Chapter XII of Mystery of the Chinese Ring, “Shooting the Yangtze Rapids,” is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter XII of Mystery of the Chinese Ring, “Shooting the Yangtze Rapids,” is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Eerie silence spread over the jungle following the machine-gun firing. The jungle was holding its breath. The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments. Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves. Biff!
Chapter XII of Mystery of the Chinese Ring, “Shooting the Yangtze Rapids,” is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
(boxing) a blow with the fist
From this reading “Biff!”
the rapid series of noises made by the parts of a machine
From this reading “The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.”
plural of “cicada” — stout-bodied insect with large membranous wings; male has drum-like organs for producing a high-pitched drone
From this reading “The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.”
closed or squeezed together tightly
From this reading “Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves.”
suggestive of the supernatural; mysterious
From this reading “Eerie silence spread over the jungle following the machine-gun firing.”
plural of “fist” — a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading “Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves.”
plural of “monkey” — any of various long-tailed primates (excluding the prosimians)
From this reading “The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.”
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading “Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves.”
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.
form a cover over
In this reading “Eerie silence spread over the jungle following the machine-gun firing.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves.
(boxing) a blow with the fist
From this reading Biff!
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading The jungle was holding its breath.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.
the rapid series of noises made by the parts of a machine
From this reading The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves.
plural of “cicada” — stout-bodied insect with large membranous wings; male has drum-like organs for producing a high-pitched drone
From this reading The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.
closed or squeezed together tightly
From this reading Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves.
suggestive of the supernatural; mysterious
From this reading Eerie silence spread over the jungle following the machine-gun firing.
tiresomely long; seemingly without end
From this reading The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.
divisible by two
From this reading The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves.
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading Eerie silence spread over the jungle following the machine-gun firing.
plural of “fist” — a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Eerie silence spread over the jungle following the machine-gun firing.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves.
the act of retaining something
From this reading The jungle was holding its breath.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The jungle was holding its breath.
a location marked by an intense competition and struggle for survival
From this reading Eerie silence spread over the jungle following the machine-gun firing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eerie silence spread over the jungle following the machine-gun firing.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.
plural of “monkey” — any of various long-tailed primates (excluding the prosimians)
From this reading The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves.
above and across; more than
From this reading Eerie silence spread over the jungle following the machine-gun firing.
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Eerie silence spread over the jungle following the machine-gun firing.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading Eerie silence spread over the jungle following the machine-gun firing.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Eerie silence spread over the jungle following the machine-gun firing.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The monkeys, birds, even the cicadas, stopped their endless chattering and calling for several moments.
commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column
From this reading Chuba sat rigid, his fists clenched, as fear tore at his nerves.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The jungle was holding its breath.
Chapter 12 of Mystery of the Chinese Ring by Andy Adams holds 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 12 holds 193 sentences of Mystery of the Chinese Ring, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Mystery of the Chinese Ring by Andy Adams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 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.
Common questions about reading Mystery of the Chinese Ring by Andy Adams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4215 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51608 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51608, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 351 minutes of reading across 843 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mystery of the Chinese Ring section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Mystery of the Chinese Ring 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 Mystery of the Chinese Ring, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
