Chapter 9 of The desert home is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The desert home is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees. Cudjo's axe had disturbed him--he was coming down! "What was to be done? Could we not close up the hole? No--there was nothing--we should be too late!
Chapter 9 of The desert home is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle
From this reading “Cudjo's axe had disturbed him--he was coming down!”
plural of “bee” — any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading “"It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.”
having the place or position changed
From this reading “Cudjo's axe had disturbed him--he was coming down!”
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading “"It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.”
a rapid active commotion
From this reading “"It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.”
for this reason
From this reading “"It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.”
an opening into or through something
From this reading “Could we not close up the hole?”
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading “"It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.”
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 "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle
From this reading Cudjo's axe had disturbed him--he was coming down!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "What was to be done?
have
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
plural of “bee” — any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Could we not close up the hole?
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Cudjo's axe had disturbed him--he was coming down!
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Could we not close up the hole?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cudjo's axe had disturbed him--he was coming down!
having the place or position changed
From this reading Cudjo's axe had disturbed him--he was coming down!
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "What was to be done?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Cudjo's axe had disturbed him--he was coming down!
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
a rapid active commotion
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Cudjo's axe had disturbed him--he was coming down!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Cudjo's axe had disturbed him--he was coming down!
for this reason
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Cudjo's axe had disturbed him--he was coming down!
an opening into or through something
From this reading Could we not close up the hole?
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading No--there was nothing--we should be too late!
not any; not one
From this reading No--there was nothing--we should be too late!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Could we not close up the hole?
not one thing; not anything
From this reading No--there was nothing--we should be too late!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading No--there was nothing--we should be too late!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
in or at that place or location
From this reading No--there was nothing--we should be too late!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "What was to be done?
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading No--there was nothing--we should be too late!
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It was evident that a bear was up the hollow of the tree, and hence the flurry among the bees.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Could we not close up the hole?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What was to be done?
Chapter 9 of The desert home by Mayne Reid holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 438 sentences of The desert home, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The desert home by Mayne Reid exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 desert home by Mayne Reid on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4339 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24268 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24268, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 361 minutes of reading across 868 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The desert home section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The desert home 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 desert home, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
