Chapter 17 of The Flying Legion is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Flying Legion is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged. At any second, a raking volley might burst from the dunes. The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect. Not one heart there but was steeling itself against ambush and a shriveling fire. Up they stormed.
Chapter 17 of The Flying Legion is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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 “dune” — a ridge of sand created by the wind; found in deserts or near lakes and oceans
From this reading “At any second, a raking volley might burst from the dunes.”
doing arduous or unpleasant work
From this reading “A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.”
plural of “legionary” — a soldier who is a member of a legion (especially the French Foreign Legion)
From this reading “A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.”
of an instrument of certain death
From this reading “The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect.”
plural of “pellet” — a small sphere
From this reading “The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect.”
-ing form of “rake” — move through with or as if with a rake
From this reading “At any second, a raking volley might burst from the dunes.”
-ing form of “shrivel” — wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading “Not one heart there but was steeling itself against ambush and a shriveling fire.”
to pass or move unobtrusively or smoothly
From this reading “A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.”
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 A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Not one heart there but was steeling itself against ambush and a shriveling fire.
wait in hiding to attack
From this reading Not one heart there but was steeling itself against ambush and a shriveling fire.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Not one heart there but was steeling itself against ambush and a shriveling fire.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading At any second, a raking volley might burst from the dunes.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At any second, a raking volley might burst from the dunes.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading At any second, a raking volley might burst from the dunes.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Not one heart there but was steeling itself against ambush and a shriveling fire.
of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
plural of “dune” — a ridge of sand created by the wind; found in deserts or near lakes and oceans
From this reading At any second, a raking volley might burst from the dunes.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Not one heart there but was steeling itself against ambush and a shriveling fire.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading At any second, a raking volley might burst from the dunes.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Not one heart there but was steeling itself against ambush and a shriveling fire.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Not one heart there but was steeling itself against ambush and a shriveling fire.
doing arduous or unpleasant work
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
plural of “legionary” — a soldier who is a member of a legion (especially the French Foreign Legion)
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
of an instrument of certain death
From this reading The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading At any second, a raking volley might burst from the dunes.
an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Not one heart there but was steeling itself against ambush and a shriveling fire.
breathing heavily (as after exertion)
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
plural of “pellet” — a small sphere
From this reading The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect.
-ing form of “rake” — move through with or as if with a rake
From this reading At any second, a raking volley might burst from the dunes.
a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading At any second, a raking volley might burst from the dunes.
-ing form of “shrivel” — wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading Not one heart there but was steeling itself against ambush and a shriveling fire.
to pass or move unobtrusively or smoothly
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not one heart there but was steeling itself against ambush and a shriveling fire.
past form of “storm” — behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading Up they stormed.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Not one heart there but was steeling itself against ambush and a shriveling fire.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Up they stormed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Up they stormed.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading The lethal pellets--so few in this vast space--might not have taken effect.
rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms
From this reading At any second, a raking volley might burst from the dunes.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Not one heart there but was steeling itself against ambush and a shriveling fire.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A MISSION OF DREAD Panting, with a slither of dry sand under their laboring feet, the Legionaries charged.
Chapter 17 of The Flying Legion by George Allan England holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 196 sentences of The Flying Legion, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Flying Legion by George Allan England exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Flying Legion by George Allan England on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7866 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12265 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12265, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1574 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Flying Legion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Flying Legion 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 Flying Legion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
