Chapter 14 of The Flag of Distress is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Flag of Distress is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"DOWN HELM." "Land, ho!" The cry is from a man stationed on the fore-topmast cross-trees of the _Condor_. Since sunrise he has been aloft--on the lookout for land. It is now near noon, and he has sighted it.
Chapter 14 of The Flag of Distress is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
at or on or to the masthead or upper rigging of a ship
From this reading “Since sunrise he has been aloft--on the lookout for land.”
the largest flying birds in the western hemisphere
steering mechanism for a vessel; a mechanical device by which a vessel is steered
From this reading “"DOWN HELM."”
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading “Since sunrise he has been aloft--on the lookout for land.”
the middle of the day
From this reading “It is now near noon, and he has sighted it.”
able to see
From this reading “It is now near noon, and he has sighted it.”
past form of “station” — assign to a station
From this reading “The cry is from a man stationed on the fore-topmast cross-trees of the _Condor_.”
the first light of day
From this reading “Since sunrise he has been aloft--on the lookout for land.”
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 The cry is from a man stationed on the fore-topmast cross-trees of the _Condor_.
at or on or to the masthead or upper rigging of a ship
From this reading Since sunrise he has been aloft--on the lookout for land.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It is now near noon, and he has sighted it.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Since sunrise he has been aloft--on the lookout for land.
the largest flying birds in the western hemisphere
From this reading The cry is from a man stationed on the fore-topmast cross-trees of the _Condor_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The cry is from a man stationed on the fore-topmast cross-trees of the _Condor_.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading The cry is from a man stationed on the fore-topmast cross-trees of the _Condor_.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "DOWN HELM."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Since sunrise he has been aloft--on the lookout for land.
the topmast next above the foremast
From this reading The cry is from a man stationed on the fore-topmast cross-trees of the _Condor_.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The cry is from a man stationed on the fore-topmast cross-trees of the _Condor_.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Since sunrise he has been aloft--on the lookout for land.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Since sunrise he has been aloft--on the lookout for land.
steering mechanism for a vessel; a mechanical device by which a vessel is steered
From this reading "DOWN HELM."
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs together with yttrium; forms highly magnetic compounds
From this reading "Land, ho!"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The cry is from a man stationed on the fore-topmast cross-trees of the _Condor_.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is now near noon, and he has sighted it.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading "Land, ho!"
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading Since sunrise he has been aloft--on the lookout for land.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The cry is from a man stationed on the fore-topmast cross-trees of the _Condor_.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading It is now near noon, and he has sighted it.
the middle of the day
From this reading It is now near noon, and he has sighted it.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It is now near noon, and he has sighted it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The cry is from a man stationed on the fore-topmast cross-trees of the _Condor_.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The cry is from a man stationed on the fore-topmast cross-trees of the _Condor_.
able to see
From this reading It is now near noon, and he has sighted it.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Since sunrise he has been aloft--on the lookout for land.
past form of “station” — assign to a station
From this reading The cry is from a man stationed on the fore-topmast cross-trees of the _Condor_.
the first light of day
From this reading Since sunrise he has been aloft--on the lookout for land.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The cry is from a man stationed on the fore-topmast cross-trees of the _Condor_.
Chapter 14 of The Flag of Distress by Mayne Reid holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 14 holds 414 sentences of The Flag of Distress, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Flag of Distress by Mayne Reid exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 14 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 Flag of Distress by Mayne Reid on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7928 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25164 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25164, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1586 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Flag of Distress section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Flag of Distress 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 Flag of Distress, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
