In the Foreign Legion

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of In the Foreign Legion is here in full — 345 sentences across 69 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Erwin Rosen • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for In the Foreign Legion

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight!

: The greedy "Crédit Lyonnais" : Haggling in the Ghetto : The palm grove as a dressing-room : On the railway track : Arab policemen : Horrible minutes : Travelling to Oran : Small preparations : On the steamer _St. Augustine_ : Marseilles-Ventimiglia : Free

The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

The knowledge so gained was not pleasant.

One day I was on guard in the Arab prison of Sidi-bel-Abbès, an ugly, gloomy building in the middle of the town.

Narrator

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.

Chapter XV Reading 1/69

In the Foreign Legion Erwin Rosen

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of In the Foreign Legion is here in full — 345 sentences across 69 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight! : The greedy "Crédit Lyonnais" : Haggling in the Ghetto : The palm grove as a dressing-room : On the railway track : Arab policemen : Horrible minutes : Travelling to Oran : Small preparations : On the steamer _St. Augustine_ : Marseilles-Ventimiglia : Free The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa. The knowledge so gained was not pleasant. One day I was on guard in the Arab prison of Sidi-bel-Abbès, an ugly, gloomy building in the middle of the town.

In the Foreign Legion

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of In the Foreign Legion is here in full — 345 sentences across 69 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/69 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight!

/maɪ ɪˈskeɪp ɪn ðə ˈærəb ˈprɪzən ðə ˈletər deɪz ʌv ˈsʌfərɪŋ flaɪt/

Line 2

Line 3

The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

Line 4

The knowledge so gained was not pleasant.

/ðə ˈnɑːlədʒ soʊ ɡeɪnd wɑːz nɑːt ˈplezənt/

Line 5

One day I was on guard in the Arab prison of Sidi-bel-Abbès, an ugly, gloomy building in the middle of the town.

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.

Arab noun US /ˈærəb/

a member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa

From this reading “MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight!”

Augustine noun US /ˈɑːɡəstiːn/

(Roman Catholic Church) one of the great Fathers of the early Christian church; after a dramatic conversion to Christianity he became bishop of Hippo Regius in North Africa; St. Augustine emphasized man's need for grace (354-430)

Ghetto noun US /ˈɡetoʊ/

formerly the restricted quarter of many European cities in which Jews were required to live

From this reading “: The greedy "Crédit Lyonnais" : Haggling in the Ghetto : The palm grove as a dressing-room : On the railway track : Arab policemen : Horrible minutes : Travelling to Oran : Small preparations : On the steamer _St. Augustine_ : Marseilles-Ventimiglia : Free”

greedy adjective US /ˈɡriːdi/

immoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth

Haggling noun US /ˈhæɡəlɪŋ/

an instance of intense argument (as in bargaining)

Lyonnais noun US /ˌliːəˈneɪ/

a former province of east central France; now administered by Rhone-Alpes

Oran noun US /ɔːˈrɑːn/

a port city in northwestern Algeria and the country's 2nd largest city

policemen noun US /pəˈliːsmɪn/

plural of “policeman” — a member of a police force

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.

railway track noun + noun

In this reading “: The greedy "Crédit Lyonnais" : Haggling in the Ghetto : The palm grove as a dressing-room : On the railway track : Arab policemen : Horrible minutes : Travelling to Oran : Small preparations : On the steamer _St. Augustine_ : Marseilles-Ventimiglia : Free”

in the middle preposition + article + noun counted as “in … middle”

In this reading “One day I was on guard in the Arab prison of Sidi-bel-Abbès, an ugly, gloomy building in the middle of the town.”

on guard preposition + noun

vigilant

In this reading “One day I was on guard in the Arab prison of Sidi-bel-Abbès, an ugly, gloomy building in the middle of the town.”

All words in this reading · 67

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 : The greedy "Crédit Lyonnais" : Haggling in the Ghetto : The palm grove as a dressing-room : On the railway track : Arab policemen : Horrible minutes : Travelling to Oran : Small preparations : On the steamer _St. Augustine_ : Marseilles-Ventimiglia : Free

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 The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading One day I was on guard in the Arab prison of Sidi-bel-Abbès, an ugly, gloomy building in the middle of the town.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

ArabnounUS /ˈærəb/

a member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa

From this reading MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight!

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

AugustinenounUS /ˈɑːɡəstiːn/

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

buildingnounUS /ˈbɪldɪŋ/

a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place

From this reading One day I was on guard in the Arab prison of Sidi-bel-Abbès, an ugly, gloomy building in the middle of the town.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

Crédit

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

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

DaysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight!

dressing-room

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

ESCAPEnounUS /ɪˈskeɪp/

the act of escaping physically

From this reading MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight!

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

FlightnounUS /flaɪt/

a formation of aircraft in flight

From this reading MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight!

FreeverbUS /friː/

grant freedom to; free from confinement

gainedverbUS /ɡeɪnd/

past form of “gain” — obtain

From this reading The knowledge so gained was not pleasant.

GhettonounUS /ˈɡetoʊ/

formerly the restricted quarter of many European cities in which Jews were required to live

gloomyadjectiveUS /ˈɡluːmi/

depressingly dark

From this reading One day I was on guard in the Arab prison of Sidi-bel-Abbès, an ugly, gloomy building in the middle of the town.

greedyadjectiveUS /ˈɡriːdi/

immoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth

grovenounUS /ɡroʊv/

a small growth of trees without underbrush

guardnounUS /ɡɑːrd/

a person who keeps watch over something or someone

From this reading One day I was on guard in the Arab prison of Sidi-bel-Abbès, an ugly, gloomy building in the middle of the town.

HagglingnounUS /ˈhæɡəlɪŋ/

an instance of intense argument (as in bargaining)

HorribleadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːrəbəl/

provoking horror

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight!

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

knowledgenounUS /ˈnɑːlədʒ/

the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning

From this reading The knowledge so gained was not pleasant.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight!

LyonnaisnounUS /ˌliːəˈneɪ/

a former province of east central France; now administered by Rhone-Alpes

légionnaire

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

From this reading The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

Marseilles-Ventimiglia

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

meantverbUS /ment/

inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

middlenounUS /ˈmɪdəl/

an area that is approximately central within some larger region

From this reading One day I was on guard in the Arab prison of Sidi-bel-Abbès, an ugly, gloomy building in the middle of the town.

minutesnounUS /ˈmɪnəts/

a written account of what transpired at a meeting

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

MYdeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight!

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The knowledge so gained was not pleasant.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight!

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One day I was on guard in the Arab prison of Sidi-bel-Abbès, an ugly, gloomy building in the middle of the town.

OrannounUS /ɔːˈrɑːn/

a port city in northwestern Algeria and the country's 2nd largest city

palmnounUS /pɑːm/

the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers

pleasantadjectiveUS /ˈplezənt/

affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings

From this reading The knowledge so gained was not pleasant.

policemennounUS /pəˈliːsmɪn/

plural of “policeman” — a member of a police force

preparationsnounUS /ˌprepərˈeɪʃənz/

plural of “preparation” — the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose

prisonnounUS /ˈprɪzən/

a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment

From this reading MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight!

railwaynounUS /ˈreɪlweɪ/

line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight

Sidi-bel-Abbès

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

From this reading One day I was on guard in the Arab prison of Sidi-bel-Abbès, an ugly, gloomy building in the middle of the town.

SmalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The knowledge so gained was not pleasant.

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

steamernounUS /ˈstiːmər/

a clam that is usually steamed in the shell

sufferingnounUS /ˈsʌfərɪŋ/

a state of acute pain

From this reading MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading MY ESCAPE In the Arab prison : The letter : Days of suffering : Flight!

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading One day I was on guard in the Arab prison of Sidi-bel-Abbès, an ugly, gloomy building in the middle of the town.

tracknounUS /træk/

a line or route along which something travels or moves

TravellingnounUS /ˈtrævəlɪŋ/

the act of going from one place to another

uglyadjectiveUS /ˈʌɡli/

displeasing to the senses

From this reading One day I was on guard in the Arab prison of Sidi-bel-Abbès, an ugly, gloomy building in the middle of the town.

understoodadjectiveUS /ˌʌndərˈstʊd/

fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation

From this reading The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The knowledge so gained was not pleasant.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The days came and the days went, and with every day I understood more what it meant to be a légionnaire in Africa.

Chapter 15 of In the Foreign Legion by Erwin Rosen holds 345 sentences, grouped into 69 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 the Foreign Legion contain?

Chapter 15 holds 345 sentences of In the Foreign Legion, unabridged, divided into 69 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of In the Foreign Legion by Erwin Rosen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 345 sentences, grouped into 69 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 the Foreign Legion?

Work through the 69 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 69 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 the Foreign Legion

Common questions about reading In the Foreign Legion by Erwin Rosen on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of In the Foreign Legion?

Yes. All 4290 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40479 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of In the Foreign Legion is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40479, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does In the Foreign Legion take to read?

About 357 minutes of reading across 858 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read In the Foreign Legion section by section

How to work through In the Foreign Legion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 16 chapters of In the Foreign Legion to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in In the Foreign Legion

Words and structures a reader meets early in In the Foreign Legion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Young: A word that appears in the opening chapter of In the Foreign Legion; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Student: A word that appears in the opening chapter of In the Foreign Legion; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
German: A word that appears in the opening chapter of In the Foreign Legion; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
University: A word that appears in the opening chapter of In the Foreign Legion; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XV

What does chapter 15 of In the Foreign Legion contain?

How do I study chapter 15 of In the Foreign Legion?

Can chapter 15 be read aloud to me?

Questions about reading In the Foreign Legion

How to read In the Foreign Legion section by section

Open a chapter

Read one section

Listen and tap

Vocabulary met early in In the Foreign Legion