used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Then they were encompassed about by the redskins and conducted away through the forest.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
amazedadjectiveUS /əˈmeɪzd/
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
arrowsnounUS /ˈæroʊz/
plural of “arrow” — a mark to indicate a direction or relation
From this reading They would be either cut down by tomahawks or pierced by arrows before they could draw their pistols.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Then they were encompassed about by the redskins and conducted away through the forest.
backsnounUS /bæks/
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading They would be either cut down by tomahawks or pierced by arrows before they could draw their pistols.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
confined by bonds
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
bravesnounUS /breɪvz/
plural of “brave” — a North American Indian warrior
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
conductedverbUS /kənˈdʌktəd/
past form of “conduct” — direct the course of; manage or control
From this reading Then they were encompassed about by the redskins and conducted away through the forest.
confrontedverbUS /kənˈfrʌntəd/
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading They would be either cut down by tomahawks or pierced by arrows before they could draw their pistols.
someone who is a detective
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
disadvantagenounUS /ˌdɪsədˈvæntɪdʒ/
the quality of having an inferior or less favorable position
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They would be either cut down by tomahawks or pierced by arrows before they could draw their pistols.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading They would be either cut down by tomahawks or pierced by arrows before they could draw their pistols.
one or the other of two
From this reading They would be either cut down by tomahawks or pierced by arrows before they could draw their pistols.
encirclingadjectiveUS /enˈsɜːrkəlɪŋ/
being all around the edges; enclosing
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
encompassedverbUS /enˈkʌmpəst/
past form of “encompass” — include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
From this reading Then they were encompassed about by the redskins and conducted away through the forest.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading Then they were encompassed about by the redskins and conducted away through the forest.
gangnounUS /ɡæŋ/
an association of criminals
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
gutturaladjectiveUS /ˈɡʌtərəl/
like the sounds of frogs and crows
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
horrifiedadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːrəfaɪd/
stricken with horror
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
plural of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They would be either cut down by tomahawks or pierced by arrows before they could draw their pistols.
piercedadjectiveUS /pɪrst/
having a hole cut through
From this reading They would be either cut down by tomahawks or pierced by arrows before they could draw their pistols.
pistolsnounUS /ˈpɪstəlz/
plural of “pistol” — a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading They would be either cut down by tomahawks or pierced by arrows before they could draw their pistols.
redskinsnounUS /ˈredskɪnz/
plural of “redskin” — (slang) offensive term for Native Americans
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
StakenounUS /steɪk/
(law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They would be either cut down by tomahawks or pierced by arrows before they could draw their pistols.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then they were encompassed about by the redskins and conducted away through the forest.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Then they were encompassed about by the redskins and conducted away through the forest.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
tomahawksnounUS /ˈtɑːməhɔːks/
plural of “tomahawk” — weapon consisting of a fighting ax; used by North American Indians
From this reading They would be either cut down by tomahawks or pierced by arrows before they could draw their pistols.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
at the time that
From this reading At the Stake Dick and Ben were horrified, as well as amazed when they were confronted by the encircling gang of Indians.
which person or people
From this reading The Indian who had spoken first now said something to his companion braves in a guttural voice, and a couple advanced and bound the arms of Dick and Ben together behind their backs.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading That they could not escape was evident, for the redskins had them at such a disadvantage it would be folly to try to do so.
