Chapter 26 of Homeward Bound is here in full — 240 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Homeward Bound is here in full — 240 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Hark! was it not the trumpet's voice I heard? The soul of battle is awake within me. The fate of ages and of empires hangs On this dread hour. MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul. Her face was pale as when the scene of the cabin occurred, and her lip trembled.
Chapter 26 of Homeward Bound is here in full — 240 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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 “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading “The fate of ages and of empires hangs On this dread hour.”
plural of “empire” — the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised
From this reading “The fate of ages and of empires hangs On this dread hour.”
(Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; God created Eve from Adam's rib and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
From this reading “MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.”
plural of “hang” — a special way of doing something
From this reading “The fate of ages and of empires hangs On this dread hour.”
listen; used mostly in the imperative
From this reading “Hark! was it not the trumpet's voice I heard?”
plural of “launch” — a motorboat with an open deck or a half deck
From this reading “MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.”
either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading “Her face was pale as when the scene of the cabin occurred, and her lip trembled.”
the work of a sailor
From this reading “MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.”
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.
plural of “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading The fate of ages and of empires hangs On this dread hour.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The fate of ages and of empires hangs On this dread hour.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Her face was pale as when the scene of the cabin occurred, and her lip trembled.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading The soul of battle is awake within me.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading The soul of battle is awake within me.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading Her face was pale as when the scene of the cabin occurred, and her lip trembled.
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading The fate of ages and of empires hangs On this dread hour.
plural of “empire” — the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised
From this reading The fate of ages and of empires hangs On this dread hour.
(Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; God created Eve from Adam's rib and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Her face was pale as when the scene of the cabin occurred, and her lip trembled.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading The fate of ages and of empires hangs On this dread hour.
plural of “hang” — a special way of doing something
From this reading The fate of ages and of empires hangs On this dread hour.
listen; used mostly in the imperative
From this reading Hark! was it not the trumpet's voice I heard?
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Hark! was it not the trumpet's voice I heard?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her face was pale as when the scene of the cabin occurred, and her lip trembled.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The fate of ages and of empires hangs On this dread hour.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Hark! was it not the trumpet's voice I heard?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The soul of battle is awake within me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Hark! was it not the trumpet's voice I heard?
plural of “launch” — a motorboat with an open deck or a half deck
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Her face was pale as when the scene of the cabin occurred, and her lip trembled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The soul of battle is awake within me.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Hark! was it not the trumpet's voice I heard?
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading Her face was pale as when the scene of the cabin occurred, and her lip trembled.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The soul of battle is awake within me.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The fate of ages and of empires hangs On this dread hour.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Her face was pale as when the scene of the cabin occurred, and her lip trembled.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
the work of a sailor
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading Her face was pale as when the scene of the cabin occurred, and her lip trembled.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading The soul of battle is awake within me.
not in physical motion
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hark! was it not the trumpet's voice I heard?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The fate of ages and of empires hangs On this dread hour.
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading Her face was pale as when the scene of the cabin occurred, and her lip trembled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hark! was it not the trumpet's voice I heard?
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Hark! was it not the trumpet's voice I heard?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Hark! was it not the trumpet's voice I heard?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
at the time that
From this reading Her face was pale as when the scene of the cabin occurred, and her lip trembled.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading MASSINGER The two launches were still sailing side by side, and Eve now appeared at the open window next the seat of Paul.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading The soul of battle is awake within me.
Chapter 26 of Homeward Bound by James Fenimore Cooper holds 240 sentences, grouped into 48 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 26 holds 240 sentences of Homeward Bound, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Homeward Bound by James Fenimore Cooper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 240 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 26 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 Homeward Bound by James Fenimore Cooper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6545 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9826 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9826, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 545 minutes of reading across 1309 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Homeward Bound section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Homeward Bound 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 Homeward Bound, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
