Chapter 12 of Buffalo Bill and the Overland Trail is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Buffalo Bill and the Overland Trail is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.” “You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin. “I shouldn’t wonder,” answered Billy, carelessly. “But I’ve got a head start over him. I’m a prairie sailor sure now, and navigation on the Platte is closed!”
Chapter 12 of Buffalo Bill and the Overland Trail is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
past form of “banter” — be silly or tease one another
From this reading ““You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin.”
without care or concern
From this reading ““I shouldn’t wonder,” answered Billy, carelessly.”
the guidance of ships or airplanes from place to place
From this reading “I’m a prairie sailor sure now, and navigation on the Platte is closed!””
plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land
From this reading ““Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.””
a river in Nebraska that flows eastward to become a tributary of the Missouri River
From this reading “I’m a prairie sailor sure now, and navigation on the Platte is closed!””
a treeless grassy plain
From this reading “I’m a prairie sailor sure now, and navigation on the Platte is closed!””
something especially big or impressive of its kind
From this reading ““Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.””
superlative of “young” — (used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading ““Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.””
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.
reach the point where one should be after a delay
In this reading ““You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin.”
In this reading ““Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.””
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “But I’ve got a head start over him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I’m a prairie sailor sure now, and navigation on the Platte is closed!”
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “I shouldn’t wonder,” answered Billy, carelessly.
past form of “banter” — be silly or tease one another
From this reading “You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading “You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin.
uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
From this reading “Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But I’ve got a head start over him.
without care or concern
From this reading “I shouldn’t wonder,” answered Billy, carelessly.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading “You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading I’m a prairie sailor sure now, and navigation on the Platte is closed!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.”
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “But I’ve got a head start over him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “But I’ve got a head start over him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “But I’ve got a head start over him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I shouldn’t wonder,” answered Billy, carelessly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m a prairie sailor sure now, and navigation on the Platte is closed!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But I’ve got a head start over him.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.”
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.”
the guidance of ships or airplanes from place to place
From this reading I’m a prairie sailor sure now, and navigation on the Platte is closed!”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I’m a prairie sailor sure now, and navigation on the Platte is closed!”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin.
above and across; more than
From this reading “But I’ve got a head start over him.
plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land
From this reading “Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.”
a river in Nebraska that flows eastward to become a tributary of the Missouri River
From this reading I’m a prairie sailor sure now, and navigation on the Platte is closed!”
a treeless grassy plain
From this reading I’m a prairie sailor sure now, and navigation on the Platte is closed!”
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading I’m a prairie sailor sure now, and navigation on the Platte is closed!”
award-winning United States film actor (1928-1999)
From this reading “Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I shouldn’t wonder,” answered Billy, carelessly.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “But I’ve got a head start over him.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading I’m a prairie sailor sure now, and navigation on the Platte is closed!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin.
look attentively
From this reading “You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin.
something especially big or impressive of its kind
From this reading “Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “I shouldn’t wonder,” answered Billy, carelessly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You want to watch out or he’ll catch up with you, Billy,” bantered Mr. Ficklin.
superlative of “young” — (used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “Mr. Ficklin, this is my friend Dave Scott, youngest bull whacker on the plains.”
Chapter 12 of Buffalo Bill and the Overland Trail by Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand) Sabin holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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.
Chapter 12 holds 411 sentences of Buffalo Bill and the Overland Trail, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Buffalo Bill and the Overland Trail by Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand) Sabin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Buffalo Bill and the Overland Trail by Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand) Sabin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5741 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64231 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64231, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 478 minutes of reading across 1149 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Buffalo Bill and the Overland Trail section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Buffalo Bill and the Overland Trail to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Buffalo Bill and the Overland Trail, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
