Chapter 4 of On the Yukon Trail is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of On the Yukon Trail is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JOE MISSING Curlie Carson was worried. As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again: “Wish he’d come. I don’t like the looks of it. What’s keeping him?
Chapter 4 of On the Yukon Trail is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
electronic equipment that increases strength of signals passing through it
From this reading “As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:”
United States biologist remembered for her opposition to the use of pesticides that were hazardous to wildlife (1907-1964)
From this reading “JOE MISSING Curlie Carson was worried.”
inflected form of “drum” — make a rhythmic sound
From this reading “As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:”
with unflagging resolve
From this reading “As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:”
not able to be found
From this reading “JOE MISSING Curlie Carson was worried.”
possessive form of “night” — the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
From this reading “As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:”
afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief
From this reading “JOE MISSING Curlie Carson was worried.”
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.
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 As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
anew
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
electronic equipment that increases strength of signals passing through it
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
the past participle of “be”
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
United States biologist remembered for her opposition to the use of pesticides that were hazardous to wildlife (1907-1964)
From this reading JOE MISSING Curlie Carson was worried.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Wish he’d come.
a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOE MISSING Curlie Carson was worried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t like the looks of it.
inflected form of “drum” — make a rhythmic sound
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
at any time
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Wish he’d come.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading What’s keeping him?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don’t like the looks of it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
with unflagging resolve
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I don’t like the looks of it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOE MISSING Curlie Carson was worried.
conformity or harmony
From this reading What’s keeping him?
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I don’t like the looks of it.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading I don’t like the looks of it.
not able to be found
From this reading JOE MISSING Curlie Carson was worried.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
possessive form of “night” — the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I don’t like the looks of it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading JOE MISSING Curlie Carson was worried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What’s keeping him?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
during the time that
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “Wish he’d come.
in the company of; together with
From this reading As he sat on his rolled-up sleeping-bag in the tent which had been set with the usual care for a night’s comfort, his fingers drummed incessantly on the box which held his three-stage amplifier, while he muttered ever now and again:
afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief
From this reading JOE MISSING Curlie Carson was worried.
Chapter 4 of On the Yukon Trail by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 4 holds 97 sentences of On the Yukon Trail, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of On the Yukon Trail by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 4 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 On the Yukon Trail by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2599 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45029 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45029, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 216 minutes of reading across 520 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On the Yukon Trail section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of On the Yukon Trail 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 On the Yukon Trail, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
