Chapter 31 of Dave Fearless and the Cave of Mystery is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Dave Fearless and the Cave of Mystery is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass. "We’ll never reach it," declared Bob Vilett. "Begorra, this is the worst yet," observed Pat Stoodles. "Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless. Fog, blackness, rain, and tempest surrounded the crew of the _Swallow_.
Chapter 31 of Dave Fearless and the Cave of Mystery is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
the lowest part of the musical range
From this reading “A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.”
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
From this reading “Fog, blackness, rain, and tempest surrounded the crew of the _Swallow_.”
oblivious of dangers or perils or calmly resolute in facing them
From this reading “"Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless.”
a flat float (usually made of logs or planks) that can be used for transport or as a platform for swimmers
From this reading “"Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless.”
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
a violent commotion or disturbance
From this reading “Fog, blackness, rain, and tempest surrounded the crew of the _Swallow_.”
very great or intense
From this reading “A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.”
plural of “tip” — the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
From this reading “"Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless.”
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.
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 A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.
at or in the front
From this reading A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Fog, blackness, rain, and tempest surrounded the crew of the _Swallow_.
the lowest part of the musical range
From this reading A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Begorra, this is the worst yet," observed Pat Stoodles.
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
From this reading Fog, blackness, rain, and tempest surrounded the crew of the _Swallow_.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "We’ll never reach it," declared Bob Vilett.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.
the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading Fog, blackness, rain, and tempest surrounded the crew of the _Swallow_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading "We’ll never reach it," declared Bob Vilett.
oblivious of dangers or perils or calmly resolute in facing them
From this reading "Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading Fog, blackness, rain, and tempest surrounded the crew of the _Swallow_.
a loud low warning signal that can be heard by fogbound ships
From this reading A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Begorra, this is the worst yet," observed Pat Stoodles.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "We’ll never reach it," declared Bob Vilett.
move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading "Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.
occurring by chance
From this reading A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "We’ll never reach it," declared Bob Vilett.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading "Begorra, this is the worst yet," observed Pat Stoodles.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Fog, blackness, rain, and tempest surrounded the crew of the _Swallow_.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading "Begorra, this is the worst yet," observed Pat Stoodles.
a flat float (usually made of logs or planks) that can be used for transport or as a platform for swimmers
From this reading "Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading Fog, blackness, rain, and tempest surrounded the crew of the _Swallow_.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading "We’ll never reach it," declared Bob Vilett.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading "Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless.
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.
make steady
From this reading "Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Begorra, this is the worst yet," observed Pat Stoodles.
confined on all sides
From this reading Fog, blackness, rain, and tempest surrounded the crew of the _Swallow_.
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading Fog, blackness, rain, and tempest surrounded the crew of the _Swallow_.
a violent commotion or disturbance
From this reading Fog, blackness, rain, and tempest surrounded the crew of the _Swallow_.
very great or intense
From this reading A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Begorra, this is the worst yet," observed Pat Stoodles.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Begorra, this is the worst yet," observed Pat Stoodles.
plural of “tip” — the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
From this reading "Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Steady; be ready to jump if the raft tips," said Dave Fearless.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We’ll never reach it," declared Bob Vilett.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading A LUCKY FIND "Land ahead!" sang out Captain Broadbeam’s terrific voice in foghorn bass.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We’ll never reach it," declared Bob Vilett.
the least favorable outcome
From this reading "Begorra, this is the worst yet," observed Pat Stoodles.
but in spite of that
From this reading "Begorra, this is the worst yet," observed Pat Stoodles.
Chapter 31 of Dave Fearless and the Cave of Mystery by Roy Rockwood holds 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 31 holds 76 sentences of Dave Fearless and the Cave of Mystery, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Dave Fearless and the Cave of Mystery by Roy Rockwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 31 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 Dave Fearless and the Cave of Mystery by Roy Rockwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3627 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41896 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41896, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 302 minutes of reading across 726 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dave Fearless and the Cave of Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Dave Fearless and the Cave of Mystery 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 Dave Fearless and the Cave of Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
