Chapter 16 of A Texas Ranger is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of A Texas Ranger is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They followed the trail down into the cañon. As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked: “Why do they call it Mantrap Gulch?” “It got its name before my time in the days when outlaws hid here. A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
Chapter 16 of A Texas Ranger is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
plural of “crime” — (criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading “A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.”
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading “As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:”
a narrow gorge with a stream running through it
From this reading ““Why do they call it Mantrap Gulch?””
reflecting the fear or terror of one who is hunted
From this reading “A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.”
a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being)
From this reading “A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.”
plural of “outlaw” — someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading ““It got its name before my time in the days when outlaws hid here.”
plural of “pony” — a range horse of the western United States
From this reading “As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:”
having a sharp inclination
From this reading “As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:”
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 hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “It got its name before my time in the days when outlaws hid here.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Why do they call it Mantrap Gulch?”
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They followed the trail down into the cañon.
plural of “crime” — (criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading “It got its name before my time in the days when outlaws hid here.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Why do they call it Mantrap Gulch?”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They followed the trail down into the cañon.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading They followed the trail down into the cañon.
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “It got its name before my time in the days when outlaws hid here.
a narrow gorge with a stream running through it
From this reading “Why do they call it Mantrap Gulch?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “It got its name before my time in the days when outlaws hid here.
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading “It got its name before my time in the days when outlaws hid here.
reflecting the fear or terror of one who is hunted
From this reading A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “It got its name before my time in the days when outlaws hid here.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading They followed the trail down into the cañon.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Why do they call it Mantrap Gulch?”
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading “It got its name before my time in the days when outlaws hid here.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
a very attractive or seductive looking woman
From this reading “Why do they call it Mantrap Gulch?”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being)
From this reading A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “It got its name before my time in the days when outlaws hid here.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “It got its name before my time in the days when outlaws hid here.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
plural of “outlaw” — someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading “It got its name before my time in the days when outlaws hid here.
a course of conduct
From this reading As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:
plural of “pony” — a range horse of the western United States
From this reading As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:
having a sharp inclination
From this reading As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They followed the trail down into the cañon.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As the ponies slowly picked their footing on the steep narrow path, he asked:
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They followed the trail down into the cañon.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “It got its name before my time in the days when outlaws hid here.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading They followed the trail down into the cañon.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading A hunted man came to Lost Cañon, a murderer wanted by the law for more crimes than one.
at the time that
From this reading “It got its name before my time in the days when outlaws hid here.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why do they call it Mantrap Gulch?”
Chapter 16 of A Texas Ranger by William MacLeod Raine holds 106 sentences, grouped into 22 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 16 holds 106 sentences of A Texas Ranger, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of A Texas Ranger by William MacLeod Raine exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 16 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 Texas Ranger by William MacLeod Raine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5709 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4993 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4993, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 475 minutes of reading across 1142 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Texas Ranger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of A Texas Ranger 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 Texas Ranger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
