Chapter X · Deep in the Desert Sands

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a constant though secret watch throughout the night.

forsaken by owner or inhabitants

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

with few mistakes

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

something done (usually as opposed to something said)

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

later than; following

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

in the past

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

in spite of the fact that

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

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

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

earlier than; in front of

From this reading We emerged among the foothills on the third day, and before noon passed a landmark in the way of an old Roman well, now dry and abandoned.

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

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

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

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers

From this reading Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a constant though secret watch throughout the night.

events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

plural of “century” — a period of 100 years

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

unvarying in nature

From this reading Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a constant though secret watch throughout the night.

an edge between a sidewalk and a roadway consisting of a line of curbstones (usually forming part of a gutter)

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading We emerged among the foothills on the third day, and before noon passed a landmark in the way of an old Roman well, now dry and abandoned.

possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

the length of a straight line passing through the center of a circle and connecting two points on the circumference

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet

From this reading We emerged among the foothills on the third day, and before noon passed a landmark in the way of an old Roman well, now dry and abandoned.

with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

a native or inhabitant of Egypt

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

past form of “emerge” — come out into view, as from concealment

From this reading We emerged among the foothills on the third day, and before noon passed a landmark in the way of an old Roman well, now dry and abandoned.

past form of “enable” — render capable or able for some task

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

widely known and esteemed

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

plural of “foothill” — a relatively low hill on the lower slope of a mountain

From this reading We emerged among the foothills on the third day, and before noon passed a landmark in the way of an old Roman well, now dry and abandoned.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

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

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

someone employed to conduct others

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

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

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

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

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a constant though secret watch throughout the night.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

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

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

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

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

undertake a journey or trip

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded

From this reading Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a constant though secret watch throughout the night.

the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

the position of a prominent or well-known object in a particular landscape

From this reading We emerged among the foothills on the third day, and before noon passed a landmark in the way of an old Roman well, now dry and abandoned.

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

the quality of being loyal

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a constant though secret watch throughout the night.

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

the one or ones belonging to the person speaking

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

not one and not the other of two

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

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

From this reading Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a constant though secret watch throughout the night.

not any; not one

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

the middle of the day

From this reading We emerged among the foothills on the third day, and before noon passed a landmark in the way of an old Roman well, now dry and abandoned.

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

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

From this reading We emerged among the foothills on the third day, and before noon passed a landmark in the way of an old Roman well, now dry and abandoned.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

being directly across from each other; facing

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

have ownership or possession of

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

plural of “pass” — (baseball) an advance to first base by a batter who receives four balls

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

plural of “quarry” — a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

relating to or characteristic of people of Rome

From this reading We emerged among the foothills on the third day, and before noon passed a landmark in the way of an old Roman well, now dry and abandoned.

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

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a constant though secret watch throughout the night.

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

being one more than fifteen

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a constant though secret watch throughout the night.

in the near future

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a constant though secret watch throughout the night.

imagine to be the case or true or probable

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a constant though secret watch throughout the night.

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

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

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

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

one of three equal parts of a divisible whole

From this reading We emerged among the foothills on the third day, and before noon passed a landmark in the way of an old Roman well, now dry and abandoned.

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a constant though secret watch throughout the night.

plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

in every part of a place, or for the whole of a period

From this reading Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a constant though secret watch throughout the night.

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

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

Betrayal of trust; deceptive action or disloyalty against a host or ally.

From this reading The Bega, however, seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty.

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

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

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

look attentively

From this reading Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a constant though secret watch throughout the night.

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in diameter.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.

marked by extreme lack of restraint or control

From this reading The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us accurately.