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In Desert and Wilderness
In Desert and Wilderness

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of In Desert and Wilderness is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Henryk Sienkiewicz • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for In Desert and Wilderness
Context Illustration Reading 1/78 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"At once.
From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."
"Yes.
There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."
"That fly would look queer without you."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

In Desert and Wilderness

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of In Desert and Wilderness is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"At once.
/æt wʌns/
Line 2
From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."
Line 3
"Yes.
/jes/
Line 4
There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."
/ðer ˈprɑːbəbliː ɪz nɑːt əˈnʌðər flaɪ ɪn ðə wɜːrld wɪtʃ hæz floʊn ˈoʊvər sʌtʃ ə piːs ʌv ˈæfrəkɑː/
Line 5
"That fly would look queer without you."
/ðæt flaɪ wʊd lʊk kwɪr wɪˈθaʊt juː/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Africa noun US /ˈæfrəkɑː/

the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean

From this reading “There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
flown verb US /floʊn/

inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne

From this reading “There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fly verb US /flaɪ/

travel through the air; be airborne

From this reading “There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fourth noun US /fɔːrθ/

following the third position; number four in a countable series

From this reading “From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lake noun US /leɪk/

a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land

From this reading “From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Mount verb US /maʊnt/

attach to a support

From this reading “From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
queer adjective US /kwɪr/

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

From this reading “"That fly would look queer without you."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ravine noun US /rəˈviːn/

a deep narrow steep-sided valley (especially one formed by running water)

From this reading “From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

At once preposition + adverb

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

In this reading “"At once.”

257,448 times in 426,211 chapters
flown over verb + particle counted as “fly over”

In this reading “There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."”

2,787 times in 426,211 chapters
in the world preposition + article + noun counted as “in … world”

In this reading “There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."”

107,541 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 44

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AfricanounUS /ˈæfrəkɑː/

the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean

From this reading There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "At once.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Fashoda

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

Pending verification
Fayûm

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

Pending verification
flownverbUS /floʊn/

inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne

From this reading There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
flyverbUS /flaɪ/

travel through the air; be airborne

From this reading There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fourthnounUS /fɔːrθ/

following the third position; number four in a countable series

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Khartûm

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

Pending verification
KingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lakenounUS /leɪk/

a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Linde

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

Pending verification
lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading "That fly would look queer without you."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MountverbUS /maʊnt/

attach to a support

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading "At once.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
piecenounUS /piːs/

a separate part of a whole

From this reading There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
probablyadverbUS /ˈprɑːbəbliː/

with considerable certainty; without much doubt

From this reading There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
queeradjectiveUS /kwɪr/

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

From this reading "That fly would look queer without you."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ravinenounUS /rəˈviːn/

a deep narrow steep-sided valley (especially one formed by running water)

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
secondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thirdnounUS /θɜːrd/

one of three equal parts of a divisible whole

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading From Fayûm to Khartûm--that is one; from Khartûm to Fashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which we found the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to the lake--that is the fourth."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading "That fly would look queer without you."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading There probably is not another fly in the world which has flown over such a piece of Africa."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading "That fly would look queer without you."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading "Yes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "That fly would look queer without you."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 15 of In Desert and Wilderness by Henryk Sienkiewicz holds 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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.

What does chapter 15 of In Desert and Wilderness contain?

Chapter 15 holds 393 sentences of In Desert and Wilderness, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of In Desert and Wilderness by Henryk Sienkiewicz exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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.

How do I study chapter 15 of In Desert and Wilderness?

Work through the 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 79 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.

Can chapter 15 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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.

Questions about reading In Desert and Wilderness

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Is this the complete text of In Desert and Wilderness?

Yes. All 6230 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30365 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of In Desert and Wilderness is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #30365, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does In Desert and Wilderness take to read?

About 519 minutes of reading across 1246 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in In Desert and Wilderness

Words and structures a reader meets early in In Desert and Wilderness, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of In Desert and Wilderness; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sword
A word that appears in the opening chapter of In Desert and Wilderness; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Vadis
A word that appears in the opening chapter of In Desert and Wilderness; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Whirlpools
A word that appears in the opening chapter of In Desert and Wilderness; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.