Chapter 10 of The Boy Traders is here in full — 235 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Boy Traders is here in full — 235 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ARCHIE PROVES HIMSELF A HERO. “Look there,” whispered Archie. “Could any little boy do that?” Frank looked, and was greatly astonished at what he saw. There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
Chapter 10 of The Boy Traders is here in full — 235 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “Frank looked, and was greatly astonished at what he saw.”
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading “ARCHIE PROVES HIMSELF A HERO.”
(of linens or clothes) smoothed with a hot iron
From this reading “There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.”
a large thick pad filled with resilient material and often incorporating coiled springs, used as a bed or part of a bed
From this reading “There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.”
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.”
third-person singular of “prove” — be shown or be found to be
From this reading “ARCHIE PROVES HIMSELF A HERO.”
in a secure manner; in a manner free from danger
From this reading “There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.”
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading “There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.”
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.
sleeping deeply
In this reading “There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.”
In this reading “Frank looked, and was greatly astonished at what he saw.”
In this reading “There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.”
at or in the front
In this reading “There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.”
In this reading ““Could any little boy do that?””
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 ARCHIE PROVES HIMSELF A HERO.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Frank looked, and was greatly astonished at what he saw.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “Could any little boy do that?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ARCHIE PROVES HIMSELF A HERO.
in a state of sleep
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading Frank looked, and was greatly astonished at what he saw.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Frank looked, and was greatly astonished at what he saw.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
a youthful male person
From this reading “Could any little boy do that?”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “Could any little boy do that?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Could any little boy do that?”
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Frank looked, and was greatly astonished at what he saw.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading Frank looked, and was greatly astonished at what he saw.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Frank looked, and was greatly astonished at what he saw.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading ARCHIE PROVES HIMSELF A HERO.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading ARCHIE PROVES HIMSELF A HERO.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
(of linens or clothes) smoothed with a hot iron
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Could any little boy do that?”
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Look there,” whispered Archie.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Frank looked, and was greatly astonished at what he saw.
a large thick pad filled with resilient material and often incorporating coiled springs, used as a bed or part of a bed
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
third-person singular of “prove” — be shown or be found to be
From this reading ARCHIE PROVES HIMSELF A HERO.
cut with a saw
From this reading Frank looked, and was greatly astonished at what he saw.
in a secure manner; in a manner free from danger
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Could any little boy do that?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Look there,” whispered Archie.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Frank looked, and was greatly astonished at what he saw.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Frank looked, and was greatly astonished at what he saw.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “Look there,” whispered Archie.
Chapter 10 of The Boy Traders by Harry Castlemon holds 235 sentences, grouped into 47 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 10 holds 235 sentences of The Boy Traders, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Boy Traders by Harry Castlemon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 235 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 10 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 The Boy Traders by Harry Castlemon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3095 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56868 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56868, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 257 minutes of reading across 619 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Boy Traders section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Boy Traders 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 The Boy Traders, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
