Chapter 8 of Freaks on the Fells is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Freaks on the Fells is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The first who was led bound before the captain was the steward of the ship. He was deadly pale, and trembled very much. "Now, my man," said the captain, "answer my questions. The _truth_ mind, else--" he touched the butt of a pistol significantly. "Where did you last sail from?"
Chapter 8 of Freaks on the Fells is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
From this reading “The _truth_ mind, else--" he touched the butt of a pistol significantly.”
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading “He was deadly pale, and trembled very much.”
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading “The _truth_ mind, else--" he touched the butt of a pistol significantly.”
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading “"Now, my man," said the captain, "answer my questions.”
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading “"Where did you last sail from?"”
in a statistically significant way
From this reading “The _truth_ mind, else--" he touched the butt of a pistol significantly.”
someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else
From this reading “The first who was led bound before the captain was the steward of the ship.”
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading “He was deadly pale, and trembled very much.”
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 The _truth_ mind, else--" he touched the butt of a pistol significantly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was deadly pale, and trembled very much.
react verbally
From this reading "Now, my man," said the captain, "answer my questions.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The first who was led bound before the captain was the steward of the ship.
confined by bonds
From this reading The first who was led bound before the captain was the steward of the ship.
lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
From this reading The _truth_ mind, else--" he touched the butt of a pistol significantly.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading The first who was led bound before the captain was the steward of the ship.
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading He was deadly pale, and trembled very much.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Where did you last sail from?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The _truth_ mind, else--" he touched the butt of a pistol significantly.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first who was led bound before the captain was the steward of the ship.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Where did you last sail from?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was deadly pale, and trembled very much.
immediately past
From this reading "Where did you last sail from?"
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading The first who was led bound before the captain was the steward of the ship.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Now, my man," said the captain, "answer my questions.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading The _truth_ mind, else--" he touched the butt of a pistol significantly.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading He was deadly pale, and trembled very much.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Now, my man," said the captain, "answer my questions.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, my man," said the captain, "answer my questions.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The first who was led bound before the captain was the steward of the ship.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading He was deadly pale, and trembled very much.
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading The _truth_ mind, else--" he touched the butt of a pistol significantly.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading "Now, my man," said the captain, "answer my questions.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Now, my man," said the captain, "answer my questions.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading "Where did you last sail from?"
transport commercially
From this reading The first who was led bound before the captain was the steward of the ship.
in a statistically significant way
From this reading The _truth_ mind, else--" he touched the butt of a pistol significantly.
someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else
From this reading The first who was led bound before the captain was the steward of the ship.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The first who was led bound before the captain was the steward of the ship.
having come into contact
From this reading The _truth_ mind, else--" he touched the butt of a pistol significantly.
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading He was deadly pale, and trembled very much.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading The _truth_ mind, else--" he touched the butt of a pistol significantly.
precisely as stated
From this reading He was deadly pale, and trembled very much.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The first who was led bound before the captain was the steward of the ship.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where did you last sail from?"
which person or people
From this reading The first who was led bound before the captain was the steward of the ship.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Where did you last sail from?"
Chapter 8 of Freaks on the Fells by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 8 holds 445 sentences of Freaks on the Fells, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Freaks on the Fells by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 8 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 Freaks on the Fells by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3866 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23505 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23505, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 322 minutes of reading across 774 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Freaks on the Fells section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Freaks on the Fells 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 Freaks on the Fells, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
