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The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California
The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California
Context Illustration Reading 1/39 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE DEPARTURE.
French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.
Whence does this result?
The Frenchman is brave to rashness, intelligent, and laborious.
He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE DEPARTURE.
/ðə dɪˈpɑːrtʃər/
Line 2
French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.
/frentʃ ˌeməˈɡreɪʃən ɪn əˈmerəkə ɔːr ˈelswer hæz ˈrerli ɔːr tuː spiːk mɔːr ˈtruːθfəli hæz ˈnevər səkˈsiːdɪd/
Line 3
Whence does this result?
/wens dʌz ðɪs rɪˈzʌlt/
Line 4
The Frenchman is brave to rashness, intelligent, and laborious.
Line 5
He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.
/hiː læfs ənd sɪŋz kənˈtɪnjuːəli səˈpɔːrtɪŋ wɪð ðə ˈɡreɪtəst fɪˈlɑː.sə.fi ðə ˈruːdəst bloʊz ʌv ˈfɔːrtʃən ənd ˈkerləsli kənˈfaɪdɪŋ ɪn ðə ˈfjuːtʃər/

Learner Dictionary

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.

confiding adjective US /kənˈfaɪdɪŋ/

willing to entrust personal matters

From this reading “He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.”

emigration noun US /ˌeməˈɡreɪʃən/

migration from a place (especially migration from your native country in order to settle in another)

From this reading “French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.”

laborious adjective US /ləˈbɔːriəs/

characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort

From this reading “The Frenchman is brave to rashness, intelligent, and laborious.”

laughs noun US /læfs/

plural of “laugh” — the sound of laughing

From this reading “He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.”

rudest adjective US /ˈruːdəst/

superlative of “rude” — socially incorrect in behavior

From this reading “He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.”

sings verb US /sɪŋz/

third-person singular of “sing” — deliver by singing

From this reading “He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.”

supporting adjective US /səˈpɔːrtɪŋ/

furnishing support and encouragement

From this reading “He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.”

truthfully adverb US /ˈtruːθfəli/

with truth

From this reading “French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.”

All words in this reading · 42

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.

AmericanounUS /əˈmerəkə/

North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776

From this reading French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The Frenchman is brave to rashness, intelligent, and laborious.

blowsnounUS /bloʊz/

plural of “blow” — a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

braveadjectiveUS /breɪv/

possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching

From this reading The Frenchman is brave to rashness, intelligent, and laborious.

carelesslyadverbUS /ˈkerləsli/

without care or concern

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

confidingadjectiveUS /kənˈfaɪdɪŋ/

willing to entrust personal matters

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

continuallyadverbUS /kənˈtɪnjuːəli/

seemingly without interruption

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

DEPARTUREnounUS /dɪˈpɑːrtʃər/

the act of departing

From this reading THE DEPARTURE.

doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Whence does this result?

elsewhereadverbUS /ˈelswer/

in or to another place

From this reading French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.

emigrationnounUS /ˌeməˈɡreɪʃən/

migration from a place (especially migration from your native country in order to settle in another)

From this reading French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.

fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

FrenchnounUS /frentʃ/

the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France

From this reading French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.

FrenchmannounUS /ˈfrentʃmæn/

a person of French nationality

From this reading The Frenchman is brave to rashness, intelligent, and laborious.

futureadjectiveUS /ˈfjuːtʃər/

yet to be or coming

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

greatestadjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtəst/

highest in quality

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.

intelligentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtelədʒənt/

having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree

From this reading The Frenchman is brave to rashness, intelligent, and laborious.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The Frenchman is brave to rashness, intelligent, and laborious.

laboriousadjectiveUS /ləˈbɔːriəs/

characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort

From this reading The Frenchman is brave to rashness, intelligent, and laborious.

laughsnounUS /læfs/

plural of “laugh” — the sound of laughing

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.

philosophynounUS /fɪˈlɑː.sə.fi/

The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. (Triết học, đạo lý nhân sinh.)

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

rarelyadverbUS /ˈrerli/

not often

From this reading French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.

rashnessnoun

the trait of acting rashly and without prudence

From this reading The Frenchman is brave to rashness, intelligent, and laborious.

resultnounUS /rɪˈzʌlt/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading Whence does this result?

rudestadjectiveUS /ˈruːdəst/

superlative of “rude” — socially incorrect in behavior

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

singsverbUS /sɪŋz/

third-person singular of “sing” — deliver by singing

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.

succeededverbUS /səkˈsiːdɪd/

past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal

From this reading French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.

supportingadjectiveUS /səˈpɔːrtɪŋ/

furnishing support and encouragement

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE DEPARTURE.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Whence does this result?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.

truthfullyadverbUS /ˈtruːθfəli/

with truth

From this reading French emigration, in America or elsewhere, has rarely, or, to speak more truthfully, has never succeeded.

WhenceadverbUS /wens/

an old word meaning “from where”

From this reading Whence does this result?

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He laughs and sings continually, supporting with the greatest philosophy the rudest blows of fortune, and carelessly confiding in the future.

Chapter 16 of The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California by Gustave Aimard holds 198 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.

What does chapter 16 of The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California contain?

Chapter 16 holds 198 sentences of The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California by Gustave Aimard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 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.

How do I study chapter 16 of The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California?

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.

Can chapter 16 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 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.

Questions about reading The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California

Common questions about reading The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California by Gustave Aimard on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California?

Yes. All 4498 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42532 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #42532, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California take to read?

About 374 minutes of reading across 900 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California section by section

How to work through The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Prairie
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Flower
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tiger-slayer
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Gold-Seekers: A Tale of California; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.