Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Adrift in the Wilds
Adrift in the Wilds

Chapter XIII

Cover illustration for Adrift in the Wilds
Context Illustration Reading 1/16 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE CAMP-FIRE.
As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:
"See! there are others beside us!"
About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.
"Another party of Indians," replied Howard.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Adrift in the Wilds

Chapter XIII

Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE CAMP-FIRE.
Line 2
As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:
Line 3
"See! there are others beside us!"
Line 4
About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.
Line 5
"Another party of Indians," replied Howard.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.”

Among preposition US /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading “About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.”

Another noun US /ˈanother/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “"Another party of Indians," replied Howard.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:”

Beside preposition US /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading “"See! there are others beside us!"”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.”

Distant adjective US /ˈdɪstənt/

not friendly or close

From this reading “About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.”

Party noun US /party/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"Another party of Indians," replied Howard.”

Replied noun US /replied/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"Another party of Indians," replied Howard.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:”

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:”

Thin adjective US /θɪn/

Having little thickness or extent.

From this reading “About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.”

All words in this reading · 70

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

AnothernounUS /ˈanother/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading "Another party of Indians," replied Howard.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "See! there are others beside us!"

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

beautiful

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading "See! there are others beside us!"

black

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

Brandon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

bright

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

CAMP-FIRE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE CAMP-FIRE.

character

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

column

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

dark

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

distantadjectiveUS /ˈdɪstənt/

not friendly or close

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

distinguished

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

down

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

Elwood

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

far

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

friends

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

gazed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

Howard

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Another party of Indians," replied Howard.

Indians

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Another party of Indians," replied Howard.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

mile

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

mountains

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

north

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

once

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

others

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "See! there are others beside us!"

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

palpable

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

partynounUS /party/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "Another party of Indians," replied Howard.

pointed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

repliednounUS /replied/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "Another party of Indians," replied Howard.

rising

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

river

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

said

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

Salinas

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

saw

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

See

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "See! there are others beside us!"

slope

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

smoke

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

summer

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE CAMP-FIRE.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

there

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "See! there are others beside us!"

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

thinadjectiveUS /θɪn/

Having little thickness or extent.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

three

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

trees

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a character that it could be distinguished at once.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "See! there are others beside us!"

Valley

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said: