Chapter 24 of The Cross and the Hammer is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The Cross and the Hammer is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HOW THE CHIEFS WERE BAPTIZED. For a moment the chiefs stared at the King, incredulous and amazed. Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all. Olaf's uplifted hand stilled the murmur. "Wait!
Chapter 24 of The Cross and the Hammer is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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 “For a moment the chiefs stared at the King, incredulous and amazed.”
having undergone the Christian ritual of baptism
From this reading “HOW THE CHIEFS WERE BAPTIZED.”
plural of “chief” — a person who is in charge
From this reading “HOW THE CHIEFS WERE BAPTIZED.”
not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
From this reading “For a moment the chiefs stared at the King, incredulous and amazed.”
humorously sarcastic or mocking
From this reading “Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.”
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading “Olaf's uplifted hand stilled the murmur.”
past form of “still” — make calm or still
From this reading “Olaf's uplifted hand stilled the murmur.”
exalted emotionally especially with pride
From this reading “Olaf's uplifted hand stilled the murmur.”
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 “Olaf's uplifted hand stilled the murmur.”
In this reading “For a moment the chiefs stared at the King, incredulous and amazed.”
temporarily
In this reading “For a moment the chiefs stared at the King, incredulous and amazed.”
In this reading “Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.”
move upward
In this reading “Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.”
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 For a moment the chiefs stared at the King, incredulous and amazed.
(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 Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading For a moment the chiefs stared at the King, incredulous and amazed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For a moment the chiefs stared at the King, incredulous and amazed.
feeling or showing anger
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading For a moment the chiefs stared at the King, incredulous and amazed.
having undergone the Christian ritual of baptism
From this reading HOW THE CHIEFS WERE BAPTIZED.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
plural of “chief” — a person who is in charge
From this reading HOW THE CHIEFS WERE BAPTIZED.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment the chiefs stared at the King, incredulous and amazed.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Olaf's uplifted hand stilled the murmur.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW THE CHIEFS WERE BAPTIZED.
not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
From this reading For a moment the chiefs stared at the King, incredulous and amazed.
humorously sarcastic or mocking
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading For a moment the chiefs stared at the King, incredulous and amazed.
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
the force of workers available
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment the chiefs stared at the King, incredulous and amazed.
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading Olaf's uplifted hand stilled the murmur.
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Olaf's uplifted hand stilled the murmur.
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading For a moment the chiefs stared at the King, incredulous and amazed.
past form of “still” — make calm or still
From this reading Olaf's uplifted hand stilled the murmur.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HOW THE CHIEFS WERE BAPTIZED.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
exalted emotionally especially with pride
From this reading Olaf's uplifted hand stilled the murmur.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading "Wait!
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Then, as they caught the meaning of his ironic speech, the four men he had named leaped to their feet, and an angry roar went up from all.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading HOW THE CHIEFS WERE BAPTIZED.
Chapter 24 of The Cross and the Hammer by H. (Henry) Bedford-Jones holds 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 24 holds 110 sentences of The Cross and the Hammer, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The Cross and the Hammer by H. (Henry) Bedford-Jones exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 24 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.
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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.
