; 12. f

V. Speaking

Retell chapter I. The following questions will help you.

1. What did the narrator of the story decide to do when his father died?
2. Who was his sole companion?
3. Where were they going?
4. What did the captain announce?
5. What did they see at night?
6. What was the strange ship like?
7. What was the sea like when the strange ship appeared?
8. What did the sailors do when their ship struck a reef?
9. Why could not they stay on the upturned boat any longer?
10. How did they reach the ship?

to be continued