Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Amateur Cracksman
The Amateur Cracksman

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of The Amateur Cracksman is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung • Curated US English Learning Edition

Chapter 17 of The Amateur Cracksman by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung holds 224 sentences, grouped into 45 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 17 of The Amateur Cracksman contain?

Chapter 17 holds 224 sentences of The Amateur Cracksman, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of The Amateur Cracksman by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 224 sentences, grouped into 45 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 17 of The Amateur Cracksman?

Work through the 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 45 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 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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 The Amateur Cracksman

Common questions about reading The Amateur Cracksman by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Amateur Cracksman?

Yes. All 3812 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #706 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Amateur Cracksman is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #706, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Amateur Cracksman take to read?

About 317 minutes of reading across 763 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Amateur Cracksman section by section

How to work through The Amateur Cracksman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Amateur Cracksman 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 The Amateur Cracksman

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Amateur Cracksman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Amateur
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Amateur Cracksman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cracksman
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Amateur Cracksman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hornung
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Amateur Cracksman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Flattery
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Amateur Cracksman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover illustration for The Amateur Cracksman
Context Illustration Reading 1/45 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
III
Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.
Not a hitch occurred.
Everything had been foreseen; everything happened as I had been assured everything must.
Nobody was about below, only the ship's boys on deck, and nobody on the bridge.
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.

The Amateur Cracksman

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of The Amateur Cracksman is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/45 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
III
Line 2
Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.
Line 3
Not a hitch occurred.
Line 4
Everything had been foreseen; everything happened as I had been assured everything must.
Line 5
Nobody was about below, only the ship's boys on deck, and nobody on the bridge.
All words in this reading · 60

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

a

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

From this reading Not a hitch occurred.

Pending verification
aboard

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
about

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

From this reading Nobody was about below, only the ship's boys on deck, and nobody on the bridge.

Pending verification
accomplished

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
all

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
anchor

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
and

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
as

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

From this reading Everything had been foreseen; everything happened as I had been assured everything must.

Pending verification
assured

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

From this reading Everything had been foreseen; everything happened as I had been assured everything must.

Pending verification
at

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
been

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

From this reading Everything had been foreseen; everything happened as I had been assured everything must.

Pending verification
below

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

From this reading Nobody was about below, only the ship's boys on deck, and nobody on the bridge.

Pending verification
between

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
boys

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

From this reading Nobody was about below, only the ship's boys on deck, and nobody on the bridge.

Pending verification
bridge

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

From this reading Nobody was about below, only the ship's boys on deck, and nobody on the bridge.

Pending verification
cracksmanship

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
deck

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

From this reading Nobody was about below, only the ship's boys on deck, and nobody on the bridge.

Pending verification
delicate

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
difficult

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
Everything

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

From this reading Everything had been foreseen; everything happened as I had been assured everything must.

Pending verification
feats

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
foreseen

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

From this reading Everything had been foreseen; everything happened as I had been assured everything must.

Pending verification
Genoa

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
German

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
had

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

From this reading Everything had been foreseen; everything happened as I had been assured everything must.

Pending verification
happened

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

From this reading Everything had been foreseen; everything happened as I had been assured everything must.

Pending verification
harbor

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
have

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
he

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
hitch

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

From this reading Not a hitch occurred.

Pending verification
I

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
III

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

From this reading III

Pending verification
in

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
lying

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
mere

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
morning

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
most

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
must

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

From this reading Everything had been foreseen; everything happened as I had been assured everything must.

Pending verification
Nobody

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

From this reading Nobody was about below, only the ship's boys on deck, and nobody on the bridge.

Pending verification
North

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
Not

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

From this reading Not a hitch occurred.

Pending verification
o'clock

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
occurred

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

From this reading Not a hitch occurred.

Pending verification
Of

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
on

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
once

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
one

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
only

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

From this reading Nobody was about below, only the ship's boys on deck, and nobody on the bridge.

Pending verification
perform

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
Raffles

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
seen

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
ship's

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

From this reading Nobody was about below, only the ship's boys on deck, and nobody on the bridge.

Pending verification
steamer

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
that

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
the

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
Tuesday

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
two

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
Uhlan

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
was

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification
which

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

From this reading Of all the mere feats of cracksmanship which I have seen Raffles perform, at once the most delicate and most difficult was that which he accomplished between one and two o'clock on the Tuesday morning, aboard the North German steamer Uhlan, lying at anchor in Genoa harbor.

Pending verification