Chapter 15 of The Sign of the Spider is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Sign of the Spider is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN AWAKENING. Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub. Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern. Then he peered forth. His first glance, keen and quick, took in every detail.
Chapter 15 of The Sign of the Spider is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
moving forward
From this reading “Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.”
the act of waking
From this reading “AN AWAKENING.”
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading “Then he peered forth.”
plural of “savage” — a member of an uncivilized people
From this reading “Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.”
clean with hard rubbing
From this reading “Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.”
not dense
From this reading “Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.”
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
From this reading “Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.”
inclined to yield to argument or influence or control
From this reading “Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.”
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 Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.
moving forward
From this reading Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN AWAKENING.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His first glance, keen and quick, took in every detail.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.
the act of waking
From this reading AN AWAKENING.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.
an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole
From this reading His first glance, keen and quick, took in every detail.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading His first glance, keen and quick, took in every detail.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Then he peered forth.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading His first glance, keen and quick, took in every detail.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he peered forth.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His first glance, keen and quick, took in every detail.
an instinctive motive
From this reading Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His first glance, keen and quick, took in every detail.
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading His first glance, keen and quick, took in every detail.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading Then he peered forth.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.
plural of “savage” — a member of an uncivilized people
From this reading Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.
clean with hard rubbing
From this reading Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.
preservation of yourself from harm; a natural or instinctive tendency
From this reading Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.
not dense
From this reading Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
From this reading Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he peered forth.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading His first glance, keen and quick, took in every detail.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Ten or a dozen tall savages were advancing through the somewhat sparse scrub.
inclined to yield to argument or influence or control
From this reading Yielding to a first impulse of self-preservation, Laurence, quick as thought, stepped behind the stem of the tree-fern.
Chapter 15 of The Sign of the Spider by Bertram Mitford holds 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 15 holds 148 sentences of The Sign of the Spider, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Sign of the Spider by Bertram Mitford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 15 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 Sign of the Spider by Bertram Mitford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5340 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27476 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27476, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 445 minutes of reading across 1068 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sign of the Spider section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Sign of the Spider 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 Sign of the Spider, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
