Chapter 17 of The Flag of Distress is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Flag of Distress is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
De Lara speaks first, his eyes flashing fire. Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain. "_Carajo_!" he cries. "I've been listening a long time to talk--taking it too coolly. Idle talk, all of it; yours, Mr Striker, especially.
Chapter 17 of The Flag of Distress is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity
From this reading “Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.”
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading “Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.”
in a composed and unconcerned manner
From this reading “"I've been listening a long time to talk--taking it too coolly.”
a short vivid experience
From this reading “De Lara speaks first, his eyes flashing fire.”
rock that in its molten form (as magma) issues from volcanos; lava is what magma is called when it reaches the surface
From this reading “Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.”
past form of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading “Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.”
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading “De Lara speaks first, his eyes flashing fire.”
a forward on a soccer team
From this reading “Idle talk, all of it; yours, Mr Striker, especially.”
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 Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
(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 Idle talk, all of it; yours, Mr Striker, especially.
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
the act of burning something
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_Carajo_!" he cries.
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
in a composed and unconcerned manner
From this reading "I've been listening a long time to talk--taking it too coolly.
plural of “cry” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading "_Carajo_!" he cries.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading De Lara speaks first, his eyes flashing fire.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading Idle talk, all of it; yours, Mr Striker, especially.
opinion or judgment
From this reading De Lara speaks first, his eyes flashing fire.
start firing a weapon
From this reading De Lara speaks first, his eyes flashing fire.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading De Lara speaks first, his eyes flashing fire.
a short vivid experience
From this reading De Lara speaks first, his eyes flashing fire.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading De Lara speaks first, his eyes flashing fire.
used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
the act of retaining something
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've been listening a long time to talk--taking it too coolly.
not in action or at work
From this reading Idle talk, all of it; yours, Mr Striker, especially.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading De Lara speaks first, his eyes flashing fire.
rock that in its molten form (as magma) issues from volcanos; lava is what magma is called when it reaches the surface
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading "I've been listening a long time to talk--taking it too coolly.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "I've been listening a long time to talk--taking it too coolly.
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Idle talk, all of it; yours, Mr Striker, especially.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Idle talk, all of it; yours, Mr Striker, especially.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
past form of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading Hitherto he has been holding his anger in check, but now it breaks out, poured forth like lava from a burning mountain.
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading De Lara speaks first, his eyes flashing fire.
a forward on a soccer team
From this reading Idle talk, all of it; yours, Mr Striker, especially.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading "I've been listening a long time to talk--taking it too coolly.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "I've been listening a long time to talk--taking it too coolly.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "I've been listening a long time to talk--taking it too coolly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I've been listening a long time to talk--taking it too coolly.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "I've been listening a long time to talk--taking it too coolly.
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading Idle talk, all of it; yours, Mr Striker, especially.
Chapter 17 of The Flag of Distress by Mayne Reid holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 17 holds 418 sentences of The Flag of Distress, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Flag of Distress by Mayne Reid exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 17 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.
