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The Tragedy of the Korosko
The Tragedy of the Korosko

Chapter IX

Cover illustration for The Tragedy of the Korosko
Context Illustration Reading 1/70 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.
The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.
With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.
The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.
The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Tragedy of the Korosko

Chapter IX

Reading 1/70 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.
Line 2
The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.
Line 3
With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.
Line 4
The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.
Line 5
The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

Learner Dictionary

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

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.”

Foot noun US /foot/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.”

Forward noun US /forward/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.”

Free adjective US /friː/

acting without enough restraint or discipline

From this reading “The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.”

None pronoun US /nʌn/

not one, and not any

From this reading “As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.”

Order noun US /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.”

Poor noun US /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.”

Treachery noun US /ˈtrɛtʃəri/

betrayal of trust

From this reading “The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.”

Understand noun US /understand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.”

All words in this reading · 101

Every word is available to listen to. 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 With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

air

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

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

all

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

apostasy

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

Arab's

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

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

Arabic

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

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

blow

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

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

brown

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

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

clawing

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

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

clutched

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

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

command

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

conduct

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

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

convulsive

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

cotton

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

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

cur

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

curt

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

Dervish

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

dragoman

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

dragoman's

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

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

drives

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

edge

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

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

Emir

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

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

face

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

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

fear

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

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

fears

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

finding

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

fingers

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

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

flew

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

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

footnounUS /foot/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

forwardnounUS /forward/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

freeadjectiveUS /friː/

acting without enough restraint or discipline

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

gave

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

grip

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

groaning

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

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

held

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

high

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

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

horny

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

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

impatience

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

jibbeh

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

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

kicked

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

lay

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

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

leader

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

Mansoor

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

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

nonepronounUS /nʌn/

not one, and not any

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

off

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

ordernounUS /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

pestering

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

poornounUS /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

realised

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

red

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

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

shriek

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

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

skirt

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

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

stunning

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

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

subservience

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

tarboosh

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

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

then

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

three

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

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

threw

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

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

treacherynounUS /ˈtrɛtʃəri/

betrayal of trust

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

tugged

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

turned

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

understandnounUS /understand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

unfortunate

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

unintelligible

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

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

up

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

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

vicious

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading The dragoman’s high red tarboosh flew up into the air, and he lay groaning upon his face where the stunning blow of the Arab’s horny foot had left him.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The Emir tugged to free himself, and then, finding that he was still held by that convulsive grip, he turned and kicked at Mansoor with the vicious impatience with which one drives off a pestering cur.

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.

worst

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

From this reading The unfortunate dragoman, after all his treachery and all his subservience and apostasy, found his worst fears realised when the Dervish leader gave his curt command.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading As none of the three could understand Arabic, the order of the Emir would have been unintelligible to them had it not been for the conduct of Mansoor.

wretch

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

From this reading With a shriek of fear the poor wretch threw himself forward upon his face, and clutched at the edge of the Arab’s jibbeh, clawing with his brown fingers at the edge of the cotton skirt.