Chapter 39 of The River of Darkness is here in full — 74 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of The River of Darkness is here in full — 74 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CAPTAIN BECKER LOSES A WAGER. "No, no, gentlemen. I respectfully beg leave to differ with you. Africa never gives up her white slaves." Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
Chapter 39 of The River of Darkness is here in full — 74 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
in a rebellious manner
From this reading “Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.”
be different
From this reading “I respectfully beg leave to differ with you.”
spoken with emphasis
From this reading “Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.”
physically weak
From this reading “Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.”
past form of “glare” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading “Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.”
third-person singular of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “CAPTAIN BECKER LOSES A WAGER.”
the act of furnishing an equivalent person or thing in the place of another
From this reading “Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.”
the act of gambling
From this reading “CAPTAIN BECKER LOSES A WAGER.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading CAPTAIN BECKER LOSES A WAGER.
the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean
From this reading Africa never gives up her white slaves."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CAPTAIN BECKER LOSES A WAGER.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading I respectfully beg leave to differ with you.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading CAPTAIN BECKER LOSES A WAGER.
plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
in a rebellious manner
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
be different
From this reading I respectfully beg leave to differ with you.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
spoken with emphasis
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
physically weak
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading "No, no, gentlemen.
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading Africa never gives up her white slaves."
past form of “glare” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
to a considerable degree
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Africa never gives up her white slaves."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I respectfully beg leave to differ with you.
go away from a place
From this reading I respectfully beg leave to differ with you.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
third-person singular of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading CAPTAIN BECKER LOSES A WAGER.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
a white clayey mineral
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Africa never gives up her white slaves."
not any; not one
From this reading "No, no, gentlemen.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
the act of furnishing an equivalent person or thing in the place of another
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
in a respectful manner
From this reading I respectfully beg leave to differ with you.
plural of “slave” — a person who is owned by someone
From this reading Africa never gives up her white slaves."
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I respectfully beg leave to differ with you.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Africa never gives up her white slaves."
the act of gambling
From this reading CAPTAIN BECKER LOSES A WAGER.
a Caucasian
From this reading Africa never gives up her white slaves."
in the company of; together with
From this reading I respectfully beg leave to differ with you.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist down heavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaum between his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I respectfully beg leave to differ with you.
Chapter 39 of The River of Darkness by William Murray Graydon holds 74 sentences, grouped into 15 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 39 holds 74 sentences of The River of Darkness, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of The River of Darkness by William Murray Graydon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 74 sentences, grouped into 15 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 39 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The River of Darkness by William Murray Graydon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3841 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24297 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24297, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 320 minutes of reading across 769 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The River of Darkness section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The River of Darkness to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The River of Darkness, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
