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The River of Darkness
The River of Darkness

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The River of Darkness is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The River of Darkness
Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE ALARM.
They rushed upon deck again as soon as the steamer was beyond rifle-shot.
A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.
Smoke no longer hovered over the garrison.
The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.
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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 River of Darkness

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The River of Darkness is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE ALARM.
/ðə əˈlɑːrm/
Line 2
They rushed upon deck again as soon as the steamer was beyond rifle-shot.
Line 3
A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.
/ə ˈdɪstənt rɔːr laɪk ðə ˈblendɪd ʃaʊts ʌv ˈθaʊzəndz ʌv ˈpiːpəl ˈfloʊtəd əˈkrɔːs ðə ˈwɔːtər frʌm ðə taʊn ənd æt ˈɪntərvəlz ə ʃɑːt wɑːz ˈfaɪərd/
Line 4
Smoke no longer hovered over the garrison.
/smoʊk noʊ ˈlɔːŋɡər ˈhʌvərd ˈoʊvər ðə ˈɡærɪsən/
Line 5
The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.
/ðə læst mæn hæd səˈkʌmd ənd wɪð ðə fɔːl ʌv ðə ˈɡærɪsən ðə ˈmæsəkər siːmd tuː hæv kʌm tuː æn end/

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.

blended adjective US /ˈblendɪd/

combined or mixed together so that the constituent parts are indistinguishable

From this reading “A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.”

floated verb US /ˈfloʊtəd/

past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current

From this reading “A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.”

garrison noun US /ˈɡærɪsən/

a fortified military post where troops are stationed

From this reading “Smoke no longer hovered over the garrison.”

hovered verb US /ˈhʌvərd/

past form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action

From this reading “Smoke no longer hovered over the garrison.”

massacre verb US /ˈmæsəkər/

kill a large number of people indiscriminately

From this reading “The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.”

shouts noun US /ʃaʊts/

plural of “shout” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition

From this reading “A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.”

steamer noun US /ˈstiːmər/

a clam that is usually steamed in the shell

From this reading “They rushed upon deck again as soon as the steamer was beyond rifle-shot.”

succumbed verb US /səˈkʌmd/

past form of “succumb” — consent reluctantly

From this reading “The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.”

All words in this reading · 51

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading They rushed upon deck again as soon as the steamer was beyond rifle-shot.

ALARMnounUS /əˈlɑːrm/

fear resulting from the awareness of danger

From this reading THE ALARM.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading They rushed upon deck again as soon as the steamer was beyond rifle-shot.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading They rushed upon deck again as soon as the steamer was beyond rifle-shot.

blendedadjectiveUS /ˈblendɪd/

combined or mixed together so that the constituent parts are indistinguishable

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.

decknounUS /dek/

any of various platforms built into a vessel

From this reading They rushed upon deck again as soon as the steamer was beyond rifle-shot.

distantadjectiveUS /ˈdɪstənt/

separated in space or coming from or going to a distance

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.

fallverbUS /fɔːl/

descend in free fall under the influence of gravity

From this reading The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.

firedadjectiveUS /ˈfaɪərd/

having lost your job

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

floatedverbUS /ˈfloʊtəd/

past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

garrisonnounUS /ˈɡærɪsən/

a fortified military post where troops are stationed

From this reading Smoke no longer hovered over the garrison.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.

hoveredverbUS /ˈhʌvərd/

past form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action

From this reading Smoke no longer hovered over the garrison.

intervalsnounUS /ˈɪntərvəlz/

plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

longeradverbUS /ˈlɔːŋɡər/

for more time

From this reading Smoke no longer hovered over the garrison.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.

massacreverbUS /ˈmæsəkər/

kill a large number of people indiscriminately

From this reading The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Smoke no longer hovered over the garrison.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Smoke no longer hovered over the garrison.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

rifle-shot

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

From this reading They rushed upon deck again as soon as the steamer was beyond rifle-shot.

roarverbUS /rɔːr/

make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

rushedadjectiveUS /rʌʃt/

done under pressure

From this reading They rushed upon deck again as soon as the steamer was beyond rifle-shot.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.

shotnounUS /ʃɑːt/

the act of firing a projectile

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

shoutsnounUS /ʃaʊts/

plural of “shout” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

SmokenounUS /smoʊk/

a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas

From this reading Smoke no longer hovered over the garrison.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading They rushed upon deck again as soon as the steamer was beyond rifle-shot.

steamernounUS /ˈstiːmər/

a clam that is usually steamed in the shell

From this reading They rushed upon deck again as soon as the steamer was beyond rifle-shot.

succumbedverbUS /səˈkʌmd/

past form of “succumb” — consent reluctantly

From this reading The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE ALARM.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They rushed upon deck again as soon as the steamer was beyond rifle-shot.

thousandsnounUS /ˈθaʊzəndz/

plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading They rushed upon deck again as soon as the steamer was beyond rifle-shot.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading They rushed upon deck again as soon as the steamer was beyond rifle-shot.

waternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading A distant roar, like the blended shouts of thousands of people, floated across the water from the town, and at intervals a shot was fired.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The last man had succumbed, and with the fall of the garrison the massacre seemed to have come to an end.

Chapter 5 of The River of Darkness by William Murray Graydon holds 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 5 of The River of Darkness contain?

Chapter 5 holds 111 sentences of The River of Darkness, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The River of Darkness by William Murray Graydon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 5 of The River of Darkness?

Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 23 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 5 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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 River of Darkness

Common questions about reading The River of Darkness by William Murray Graydon on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The River of Darkness?

Yes. All 3841 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24297 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The River of Darkness is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #24297, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The River of Darkness take to read?

About 320 minutes of reading across 769 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The River of Darkness section by section

How to work through The River of Darkness section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The River of Darkness to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in The River of Darkness

Words and structures a reader meets early in The River of Darkness, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

River
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The River of Darkness; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Darkness
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The River of Darkness; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Under
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The River of Darkness; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Africa
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The River of Darkness; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.