Chapter V of Sailor Jack, the Trader, “The Cotton Thieves,” is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter V of Sailor Jack, the Trader, “The Cotton Thieves,” is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps. “Are they cotton traders?” “I wish I hadn’t gone at them quite so rough,” replied Rodney. “You know what a red-hot rebel Biglin has always been, don’t you?” “I should say so.
Chapter V of Sailor Jack, the Trader, “The Cotton Thieves,” is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state
From this reading ““Are they cotton traders?””
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading ““Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.”
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading ““Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading ““Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.”
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading ““You know what a red-hot rebel Biglin has always been, don’t you?””
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading ““I wish I hadn’t gone at them quite so rough,” replied Rodney.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading ““Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.”
plural of “trader” — someone who purchases and maintains an inventory of goods to be sold
From this reading ““Are they cotton traders?””
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.
leave a vehicle, aircraft, etc.
In this reading ““Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.”
In this reading ““Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.”
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 “You know what a red-hot rebel Biglin has always been, don’t you?”
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading “You know what a red-hot rebel Biglin has always been, don’t you?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “You know what a red-hot rebel Biglin has always been, don’t you?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You know what a red-hot rebel Biglin has always been, don’t you?”
soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state
From this reading “Are they cotton traders?”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You know what a red-hot rebel Biglin has always been, don’t you?”
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
destroyed or killed
From this reading “I wish I hadn’t gone at them quite so rough,” replied Rodney.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I wish I hadn’t gone at them quite so rough,” replied Rodney.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “You know what a red-hot rebel Biglin has always been, don’t you?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I wish I hadn’t gone at them quite so rough,” replied Rodney.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “You know what a red-hot rebel Biglin has always been, don’t you?”
the force of workers available
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “I wish I hadn’t gone at them quite so rough,” replied Rodney.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading “You know what a red-hot rebel Biglin has always been, don’t you?”
having strong sexual appeal
From this reading “You know what a red-hot rebel Biglin has always been, don’t you?”
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “I wish I hadn’t gone at them quite so rough,” replied Rodney.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I wish I hadn’t gone at them quite so rough,” replied Rodney.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading “I wish I hadn’t gone at them quite so rough,” replied Rodney.
express in words
From this reading “I should say so.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “I should say so.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “I wish I hadn’t gone at them quite so rough,” replied Rodney.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “I wish I hadn’t gone at them quite so rough,” replied Rodney.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
plural of “trader” — someone who purchases and maintains an inventory of goods to be sold
From this reading “Are they cotton traders?”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
which person or people
From this reading “Who are those men, and what did they want?” inquired Ned, as he got off his horse at the foot of the steps.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “I wish I hadn’t gone at them quite so rough,” replied Rodney.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You know what a red-hot rebel Biglin has always been, don’t you?”
Chapter 5 of Sailor Jack, the Trader by Harry Castlemon holds 248 sentences, grouped into 50 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 5 holds 248 sentences of Sailor Jack, the Trader, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Sailor Jack, the Trader by Harry Castlemon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 248 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 5 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 Sailor Jack, the Trader by Harry Castlemon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4005 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54049 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54049, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 333 minutes of reading across 801 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sailor Jack, the Trader section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Sailor Jack, the Trader 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 Sailor Jack, the Trader, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
