Chapter 16 of In the Depths of the Dark Continent is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of In the Depths of the Dark Continent is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY. The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows. "By thunder!" ejaculated Lank Edwards. "If them ain't dummies on them horses I'm a living sinner!" "You are right," returned Van.
Chapter 16 of In the Depths of the Dark Continent is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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 “dummy” — a person who does not talk
From this reading “"If them ain't dummies on them horses I'm a living sinner!"”
American theologian whose sermons and writings stimulated a period of renewed interest in religion in America (1703-1758)
From this reading “"By thunder!" ejaculated Lank Edwards.”
inflected form of “flop” — fall loosely
From this reading “The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.”
long and thin and often limp
From this reading “"By thunder!" ejaculated Lank Edwards.”
plural of “scarecrow” — an effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds
From this reading “The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.”
a person who sins (without repenting)
From this reading “"If them ain't dummies on them horses I'm a living sinner!"”
plural of “steed” — (literary) a spirited horse for state of war
From this reading “The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.”
plural of “villain” — a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading “The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.”
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 two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.”
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 REMARKABLE DISCOVERY.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If them ain't dummies on them horses I'm a living sinner!"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are right," returned Van.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "By thunder!" ejaculated Lank Edwards.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
the act of discovering something
From this reading A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY.
plural of “dummy” — a person who does not talk
From this reading "If them ain't dummies on them horses I'm a living sinner!"
American theologian whose sermons and writings stimulated a period of renewed interest in religion in America (1703-1758)
From this reading "By thunder!" ejaculated Lank Edwards.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "By thunder!" ejaculated Lank Edwards.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
inflected form of “flop” — fall loosely
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If them ain't dummies on them horses I'm a living sinner!"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If them ain't dummies on them horses I'm a living sinner!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
long and thin and often limp
From this reading "By thunder!" ejaculated Lank Edwards.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading "If them ain't dummies on them horses I'm a living sinner!"
not any; not one
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "If them ain't dummies on them horses I'm a living sinner!"
unusual or striking
From this reading A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "You are right," returned Van.
plural of “rider” — a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "You are right," returned Van.
plural of “scarecrow” — an effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
a person who sins (without repenting)
From this reading "If them ain't dummies on them horses I'm a living sinner!"
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
plural of “steed” — (literary) a spirited horse for state of war
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
move fast, noisily, and heavily
From this reading "By thunder!" ejaculated Lank Edwards.
past form of “tumble” — fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading "You are right," returned Van.
plural of “villain” — a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the rest of the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping about upon them like a set of scarecrows.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are right," returned Van.
Chapter 16 of In the Depths of the Dark Continent by Cornelius Shea holds 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 16 holds 98 sentences of In the Depths of the Dark Continent, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of In the Depths of the Dark Continent by Cornelius Shea exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 16 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 In the Depths of the Dark Continent by Cornelius Shea on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1905 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43353 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43353, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 158 minutes of reading across 381 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In the Depths of the Dark Continent section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of In the Depths of the Dark Continent 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 In the Depths of the Dark Continent, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
