The Wilderness Trail

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Wilderness Trail is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Francis William Sullivan • Curated US English Learning Edition

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English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

In anticipation of any desperate emergency, the captive sprang to his feet, and retreated to a corner of the room farthest from the door, watching with wary eyes for his visitor's appearance.

"Who is it?" he demanded, as the door was flung open.

"It's me, Charley Seguis," was the reply, in the voice of the half-breed.

Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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Chapter V Reading 1/45

The Wilderness Trail Francis William Sullivan

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Wilderness Trail is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night. In anticipation of any desperate emergency, the captive sprang to his feet, and retreated to a corner of the room farthest from the door, watching with wary eyes for his visitor's appearance. "Who is it?" he demanded, as the door was flung open. "It's me, Charley Seguis," was the reply, in the voice of the half-breed. Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.

The Wilderness Trail

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Wilderness Trail is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/45 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

Line 2

In anticipation of any desperate emergency, the captive sprang to his feet, and retreated to a corner of the room farthest from the door, watching with wary eyes for his visitor's appearance.

/ɪn ænˌtɪsəˈpeɪʃən ʌv ˈeni ˈdesprɪt ɪˈmɜːrdʒənsi ðə ˈkæptɪv spræŋ tuː hɪz fiːt ənd riˈtriːtəd tuː ə ˈkɔːrnər ʌv ðə ruːm ˈfɑːrðəst frʌm ðə dɔːr ˈwɑːtʃɪŋ wɪð ˈweri aɪz fɔːr hɪz ˈvɪzɪtərz əˈpɪrəns/

Line 3

"Who is it?" he demanded, as the door was flung open.

/huː ɪz ɪt hiː dɪˈmændəd æz ðə dɔːr wɑːz flʌŋ ˈoʊ.pən/

Line 4

"It's me, Charley Seguis," was the reply, in the voice of the half-breed.

Line 5

Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.

Learner Dictionary

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.

anticipation noun US /ænˌtɪsəˈpeɪʃən/

an expectation

From this reading “In anticipation of any desperate emergency, the captive sprang to his feet, and retreated to a corner of the room farthest from the door, watching with wary eyes for his visitor's appearance.”

cadences noun US /ˈkeɪdənsɪz/

plural of “cadence” — (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse

From this reading “Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.”

farthest adverb US /ˈfɑːrðəst/

to the greatest distance in space or time (“farthest” is used more often than “furthest” in this physical sense)

mellow adjective US /ˈmeloʊ/

unhurried and relaxed

From this reading “Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.”

stress noun US /stres/

the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)

From this reading “Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.”

unlock verb US /ənˈlɑːk/

open the lock of

From this reading “DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.”

visitor's noun US /ˈvɪzɪtərz/

possessive form of “visitor” — someone who visits

wary adjective US /ˈweri/

marked by keen caution and watchful prudence

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

second time noun + noun

In this reading “DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.”

In anticipation preposition + noun

In this reading “In anticipation of any desperate emergency, the captive sprang to his feet, and retreated to a corner of the room farthest from the door, watching with wary eyes for his visitor's appearance.”

for the second preposition + article + noun counted as “for … second”

All words in this reading · 76

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading In anticipation of any desperate emergency, the captive sprang to his feet, and retreated to a corner of the room farthest from the door, watching with wary eyes for his visitor's appearance.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

anticipationnounUS /ænˌtɪsəˈpeɪʃən/

an expectation

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

appearancenounUS /əˈpɪrəns/

outward or visible aspect of a person or thing

approachverbUS /əˈproʊtʃ/

move towards

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "Who is it?" he demanded, as the door was flung open.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

beginningnounUS /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/

the event consisting of the start of something

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

bloodnounUS /blʌd/

The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.

From this reading Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.

cadencesnounUS /ˈkeɪdənsɪz/

plural of “cadence” — (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse

From this reading Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.

captivenounUS /ˈkæptɪv/

a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

Charley

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "It's me, Charley Seguis," was the reply, in the voice of the half-breed.

cornernounUS /ˈkɔːrnər/

a place off to the side of an area

DEATHnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

demandedverbUS /dɪˈmændəd/

past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully

From this reading "Who is it?" he demanded, as the door was flung open.

desperateadjectiveUS /ˈdesprɪt/

arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope

Donald

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

drowseverb

sleep lightly or for a short period of time

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

emergencynounUS /ɪˈmɜːrdʒənsi/

a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action

EvenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

farthestadverbUS /ˈfɑːrðəst/

to the greatest distance in space or time (“farthest” is used more often than “furthest” in this physical sense)

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

flungverbUS /flʌŋ/

inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness

From this reading "Who is it?" he demanded, as the door was flung open.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

half-breednoun

an offensive term for an offspring of parents of different racial group (especially of Caucasian and American Indian ancestry)

From this reading "It's me, Charley Seguis," was the reply, in the voice of the half-breed.

half-wonderingly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Who is it?" he demanded, as the door was flung open.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Who is it?" he demanded, as the door was flung open.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

It's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "It's me, Charley Seguis," was the reply, in the voice of the half-breed.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

lateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "It's me, Charley Seguis," was the reply, in the voice of the half-breed.

mellowadjectiveUS /ˈmeloʊ/

unhurried and relaxed

From this reading Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.

mixedadjectiveUS /mɪkst/

consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds

From this reading Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

noticedadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊtəst/

being perceived or observed

From this reading Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading "Who is it?" he demanded, as the door was flung open.

perhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/

by chance

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

replynounUS /rɪˈplaɪ/

a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation

From this reading "It's me, Charley Seguis," was the reply, in the voice of the half-breed.

retreatednounUS /riˈtriːtəd/

people who have retreated

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

secondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

Seguis

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "It's me, Charley Seguis," was the reply, in the voice of the half-breed.

someonepronounUS /ˈsʌmwʌn/

a person, without saying who

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

sprangverbUS /spræŋ/

inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds

stressnounUS /stres/

the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)

From this reading Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Even in this moment of stress, Donald noticed half-wonderingly the mellow cadences in the voice of this man of mixed blood.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

TRAILnounUS /treɪl/

a track or mark left by something that has passed

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

unlockverbUS /ənˈlɑːk/

open the lock of

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

visitor'snounUS /ˈvɪzɪtərz/

possessive form of “visitor” — someone who visits

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading "It's me, Charley Seguis," was the reply, in the voice of the half-breed.

waryadjectiveUS /ˈweri/

marked by keen caution and watchful prudence

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

watchingnounUS /ˈwɑːtʃɪŋ/

the act of observing; taking a patient look

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading DEATH TRAIL It was, perhaps, an hour later when Donald, just beginning to drowse before his little fire, heard someone approach and unlock his door, for the second time that night.

WhopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading "Who is it?" he demanded, as the door was flung open.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

Chapter 5 of The Wilderness Trail by Francis William Sullivan holds 227 sentences, grouped into 46 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.

What does chapter 5 of The Wilderness Trail contain?

Chapter 5 holds 227 sentences of The Wilderness Trail, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Wilderness Trail by Francis William Sullivan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 227 sentences, grouped into 46 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of The Wilderness Trail?

Work through the 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 46 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.

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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.

Questions about reading The Wilderness Trail

Common questions about reading The Wilderness Trail by Francis William Sullivan on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Wilderness Trail?

Yes. All 4538 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30925 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Wilderness Trail is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #30925, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Wilderness Trail take to read?

About 378 minutes of reading across 908 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Wilderness Trail

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Frank: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Wilderness Trail; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter V

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