Chapter 9 of The Country Beyond is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Country Beyond is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was the restlessness of Peter that roused Jolly Roger. Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night. His muscles ached. His neck was stiff. He seemed weighted like a log to the hard earth.
Chapter 9 of The Country Beyond 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.
past form of “ache” — feel physical pain
From this reading “His muscles ached.”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “It was the restlessness of Peter that roused Jolly Roger.”
enter into a log, as on ships and planes
From this reading “He seemed weighted like a log to the hard earth.”
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading “His muscles ached.”
the quality of being ceaselessly moving or active
From this reading “It was the restlessness of Peter that roused Jolly Roger.”
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading “It was the restlessness of Peter that roused Jolly Roger.”
not moving or operating freely
From this reading “His neck was stiff.”
made heavy or weighted down with weariness
From this reading “He seemed weighted like a log to the hard earth.”
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 Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
past form of “ache” — feel physical pain
From this reading His muscles ached.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading He seemed weighted like a log to the hard earth.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He seemed weighted like a log to the hard earth.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the restlessness of Peter that roused Jolly Roger.
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading It was the restlessness of Peter that roused Jolly Roger.
immediately past
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He seemed weighted like a log to the hard earth.
enter into a log, as on ships and planes
From this reading He seemed weighted like a log to the hard earth.
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading His muscles ached.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading His neck was stiff.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the restlessness of Peter that roused Jolly Roger.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading It was the restlessness of Peter that roused Jolly Roger.
the quality of being ceaselessly moving or active
From this reading It was the restlessness of Peter that roused Jolly Roger.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the restlessness of Peter that roused Jolly Roger.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading It was the restlessness of Peter that roused Jolly Roger.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He seemed weighted like a log to the hard earth.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
not moving or operating freely
From this reading His neck was stiff.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was the restlessness of Peter that roused Jolly Roger.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the restlessness of Peter that roused Jolly Roger.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He seemed weighted like a log to the hard earth.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the restlessness of Peter that roused Jolly Roger.
made heavy or weighted down with weariness
From this reading He seemed weighted like a log to the hard earth.
in or at the place that
From this reading Half awake, and before he opened his eyes, life seized upon him where sleep had cut it off for a time last night.
Chapter 9 of The Country Beyond by James Oliver Curwood holds 182 sentences, grouped into 37 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.
Chapter 9 holds 182 sentences of The Country Beyond, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Country Beyond by James Oliver Curwood exactly as it stands in the public-domain 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 9 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 Country Beyond by James Oliver Curwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4708 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4743 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4743, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 392 minutes of reading across 942 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Country Beyond section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Country Beyond 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 Country Beyond, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
