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Boys of The Fort
Boys of The Fort

Chapter XXXII · Chapter 32

Chapter 32 of Boys of The Fort is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
RELIEF AT LAST--CONCLUSION.
The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.
The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.
The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.
The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Boys of The Fort

Chapter XXXII · Chapter 32

Chapter 32 of Boys of The Fort 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

Line 1
RELIEF AT LAST--CONCLUSION.
Line 2
The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.
/ðə əˈtæk dɪd nɑːt kʌm ənˈtɪl hæf æn ˈaʊər ˈleɪtər ənd ˈdʊrɪŋ ðə taɪm ʌv ˈweɪtɪŋ ðə nɜːrvz ʌv ðə bɔɪz wɜːr streɪnd tuː ðə ˈʌtmoʊst/
Line 3
The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.
/ðə ˈsɪriəsnəs ʌv ðə ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃən wɑːz dɪˈpɪktəd əˈpɑːn ðə ˈfeɪsəz ʌv ɔːl ðə ˈsoʊldʒərz huː felt ðæt ðə ˈkʌmɪŋ ˈkɑːntest mʌst ˌdɪˈsaɪd ˈweðər ɔːr nɑːt ðə fɔːrt wɑːz tuː stænd/
Line 4
The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.
/ðə ˈfaɪrɪŋ bɪˈɡæn ɑːn ðə pɑːrt ʌv ðə ˈɪndiənz ənd ˌdespərˈɑːdoʊz huː ədˈvænst əˈpɑːn ðə ˈstrɔːŋhoʊld frʌm fɔːr pɔɪnts ʌv ðə ˈkʌmpəs æt wʌns/
Line 5
The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.
/ðə ˈenəmi hæd lɜːrnd ðə ˈfɑːli ʌv ˈmæsɪŋ ðer fɔːrs ənd ˈɪndiənz ənd waɪts keɪm ɑːn ɪn ə waɪd ˈoʊ.pən ˈskɜːrmɪʃ laɪn/

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.

compass noun US /ˈkʌmpəs/

navigational instrument for finding directions

From this reading “The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.”

depicted adjective US /dɪˈpɪktəd/

represented graphically by sketch or design or lines

From this reading “The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.”

desperadoes noun US /ˌdespərˈɑːdoʊz/

plural of “desperado” — a bold outlaw (especially on the American frontier)

From this reading “The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.”

massing verb US /ˈmæsɪŋ/

-ing form of “mass” — join together into a mass or collect or form a mass

From this reading “The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.”

seriousness noun US /ˈsɪriəsnəs/

an earnest and sincere feeling

From this reading “The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.”

skirmish noun US /ˈskɜːrmɪʃ/

a minor short-term fight

From this reading “The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.”

stronghold noun US /ˈstrɔːŋhoʊld/

a strongly fortified defensive structure

From this reading “The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.”

whites noun US /waɪts/

plural of “white” — a Caucasian

From this reading “The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.”

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.

at once preposition + adverb

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

In this reading “The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.”

on the part preposition + article + noun counted as “on … part”

In this reading “The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.”

during the time preposition + article + noun counted as “during … time”

In this reading “The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.”

came on verb + particle counted as “come on”

appear or become visible; make a showing

In this reading “The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

advancedadjectiveUS /ədˈvænst/

farther along in physical or mental development

From this reading The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.

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 The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading RELIEF AT LAST--CONCLUSION.

attacknounUS /əˈtæk/

(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.

boysnounUS /bɔɪz/

plural of “boy” — a youthful male person

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

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

From this reading The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

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

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

compassnounUS /ˈkʌmpəs/

navigational instrument for finding directions

From this reading The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.

CONCLUSIONnounUS /kənˈkluːʒən/

a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration

From this reading RELIEF AT LAST--CONCLUSION.

contestnounUS /ˈkɑːntest/

an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

decideverbUS /ˌdɪˈsaɪd/

reach, make, or come to a decision about something

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

depictedadjectiveUS /dɪˈpɪktəd/

represented graphically by sketch or design or lines

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

desperadoesnounUS /ˌdespərˈɑːdoʊz/

plural of “desperado” — a bold outlaw (especially on the American frontier)

From this reading The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

enemynounUS /ˈenəmi/

an opposing military force

From this reading The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

facesnounUS /ˈfeɪsəz/

plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

firingnounUS /ˈfaɪrɪŋ/

the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy

From this reading The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.

follynounUS /ˈfɑːli/

the trait of acting stupidly or rashly

From this reading The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

forcenounUS /fɔːrs/

a powerful effect or influence

From this reading The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

fortnounUS /fɔːrt/

a fortified military post where troops are stationed

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

fournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

halfadjectiveUS /hæf/

consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

IndiansnounUS /ˈɪndiənz/

plural of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India

From this reading The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.

LASTadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading RELIEF AT LAST--CONCLUSION.

lateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

learnedadjectiveUS /lɜːrnd/

having or showing profound knowledge

From this reading The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

linenounUS /laɪn/

a formation of people or things one beside another

From this reading The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

massingverbUS /ˈmæsɪŋ/

-ing form of “mass” — join together into a mass or collect or form a mass

From this reading The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

nervesnounUS /nɜːrvz/

an uneasy psychological state

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.

pointsnounUS /pɔɪnts/

plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension

From this reading The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.

RELIEFnounUS /rɪˈliːf/

the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced

From this reading RELIEF AT LAST--CONCLUSION.

seriousnessnounUS /ˈsɪriəsnəs/

an earnest and sincere feeling

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

situationnounUS /ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃən/

the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

skirmishnounUS /ˈskɜːrmɪʃ/

a minor short-term fight

From this reading The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

soldiersnounUS /ˈsoʊldʒərz/

plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

standverbUS /stænd/

be standing; be upright

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

strainedadjectiveUS /streɪnd/

lacking natural ease

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

strongholdnounUS /ˈstrɔːŋhoʊld/

a strongly fortified defensive structure

From this reading The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

utmostadjectiveUS /ˈʌtmoʊst/

of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost.

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

whitesnounUS /waɪts/

plural of “white” — a Caucasian

From this reading The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not the fort was to stand.

wideadjectiveUS /waɪd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

Chapter 32 of Boys of The Fort by Edward Stratemeyer holds 106 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 32 of Boys of The Fort contain?

Chapter 32 holds 106 sentences of Boys of The Fort, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 32 of Boys of The Fort by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the 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.

How do I study chapter 32 of Boys of The Fort?

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 32 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 32 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 Boys of The Fort

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Is this the complete text of Boys of The Fort?

Yes. All 3624 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32057 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #32057, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Boys of The Fort take to read?

About 302 minutes of reading across 725 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Boys of The Fort

Words and structures a reader meets early in Boys of The Fort, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Boys of The Fort; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Young
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Boys of The Fort; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bandmaster
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Boys of The Fort; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Santiago
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Boys of The Fort; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.