Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Black Hawk's Warpath
Black Hawk's Warpath

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of Black Hawk's Warpath is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Black Hawk's Warpath
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.
Excitement was plainly written on the face of the stalwart frontiersman.
“What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.
“Yes, what’s stirring?”
Tom echoed curiously.
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.

Black Hawk's Warpath

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of Black Hawk's Warpath is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.
Line 2
Excitement was plainly written on the face of the stalwart frontiersman.
Line 3
“What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.
Line 4
“Yes, what’s stirring?”
Line 5
Tom echoed curiously.
/tɑːm ˈekoʊd ˈkjʊriəsli/

Learner Dictionary

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.

boarding noun US /ˈbɔːrdɪŋ/

the act of passengers and crew getting aboard a ship or aircraft

From this reading “Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.”

Pat verb US /pæt/

pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin

From this reading “Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.”

shanty noun US /ˈʃænti/

small crude shelter used as a dwelling

From this reading “Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.”

socks noun US /sɑːks/

plural of “sock” — hosiery consisting of a cloth covering for the foot; worn inside the shoe; reaches to between the ankle and the knee

From this reading ““What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.”

stalwart adjective US /ˈstɔːlwərt/

having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships

From this reading “Excitement was plainly written on the face of the stalwart frontiersman.”

Tom's noun US /tɑːmz/

possessive form of “tom” — male cat

Turtle noun US /ˈtɜːrtəl/

a sweater or jersey with a high close-fitting collar

From this reading “Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.”

wool noun US /wʊl/

a fabric made from the hair of sheep

From this reading ““What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

across the river preposition + article + noun counted as “across … river”

In this reading “Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.”

plainly written adverb + adjective

In this reading “Excitement was plainly written on the face of the stalwart frontiersman.”

came rushing verb + noun counted as “come rushing”

In this reading “Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.”

second day noun + noun

In this reading “Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading “What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading “What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

BennounUS /ben/

a mountain or tall hill

From this reading “What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.

BillnounUS /bɪl/

a statute in draft before it becomes law

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

boardingnounUS /ˈbɔːrdɪŋ/

the act of passengers and crew getting aboard a ship or aircraft

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

boysnounUS /bɔɪz/

plural of “boy” — a youthful male person

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

BrownnounUS /braʊn/

an orange of low brightness and saturation

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

curiouslyadverbUS /ˈkjʊriəsli/

in a manner differing from the usual or expected

From this reading Tom echoed curiously.

darningnoun

the act of mending a hole in a garment with crossing threads

From this reading “What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

Dearborn

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

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

echoedverbUS /ˈekoʊd/

past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate

From this reading Tom echoed curiously.

ExcitementnounUS /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/

the feeling of lively and cheerful joy

From this reading Excitement was plainly written on the face of the stalwart frontiersman.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading Excitement was plainly written on the face of the stalwart frontiersman.

Fagan

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

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

followingadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/

about to be mentioned or specified

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

FortnounUS /fɔːrt/

a fortified military post where troops are stationed

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

frontiersmannoun

a man who lives on the frontier

From this reading Excitement was plainly written on the face of the stalwart frontiersman.

Gordon

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

From this reading “What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.

IndianadjectiveUS /ˈɪndiən/

of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading “What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.

mid-afternoon

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

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

MudnounUS /mʌd/

water soaked soil; soft wet earth

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Excitement was plainly written on the face of the stalwart frontiersman.

pairnounUS /per/

a set of two similar things considered as a unit

From this reading “What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.

PatverbUS /pæt/

pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

plainlyadverbUS /ˈpleɪnli/

unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)

From this reading Excitement was plainly written on the face of the stalwart frontiersman.

rivernounUS /ˈrɪvər/

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

rushingnounUS /ˈrʌʃɪŋ/

(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

secondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

set-tonoun

a brief but vigorous fight

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

shantynounUS /ˈʃænti/

small crude shelter used as a dwelling

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

socksnounUS /sɑːks/

plural of “sock” — hosiery consisting of a cloth covering for the foot; worn inside the shoe; reaches to between the ankle and the knee

From this reading “What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.

stalwartadjectiveUS /ˈstɔːlwərt/

having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships

From this reading Excitement was plainly written on the face of the stalwart frontiersman.

stirringnounUS /ˈstɜːrɪŋ/

agitating a liquid with an implement

From this reading “What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

TomnounUS /tɑːm/

male cat

From this reading Tom echoed curiously.

Tom'snounUS /tɑːmz/

possessive form of “tom” — male cat

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

TurtlenounUS /ˈtɜːrtəl/

a sweater or jersey with a high close-fitting collar

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading “What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.

War-cry

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

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Excitement was plainly written on the face of the stalwart frontiersman.

What's

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

From this reading “What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Indian War-cry At mid-afternoon of the second day following Tom’s set-to with Pat Fagan at the Mud Turtle, Bill Brown came rushing into the boys’ boarding shanty, across the river from Fort Dearborn.

woolnounUS /wʊl/

a fabric made from the hair of sheep

From this reading “What’s stirring, Bill?” asked Ben Gordon, looking up from a pair of wool socks he was darning.

writtenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪtən/

set down in writing in any of various ways

From this reading Excitement was plainly written on the face of the stalwart frontiersman.

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading “Yes, what’s stirring?”

Chapter 8 of Black Hawk's Warpath by Herbert L. Risteen holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

What does chapter 8 of Black Hawk's Warpath contain?

Chapter 8 holds 162 sentences of Black Hawk's Warpath, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of Black Hawk's Warpath by Herbert L. Risteen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of Black Hawk's Warpath?

Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 33 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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 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.

Questions about reading Black Hawk's Warpath

Common questions about reading Black Hawk's Warpath by Herbert L. Risteen on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Black Hawk's Warpath?

Yes. All 3058 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67128 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Black Hawk's Warpath is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #67128, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Black Hawk's Warpath take to read?

About 254 minutes of reading across 612 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Black Hawk's Warpath section by section

How to work through Black Hawk's Warpath section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 21 chapters of Black Hawk's Warpath to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Black Hawk's Warpath

Words and structures a reader meets early in Black Hawk's Warpath, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Hubbub
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Black Hawk's Warpath; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Amongst
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Black Hawk's Warpath; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Injuns
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Black Hawk's Warpath; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Exclaimed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Black Hawk's Warpath; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.