Chapter XVI of The Boy Traders, “Deserted,” is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVI
Chapter XVI of The Boy Traders, “Deserted,” is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What’s the matter, Mack?” asked Walter. “Do the jackals disturb you?” “’Sh!” whispered the latter, making a warning gesture. “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.” “Make what all right?” asked Walter, almost involuntarily sinking his voice to a low whisper.
Chapter XVI of The Boy Traders, “Deserted,” is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
-ing form of “arouse” — call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
From this reading ““There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.””
move deeply
From this reading ““Do the jackals disturb you?””
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading ““’Sh!” whispered the latter, making a warning gesture.”
against your will
From this reading ““Make what all right?” asked Walter, almost involuntarily sinking his voice to a low whisper.”
a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric
From this reading ““What’s the matter, Mack?” asked Walter.”
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
From this reading ““Make what all right?” asked Walter, almost involuntarily sinking his voice to a low whisper.”
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading ““What’s the matter, Mack?” asked Walter.”
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading ““Make what all right?” asked Walter, almost involuntarily sinking his voice to a low whisper.”
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.
In this reading ““’Sh!” whispered the latter, making a warning gesture.”
In this reading ““Make what all right?” asked Walter, almost involuntarily sinking his voice to a low whisper.”
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 “’Sh!” whispered the latter, making a warning gesture.
(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 “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.”
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “Make what all right?” asked Walter, almost involuntarily sinking his voice to a low whisper.
-ing form of “arouse” — call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
From this reading “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What’s the matter, Mack?” asked Walter.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.”
move deeply
From this reading “Do the jackals disturb you?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Do the jackals disturb you?”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.”
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading “’Sh!” whispered the latter, making a warning gesture.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Make what all right?” asked Walter, almost involuntarily sinking his voice to a low whisper.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.”
against your will
From this reading “Make what all right?” asked Walter, almost involuntarily sinking his voice to a low whisper.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Do the jackals disturb you?”
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading “’Sh!” whispered the latter, making a warning gesture.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “Make what all right?” asked Walter, almost involuntarily sinking his voice to a low whisper.
a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric
From this reading “What’s the matter, Mack?” asked Walter.
engage in
From this reading “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.”
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading “’Sh!” whispered the latter, making a warning gesture.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “What’s the matter, Mack?” asked Walter.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.”
a condition requiring relief
From this reading “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.”
not any; not one
From this reading “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.”
precisely, exactly
From this reading “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “’Sh!” whispered the latter, making a warning gesture.
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
From this reading “Make what all right?” asked Walter, almost involuntarily sinking his voice to a low whisper.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “What’s the matter, Mack?” asked Walter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “There’s no need of arousing the camp, for I can make it all right myself.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Make what all right?” asked Walter, almost involuntarily sinking his voice to a low whisper.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Make what all right?” asked Walter, almost involuntarily sinking his voice to a low whisper.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “What’s the matter, Mack?” asked Walter.
a message informing of danger
From this reading “’Sh!” whispered the latter, making a warning gesture.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Make what all right?” asked Walter, almost involuntarily sinking his voice to a low whisper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What’s the matter, Mack?” asked Walter.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “Make what all right?” asked Walter, almost involuntarily sinking his voice to a low whisper.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “’Sh!” whispered the latter, making a warning gesture.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Do the jackals disturb you?”
Chapter 16 of The Boy Traders by Harry Castlemon holds 182 sentences, grouped into 37 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 16 holds 182 sentences of The Boy Traders, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Boy Traders by Harry Castlemon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 182 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 16 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.
