The Country Beyond

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The Country Beyond is here in full — 333 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By James Oliver Curwood • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Country Beyond

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

In Cassidy's canoe, driving himself with steady strokes deeper into the mystery of the starlit waters of Wollaston, Jolly Roger felt the night suddenly filled with an exhilarating tonic.

Its deadness was gone.

Its weight had lifted.

A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.

And the thrill of adventure stirred in his blood.

Narrator

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.

Chapter XII Reading 1/66

The Country Beyond

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The Country Beyond is here in full — 333 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/66 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

In Cassidy's canoe, driving himself with steady strokes deeper into the mystery of the starlit waters of Wollaston, Jolly Roger felt the night suddenly filled with an exhilarating tonic.

Line 2

Its deadness was gone.

Line 3

Its weight had lifted.

/ɪts weɪt hæd ˈlɪftəd/

Line 4

A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.

/ə ˈrɪpəl broʊk ðə stɑːr ɡliːmz wer æn ˌɪnˈkriːsɪŋ briːz tʌtʃt ðə ˈsɜːrfəs ʌv ðə leɪk/

Line 5

And the thrill of adventure stirred in his blood.

/ənd ðə θrɪl ʌv ædˈventʃər stɜːrd ɪn hɪz blʌd/

Learner Dictionary

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.

exhilarating adjective US /ɪɡˈzɪləreɪtɪŋ/

making lively and cheerful

From this reading “In Cassidy's canoe, driving himself with steady strokes deeper into the mystery of the starlit waters of Wollaston, Jolly Roger felt the night suddenly filled with an exhilarating tonic.”

gleams noun US /ɡliːmz/

plural of “gleam” — an appearance of reflected light

From this reading “A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.”

increasing adjective US /ˌɪnˈkriːsɪŋ/

becoming greater or larger

From this reading “A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.”

ripple noun US /ˈrɪpəl/

a small wave on the surface of a liquid

From this reading “A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.”

starlit adjective US /ˈstɑːrlɪt/

lighted only by stars

strokes noun US /stroʊks/

plural of “stroke” — (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand

thrill noun US /θrɪl/

the swift release of a store of affective force

From this reading “And the thrill of adventure stirred in his blood.”

tonic adjective US /ˈtɑːnɪk/

of or relating to or producing normal tone or tonus in muscles or tissue

All words in this reading · 49

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.

adventureverbUS /ædˈventʃər/

take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome

From this reading And the thrill of adventure stirred in his blood.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading In Cassidy's canoe, driving himself with steady strokes deeper into the mystery of the starlit waters of Wollaston, Jolly Roger felt the night suddenly filled with an exhilarating tonic.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And the thrill of adventure stirred in his blood.

bloodnounUS /blʌd/

The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.

From this reading And the thrill of adventure stirred in his blood.

breezenounUS /briːz/

a slight wind (usually refreshing)

From this reading A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.

brokeadjectiveUS /broʊk/

lacking funds

From this reading A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.

canoenounUS /kəˈnuː/

small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle

Cassidy's

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

deadnessnoun

the quality of being unresponsive; not reacting; as a quality of people, it is marked by a failure to respond quickly or with emotion to people or events

From this reading Its deadness was gone.

deeperadverbUS /ˈdiːpər/

comparative of “deeply” — to a great depth psychologically or emotionally

drivingadjectiveUS /ˈdraɪvɪŋ/

having the power of driving or impelling

exhilaratingadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzɪləreɪtɪŋ/

making lively and cheerful

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

filledadjectiveUS /fɪld/

(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with

gleamsnounUS /ɡliːmz/

plural of “gleam” — an appearance of reflected light

From this reading A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading Its deadness was gone.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Its weight had lifted.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading And the thrill of adventure stirred in his blood.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

increasingadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkriːsɪŋ/

becoming greater or larger

From this reading A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

ItsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Its deadness was gone.

JollyadjectiveUS /ˈdʒɑːli/

full of or showing high-spirited merriment

lakenounUS /leɪk/

a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land

From this reading A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.

liftedadjectiveUS /ˈlɪftəd/

held up in the air

From this reading Its weight had lifted.

mysterynounUS /ˈmɪstəri/

something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained

nightnounUS /naɪt/

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

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

ripplenounUS /ˈrɪpəl/

a small wave on the surface of a liquid

From this reading A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.

Roger

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

starnounUS /stɑːr/

(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior

From this reading A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.

starlitadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrlɪt/

lighted only by stars

steadyverbUS /ˈstedi/

make steady

stirredadjectiveUS /stɜːrd/

being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion

From this reading And the thrill of adventure stirred in his blood.

strokesnounUS /stroʊks/

plural of “stroke” — (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand

suddenlyadverbUS /ˈsʌdənli/

happening unexpectedly

surfacenounUS /ˈsɜːrfəs/

the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary

From this reading A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thrillnounUS /θrɪl/

the swift release of a store of affective force

From this reading And the thrill of adventure stirred in his blood.

tonicadjectiveUS /ˈtɑːnɪk/

of or relating to or producing normal tone or tonus in muscles or tissue

touchedadjectiveUS /tʌtʃt/

having come into contact

From this reading A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Its deadness was gone.

watersnounUS /ˈwɔːtərz/

United States actress and singer (1896-1977)

weightnounUS /weɪt/

the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity

From this reading Its weight had lifted.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading A ripple broke the star gleams where an increasing breeze touched the surface of the lake.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

Wollastonnoun

English chemist and physicist who discovered palladium and rhodium and demonstrated that static and current electricity are the same (1766-1828)

Chapter 12 of The Country Beyond by James Oliver Curwood holds 333 sentences, grouped into 67 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 12 of The Country Beyond contain?

Chapter 12 holds 333 sentences of The Country Beyond, unabridged, divided into 67 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The Country Beyond by James Oliver Curwood exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 333 sentences, grouped into 67 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 12 of The Country Beyond?

Work through the 67 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 67 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 12 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 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 Country Beyond

Common questions about reading The Country Beyond by James Oliver Curwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Country Beyond?

Yes. All 4708 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4743 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Country Beyond is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4743, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Country Beyond take to read?

About 392 minutes of reading across 942 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Country Beyond section by section

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

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Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Country Beyond

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

Rugged: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Country Beyond; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Storm-whipped: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Country Beyond; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
North: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Country Beyond; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Shore: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Country Beyond; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

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