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Plotting in pirate seas
Plotting in pirate seas

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Plotting in pirate seas is here in full — 258 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Francis Rolt-Wheeler • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Plotting in pirate seas
Context Illustration Reading 1/51 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.
The tom-tom throbbed menacingly through the heavy dark of the Haitian night.
Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.
Why had his father not come back?
What mystery lay behind?
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Plotting in pirate seas

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Plotting in pirate seas is here in full — 258 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/51 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.
Line 2
The tom-tom throbbed menacingly through the heavy dark of the Haitian night.
Line 3
Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.
/ˈʌndər ɪts məˈnɑːtənəs ənd ˈmædənɪŋ biːt ˈstuːərt ˈɡɑːrfiːld muːvd ˈrestləsli/
Line 4
Why had his father not come back?
/waɪ hæd hɪz ˈfɑːðər nɑːt kʌm bæk/
Line 5
What mystery lay behind?
/wʌt ˈmɪstəri leɪ bɪˈhaɪnd/

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.

Andes noun US /ˈændiz/

a mountain range in South America running 5000 miles along the Pacific coast

From this reading “Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Census noun US /ˈsensəs/

a periodic count of the population

From this reading “Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Garfield noun US /ˈɡɑːrfiːld/

20th President of the United States; assassinated by a frustrated office-seeker (1831-1881)

From this reading “Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Haitian noun US /ˈheɪʃən/

a native or inhabitant of Haiti

From this reading “The tom-tom throbbed menacingly through the heavy dark of the Haitian night.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Journalists noun US /ˈdʒɜːrnələsts/

plural of “journalist” — a writer for newspapers and magazines

From this reading “Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
maddening adjective US /ˈmædənɪŋ/

extremely annoying or displeasing

From this reading “Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
menacingly adverb US /ˈmenəsɪŋli/

in a menacing manner

From this reading “The tom-tom throbbed menacingly through the heavy dark of the Haitian night.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
restlessly adverb US /ˈrestləsli/

in a restless manner

From this reading “Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 53

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AndesnounUS /ˈændiz/

a mountain range in South America running 5000 miles along the Pacific coast

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
AuthornounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Aztec-Hunters

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

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

Pending verification
backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Why had his father not come back?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beatverbUS /biːt/

come out better in a competition, race, or conflict

From this reading Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BeforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading What mystery lay behind?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
BoynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CensusnounUS /ˈsensəs/

a periodic count of the population

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ColumbusnounUS /kəˈlʌmbəs/

the state capital of Ohio; located in the center of the state; site of Ohio State University

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Why had his father not come back?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading The tom-tom throbbed menacingly through the heavy dark of the Haitian night.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DaysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
etc

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

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

Pending verification
fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading Why had his father not come back?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GarfieldnounUS /ˈɡɑːrfiːld/

20th President of the United States; assassinated by a frustrated office-seeker (1831-1881)

From this reading Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Why had his father not come back?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HaitiannounUS /ˈheɪʃən/

a native or inhabitant of Haiti

From this reading The tom-tom throbbed menacingly through the heavy dark of the Haitian night.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
heavyadjectiveUS /ˈhevi/

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading The tom-tom throbbed menacingly through the heavy dark of the Haitian night.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HiddenadjectiveUS /ˈhɪdən/

not accessible to view

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Why had his father not come back?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HuntingnounUS /ˈhʌntɪŋ/

the pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
JournalistsnounUS /ˈdʒɜːrnələsts/

plural of “journalist” — a writer for newspapers and magazines

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
layverbUS /leɪ/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading What mystery lay behind?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
maddeningadjectiveUS /ˈmædənɪŋ/

extremely annoying or displeasing

From this reading Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
menacinglyadverbUS /ˈmenəsɪŋli/

in a menacing manner

From this reading The tom-tom throbbed menacingly through the heavy dark of the Haitian night.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
monotonousadjectiveUS /məˈnɑːtənəs/

tediously repetitious or lacking in variety

From this reading Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
movedadjectiveUS /muːvd/

being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion

From this reading Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mysterynounUS /ˈmɪstəri/

something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained

From this reading What mystery lay behind?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading The tom-tom throbbed menacingly through the heavy dark of the Haitian night.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Why had his father not come back?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
QuestnounUS /kwest/

a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
restlesslyadverbUS /ˈrestləsli/

in a restless manner

From this reading Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
RoundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SnounUS /es/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
StuartnounUS /ˈstuːərt/

United States painter best known for his portraits of George Washington (1755-1828)

From this reading Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
throbbed

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

From this reading The tom-tom throbbed menacingly through the heavy dark of the Haitian night.

Pending verification
throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading The tom-tom throbbed menacingly through the heavy dark of the Haitian night.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tom-tomnoun

any of various drums with small heads

From this reading The tom-tom throbbed menacingly through the heavy dark of the Haitian night.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TreasurenounUS /ˈtreʒər/

accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
UnounUS /juː/

a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
UnderprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading Under its monotonous and maddening beat, Stuart Garfield moved restlessly.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WesternadjectiveUS /ˈwestərn/

relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What mystery lay behind?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading Why had his father not come back?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WorldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading Round the World with The Boy Journalists: I Author of "Hunting Hidden Treasure in the Andes," "In the Days Before Columbus," "The Quest of the Western World," "The Aztec-Hunters," "The Boy with the U. S. Census," etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 1 of Plotting in pirate seas by Francis Rolt-Wheeler holds 258 sentences, grouped into 52 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 1 of Plotting in pirate seas contain?

Chapter 1 holds 258 sentences of Plotting in pirate seas, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Plotting in pirate seas by Francis Rolt-Wheeler exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 258 sentences, grouped into 52 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 1 of Plotting in pirate seas?

Work through the 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 52 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 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Plotting in pirate seas

Common questions about reading Plotting in pirate seas by Francis Rolt-Wheeler on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Plotting in pirate seas?

Yes. All 3424 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22033 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Plotting in pirate seas is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #22033, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Plotting in pirate seas take to read?

About 285 minutes of reading across 685 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Plotting in pirate seas section by section

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  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in Plotting in pirate seas

Words and structures a reader meets early in Plotting in pirate seas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Round
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Plotting in pirate seas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
World
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Plotting in pirate seas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Journalists
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Plotting in pirate seas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Plotting in pirate seas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.