Chapter 1 of The Settler and the Savage is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Settler and the Savage is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SETTLER AND THE SAVAGE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE. CHAPTER ONE. THE WILD KARROO. A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa. His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
Chapter 1 of The Settler and the Savage is here in full — 408 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.
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 “A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.”
a man skilled in equitation
From this reading “A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.”
the state of being a man; manly qualities
From this reading “A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.”
plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land
From this reading “A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.”
being or dressed in clothes that are worn or torn
From this reading “His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.”
a person who settles in a new colony or moves into new country
From this reading “THE SETTLER AND THE SAVAGE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.”
possessive form of “snail” — freshwater or marine or terrestrial gastropod mollusk usually having an external enclosing spiral shell
From this reading “A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.”
(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately
From this reading “His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.”
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 A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
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 A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE SETTLER AND THE SAVAGE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SETTLER AND THE SAVAGE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE SETTLER AND THE SAVAGE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
a man skilled in equitation
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WILD KARROO.
staying power
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading THE SETTLER AND THE SAVAGE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
the state of being a man; manly qualities
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
above and across; more than
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading THE SETTLER AND THE SAVAGE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
being or dressed in clothes that are worn or torn
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading THE SETTLER AND THE SAVAGE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
a person who settles in a new colony or moves into new country
From this reading THE SETTLER AND THE SAVAGE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
possessive form of “snail” — freshwater or marine or terrestrial gastropod mollusk usually having an external enclosing spiral shell
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
characterized by or preferring solitude
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SETTLER AND THE SAVAGE, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading THE WILD KARROO.
used until no longer useful
From this reading His chin on his breast; his hands in the pockets of an old shooting-coat; his legs in ragged trousers, and his feet in worn-out boots.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading A solitary horseman--a youth in early manhood--riding at a snail's pace over the great plains, or karroo, of South Africa.
Chapter 1 of The Settler and the Savage by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 408 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 1 holds 408 sentences of The Settler and the Savage, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Settler and the Savage by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 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 1 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 Settler and the Savage by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4004 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21701 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21701, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 333 minutes of reading across 801 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Settler and the Savage section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Settler and the Savage 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 Settler and the Savage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
