Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Tales of the Chesapeake
Tales of the Chesapeake

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of Tales of the Chesapeake is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Tales of the Chesapeake
Context Illustration Reading 1/76 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.
"There are little tiny birds along the beach," muttered the boy.
"They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?
I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!
Don't whistle for me now; for I don't get much play, gentlemen!
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.

Tales of the Chesapeake

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of Tales of the Chesapeake is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/76 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.
/ðeɪ ɔːl felt ðə tred ʌv ðə ˈmaɪti ˈhʌntər bɪˈfɔːr ðə lɔːrd ˈveri nɪr æt hænd ðə ˈhʌntər huːz neɪm ɪz deθ/
Line 2
"There are little tiny birds along the beach," muttered the boy.
/ðer ɑːr ˈlɪtəl ˈtaɪni bɜːrdz əˈlɔːŋ ðə biːtʃ ˈmʌtərd ðə bɔɪ/
Line 3
"They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?
/ðeɪ ˈtwɪtər ənd rʌn ˈɪntuː ðə sɜːrf ənd bæk əˈɡen ənd æm aɪ wʌn ʌv ðem/
Line 4
I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!
/aɪ mʌst biː fɔːr aɪ fiːl ðə ˈwɔːtər koʊld ənd jet aɪ siː juː ɔːl soʊ kaɪnd tuː miː/
Line 5
Don't whistle for me now; for I don't get much play, gentlemen!

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.

beach noun US /biːtʃ/

an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake

From this reading “"There are little tiny birds along the beach," muttered the boy.”

hunter noun US /ˈhʌntər/

someone who hunts game

From this reading “They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.”

muttered verb US /ˈmʌtərd/

past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice

From this reading “"There are little tiny birds along the beach," muttered the boy.”

surf noun US /sɜːrf/

waves breaking on the shore

From this reading “"They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?”

tiny adjective US /ˈtaɪni/

very small

From this reading “"There are little tiny birds along the beach," muttered the boy.”

tread verb US /tred/

put down or press the foot, place the foot

From this reading “They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.”

twitter noun US /ˈtwɪtər/

a series of chirps

From this reading “"They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?”

whistle verb US /ˈwɪsəl/

make whistling sounds

From this reading “Don't whistle for me now; for I don't get much play, gentlemen!”

All words in this reading · 58

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.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading "They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading "There are little tiny birds along the beach," muttered the boy.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading "They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading "There are little tiny birds along the beach," muttered the boy.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading "They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!

beachnounUS /biːtʃ/

an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake

From this reading "There are little tiny birds along the beach," muttered the boy.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

birdsnounUS /bɜːrdz/

plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading "There are little tiny birds along the beach," muttered the boy.

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading "There are little tiny birds along the beach," muttered the boy.

coldadjectiveUS /koʊld/

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!

DeathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

Don't

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

From this reading Don't whistle for me now; for I don't get much play, gentlemen!

feelverbUS /fiːl/

undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

From this reading I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!

gentlemennounUS /ˈdʒentəlmɪn/

plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement

From this reading Don't whistle for me now; for I don't get much play, gentlemen!

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading Don't whistle for me now; for I don't get much play, gentlemen!

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

hunternounUS /ˈhʌntər/

someone who hunts game

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading "They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading "There are little tiny birds along the beach," muttered the boy.

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!

mightyadjectiveUS /ˈmaɪti/

having or showing great strength or force or intensity

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading Don't whistle for me now; for I don't get much play, gentlemen!

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!

mutteredverbUS /ˈmʌtərd/

past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice

From this reading "There are little tiny birds along the beach," muttered the boy.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

nearadverbUS /nɪr/

near in time or place or relationship

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Don't whistle for me now; for I don't get much play, gentlemen!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?

playverbUS /pleɪ/

participate in games or sport

From this reading Don't whistle for me now; for I don't get much play, gentlemen!

runverbUS /rʌn/

move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

From this reading "They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!

surfnounUS /sɜːrf/

waves breaking on the shore

From this reading "They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading "They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading "There are little tiny birds along the beach," muttered the boy.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

tinyadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪni/

very small

From this reading "There are little tiny birds along the beach," muttered the boy.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!

treadverbUS /tred/

put down or press the foot, place the foot

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

twitternounUS /ˈtwɪtər/

a series of chirps

From this reading "They twitter and run into the surf and back again, and am I one of them?

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

waternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!

whistleverbUS /ˈwɪsəl/

make whistling sounds

From this reading Don't whistle for me now; for I don't get much play, gentlemen!

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading They all felt the tread of the mighty hunter before the Lord very near at hand; the hunter whose name is Death.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I must be; for I feel the water cold, and yet I see you all, so kind to me!

Chapter 5 of Tales of the Chesapeake by George Alfred Townsend holds 383 sentences, grouped into 77 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 5 of Tales of the Chesapeake contain?

Chapter 5 holds 383 sentences of Tales of the Chesapeake, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of Tales of the Chesapeake by George Alfred Townsend exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 383 sentences, grouped into 77 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 5 of Tales of the Chesapeake?

Work through the 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 77 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 5 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Tales of the Chesapeake

Common questions about reading Tales of the Chesapeake by George Alfred Townsend on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Tales of the Chesapeake?

Yes. All 4238 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18126 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Tales of the Chesapeake is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #18126, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Tales of the Chesapeake take to read?

About 353 minutes of reading across 848 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Tales of the Chesapeake section by section

How to work through Tales of the Chesapeake section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 11 chapters of Tales of the Chesapeake to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Tales of the Chesapeake

Words and structures a reader meets early in Tales of the Chesapeake, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Fruity
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales of the Chesapeake; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Smell
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales of the Chesapeake; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
School-house
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales of the Chesapeake; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Clover
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales of the Chesapeake; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.