Chapter 9 of Tracked to his lair is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Tracked to his lair is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE RUNNING NIGHT FIGHT. An instant, the ranchmen and cowboys stood, too dumbfounded to move. Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action. Bang! Bang!
Chapter 9 of Tracked to his lair is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading “Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.”
strike violently
From this reading “Bang!”
plural of “cowboy” — a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
From this reading “An instant, the ranchmen and cowboys stood, too dumbfounded to move.”
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading “An instant, the ranchmen and cowboys stood, too dumbfounded to move.”
past form of “galvanize” — to stimulate to action
From this reading “Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.”
laugh at with contempt and derision
From this reading “Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.”
abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule
From this reading “Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.”
sharp piercing cry
From this reading “Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.”
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.
In this reading “Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.”
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 Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An instant, the ranchmen and cowboys stood, too dumbfounded to move.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading An instant, the ranchmen and cowboys stood, too dumbfounded to move.
strike violently
From this reading Bang!
plural of “cowboy” — a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
From this reading An instant, the ranchmen and cowboys stood, too dumbfounded to move.
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading An instant, the ranchmen and cowboys stood, too dumbfounded to move.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading THE RUNNING NIGHT FIGHT.
past form of “galvanize” — to stimulate to action
From this reading Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading An instant, the ranchmen and cowboys stood, too dumbfounded to move.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.
laugh at with contempt and derision
From this reading Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.
abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule
From this reading Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading An instant, the ranchmen and cowboys stood, too dumbfounded to move.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading THE RUNNING NIGHT FIGHT.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An instant, the ranchmen and cowboys stood, too dumbfounded to move.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading THE RUNNING NIGHT FIGHT.
sharp piercing cry
From this reading Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading An instant, the ranchmen and cowboys stood, too dumbfounded to move.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RUNNING NIGHT FIGHT.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the shriek of a mocking jeer galvanized them into action.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading An instant, the ranchmen and cowboys stood, too dumbfounded to move.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading An instant, the ranchmen and cowboys stood, too dumbfounded to move.
Chapter 9 of Tracked to his lair by Spencer Dair holds 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 9 holds 121 sentences of Tracked to his lair, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Tracked to his lair by Spencer Dair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 9 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 Tracked to his lair by Spencer Dair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1911 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72803 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72803, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 159 minutes of reading across 383 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tracked to his lair section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Tracked to his lair 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 Tracked to his lair, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
