Chapter 3 of The Jewel of Bas is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Jewel of Bas is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A huge hand closed on Ciaran's ankle and hauled him back. He fought it, jabbing with the wand he still carried. A second remorseless hand prisoned his wrist. The red hunter said dispassionately, "They come. We go."
Chapter 3 of The Jewel of Bas is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
a gliding joint between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus
From this reading “A huge hand closed on Ciaran's ankle and hauled him back.”
in an impartially dispassionate manner
From this reading “The red hunter said dispassionately, "They come.”
past form of “haul” — draw slowly or heavily
From this reading “A huge hand closed on Ciaran's ankle and hauled him back.”
someone who hunts game
From this reading “The red hunter said dispassionately, "They come.”
a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
From this reading “He fought it, jabbing with the wand he still carried.”
without mercy or pity
From this reading “A second remorseless hand prisoned his wrist.”
a rod used by a magician or water diviner
From this reading “He fought it, jabbing with the wand he still carried.”
a joint between the distal end of the radius and the proximal row of carpal bones
From this reading “A second remorseless hand prisoned his wrist.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
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 huge hand closed on Ciaran's ankle and hauled him back.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A huge hand closed on Ciaran's ankle and hauled him back.
a gliding joint between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus
From this reading A huge hand closed on Ciaran's ankle and hauled him back.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading A huge hand closed on Ciaran's ankle and hauled him back.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading He fought it, jabbing with the wand he still carried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A huge hand closed on Ciaran's ankle and hauled him back.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading A huge hand closed on Ciaran's ankle and hauled him back.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The red hunter said dispassionately, "They come.
in an impartially dispassionate manner
From this reading The red hunter said dispassionately, "They come.
inflected form of “fight” — be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading He fought it, jabbing with the wand he still carried.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading We go."
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading A huge hand closed on Ciaran's ankle and hauled him back.
past form of “haul” — draw slowly or heavily
From this reading A huge hand closed on Ciaran's ankle and hauled him back.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He fought it, jabbing with the wand he still carried.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A huge hand closed on Ciaran's ankle and hauled him back.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A second remorseless hand prisoned his wrist.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading A huge hand closed on Ciaran's ankle and hauled him back.
someone who hunts game
From this reading The red hunter said dispassionately, "They come.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He fought it, jabbing with the wand he still carried.
a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
From this reading He fought it, jabbing with the wand he still carried.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A huge hand closed on Ciaran's ankle and hauled him back.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A second remorseless hand prisoned his wrist.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading The red hunter said dispassionately, "They come.
without mercy or pity
From this reading A second remorseless hand prisoned his wrist.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The red hunter said dispassionately, "They come.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading A second remorseless hand prisoned his wrist.
not in physical motion
From this reading He fought it, jabbing with the wand he still carried.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He fought it, jabbing with the wand he still carried.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The red hunter said dispassionately, "They come.
a rod used by a magician or water diviner
From this reading He fought it, jabbing with the wand he still carried.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We go."
in the company of; together with
From this reading He fought it, jabbing with the wand he still carried.
a joint between the distal end of the radius and the proximal row of carpal bones
From this reading A second remorseless hand prisoned his wrist.
Chapter 3 of The Jewel of Bas by Leigh Brackett holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 3 holds 431 sentences of The Jewel of Bas, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Jewel of Bas by Leigh Brackett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 3 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 Jewel of Bas by Leigh Brackett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1728 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62996 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62996, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 144 minutes of reading across 346 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Jewel of Bas section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Jewel of Bas 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 Jewel of Bas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
