Chapter 1 of Cannibal-Land is here in full — 26 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Cannibal-Land is here in full — 26 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides. I was standing my trick at the wheel. Jack London and his wife, Charmian, were beside me. It was just dawn. Slowly, out of the morning mists, an island took shape.
Chapter 1 of Cannibal-Land is here in full — 26 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/5 · 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.
plural of “adventure” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
equipment for taking photographs (usually consisting of a lightproof box with a lens at one end and light-sensitive film at the other)
From this reading “CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.”
the first light of day
From this reading “It was just dawn.”
a quick look
From this reading “CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.”
a group of more than 500 islands off the western coast of Scotland
From this reading “CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.”
plural of “mist” — a thin fog with condensation near the ground
From this reading “Slowly, out of the morning mists, an island took shape.”
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading “I was standing my trick at the wheel.”
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading “I was standing my trick at the wheel.”
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.
In this reading “CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.”
In this reading “CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.”
In this reading “CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.”
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 CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
plural of “adventure” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
in the past
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Slowly, out of the morning mists, an island took shape.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jack London and his wife, Charmian, were beside me.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I was standing my trick at the wheel.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Jack London and his wife, Charmian, were beside me.
equipment for taking photographs (usually consisting of a lightproof box with a lens at one end and light-sensitive film at the other)
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jack London and his wife, Charmian, were beside me.
the first light of day
From this reading It was just dawn.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
a quick look
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
a group of more than 500 islands off the western coast of Scotland
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jack London and his wife, Charmian, were beside me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading Slowly, out of the morning mists, an island took shape.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was just dawn.
a small worthless amount
From this reading Jack London and his wife, Charmian, were beside me.
and nothing more
From this reading It was just dawn.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Jack London and his wife, Charmian, were beside me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Jack London and his wife, Charmian, were beside me.
plural of “mist” — a thin fog with condensation near the ground
From this reading Slowly, out of the morning mists, an island took shape.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Slowly, out of the morning mists, an island took shape.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Slowly, out of the morning mists, an island took shape.
any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
From this reading Slowly, out of the morning mists, an island took shape.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Slowly, out of the morning mists, an island took shape.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
having a supporting base
From this reading I was standing my trick at the wheel.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Slowly, out of the morning mists, an island took shape.
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading I was standing my trick at the wheel.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was standing my trick at the wheel.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Jack London and his wife, Charmian, were beside me.
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading I was standing my trick at the wheel.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Jack London and his wife, Charmian, were beside me.
in the company of; together with
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
a late time of life
From this reading CANNIBAL-LAND _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.
Chapter 1 of Cannibal-Land by Martin Johnson holds 26 sentences, grouped into 6 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 1 holds 26 sentences of Cannibal-Land, unabridged, divided into 6 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Cannibal-Land by Martin Johnson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 26 sentences, grouped into 6 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 6 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 6 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 1 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 Cannibal-Land by Martin Johnson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2248 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62138 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62138, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 187 minutes of reading across 450 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cannibal-Land section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Cannibal-Land 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 Cannibal-Land, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
