Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Refugees: A Tale of Two Continents
The Refugees: A Tale of Two Continents

Chapter XXXIX

Cover illustration for The Refugees: A Tale of Two Continents
Context Illustration Reading 1/43 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE END.
The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.
So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.
They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?
Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Refugees: A Tale of Two Continents

Chapter XXXIX

Reading 1/43 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE END.
Line 2
The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.
Line 3
So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.
Line 4
They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?
Line 5
Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Among preposition US /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading “So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.”

Between preposition US /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading “Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?”

Free adjective US /friː/

acting without enough restraint or discipline

From this reading “They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?”

Garrison noun US /ˈɡærəsən/

a group stationed to defend a place

From this reading “Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.”

Hands plural noun US /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading “Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.”

Incomprehensible adjective US /ˌɪnkɑmprɪˈhensəbəl/

impossible or very difficult to understand

From this reading “So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.”

Order noun US /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.”

Passed noun US /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.”

Sure noun US /sure/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.”

Tell noun US /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.”

Towards preposition US /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading “Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.”

Unarmed noun US /ˈunarmed/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.”

All words in this reading · 90

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

any

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

attempt

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?

awe

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

bank

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

canoe

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

Catinat

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?

coming

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

darted

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

De

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?

down

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

dragged

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

END

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE END.

escape

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?

freeadjectiveUS /friː/

acting without enough restraint or discipline

From this reading They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

garrisonnounUS /ˈɡærəsən/

a group stationed to defend a place

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

handsplural nounUS /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

harshly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

incomprehensibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪnkɑmprɪˈhensəbəl/

impossible or very difficult to understand

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

Indians

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

inspires

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

Iroquois

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

leave

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

Louis

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

madness

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

malady

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

man

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

only

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

ordernounUS /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

others

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

own

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?

passednounUS /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

place

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

power

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

put

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

respect

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

safety

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

set

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

St

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

stream

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

surenounUS /sure/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

tellnounUS /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE END.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

then

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

thrust

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

tie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

treated

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

Two

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

unarmednounUS /ˈunarmed/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

up

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

voluntarily

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

warriors

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

water

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading The Iroquois had not treated De Catinat harshly when they dragged him from the water into their canoe.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

why

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So incomprehensible was it to them why any man should voluntarily leave a place of safety in order to put himself in their power that they could only set it down to madness, a malady which inspires awe and respect among the Indians.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?

women

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two warriors passed their hands over him, to be sure that he was unarmed, and he was then thrust down between the two women, while the canoe darted in towards the bank to tell the others that the St. Louis garrison was coming up the stream.

wrists

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They did not even tie his wrists, for why should he attempt to escape when he had come of his own free will?