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The River of Darkness
The River of Darkness

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of The River of Darkness is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/19 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE UNDERGROUND RIVER.
A moment of terrible suspense followed the Greek's announcement.
From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.
Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.
We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The River of Darkness

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of The River of Darkness is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE UNDERGROUND RIVER.
/ðə ˈʌndərɡraʊnd ˈrɪvər/
Line 2
A moment of terrible suspense followed the Greek's announcement.
Line 3
From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.
Line 4
Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.
Line 5
We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.
/wiː hæd ˈbetər straɪk ə laɪt ənd siː wʌt hæz bɪˈkʌm ʌv ðæt blæk ˈræskəl/

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.

announcement noun US /əˈnaʊnsmənt/

a formal public statement

From this reading “A moment of terrible suspense followed the Greek's announcement.”

chorus noun US /ˈkɔːrəs/

any utterance produced simultaneously by a group

From this reading “From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.”

fainter adjective US /ˈfeɪntər/

comparative of “faint” — deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc

From this reading “Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.”

rascal noun US /ˈræskəl/

a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel

From this reading “We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.”

searched verb US /sɜːrtʃt/

past form of “search” — try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of

From this reading “From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.”

shouts noun US /ʃaʊts/

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

From this reading “From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.”

suspense noun US /səˈspens/

apprehension about what is going to happen

From this reading “A moment of terrible suspense followed the Greek's announcement.”

underground adjective US /ˈʌndərɡraʊnd/

under the level of the ground

From this reading “THE UNDERGROUND RIVER.”

All words in this reading · 53

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 moment of terrible suspense followed the Greek's announcement.

Abyssinians

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

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.

angryadjectiveUS /ˈæŋɡri/

feeling or showing anger

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

announcementnounUS /əˈnaʊnsmənt/

a formal public statement

From this reading A moment of terrible suspense followed the Greek's announcement.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

becomeverbUS /bɪˈkʌm/

enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.

blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.

Canaris

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

From this reading Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.

chorusnounUS /ˈkɔːrəs/

any utterance produced simultaneously by a group

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

fainteradjectiveUS /ˈfeɪntər/

comparative of “faint” — deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc

From this reading Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.

followedverbUS /ˈfɑːloʊd/

past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after

From this reading A moment of terrible suspense followed the Greek's announcement.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.

Greek's

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

From this reading A moment of terrible suspense followed the Greek's announcement.

grewverbUS /ɡruː/

inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.

missingadjectiveUS /ˈmɪsɪŋ/

not able to be found

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading A moment of terrible suspense followed the Greek's announcement.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A moment of terrible suspense followed the Greek's announcement.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.

pastnounUS /pæst/

the time that has elapsed

From this reading Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.

plainlyadverbUS /ˈpleɪnli/

unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

preynounUS /preɪ/

a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

quietlyadverbUS /ˈkwaɪətli/

with low volume

From this reading Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.

rascalnounUS /ˈræskəl/

a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel

From this reading We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.

RIVERnounUS /ˈrɪvər/

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

From this reading THE UNDERGROUND RIVER.

rocknounUS /rɑːk/

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.

searchedverbUS /sɜːrtʃt/

past form of “search” — try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.

shoutsnounUS /ʃaʊts/

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

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

soundsnounUS /saʊndz/

plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.

strikeverbUS /straɪk/

deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon

From this reading We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.

suspensenounUS /səˈspens/

apprehension about what is going to happen

From this reading A moment of terrible suspense followed the Greek's announcement.

terribleadjectiveUS /ˈterəbəl/

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading A moment of terrible suspense followed the Greek's announcement.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE UNDERGROUND RIVER.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Then the sounds grew fainter and Canaris said quietly: "They have gone on past the rock.

UNDERGROUNDadjectiveUS /ˈʌndərɡraʊnd/

under the level of the ground

From this reading THE UNDERGROUND RIVER.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading We had better strike a light and see what has become of that black rascal.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading From without could be plainly heard a chorus of angry shouts as the Abyssinians searched for their missing prey.

Chapter 19 of The River of Darkness by William Murray Graydon holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 19 of The River of Darkness contain?

Chapter 19 holds 97 sentences of The River of Darkness, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 19 of The River of Darkness by William Murray Graydon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 19 of The River of Darkness?

Work through the 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 20 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 19 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 19 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

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  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.