Chapter 1 of In the Wilderness is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of In the Wilderness is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As soon as my enemy's head was down, I started and ran. Somewhat out of breath, and shaky, I reached my faithful rifle. It was not a moment too soon. I heard the bear crashing through the brush after me. Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.
Chapter 1 of In the Wilderness is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 14/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 66–70
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.
rub with a brush, or as if with a brush
From this reading “I heard the bear crashing through the brush after me.”
informal intensifiers
From this reading “I heard the bear crashing through the brush after me.”
a fraudulent or duplicitous representation
From this reading “Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.”
possessive form of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading “As soon as my enemy's head was down, I started and ran.”
marked by extreme anger
From this reading “Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.”
steadfast in affection or allegiance
From this reading “Somewhat out of breath, and shaky, I reached my faithful rifle.”
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading “Somewhat out of breath, and shaky, I reached my faithful rifle.”
inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
From this reading “Somewhat out of breath, and shaky, I reached my faithful rifle.”
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 It was not a moment too soon.
later than; following
From this reading I heard the bear crashing through the brush after me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As soon as my enemy's head was down, I started and ran.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As soon as my enemy's head was down, I started and ran.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.
have
From this reading I heard the bear crashing through the brush after me.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Somewhat out of breath, and shaky, I reached my faithful rifle.
rub with a brush, or as if with a brush
From this reading I heard the bear crashing through the brush after me.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.
informal intensifiers
From this reading I heard the bear crashing through the brush after me.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading As soon as my enemy's head was down, I started and ran.
a fraudulent or duplicitous representation
From this reading Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.
possessive form of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading As soon as my enemy's head was down, I started and ran.
marked by extreme anger
From this reading Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.
the organ of sight
From this reading Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.
steadfast in affection or allegiance
From this reading Somewhat out of breath, and shaky, I reached my faithful rifle.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading As soon as my enemy's head was down, I started and ran.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading I heard the bear crashing through the brush after me.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading As soon as my enemy's head was down, I started and ran.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not a moment too soon.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I heard the bear crashing through the brush after me.
a particular point in time
From this reading It was not a moment too soon.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading As soon as my enemy's head was down, I started and ran.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not a moment too soon.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Somewhat out of breath, and shaky, I reached my faithful rifle.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Somewhat out of breath, and shaky, I reached my faithful rifle.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading As soon as my enemy's head was down, I started and ran.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Somewhat out of breath, and shaky, I reached my faithful rifle.
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading Somewhat out of breath, and shaky, I reached my faithful rifle.
inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
From this reading Somewhat out of breath, and shaky, I reached my faithful rifle.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Somewhat out of breath, and shaky, I reached my faithful rifle.
in the near future
From this reading As soon as my enemy's head was down, I started and ran.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading As soon as my enemy's head was down, I started and ran.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I heard the bear crashing through the brush after me.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading I heard the bear crashing through the brush after me.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It was not a moment too soon.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As soon as my enemy's head was down, I started and ran.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Enraged at my duplicity, he was now coming on with blood in his eye.
Chapter 1 of In the Wilderness by Charles Dudley Warner holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 1 holds 156 sentences of In the Wilderness, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of In the Wilderness by Charles Dudley Warner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 1 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 Wilderness by Charles Dudley Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1637 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3132 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3132, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 136 minutes of reading across 328 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In the Wilderness section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of In the Wilderness 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 Wilderness, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
