Chapter 18 of The Lost Wagon 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 XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Lost Wagon is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat. It was lonely, forlorn, because Emma was not beside him. For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy. Joe drove the mules at a fast walk. Two hours later Ellis rode back up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.
Chapter 18 of The Lost Wagon 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.
plural of “elli” — (Norse mythology) goddess of old age who defeated Thor in a wrestling match
From this reading “Two hours later Ellis rode back up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.”
marked by or showing hopelessness
From this reading “It was lonely, forlorn, because Emma was not beside him.”
brought under control and put to use
From this reading “Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.”
past form of “hitch” — to hook or entangle
From this reading “Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.”
inadequate in amount or degree
From this reading “For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.”
plural of “mule” — hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading “Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.”
past form of “rein” — control and direct with or as if by reins
From this reading “Two hours later Ellis rode back up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.”
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading “For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.”
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.
In this reading “Two hours later Ellis rode back up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.”
In this reading “For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.”
In this reading “Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.”
In this reading “Two hours later Ellis rode back up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.”
In this reading “Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.”
stop or slow up one's horse or oneself by or as if by pulling the reins
In this reading “Two hours later Ellis rode back up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.”
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 For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Joe drove the mules at a fast walk.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Two hours later Ellis rode back up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.
for the reason that
From this reading It was lonely, forlorn, because Emma was not beside him.
next to; at the side of
From this reading It was lonely, forlorn, because Emma was not beside him.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading Joe drove the mules at a fast walk.
plural of “elli” — (Norse mythology) goddess of old age who defeated Thor in a wrestling match
From this reading Two hours later Ellis rode back up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was lonely, forlorn, because Emma was not beside him.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading Joe drove the mules at a fast walk.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.
marked by or showing hopelessness
From this reading It was lonely, forlorn, because Emma was not beside him.
brought under control and put to use
From this reading Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was lonely, forlorn, because Emma was not beside him.
past form of “hitch” — to hook or entangle
From this reading Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading Two hours later Ellis rode back up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.
arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity
From this reading For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was lonely, forlorn, because Emma was not beside him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.
inadequate in amount or degree
From this reading For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Two hours later Ellis rode back up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading It was lonely, forlorn, because Emma was not beside him.
plural of “mule” — hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was lonely, forlorn, because Emma was not beside him.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.
past form of “rein” — control and direct with or as if by reins
From this reading Two hours later Ellis rode back up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading Two hours later Ellis rode back up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two hours later Ellis rode back up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Two hours later Ellis rode back up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading For the first time in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspiration and joy.
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Joe drove the mules at a fast walk.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was lonely, forlorn, because Emma was not beside him.
Chapter 18 of The Lost Wagon by Jim Kjelgaard holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 18 holds 415 sentences of The Lost Wagon, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Lost Wagon by Jim Kjelgaard exactly as it stands in the 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 18 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 Lost Wagon by Jim Kjelgaard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8188 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34697 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34697, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1638 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lost Wagon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Lost Wagon 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 Lost Wagon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
