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Kit Musgrave's Luck
Kit Musgrave's Luck

Chapter XXIII

Cover illustration for Kit Musgrave's Luck
Context Illustration Reading 1/35 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.
His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.
He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.
The boat was half swamped, and the sailors laboured up to their waists in water.
After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Kit Musgrave's Luck

Chapter XXIII

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.
Line 2
His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.
Line 3
He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.
Line 4
The boat was half swamped, and the sailors laboured up to their waists in water.
Line 5
After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.”

Began noun US /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.”

Behind preposition US /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading “THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.”

Brought noun US /ˈbrought/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.”

Half noun US /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The boat was half swamped, and the sailors laboured up to their waists in water.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.”

All words in this reading · 73

Every word is available to listen to. 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 RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

arrived

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

From this reading After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.

ashore

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

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

beach

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

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

begannounUS /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

BOAT

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

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

bottom

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

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

boxes

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

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.

camels

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

From this reading After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.

cargo

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

From this reading After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.

clothes

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

From this reading His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.

crusted

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

From this reading His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.

dark-skinned

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

From this reading After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.

dispute

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

From this reading After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.

dried

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

From this reading His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.

easy

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

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

few

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

From this reading After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.

guns

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

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.

halfnounUS /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The boat was half swamped, and the sailors laboured up to their waists in water.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.

hold

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

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

hot

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

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The boat was half swamped, and the sailors laboured up to their waists in water.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

Kit

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

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

laboured

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

From this reading The boat was half swamped, and the sailors laboured up to their waists in water.

landed

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

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

launch

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

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

lay

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

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

loaded

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

From this reading After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.

men

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

From this reading After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.

muscles

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

From this reading His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

off

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

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

RETREAT

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

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

roaring

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

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

rock

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

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

run

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

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

sailors

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

From this reading The boat was half swamped, and the sailors laboured up to their waists in water.

salt

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

From this reading His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.

sand

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

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

skin

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

From this reading His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.

smarting

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

From this reading His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.

sore

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

From this reading His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.

stiff

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

From this reading His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.

surf

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

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

swamped

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

From this reading The boat was half swamped, and the sailors laboured up to their waists in water.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The boat was half swamped, and the sailors laboured up to their waists in water.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

up

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

From this reading The boat was half swamped, and the sailors laboured up to their waists in water.

very

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

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

wady

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

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

waists

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

From this reading The boat was half swamped, and the sailors laboured up to their waists in water.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading THE RETREAT TO THE BOAT At the bottom of the wady it was very hot, and Kit lay on the sand behind a rock.

water

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

From this reading The boat was half swamped, and the sailors laboured up to their waists in water.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading His smarting skin was crusted by salt, his clothes had dried stiff, and his muscles were sore.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading After the cargo was landed, a few dark-skinned men arrived, and when they loaded the boxes on their camels a dispute began.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading He had landed the guns, and it had not been easy to run the launch through the surf and hold her off the roaring beach while the boxes were brought ashore.