Chapter 12 of The Saracen: The Holy War is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Saracen: The Holy War is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death. * * * * * Her first sight of Daoud was a cruel blow to Sophia's heart. His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow. His bloodshot eyes looked at her out of blackened lids. His lips were cracked.
Chapter 12 of The Saracen: The Holy War is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
darkened by smoke
From this reading “His bloodshot eyes looked at her out of blackened lids.”
being or having light colored skin and hair and usually blue or grey eyes
From this reading “His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.”
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
From this reading “His lips were cracked.”
the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock
From this reading “His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.”
long and thin and often limp
From this reading “His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.”
plural of “lid” — either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
From this reading “His bloodshot eyes looked at her out of blackened lids.”
plural of “lock” — a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed
From this reading “His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.”
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading “His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.”
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 * * * * * Her first sight of Daoud was a cruel blow to Sophia's heart.
possessing life
From this reading And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His bloodshot eyes looked at her out of blackened lids.
darkened by smoke
From this reading His bloodshot eyes looked at her out of blackened lids.
being or having light colored skin and hair and usually blue or grey eyes
From this reading His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.
(of an eye) reddened as a result of locally congested blood vessels; inflamed
From this reading His bloodshot eyes looked at her out of blackened lids.
exhale hard
From this reading * * * * * Her first sight of Daoud was a cruel blow to Sophia's heart.
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death.
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
From this reading His lips were cracked.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading * * * * * Her first sight of Daoud was a cruel blow to Sophia's heart.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading * * * * * Her first sight of Daoud was a cruel blow to Sophia's heart.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death.
the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock
From this reading His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His bloodshot eyes looked at her out of blackened lids.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading * * * * * Her first sight of Daoud was a cruel blow to Sophia's heart.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading * * * * * Her first sight of Daoud was a cruel blow to Sophia's heart.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading * * * * * Her first sight of Daoud was a cruel blow to Sophia's heart.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.
long and thin and often limp
From this reading His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.
plural of “lid” — either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
From this reading His bloodshot eyes looked at her out of blackened lids.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading His lips were cracked.
plural of “lock” — a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed
From this reading His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading His bloodshot eyes looked at her out of blackened lids.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death.
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading * * * * * Her first sight of Daoud was a cruel blow to Sophia's heart.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading * * * * * Her first sight of Daoud was a cruel blow to Sophia's heart.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.
past form of “thank” — express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading * * * * * Her first sight of Daoud was a cruel blow to Sophia's heart.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading * * * * * Her first sight of Daoud was a cruel blow to Sophia's heart.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His lips were cracked.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading And he thanked God for bringing him alive and whole out of the valley of death.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His blond hair, dark with dirt and sweat, spread in lank locks on the pillow.
Chapter 12 of The Saracen: The Holy War by Robert Shea holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 12 holds 406 sentences of The Saracen: The Holy War, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Saracen: The Holy War by Robert Shea exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 12 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 Saracen: The Holy War by Robert Shea on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11789 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28516 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28516, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2358 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Saracen: The Holy War section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Saracen: The Holy War 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 Saracen: The Holy War, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
