Chapter 1 of A Secret of the Lebombo is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Secret of the Lebombo is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A Secret of the Lebombo, by Bertram Mitford. ________________________________________________________________________ A SECRET OF THE LEBOMBO, BY BERTRAM MITFORD. CHAPTER ONE. THE SHEEP-STEALERS. The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
Chapter 1 of A Secret of the Lebombo is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading “CHAPTER ONE.”
free from clouds
From this reading “The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.”
past form of “flame” — shine with a sudden light
From this reading “The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.”
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading “The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.”
taking delight in beauty
From this reading “The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.”
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading “The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.”
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading “The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.”
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.”
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.
In this reading “The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.”
In this reading “The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.”
In this reading “The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A Secret of the Lebombo, by Bertram Mitford.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Secret of the Lebombo, by Bertram Mitford.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A Secret of the Lebombo, by Bertram Mitford.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
free from clouds
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
past form of “flame” — shine with a sudden light
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
coins made of gold
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Secret of the Lebombo, by Bertram Mitford.
United States writer (born in England) who wrote on American culture (1917-1996)
From this reading A Secret of the Lebombo, by Bertram Mitford.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A Secret of the Lebombo, by Bertram Mitford.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading A Secret of the Lebombo, by Bertram Mitford.
taking delight in beauty
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SHEEP-STEALERS.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A Secret of the Lebombo, by Bertram Mitford.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The sun flamed down from a cloudless sky upon the green and gold of the wide valley, hot and sensuous in the early afternoon.
Chapter 1 of A Secret of the Lebombo by Bertram Mitford holds 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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.
Chapter 1 holds 437 sentences of A Secret of the Lebombo, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Secret of the Lebombo by Bertram Mitford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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.
Work through the 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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.
Common questions about reading A Secret of the Lebombo by Bertram Mitford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4709 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32916 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32916, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 392 minutes of reading across 942 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Secret of the Lebombo section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of A Secret of the Lebombo to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Secret of the Lebombo, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
