Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The River of Darkness
The River of Darkness

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of The River of Darkness is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The River of Darkness
Context Illustration Reading 1/10 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE SEPARATION.
But help was at hand.
Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.
A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.
Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.
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 River of Darkness

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of The River of Darkness is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/10 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE SEPARATION.
/ðə ˌsepərˈeɪʃən/
Line 2
But help was at hand.
/bʌt help wɑːz æt hænd/
Line 3
Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.
Line 4
A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.
/ə ʃaʊt ʌv reɪdʒ bɜːrst frʌm ðə səˈmɑːliz ənd ˈheɪstəli ˈpʊʃɪŋ ðer ˈkæptɪvz tuː ðə rɪr ðeɪ ədˈvænst ɪn ə ˈveri ˈʌɡli ˈmænər ˈʃeɪkɪŋ ðer lɔːŋ spɪrz/
Line 5
Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

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.

Arabs noun US /ˈærəbz/

plural of “arab” — a member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa

From this reading “Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.”

blindly adverb US /ˈblaɪndli/

without seeing or looking

From this reading “Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.”

captives noun US /ˈkæptɪvz/

plural of “captive” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

From this reading “A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.”

separation noun US /ˌsepərˈeɪʃən/

the state of lacking unity

From this reading “THE SEPARATION.”

Somali noun US /səˈmɑːli/

a member of a tall dark (mostly Muslim) people inhabiting Somalia

From this reading “Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.”

Somalis noun US /səˈmɑːliz/

plural of “somali” — a member of a tall dark (mostly Muslim) people inhabiting Somalia

From this reading “A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.”

spears noun US /spɪrz/

plural of “spear” — a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon

From this reading “A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.”

stumbled verb US /ˈstʌmbəld/

past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily

From this reading “Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.”

All words in this reading · 67

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 shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

advancedadjectiveUS /ədˈvænst/

farther along in physical or mental development

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

ArabnounUS /ˈærəb/

a member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

ArabsnounUS /ˈærəbz/

plural of “arab” — a member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading But help was at hand.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

BeforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

blindlyadverbUS /ˈblaɪndli/

without seeing or looking

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

burstverbUS /bɜːrst/

come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But help was at hand.

captivesnounUS /ˈkæptɪvz/

plural of “captive” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

directlyadverbUS /dərˈektli/

without deviation

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

distancenounUS /ˈdɪstəns/

the property created by the space between two objects or points

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

fallenadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːlən/

having dropped by the force of gravity

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

fellownounUS /ˈfeloʊ/

a boy or man

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

firedadjectiveUS /ˈfaɪərd/

having lost your job

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

GuynounUS /ɡaɪ/

an informal term for a youth or man

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading But help was at hand.

hastilyadverbUS /ˈheɪstəli/

in a hurried or hasty manner

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

helpverbUS /help/

give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading But help was at hand.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

LeavingnounUS /ˈliːvɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

mannernounUS /ˈmænər/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

Melton

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

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

movedadjectiveUS /muːvd/

being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

Oko

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

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

pushingnounUS /ˈpʊʃɪŋ/

the act of applying force in order to move something away

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

ragenounUS /reɪdʒ/

a feeling of intense anger

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

reachverbUS /riːtʃ/

reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

rearnounUS /rɪr/

the back of a military formation or procession

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

remainverbUS /rɪˈmeɪn/

stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

SamnounUS /sæm/

a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

sandnounUS /sænd/

a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

SEPARATIONnounUS /ˌsepərˈeɪʃən/

the state of lacking unity

From this reading THE SEPARATION.

shakingnounUS /ˈʃeɪkɪŋ/

the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔːrt/

primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

shoutverbUS /ʃaʊt/

utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

shoutedadjectiveUS /ˈʃaʊtɪd/

in a vehement outcry

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

SomalinounUS /səˈmɑːli/

a member of a tall dark (mostly Muslim) people inhabiting Somalia

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

SomalisnounUS /səˈmɑːliz/

plural of “somali” — a member of a tall dark (mostly Muslim) people inhabiting Somalia

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

spearsnounUS /spɪrz/

plural of “spear” — a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

stumbledverbUS /ˈstʌmbəld/

past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

takingnounUS /ˈteɪkɪŋ/

the act of someone who picks up or takes something

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE SEPARATION.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

uglyadjectiveUS /ˈʌɡli/

displeasing to the senses

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading A shout of rage burst from the Somalis, and, hastily pushing their captives to the rear, they advanced in a very ugly manner, shaking their long spears.

victimnounUS /ˈvɪktəm/

an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance

From this reading Before Oko Sam could reach his victim, an Arab directly behind Guy fired, and the fellow stumbled blindly on the sand.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading But help was at hand.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

woundednounUS /ˈwuːndɪd/

people who are wounded

From this reading Leaving the dead Arab and the wounded Somali where they had fallen, the Arabs moved back a short distance, taking Guy and Melton with them, and shouted to the Somalis to remain where they were.

Chapter 9 of The River of Darkness by William Murray Graydon holds 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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 9 of The River of Darkness contain?

Chapter 9 holds 53 sentences of The River of Darkness, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of The River of Darkness by William Murray Graydon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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 9 of The River of Darkness?

Work through the 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 11 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 9 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 9 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.