Jesse James' Bold Stroke

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Jesse James' Bold Stroke is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By William (Author at Arthur Westbrook Co. (Cleveland, Ohio)) Ward • Curated US English Learning Edition

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IN THE HANDS OF THE REDSKINS.

"Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

The thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them.

It had stirred within the men an emotion almost akin to fear, and each trooper as he turned away, felt a little chill trickle up and down his spinal column, all in spite of his stern effort to repress it.

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Chapter XII Reading 1/45

Jesse James' Bold Stroke William (Author at Arthur Westbrook Co. (Cleveland, Ohio)) Ward

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Jesse James' Bold Stroke is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

IN THE HANDS OF THE REDSKINS. "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain. Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit. The thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them. It had stirred within the men an emotion almost akin to fear, and each trooper as he turned away, felt a little chill trickle up and down his spinal column, all in spite of his stern effort to repress it.

Jesse James' Bold Stroke

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Jesse James' Bold Stroke is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/45 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

IN THE HANDS OF THE REDSKINS.

/ɪn ðə hændz ʌv ðə ˈredskɪnz/

Line 2

"Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

Line 3

Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

Line 4

The thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them.

/ðə θɔːt ʌv ðə ˈfɪrfəl plʌndʒ ðæt ðeɪ hæd dʒʌst ˈwɪtnəst hæd ə ˈsoʊbərɪŋ ɪˈfekt ɑːn ɔːl ʌv ðem/

Line 5

/ɪt hæd stɜːrd wɪˈðɪn ðə men æn ɪˈmoʊʃən ˈɔːlmoʊst əˈkɪn tuː fɪr ənd iːtʃ ˈtruːpər æz hiː tɜːrnd əˈweɪ felt ə ˈlɪtəl tʃɪl ˈtrɪkəl ʌp ənd daʊn hɪz ˈspaɪnəl ˈkɑːləm ɔːl ɪn spaɪt ʌv hɪz stɜːrn ˈefərt tuː riˈpres ɪt/

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.

bandit noun US /ˈbændət/

an armed thief who is (usually) a member of a band

From this reading “"Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.”

bottomless adjective US /ˈbɑːtəmləs/

extremely deep

From this reading “Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.”

redskins noun US /ˈredskɪnz/

plural of “redskin” — (slang) offensive term for Native Americans

From this reading “IN THE HANDS OF THE REDSKINS.”

settles noun US /ˈsetəlz/

plural of “settle” — a long wooden bench with a back

From this reading “"Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.”

sobering adjective US /ˈsoʊbərɪŋ/

tending to make sober or more serious

From this reading “The thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them.”

spinal noun US /ˈspaɪnəl/

anesthesia of the lower half of the body; caused by injury to the spinal cord or by injecting an anesthetic beneath the arachnoid membrane that surrounds the spinal cord

From this reading “It had stirred within the men an emotion almost akin to fear, and each trooper as he turned away, felt a little chill trickle up and down his spinal column, all in spite of his stern effort to repress it.”

trickle verb US /ˈtrɪkəl/

run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream

trooper noun US /ˈtruːpər/

a soldier in a motorized army unit

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.

bottomless pit adjective + noun

In this reading “Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.”

in spite preposition + noun

In this reading “It had stirred within the men an emotion almost akin to fear, and each trooper as he turned away, felt a little chill trickle up and down his spinal column, all in spite of his stern effort to repress it.”

on the brink preposition + article + noun counted as “on … brink”

In this reading “Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.”

stood on verb + particle

In this reading “Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.”

All words in this reading · 74

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 thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

akinadjectiveUS /əˈkɪn/

similar in quality or character

From this reading It had stirred within the men an emotion almost akin to fear, and each trooper as he turned away, felt a little chill trickle up and down his spinal column, all in spite of his stern effort to repress it.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

apparentlyadverbUS /əˈperəntli/

from appearances alone

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

averred

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

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

banditnounUS /ˈbændət/

an armed thief who is (usually) a member of a band

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

BothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

bottomlessadjectiveUS /ˈbɑːtəmləs/

extremely deep

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

brinknounUS /brɪŋk/

a region marking a boundary

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

CaptainnounUS /ˈkæptən/

an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

careernounUS /kərˈɪr/

the particular occupation for which you are trained

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

chasmnounUS /ˈkæzəm/

a deep opening in the earth's surface

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

chillnounUS /tʃɪl/

coldness due to a cold environment

columnnounUS /ˈkɑːləm/

a line of units following one after another

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

effectnounUS /ɪˈfekt/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading The thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them.

effortnounUS /ˈefərt/

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

emotionnounUS /ɪˈmoʊʃən/

any strong feeling

fearverbUS /fɪr/

be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

fearfuladjectiveUS /ˈfɪrfəl/

experiencing or showing fear

From this reading The thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them.

fearsomelyadverb

in a fearsome manner

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

gazingverbUS /ˈɡeɪzɪŋ/

-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

greatestadjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtəst/

highest in quality

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

guessverbUS /ɡes/

expect, believe, or suppose

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them.

HANDSnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE REDSKINS.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE REDSKINS.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading The thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

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

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE REDSKINS.

officersnounUS /ˈɔːfəsərz/

plural of “officer” — any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

pitnounUS /pɪt/

A large hole in the ground, or an abyss of darkness and peril.

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

plungeverbUS /plʌndʒ/

thrust or throw into

From this reading The thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them.

REDSKINSnounUS /ˈredskɪnz/

plural of “redskin” — (slang) offensive term for Native Americans

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE REDSKINS.

repressverbUS /riˈpres/

put down by force or intimidation

settlesnounUS /ˈsetəlz/

plural of “settle” — a long wooden bench with a back

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

soberingadjectiveUS /ˈsoʊbərɪŋ/

tending to make sober or more serious

From this reading The thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them.

spinalnounUS /ˈspaɪnəl/

anesthesia of the lower half of the body; caused by injury to the spinal cord or by injecting an anesthetic beneath the arachnoid membrane that surrounds the spinal cord

spitenounUS /spaɪt/

feeling a need to see others suffer

sternadjectiveUS /stɜːrn/

of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect

stirredadjectiveUS /stɜːrd/

being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading Both officers and men stood on the brink of the black chasm, gazing down fearsomely into the apparently bottomless pit.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading IN THE HANDS OF THE REDSKINS.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading The thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

trickleverbUS /ˈtrɪkəl/

run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream

troopernounUS /ˈtruːpər/

a soldier in a motorized army unit

turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/

moved around an axis or center

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

witnessedverbUS /ˈwɪtnəst/

past form of “witness” — be a witness to

From this reading The thought of the fearful plunge that they had just witnessed, had a sobering effect on all of them.

world'snounUS /wɜːrldz/

possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere

From this reading "Well, I guess that will be about all--that settles the career of the world's greatest bandit," averred the Captain.

Chapter 12 of Jesse James' Bold Stroke by William (Author at Arthur Westbrook Co. (Cleveland, Ohio)) Ward holds 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 12 of Jesse James' Bold Stroke contain?

Chapter 12 holds 226 sentences of Jesse James' Bold Stroke, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of Jesse James' Bold Stroke by William (Author at Arthur Westbrook Co. (Cleveland, Ohio)) Ward exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 12 of Jesse James' Bold Stroke?

Work through the 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 46 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 12 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 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.

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Yes. All 3248 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62236 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #62236, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 270 minutes of reading across 650 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Jesse James' Bold Stroke

Words and structures a reader meets early in Jesse James' Bold Stroke, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Jesse: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Jesse James' Bold Stroke; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
While: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Jesse James' Bold Stroke; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Passing: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Jesse James' Bold Stroke; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Through: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Jesse James' Bold Stroke; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XII

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