Chapter 2 of The Trail Book is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Trail Book is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"'Short life to him,' I said. 'In three nights or four, the Grass-Eaters will be moving.' "'And my people are fast in the mud,' said Taku-Wakin. 'I am a mud-head myself to think a crooked rod could save them.' He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.
Chapter 2 of The Trail Book is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned
From this reading “'I am a mud-head myself to think a crooked rod could save them.'”
an encircling or ringlike structure
From this reading “He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.”
water soaked soil; soft wet earth
From this reading “"'And my people are fast in the mud,' said Taku-Wakin.”
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading “'In three nights or four, the Grass-Eaters will be moving.'”
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading “'I am a mud-head myself to think a crooked rod could save them.'”
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading “He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.”
used especially of timbers or boards; bent out of shape usually by moisture
From this reading “He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.”
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading “He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.”
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 'I am a mud-head myself to think a crooked rod could save them.'
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading 'I am a mud-head myself to think a crooked rod could save them.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "'And my people are fast in the mud,' said Taku-Wakin.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "'And my people are fast in the mud,' said Taku-Wakin.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading 'In three nights or four, the Grass-Eaters will be moving.'
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading 'I am a mud-head myself to think a crooked rod could save them.'
having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned
From this reading 'I am a mud-head myself to think a crooked rod could save them.'
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading "'And my people are fast in the mud,' said Taku-Wakin.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading 'In three nights or four, the Grass-Eaters will be moving.'
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.
an encircling or ringlike structure
From this reading He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'In three nights or four, the Grass-Eaters will be moving.'
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "'Short life to him,' I said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "'Short life to him,' I said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 'In three nights or four, the Grass-Eaters will be moving.'
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "'Short life to him,' I said.
in motion
From this reading 'In three nights or four, the Grass-Eaters will be moving.'
water soaked soil; soft wet earth
From this reading "'And my people are fast in the mud,' said Taku-Wakin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I am a mud-head myself to think a crooked rod could save them.'
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "'And my people are fast in the mud,' said Taku-Wakin.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading 'I am a mud-head myself to think a crooked rod could save them.'
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading 'In three nights or four, the Grass-Eaters will be moving.'
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading 'In three nights or four, the Grass-Eaters will be moving.'
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "'And my people are fast in the mud,' said Taku-Wakin.
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading 'I am a mud-head myself to think a crooked rod could save them.'
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "'Short life to him,' I said.
except for; apart from
From this reading 'I am a mud-head myself to think a crooked rod could save them.'
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading "'Short life to him,' I said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'And my people are fast in the mud,' said Taku-Wakin.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'In three nights or four, the Grass-Eaters will be moving.'
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading 'I am a mud-head myself to think a crooked rod could save them.'
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading 'I am a mud-head myself to think a crooked rod could save them.'
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading 'In three nights or four, the Grass-Eaters will be moving.'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "'Short life to him,' I said.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.
used especially of timbers or boards; bent out of shape usually by moisture
From this reading He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading He took it from his girdle warped by the wet and the warmth of his body.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading 'In three nights or four, the Grass-Eaters will be moving.'
Chapter 2 of The Trail Book by Mary Austin holds 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 2 holds 457 sentences of The Trail Book, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Trail Book by Mary Austin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 2 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 Trail Book by Mary Austin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3499 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9913 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9913, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 291 minutes of reading across 700 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Trail Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Trail Book 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 Trail Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
