Chapter 17 of The Iron Trail is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Iron Trail is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"How did you go in?" "We packed in. When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed." "Is there any other dog-feed there?" "No, sir."
Chapter 17 of The Iron Trail is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 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.
past form of “cache” — save up as for future use
From this reading “When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."”
informal terms for a meal
From this reading “When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."”
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading “When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."”
the flesh of animals (including fishes and birds and snails) used as food
From this reading “When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."”
extremely crowed or filled to capacity
From this reading “"We packed in.”
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."”
term of address for a man
From this reading “"No, sir."”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Is there any other dog-feed there?"
past form of “cache” — save up as for future use
From this reading When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "How did you go in?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "How did you go in?"
informal terms for a meal
From this reading When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How did you go in?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "How did you go in?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is there any other dog-feed there?"
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."
the flesh of animals (including fishes and birds and snails) used as food
From this reading When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."
not any; not one
From this reading "No, sir."
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "Is there any other dog-feed there?"
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."
extremely crowed or filled to capacity
From this reading "We packed in.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."
term of address for a man
From this reading "No, sir."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Is there any other dog-feed there?"
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We packed in.
at the time that
From this reading When our grub ran out, we killed our horses and cached the meat for dog-feed."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How did you go in?"
Chapter 17 of The Iron Trail by Rex Beach holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 415 sentences of The Iron Trail, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Iron Trail by Rex Beach exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 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 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 Iron Trail by Rex Beach on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7492 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5233 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5233, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1499 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Iron Trail section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Iron Trail 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 Iron Trail, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
