Chapter X of Draw Swords! In the Horse Artillery, “Black Bob,” is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter X
Chapter X of Draw Swords! In the Horse Artillery, “Black Bob,” is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen. “The black, niggerly scoundrel!” growled the old soldier. “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.” “I did,” said Dick quietly. “Try to, sir?”
Chapter X of Draw Swords! In the Horse Artillery, “Black Bob,” is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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 “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading ““The black, niggerly scoundrel!” growled the old soldier.”
plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading “In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.”
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading ““We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.””
plural of “native” — an indigenous person who was born in a particular place
From this reading ““We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.””
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading “In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.”
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading ““The black, niggerly scoundrel!” growled the old soldier.”
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading “In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.”
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading ““We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.””
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 ““The black, niggerly scoundrel!” growled the old soldier.”
In this reading “In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.”
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.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading “The black, niggerly scoundrel!” growled the old soldier.
subject to laughter or ridicule
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
someone who is a detective
From this reading In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “I did,” said Dick quietly.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading “The black, niggerly scoundrel!” growled the old soldier.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.
plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
plural of “native” — an indigenous person who was born in a particular place
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The black, niggerly scoundrel!” growled the old soldier.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “The black, niggerly scoundrel!” growled the old soldier.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
with low volume
From this reading “I did,” said Dick quietly.
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I did,” said Dick quietly.
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading “The black, niggerly scoundrel!” growled the old soldier.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
term of address for a man
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading “The black, niggerly scoundrel!” growled the old soldier.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
required or under orders
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
make an effort or attempt
From this reading “Try to, sir?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading In the intervals of the riding, Dick told the sergeant what he had seen.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “We’re not supposed to strike the natives, sir, but if I’d been you I should have knocked the blackguard down—or tried to.”
Chapter 10 of Draw Swords! In the Horse Artillery by George Manville Fenn holds 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 10 holds 191 sentences of Draw Swords! In the Horse Artillery, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Draw Swords! In the Horse Artillery by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 10 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 Draw Swords! In the Horse Artillery by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5984 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34493 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34493, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 498 minutes of reading across 1197 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Draw Swords! In the Horse Artillery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Draw Swords! In the Horse Artillery 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 Draw Swords! In the Horse Artillery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
