Chapter 20 of The Silver Horde is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Silver Horde is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view. Boyd asked the meaning of its presence in this part of the river. "I don't know," answered Big George, staring intently. "Yonder looks like another one behind it, with a raft of piles." "I thought all the Company traps were up-stream."
Chapter 20 of The Silver Horde is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
with strained or eager attention
From this reading “"I don't know," answered Big George, staring intently.”
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading “Boyd asked the meaning of its presence in this part of the river.”
venous swelling external or internal to the anal sphincter
From this reading “"Yonder looks like another one behind it, with a raft of piles."”
a flat float (usually made of logs or planks) that can be used for transport or as a platform for swimmers
From this reading “"Yonder looks like another one behind it, with a raft of piles."”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “"I don't know," answered Big George, staring intently.”
-ing form of “tow” — drag behind
From this reading “A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.”
plural of “trap” — a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading “"I thought all the Company traps were up-stream."”
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading “"Yonder looks like another one behind it, with a raft of piles."”
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 HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "I thought all the Company traps were up-stream."
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "Yonder looks like another one behind it, with a raft of piles."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I don't know," answered Big George, staring intently.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Boyd asked the meaning of its presence in this part of the river.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading "Yonder looks like another one behind it, with a raft of piles."
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "I don't know," answered Big George, staring intently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Boyd asked the meaning of its presence in this part of the river.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading "I thought all the Company traps were up-stream."
absence of light or illumination
From this reading A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know," answered Big George, staring intently.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading "I don't know," answered Big George, staring intently.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know," answered Big George, staring intently.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
with strained or eager attention
From this reading "I don't know," answered Big George, staring intently.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Yonder looks like another one behind it, with a raft of piles."
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Boyd asked the meaning of its presence in this part of the river.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know," answered Big George, staring intently.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Yonder looks like another one behind it, with a raft of piles."
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading "Yonder looks like another one behind it, with a raft of piles."
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading Boyd asked the meaning of its presence in this part of the river.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Boyd asked the meaning of its presence in this part of the river.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Yonder looks like another one behind it, with a raft of piles."
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading Boyd asked the meaning of its presence in this part of the river.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
venous swelling external or internal to the anal sphincter
From this reading "Yonder looks like another one behind it, with a raft of piles."
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading Boyd asked the meaning of its presence in this part of the river.
a flat float (usually made of logs or planks) that can be used for transport or as a platform for swimmers
From this reading "Yonder looks like another one behind it, with a raft of piles."
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Boyd asked the meaning of its presence in this part of the river.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading "I don't know," answered Big George, staring intently.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Boyd asked the meaning of its presence in this part of the river.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I thought all the Company traps were up-stream."
-ing form of “tow” — drag behind
From this reading A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
plural of “trap” — a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading "I thought all the Company traps were up-stream."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I thought all the Company traps were up-stream."
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
during the time that
From this reading A HAND IN THE DARK While they were talking a tug-boat towing a pile-driver came into view.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Yonder looks like another one behind it, with a raft of piles."
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading "Yonder looks like another one behind it, with a raft of piles."
Chapter 20 of The Silver Horde by Rex Beach holds 257 sentences, grouped into 52 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 20 holds 257 sentences of The Silver Horde, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Silver Horde by Rex Beach exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 257 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 20 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 Silver Horde by Rex Beach on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7287 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6017 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6017, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1458 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Silver Horde section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Silver Horde 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 Silver Horde, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
