Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
A Prisoner of Morro
A Prisoner of Morro

Chapter IX

Cover illustration for A Prisoner of Morro
Context Illustration Reading 1/26 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE ENEMY'S COUNTRY.
It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.
The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.
And they did not fail to recognize the peril in which they were.
The firing had probably been heard and the wreck of the merchantman seen.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Prisoner of Morro

Chapter IX

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE ENEMY'S COUNTRY.
Line 2
It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.
Line 3
The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.
Line 4
And they did not fail to recognize the peril in which they were.
Line 5
The firing had probably been heard and the wreck of the merchantman seen.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.”

Disappeared noun US /ˈdisappeared/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.”

Least noun US /least/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.”

Point noun US /pɔɪnt/

the main matter or purpose being discussed

From this reading “The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.”

Themselves pronoun US /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading “It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.”

Took noun US /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.”

All words in this reading · 71

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

absolute

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

COUNTRY

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

From this reading THE ENEMY'S COUNTRY.

darkness

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading And they did not fail to recognize the peril in which they were.

disappearednounUS /ˈdisappeared/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

ENEMY'S

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

From this reading THE ENEMY'S COUNTRY.

exhausted

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

fail

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

From this reading And they did not fail to recognize the peril in which they were.

faint

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

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

feet

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

find

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

firing

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

From this reading The firing had probably been heard and the wreck of the merchantman seen.

five

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

heard

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

From this reading The firing had probably been heard and the wreck of the merchantman seen.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

knew

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

leastnounUS /least/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

light

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

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

managed

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

mean

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

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

men

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

merchantman

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

From this reading The firing had probably been heard and the wreck of the merchantman seen.

midst

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

minutes

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

moved

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

neighborhood

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

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading And they did not fail to recognize the peril in which they were.

now

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

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

other

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

peril

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

From this reading And they did not fail to recognize the peril in which they were.

pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/

the main matter or purpose being discussed

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

probably

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

From this reading The firing had probably been heard and the wreck of the merchantman seen.

recognize

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

From this reading And they did not fail to recognize the peril in which they were.

rise

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

sea

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

seen

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

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

side

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

Spaniards

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

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE ENEMY'S COUNTRY.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

there

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

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

tooknounUS /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The faint point of light which they had seen had now disappeared: but they took it to mean that there were Spaniards in the neighborhood.

wild

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

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It must have been at least five minutes before those exhausted men moved again; when at last they managed to rise to their feet it was to find themselves in the midst of absolute darkness, with the wild sea on one side of them and on the other no one knew what.

wreck

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

From this reading The firing had probably been heard and the wreck of the merchantman seen.