Chapter 12 of The Cross and the Hammer is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Cross and the Hammer is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AT ETHELRED'S COURT. Sigurd flung his hand up and sheathed his sword. The Saxons paused, and one of their number stepped forward. "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again." "We are no vikings or sea-wolves," answered Sigurd.
Chapter 12 of The Cross and the Hammer is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading “Sigurd flung his hand up and sheathed his sword.”
plural of “knock” — the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)
From this reading “"You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."”
Goods or treasure taken by force or theft, especially in war or banditry.
From this reading “"You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."”
plural of “saxon” — a member of a Germanic people who conquered England and merged with the Angles and Jutes to become Anglo-Saxons; dominant in England until the Norman Conquest
From this reading “The Saxons paused, and one of their number stepped forward.”
enclosed in a protective covering; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “Sigurd flung his hand up and sheathed his sword.”
(Norse mythology) mythical Norse warrior hero who gains an accursed hoard of gold and was killed by Brynhild; Siegfried is the German counterpart
From this reading “Sigurd flung his hand up and sheathed his sword.”
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading “Sigurd flung his hand up and sheathed his sword.”
plural of “viking” — any of the Scandinavian people who raided the coasts of Europe from the 8th to the 11th centuries
From this reading “"You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."”
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.
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.
anew
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sigurd flung his hand up and sheathed his sword.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "We are no vikings or sea-wolves," answered Sigurd.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "We are no vikings or sea-wolves," answered Sigurd.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT ETHELRED'S COURT.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading AT ETHELRED'S COURT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AT ETHELRED'S COURT.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading Sigurd flung his hand up and sheathed his sword.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading The Saxons paused, and one of their number stepped forward.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Sigurd flung his hand up and sheathed his sword.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sigurd flung his hand up and sheathed his sword.
plural of “knock” — the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
not any; not one
From this reading "We are no vikings or sea-wolves," answered Sigurd.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading The Saxons paused, and one of their number stepped forward.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Saxons paused, and one of their number stepped forward.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The Saxons paused, and one of their number stepped forward.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "We are no vikings or sea-wolves," answered Sigurd.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading The Saxons paused, and one of their number stepped forward.
Goods or treasure taken by force or theft, especially in war or banditry.
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
plural of “saxon” — a member of a Germanic people who conquered England and merged with the Angles and Jutes to become Anglo-Saxons; dominant in England until the Norman Conquest
From this reading The Saxons paused, and one of their number stepped forward.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We are no vikings or sea-wolves," answered Sigurd.
enclosed in a protective covering; sometimes used in combination
From this reading Sigurd flung his hand up and sheathed his sword.
(Norse mythology) mythical Norse warrior hero who gains an accursed hoard of gold and was killed by Brynhild; Siegfried is the German counterpart
From this reading Sigurd flung his hand up and sheathed his sword.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading The Saxons paused, and one of their number stepped forward.
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading Sigurd flung his hand up and sheathed his sword.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Saxons paused, and one of their number stepped forward.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The Saxons paused, and one of their number stepped forward.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Sigurd flung his hand up and sheathed his sword.
plural of “viking” — any of the Scandinavian people who raided the coasts of Europe from the 8th to the 11th centuries
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We are no vikings or sea-wolves," answered Sigurd.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You will get little plunder here, vikings, and many hard knocks," he called, "so you had best put to sea again."
Chapter 12 of The Cross and the Hammer by H. (Henry) Bedford-Jones holds 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 12 holds 138 sentences of The Cross and the Hammer, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Cross and the Hammer by H. (Henry) Bedford-Jones exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Cross and the Hammer by H. (Henry) Bedford-Jones on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cross and the Hammer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Cross and the Hammer 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 Cross and the Hammer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
