Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract
Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract
Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.
In a twinkling, Sobrinini and Bomba found themselves alone.
The old woman herself had grown ashen.
She grasped Bomba by the hand.
“Come!” she said.
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.

Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.
Line 2
In a twinkling, Sobrinini and Bomba found themselves alone.
Line 3
The old woman herself had grown ashen.
/ðə oʊld ˈwʊmən hərˈself hæd ɡroʊn ˈæʃən/
Line 4
She grasped Bomba by the hand.
Line 5
“Come!” she said.
/kʌm ʃiː sed/

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.

ashen adjective US /ˈæʃən/

anemic looking from illness or emotion

From this reading “The old woman herself had grown ashen.”

chorus noun US /ˈkɔːrəs/

any utterance produced simultaneously by a group

From this reading “IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.”

exclamations noun US /ˌekskləˈmeɪʃənz/

plural of “exclamation” — an abrupt excited utterance

From this reading “IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.”

grasped verb US /ɡræspt/

past form of “grasp” — hold firmly

From this reading “She grasped Bomba by the hand.”

headhunters noun US /ˈhedhʌntərz/

plural of “headhunter” — a recruiter of personnel (especially for corporations)

From this reading “IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.”

inspired adjective US /ˌɪnˈspaɪərd/

being of such surpassing excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods

From this reading “IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.”

scattering noun US /ˈskætərɪŋ/

a small number (of something) dispersed haphazardly

From this reading “IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.”

twinkling noun US /ˈtwɪŋkəlɪŋ/

a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)

From this reading “In a twinkling, Sobrinini and Bomba found themselves alone.”

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.

old woman adjective + noun

a woman who is old

In this reading “The old woman herself had grown ashen.”

In a twinkling preposition + article + noun counted as “in … twinkling”

In this reading “In a twinkling, Sobrinini and Bomba found themselves alone.”

All words in this reading · 42

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 IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading In a twinkling, Sobrinini and Bomba found themselves alone.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

ashenadjectiveUS /ˈæʃən/

anemic looking from illness or emotion

From this reading The old woman herself had grown ashen.

Bomba

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

From this reading In a twinkling, Sobrinini and Bomba found themselves alone.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading She grasped Bomba by the hand.

chorusnounUS /ˈkɔːrəs/

any utterance produced simultaneously by a group

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

ComeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading “Come!” she said.

dreadnounUS /dred/

fearful expectation or anticipation

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

exclamationsnounUS /ˌekskləˈmeɪʃənz/

plural of “exclamation” — an abrupt excited utterance

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading In a twinkling, Sobrinini and Bomba found themselves alone.

frightenedadjectiveUS /ˈfraɪtənd/

made afraid

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

graspedverbUS /ɡræspt/

past form of “grasp” — hold firmly

From this reading She grasped Bomba by the hand.

grownadjectiveUS /ɡroʊn/

(of animals) fully developed

From this reading The old woman herself had grown ashen.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The old woman herself had grown ashen.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading She grasped Bomba by the hand.

HANDSnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

HEADHUNTERSnounUS /ˈhedhʌntərz/

plural of “headhunter” — a recruiter of personnel (especially for corporations)

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading The old woman herself had grown ashen.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

inspiredadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈspaɪərd/

being of such surpassing excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

Nascanora's

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

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

nativesnounUS /ˈneɪtɪvz/

plural of “native” — an indigenous person who was born in a particular place

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading The old woman herself had grown ashen.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

regionnounUS /ˈriːdʒən/

the extended spatial location of something

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “Come!” she said.

scatteringnounUS /ˈskætərɪŋ/

a small number (of something) dispersed haphazardly

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She grasped Bomba by the hand.

showedverbUS /ʃoʊd/

past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

Sobrinini

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

From this reading In a twinkling, Sobrinini and Bomba found themselves alone.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading In a twinkling, Sobrinini and Bomba found themselves alone.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

twinklingnounUS /ˈtwɪŋkəlɪŋ/

a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)

From this reading In a twinkling, Sobrinini and Bomba found themselves alone.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

wildadjectiveUS /waɪld/

marked by extreme lack of restraint or control

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEADHUNTERS There was a chorus of frightened exclamations and a wild scattering of the natives that showed the dread that Nascanora’s name inspired in all the people of that region.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading The old woman herself had grown ashen.

Chapter 20 of Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract by Roy Rockwood holds 108 sentences, grouped into 22 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 20 of Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract contain?

Chapter 20 holds 108 sentences of Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract by Roy Rockwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 108 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.

How do I study chapter 20 of Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract?

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.

Can chapter 20 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 20 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 Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract

Common questions about reading Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract by Roy Rockwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract?

Yes. All 2829 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72207 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #72207, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract take to read?

About 235 minutes of reading across 566 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract section by section

How to work through Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract 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 Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract

Words and structures a reader meets early in Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bomba
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Jungle
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Through
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bomba the jungle boy at the giant cataract; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.