Chapter 9 of The Defiant Agents is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Defiant Agents is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Two of the horsemen aimed lances, preparing to ride him down. Travis sighted a tree midway between them and pressed the firing button. This time there was a flash, a flicker of light, to mark the disappearance of a living thing. One of the lancers' ponies reared, squealed in fear. The other kept on his course.
Chapter 9 of The Defiant Agents is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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 “aim” — point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading “Two of the horsemen aimed lances, preparing to ride him down.”
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading “This time there was a flash, a flicker of light, to mark the disappearance of a living thing.”
move back and forth very rapidly
From this reading “This time there was a flash, a flicker of light, to mark the disappearance of a living thing.”
a quadrille for 8 or 16 couples
From this reading “One of the lancers' ponies reared, squealed in fear.”
equally distant from the extremes
From this reading “Travis sighted a tree midway between them and pressed the firing button.”
plural of “pony” — a range horse of the western United States
From this reading “One of the lancers' ponies reared, squealed in fear.”
past form of “rear” — stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds
From this reading “One of the lancers' ponies reared, squealed in fear.”
able to see
From this reading “Travis sighted a tree midway between them and pressed the firing button.”
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 Travis sighted a tree midway between them and pressed the firing button.
past form of “aim” — point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading Two of the horsemen aimed lances, preparing to ride him down.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Travis sighted a tree midway between them and pressed the firing button.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Travis sighted a tree midway between them and pressed the firing button.
a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading Travis sighted a tree midway between them and pressed the firing button.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading The other kept on his course.
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading This time there was a flash, a flicker of light, to mark the disappearance of a living thing.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Two of the horsemen aimed lances, preparing to ride him down.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading One of the lancers' ponies reared, squealed in fear.
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading Travis sighted a tree midway between them and pressed the firing button.
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading This time there was a flash, a flicker of light, to mark the disappearance of a living thing.
move back and forth very rapidly
From this reading This time there was a flash, a flicker of light, to mark the disappearance of a living thing.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Two of the horsemen aimed lances, preparing to ride him down.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The other kept on his course.
plural of “horseman” — a man skilled in equitation
From this reading Two of the horsemen aimed lances, preparing to ride him down.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One of the lancers' ponies reared, squealed in fear.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading The other kept on his course.
a quadrille for 8 or 16 couples
From this reading One of the lancers' ponies reared, squealed in fear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two of the horsemen aimed lances, preparing to ride him down.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading This time there was a flash, a flicker of light, to mark the disappearance of a living thing.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading This time there was a flash, a flicker of light, to mark the disappearance of a living thing.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading This time there was a flash, a flicker of light, to mark the disappearance of a living thing.
equally distant from the extremes
From this reading Travis sighted a tree midway between them and pressed the firing button.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Two of the horsemen aimed lances, preparing to ride him down.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The other kept on his course.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of the lancers' ponies reared, squealed in fear.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The other kept on his course.
plural of “pony” — a range horse of the western United States
From this reading One of the lancers' ponies reared, squealed in fear.
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading Two of the horsemen aimed lances, preparing to ride him down.
compacted by ironing
From this reading Travis sighted a tree midway between them and pressed the firing button.
past form of “rear” — stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds
From this reading One of the lancers' ponies reared, squealed in fear.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading Two of the horsemen aimed lances, preparing to ride him down.
able to see
From this reading Travis sighted a tree midway between them and pressed the firing button.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the lancers' ponies reared, squealed in fear.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Two of the horsemen aimed lances, preparing to ride him down.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Travis sighted a tree midway between them and pressed the firing button.
in or at that place or location
From this reading This time there was a flash, a flicker of light, to mark the disappearance of a living thing.
a special situation
From this reading This time there was a flash, a flicker of light, to mark the disappearance of a living thing.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This time there was a flash, a flicker of light, to mark the disappearance of a living thing.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading This time there was a flash, a flicker of light, to mark the disappearance of a living thing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Two of the horsemen aimed lances, preparing to ride him down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Travis sighted a tree midway between them and pressed the firing button.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading Travis sighted a tree midway between them and pressed the firing button.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two of the horsemen aimed lances, preparing to ride him down.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This time there was a flash, a flicker of light, to mark the disappearance of a living thing.
Chapter 9 of The Defiant Agents by Andre Norton holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 9 holds 430 sentences of The Defiant Agents, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Defiant Agents by Andre Norton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Defiant Agents by Andre Norton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3953 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25550 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25550, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 329 minutes of reading across 791 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Defiant Agents section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Defiant Agents 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 Defiant Agents, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
