Chapter 7 of In the Track of the Troops is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of In the Track of the Troops is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You would be shot if you did," returned the dragoon quietly. "And what if I am willing to be shot in a good cause? I should be no greater hero than every man in your armies. But now, Andre, one more shake of your hand. We may never meet again, and I won't part without saying I've taken a fancy to you."
Chapter 7 of In the Track of the Troops is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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 “army” — a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading “I should be no greater hero than every man in your armies.”
something many people believe that is false
From this reading “We may never meet again, and I won't part without saying I've taken a fancy to you."”
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading “I should be no greater hero than every man in your armies.”
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading “I should be no greater hero than every man in your armies.”
with low volume
From this reading “"You would be shot if you did," returned the dragoon quietly.”
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading “But now, Andre, one more shake of your hand.”
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading “"You would be shot if you did," returned the dragoon quietly.”
disposed or inclined toward
From this reading “"And what if I am willing to be shot in a good cause?”
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 "And what if I am willing to be shot in a good cause?
anew
From this reading We may never meet again, and I won't part without saying I've taken a fancy to you."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "And what if I am willing to be shot in a good cause?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And what if I am willing to be shot in a good cause?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But now, Andre, one more shake of your hand.
plural of “army” — a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading I should be no greater hero than every man in your armies.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "You would be shot if you did," returned the dragoon quietly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But now, Andre, one more shake of your hand.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading "And what if I am willing to be shot in a good cause?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "You would be shot if you did," returned the dragoon quietly.
compel by coercion, threats, or crude means
From this reading "You would be shot if you did," returned the dragoon quietly.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading I should be no greater hero than every man in your armies.
something many people believe that is false
From this reading We may never meet again, and I won't part without saying I've taken a fancy to you."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "And what if I am willing to be shot in a good cause?
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading I should be no greater hero than every man in your armies.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading But now, Andre, one more shake of your hand.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading I should be no greater hero than every man in your armies.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "And what if I am willing to be shot in a good cause?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We may never meet again, and I won't part without saying I've taken a fancy to you."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "You would be shot if you did," returned the dragoon quietly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "And what if I am willing to be shot in a good cause?
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I should be no greater hero than every man in your armies.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading We may never meet again, and I won't part without saying I've taken a fancy to you."
come together
From this reading We may never meet again, and I won't part without saying I've taken a fancy to you."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading But now, Andre, one more shake of your hand.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading We may never meet again, and I won't part without saying I've taken a fancy to you."
not any; not one
From this reading I should be no greater hero than every man in your armies.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But now, Andre, one more shake of your hand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But now, Andre, one more shake of your hand.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But now, Andre, one more shake of your hand.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading We may never meet again, and I won't part without saying I've taken a fancy to you."
with low volume
From this reading "You would be shot if you did," returned the dragoon quietly.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "You would be shot if you did," returned the dragoon quietly.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading We may never meet again, and I won't part without saying I've taken a fancy to you."
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading But now, Andre, one more shake of your hand.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading "You would be shot if you did," returned the dragoon quietly.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I should be no greater hero than every man in your armies.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading We may never meet again, and I won't part without saying I've taken a fancy to you."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading I should be no greater hero than every man in your armies.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You would be shot if you did," returned the dragoon quietly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "And what if I am willing to be shot in a good cause?
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We may never meet again, and I won't part without saying I've taken a fancy to you."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "And what if I am willing to be shot in a good cause?
disposed or inclined toward
From this reading "And what if I am willing to be shot in a good cause?
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading We may never meet again, and I won't part without saying I've taken a fancy to you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We may never meet again, and I won't part without saying I've taken a fancy to you."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "You would be shot if you did," returned the dragoon quietly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You would be shot if you did," returned the dragoon quietly.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I should be no greater hero than every man in your armies.
Chapter 7 of In the Track of the Troops by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 7 holds 429 sentences of In the Track of the Troops, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of In the Track of the Troops by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 7 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 Track of the Troops by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4133 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21705 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21705, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 344 minutes of reading across 827 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In the Track of the Troops section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of In the Track of the Troops 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 Track of the Troops, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
