How do we use water?

In this unit you will:

Experience
Pakistan Isle of W ight Syria Bangladesh

Read
prose fiction travel writing a postcard a poem

Create
a com position a leaflet an account
..... ............... d

Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.

From The Rime of the A ncient M ariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1798

W hat is the situation described in the quotation above? There is a clue in the title of the poem: a m ariner is a sailor. In Coleridges poem the sailors, surrounded by salty seawater, are desperate for water to drink. It is impossible for anyone to survive for long w ithout fresh water.

t
1 2 How is water important to you? How much of a role does water play in your daily routines?
i,r w m - - r - r

Prose fiction
From Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples
In the following text, a twelve-year-old girl, Shabanu, describes her morning ritual. She liveswith her family andtheircamels inthe Cholistan Desert in Pakistan. Water is extremely precious to them. When their water source dries up, they move on to another part of the desert. Word origins Some of the Urdu names in this novel are similar to English names. Shabanu is named after the eighth Islamic month, Shaban. In English the girls names April, May and June are all the names of months. Phulan, the name of Shabanus older sister, means flower. In English the girls names Rose, Daisy and Heather are all flower names. Mithoo is an affectionate name meaning sweet. In English, little children are sometimes called *

s o Morning in the Desert 03

sweetie.

The sky is pearl-grey w hen I aw ake. M y sister Phulan pushes me o ut of bed. Yawning and rubbing my eyes, I tie a piece of soap into the corner of m y chador. I pick up tw o earthen pots and a padded ring to balance one p o t on my head. The other fits under m y arm , balanced on my hip. M y cam el, M ithoo, and I set off for the w ater hole, the toba. M ith o o s small brass bell jingles cheerfully as he m oves his head, im patient for me to fold back the reed door w hich leads from our courtyard to the outside. I m ake M ith o o carry the em pty goatskin to the to b a. At the to b a I look o u t over our dw indling w ater supply. We probably have a m o n th , perhaps three weeks, before the

Cholistan comes from the Urdu word cholna meaning to move or walk, and -stan meaning land or place of. You will see w hy when you read the story. Chador is an Urdu (originally Persian) word for the shawl or veil worn by Muslim women and girls to cover their heads and shoulders. A toba is a water hole.

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w ater disappears. The m onsoon will n o t begin for another tw o m onths. T hen will be the tim e for flowers, m ushroom s, 15 weddings and water, but n o t now. Tw o-toed camel footprints are baked into the shiny clay at the outer edges of the toba. I lift my skirt w ith one h an d , and the m ud squirts between my toes as I enter the w ater. I push aside the green scum th at 20 floats just under the surface and place the edge of my chador over the m o u th o f the w ater p o t to filter out im purities. I take the filled p o t to the bathing rock at the edge of the toba and lift my tunic over my head. I th ro w my hair forw ard and p o u r w ater over it. The sun edges over the horizon. I can feel its heat on my 25 back and shoulders as the w ater trickles over m y scalp. I rub the soap into my hair. I squeeze my eyes shut, letting the soapy w ater drain dow n m y shoulders and neck, rubbing into my skin before rinsing off to preserve every drop. M am a used to b ath my sister and me w ith a single cup of w ater 30 w hen we were small. The sun is extrem ely h o t as I w alk back. O ver the next week we w atch o u r w ater dw indle yet further. In the heat of the afternoons, before the daily w ind and dust arrive, we dry herbs. As the precious w ater slips aw ay w ith the h o t desert w ind, we also m ake our p rep arations for leaving the toba and m oving on.

W ordpool
Discuss the meaning of the following words taken from the extract, to awaken (line 1} to jingle (?) cheerfully (?) impatient (8) monsoon [13] scum (18) impurities (20) tunic (22) horizon (24) to preserve (28) to dwindle (32) precious (34) Make your own word pool of any other unfamiliar words you come across.

35

Women carrying water jars in the Cholistan Desert.

Water, water i

Comprehension
i l

1 What does Shabanu take with her to the water hole? 2 How does Shabanu manage to carry two pots to the water hole? 3 What changes will the monsoon bring to the fam ilys way of life?
4 How does Shabanu make sure that the water she collects in her

pot is clean? 5 Why do you think the water level is so low?

1 How does Shabanu describe the morning sky? (line 1)

2 Goatskin is made from two words put together. What do you

suppose a goatskin is? What is it used for? (line 10)

3 Find a word that means getting smaller, (paragraph 4)

4 What word is used to emphasize how hot the sun is? (paragraph 4]

Toolkit________________________________________
0 Notice that this story is written in the present tense. To change it to the past tense, use the simple past tense form of the verb. Present tense: I make Mithoo carry the empty goatskin. Past tense: I made Mithoo carry the empty goatskin.

W riting a com position

In the story Morning in the Desert, water is a luxury for Shabanu and her family and they use as little as possible. W hen they were young, her m other washed the children in just one cupful! You wash every m orning too, but you probably dont have to walk to a water hole with a camel. How is your day similar to Shabanus day? How is it different? 0 Create a Venn diagram that compares Shabanu way of s life to your own. You have probably used Venn diagrams in mathematics, but you can also use them to arrange ideas. Write a three-paragraph com position in which you compare Shabanus life with your own. The Venn diagram will help you to decide what to put in each paragraph.

How did people get w ater in the past?

From the earliest times o f civilization, people have faced the problem of getting water up from under the ground. In Britain there are a lot of old castles and fortifications. Long ago, people lived inside these walls so a source of water was essential. Today, the castles are attractive places for visitors. Carisbrooke Castle was built in the M iddle Ages on the Isle of W ight, an island off the south coast of Britain. The following leaflet is about the donkey-pow ered well there.
Atreadwheel is a wheel that is kept moving by an animal or person walking on it. The turning wheel provides the power to raise water from a well, or to grind grain.

Have a great day out and learn about the island's history!
C arisb ro o k e Castle can be found right in the m iddle of the Isle of W ight. The m ain castle walls th a t stand today were built by N orm an rulers in the 1 1 th and 1 2 th centuries. T h e hill the castle is on was used as a site for several previous strongholds. A hill is a great place to build a castle because it can be defended from enem y attack. B u t ju st as im p o rtan t for the people living in a castle is access to water! A t Carisbrooke Castle you can still see the unique way th a t w ater was brought into the castle.

Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight

The, jatck o iu c cniroincc to Carls brooks Castle.

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* The well at Carisbrooke Castle was dug in 1136 w hen the original w ater source dried up. * A wooden bucket was used to collect w ater from th e well, which is 49 m etres deep. * A w ell'house and treadw heel were built in 1291 and donkey pow er was introduced to the castle! * In 1587 the treadw heel was rebuilt by later island rulers. You can see one of the six castle donkeys w orking the treadw heel today!
Water being dmvJvt from the well, ju st as it was wumy centuries ago.

Toolkit________________________

u i _______ 1 Does the leaflet make you think you would like to go there? W hy? Or why not? 2 How effective are the different types of sentences used in the leaflet? 3 Can you think of any ways in which the leaflet could be improved?

The passive voice is useful when you want to describe how something was done to someone or something, without saying who did it. Example : Carisbrooke Castle was built in the Middle Ages. The passive voice is formed by using the appropriate form of the verb to be plus the past participle. It can also be formed using modal verbs.
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M akin g a leaflet
0 Use the inform ation below about the water wheels at Ham a to plan and design a leaflet about them . Do some additional research. Draft your own ideas for a leaflet to encourage people to come and see the am azing water wheels. W hen you have finished, com pare your leaflet plan with those of others in your group. W hich features are m ost successful? Look at other leaflets on places of interest near you. Once you have a good idea of how leaflets can be designed, produce a final colourful version.

An aqueduct is an artificial channel for carrying water. An aqueduct can be below or above ground. Above-ground aqueducts also bridge gaps. To irrigate means to bring water through artifical channels to supplement rainfall and support more intensive farming practices.

0 (

The water wheels (norias) of Hama, Syria

Hama is about 40 kilometres from Aleppo in Syria. Settlements in Hama go back to the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. Hamas water wheels (norias) are up to 20 metres in diameter, the height of a fivestorey building. Norias have been in Hama since at least the fifth century. 17 of the 30 norias built in the 13th century, still survive today. The wheels bring up water from the River Orontes, as it is lower than the land. Norias are driven by the current of the water acting upon the paddles, and require no other form of power to keep them going. Water fills and drives the wooden boxes that empty into aqueducts at the top of the wheels rotation. Wheels were used to supply the town with water and for irrigating crops in the surrounding farmland. Although no longer applied to practical use, the wheels still turn In spring and summer for the benefit of tourists. Creaking and groaning as they bring up the water, they are a wonderful sight and a reminder of Syrias fascinating past.

i>earj e l l e , We had a wonderful1lw.e ha, H-am.a, where they have these am.azlt'vg old water wheels (i/vorlas) from, the 13th ceiA-tu.ry. They scoop the water up froi^vi the river Iia- boxes to supply whole towi^s with water, ai/td also the local fawdaiA,ds (after beltA,g cha^i/telled through aqueducts), or, at least they used to. These days, It's ju s t for the tourists, but the wheels are kKagi/uflceiAt to see Iia, action, createli/vg aiA -d groai/ui/vg llfee big old ghost ships! It all with us.
Love Karlina xxx
T t t N E T H -tB R -L A N IX S

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SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC

j e l l e M flrtiiA^eiA, 1 e K a ia, a Is b ru .0 L eeu.w flrdei/t

MS . tW tv k* til ^5 til til til tii wii 9

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Journal
Describe something you learned while on holiday.

Who lives on water?

W hen you were discussing ways you use water, did anyone think of using water as a place to live?
NEPAL

INDIA

Bay of Bengal

MYANMAR (Burm a)

Map of Bangladesh, showing its big river system.

A cobra is a type of poisonous snake found in Asia and Africa. A delta is land formed at the mouth of a river by the mud and sand brought there by the water.

Prose non-fiction
From Going to Extremes by Nick Middleton
The following story is about the river gypsies who live and work on their boats in Bangladesh. Look at the map to see just how large the river delta is in Bangladesh. The river gypsies of Bangladesh are renowned for their skills in handling snakes. The writer met the river gypsies on his travels and the following text recalls an occasion when these skills were put to good use. Word origins Gypsies were originally thought to have come from Egypt, which is where the name comes from. Gypsies are travelling people and their language, Romany, is related to Hindi. Today there are gypsies all over the world.

W ordpool
to dangle (line 7) commotion (10) to coax (12) sideboard (23) proceeding(26) expertly (30) to cower (34) faithful (36)

s o The River Gypsies 03

M y Indian friend, Babu, and I stood am ongst the crow d watching the river gypsies w ith their snakes. Beside them were several w ooden boxes in w hich they kept their snakes. From one of these boxes one of the gypsies had produced half a dozen small snakes w hich w ere w inding themselves ro u n d his w rists like b rig h t green bangles. T he o th er gypsy, w h o w ore a purple headscarf tied ro u n d his forehead, was dangling his hands in fro n t of a hooded cobra w hich was rising up from another box. The crow d w atched in h o rro r and delight. Suddenly there w as a small com m otion in the crow d and an old man came forward and spoke to the river gypsies, who immediately began to coax their snakes back into their boxes. The old m an has a snake in his house, Babu explained to me.

A river gypsy with his hooded cobras, Bangladesh.

15 The crow d follow ed the river gypsies to the old m an s house, the backyard of w hich sloped dow n to the flooded fields. One of the river men gathered some earth from the entrance and rubbed it betw een his hands. H e sm elt it and gave it to his colleague in the purple headscarf to do the same. 20 If the earth smells of fish, then the m en know theres a snake inside, Babu w hispered to me. The river gypsies entered the m ain room w hich had a bed on one side, and a neat row of cooking pots hung above a sideboard on the other. The ow ner of the house, evidently pleased to see a foreigner, beckoned me into his bedroom and pointed to the bed. This was the safest place from which to watch the proceedings. Suddenly there was a com m otion beneath the sideboard and the river gypsy w ith the purple headscarf darted underneath it. H e em erged holding a full-sized cobra as long as his arm . The snake hissed as the river gypsy expertly twisted his arm to prevent the snake from striking him . The crow d let o u t a collective gasp as he began to force the cobra into one of his boxes. But the show was n o t over yet. The other river gypsy had his head beneath the bed on w hich I was cow ering. H e emerged in a flash holding a second cobra, just as long as the first. H u sb an d and wife! cried Babu. C obras are faithful partners. They alw ays travel together!
N
ick

25

30

35

iddleton

Comprehension
What caused the small commotion in the crowd? Why did the gypsies immediately start to put their snakes back in their boxes? How did the river gypsies know that there was a snake inside the house? How did the old man show his pleasure at seeing a foreigner in his house? Why didnt the snake from underneath the sideboard bite the man?

Looking closely

1 How does the writer describe the way the snakes were winding around the g yp s ys wrists? (lines 5 and 6) 2 Why has the writer used the words horror and delight to describe the way the crowd was feeling? (line 9) 3 What word for a disturbance is used twice?
4 What were the people in the crowd thinking when they let

out a collective gasp? (line 31] 5 Why is what Babu says about the cobras being husband and wife funny? (line 36]
v_____________________________________________________________

Toolkit_____________________________________
Writing direct speech usually involves putting quotation marks around the words that are said. Indirect speech usually involves changing the sentence to the past tense, adding the word that and changing the pronoun. Example: My friend needs the snake catchers, Babu said to me. Babu said that his friend needed the snake catchers.

W riting an accou n t
The River Gypsies is w ritten in the first person, which is the writers point o f view. The I is the w riter himself, and he is retelling the events as he rem em bers them . He often uses the simple past tense to describe what happened. The text presents things in a chronological order. (That m eans that things are told in the order in which they happen). Now pretend that you are the old m an who had the snakes taken from his hom e. You m eet a neighbour who was away when the river gypsies came, and she asks you to explain what happened. Write an account from the old m ans perspective. Make it sound very exciting. Rem em ber to write in the first person and m ainly use the past tense - but watch out for any irregular verbs. You will need to make use of the details from the text, including what Babu says.

Poem
The following poem was written by Shafi Ahmed, who was born in Bangladesh in 193?. The first-person T in this poem is a river gyp sy in Bangladesh. Bedeh is a name for the river gypsies. Poetry often creates images in your head. After you have read or listened to the poem, choose some lines from Bedeh. Illustrate the lines you have chosen using pictures and sketches. You may choose to make the words part of your illustration.

s o Bedeh 03

W ordpool
This is the nam e of my clan. I am a water-gypsy on the turbulent rivers of Bangladesh. M y boat is hom e 5 to me, my wife, and our children. I have some knowledge of w ords and wild herbs. I treat snake-bites, drive out evil spirits, and attem pt things which others dare not. 10 Tigers, robbers, snakes, dem ons, storms all seem to leave me alone!
clan (line 1) tu rbu le n t(3) to attempt (9) anchorage (19) _ to marvel [27]

My needs are small and simple. They are easily m et from day to day, from hand to m outh, 15 from one river settlem ent to the next. Sometimes in fine w eather I row out to the rivers end. I meet m any ships at the anchorage. 20 The crew exchanges foodstuffs, old clothes, new spapers, empty cans and bottles with my beads, bangles, bam boo-toys and seashells. 25 Once I had a chance to board an English ship. I marvelled at the ocean-going craft. But the C aptain, he marvelled: at me, at the size of my boat, 30 at how we had survived, at how we live! He w rote dow n our nam es, and other things in his notebook. He said, one day he w ould w rite about us. I cannot imagine 35 Why anyone w ould w ant To do that!
Sh a f i A
hmed

Comprehension
Apart from treating snake-bites, what does the river gypsy do? What does the river gypsy do in fine weather? What is it about the river gypsy that causes the Captain to marvel about him? What does the Captain do with his notebook? What gives the reader the impression that the river gypsy has a humble opinion of himself?

The river gypsy describes the rivers of Bangladesh as turbulent. In what ways would turbulent rivers make life difficult for the river gyp sy? (line 3) What is another word for demon used in the poem? (line 8]

Why do you think tigers, robbers, snakes, demons and storms could be dangerous for the river gyp sy? [line 10) The gypsy lives a hand-to-mouth existence. What does this expression mean? (line 14)

Thinking about water

W hen you were brainstorm ing the ways in which we use water, did you th in k about going to the beach? Look at this painting by the French artist Edgar Degas, painted in the nineteenth century. Degas liked to paint ordinary people at leisure. At this tim e in France it was becom ing fashionable to visit the seaside. In this image a w om an combs the hair of the young girl, who has fallen asleep in the sun.

Beach Scene by Edgar Degas, painted in 1868-7?.

Looking closely
1 What is happening in the painting? 2 How would you describe the mood of the painting? 3 How do we know that the young girl has gone swimming? 4 How does Degas create the effect of bright sunlight?

ry rm v -ms I

>

Journal
Imagine, you are one o-f tiie character5 in tlie pointing and write a. Journal entry about your day.

Extension reading
From Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
This is the story of a family of settlers who travelled to the western part of America before it was part of the United States. Many families joined wagon trains in search of wealth, excitement and a better life. Here the father of the family finds trouble while digging a well.

W ordpool
A windlass is a tool for A tow sack is a cloth sack. A patchwork quilt is a blanket or bed cover, made of patches of material Pa means Father. Ma means Mother.

stout (line 19] scaly (21) blistering (28) fierce (31) to unravel (130)

lifting heavy weights. Plumb tuckered out is a phrase that means completely exhausted. Quicksand is sand that is unstable and dangerous.

so

Fresh Water to Drink g s

N ex t m orning he m arked a large circle in the grass near the corner of the house. W ith his spade he cut the sod inside the circle, and lifted it up in large pieces. T hen he began to shovel o ut the earth , digging him self deeper and deeper dow n. M ary and Laura m ust n o t go near the well while Pa was digging. Even w hen they co u ld n t see his head any m ore, shovelfuls of earth cam e flying up. At last the spade flew up and fell in the grass. T hen Pa jum ped. His hands caught hold of the sod, then one elbow gripped it, and then the other elbow, and w ith a heave io Pa cam e rolling out. I can t th ro w the d irt o u t from any deeper, he said. H e had to have help now. So he to o k his gun and rode aw ay on Patty. W hen he cam e back he brought a plum p rab b it, and he had trad ed w o rk w ith M r Scott. M r Scott w ould help him dig this well, and then he w ould help dig M r Scotts well. M a and L aura and M ary had n o t seen M r and M rs Scott. Their house w as hidden som ew here in a little valley on the prairie. 5

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Laura had seen the sm oke rising up from it, and th a t was all. A t daw n next m orning M r Scott cam e. He was short and stout. H is hair w as bleached by the sun and his skin was bright red and scaly. H e did n o t tan; he peeled. Its this blasted sun and w ind, he said. Beg your p ard o n , m a am , b u t its enough to m ake a saint use strong language. I m ight as well be a snake, the w ay I keep on shedding my skin in this country. L aura liked him . Every m orning, as soon as the dishes were w ashed and the beds m ade, she ran o u t to w atch M r Scott and Pa w orking at the well. The sunshine was blistering, even the w inds w ere h o t, and the prairie grasses were turning yellow. M ary preferred to stay in the house and sew on her patchw ork quilt. But Laura liked the fierce light and the sun and the w ind, and she c o u ld n t stay aw ay from the well. But she was not allow ed to go near its edge. Pa and M r Scott had m ade a stout w indlass. It stood over the well, and tw o buckets hung from it on the ends of a rope. W hen the w indlass was tu rn ed , one bucket w ent dow n into the well and the other bucket cam e up. In the m orning, M r Scott slid dow n the rope and dug. H e filled the bucket w ith earth, alm ost as fast as Pa could haul them up and em pty them . After dinner, Pa slid dow n the rope into the well, and M r Scott hauled up the buckets. Every m orning, before Pa w ould let M r Scott go dow n the rope, he set a candle in a bucket and lighted it and low ered it to the bottom . Once Laura peeped over the edge and she saw the candle brightly burning, far dow n in the dark hole in the ground. T hen Pa w ould say, Seems to be all right, and he w ould pull up the bucket and blow o u t the candle. T h a ts all foolishness, Ingalls, M r Scott said. The well was all right yesterday. You c an t ever tell, Pa replied. Better safe th an sorry.

L aura did n o t know w h at danger Pa was looking for by th at candle-light. She did n o t ask, because Pa and M r Scott were busy. She m eant to ask later, but she forgot. O ne m orning M r Scott came while Pa w as eating breakfast. They heard him shout: H i, Ingalls! Its sun-up. Lets go! Pa d ran k his coffee and w ent out. The w indlass began to creak and Pa began to w histle. Laura and M ary were w ashing the dishes and M a was m aking the big bed, w hen P as w histling stopped. They heard him say, Scott! H e sh o u ted , Scott! Scott! T hen he called: Caroline! Com e quick! M a ran o u t of the house. L aura ran after her. Scotts fainted, or som ething, dow n there, Pa said. Ive got to go dow n after him . D id you send dow n the candle? M a asked. N o . I th o u g h t he had. I asked him if it w as all right, and he said it w as. Pa cut the em pty bucket off the rope and tied the rope firmly to the w indlass. C harles, you c an t. You m u stn t, M a said. C aroline, Ive got to . You can t. O h , C harles, no! Ill m ake it all right. I w o n t breathe till I get out. We can t let him die dow n there. M a said, fiercely: L aura, keep back! So Laura kept back. She stood against the house and shivered. N o , no, Charles! I can t let you, M a said. G et on Patty and go for help. There isnt tim e.

80

C harles, if I can t pull you up - if you keel over dow n there and I can t pull you up - C aroline, Ive got to , Pa said. H e sw ung into the well. His head slid o u t of sight, dow n the rope. M a crouched and shaded her eyes, staring dow n into the well.

85

All over the prairie m eadow larks were rising, singing, flying straight up into the sky. The w ind was blow ing w arm er, but Laura w as cold. Suddenly M a jum ped up and seized the handle of the windlass. She tugged at it w ith all her m ight. The rope strained and the w indlass creaked. Laura th o u g h t th a t Pa had keeled over, dow n in the d ark bottom of the well, and M a cou ld n t pull him up. But the w indlass turned a little, and then a little m ore. P as hand came up, holding to the rope. His other hand reached above it and to o k hold of the rope. T hen P as head cam e up. His arm held on to the w indlass. T hen som ehow he got to the g round and sat there. The w indlass w hirled round and there w as a th u d deep dow n in the well. Pa struggled to get up and M a said: Sit still, Charles! L aura, get some w ater. Q uick!

90

95

100

105

L aura ran . She cam e hurrying back, lugging the pail of water. Pa and M a were both turning the w indlass. The rope slowly w ound itself up, and the bucket cam e up o u t of the well, and tied to the bucket and the rope was M r Scott. His arm s and legs and his head hung and w obbled, his m outh w as partly open and his eyes half shut. Pa tugged him on to the grass. Pa rolled him over and he flopped w here he w as rolled. Pa felt his w rist and listened at his chest, and then Pa lay dow n beside him. H e s breathing, Pa said. H ell be all right, in the air. Im all

Well! M a scolded. I should thin k you w ould be. O f all the senseless perform ances! M y goodness gracious! Scaring a body to death, all for w an t of a little reasonable care! M y goodness I She covered her face w ith her apron and burst out crying. 115 T hat w as a terrible day. I d o n t w an t a well, M a sobbed. It isnt w o rth it. I w o n t have you running such risks! M r Scott had breathed a kind of gas th a t stays deep in the ground. It stays at the b o tto m of wells because it is heavier than 120 the air. It can n o t be seen o r smelled, b u t no one can breathe it very long and live. Pa had gone dow n into th a t gas to tie M r Scott to the rope so th a t he could be pulled up o u t of the gas. W hen M r Scott w as able, he w ent hom e. Before he w ent he said to Pa: You w ere right a b o u t th a t candle business, Ingalls. I 125 thought it w as all foolishness and I w ould n o t bother w ith it, but Ive found o u t m y m istake. Well, said Pa, w here a light c an t live, I know I c a n t. And I like to be safe w hen I can be. But alls well th a t ends w ell. Pa rested aw hile. H e had breathed a little of the gas and he felt 130 like resting. But th a t aftern o o n he unravelled a thread from a tow sack, and he to o k a little pow der from his pow der-horn. He tied the pow der in a piece of cloth w ith one end of the tow string in the pow der. Come along, L au ra, he said, and Ill show you som ething. 135 They w ent to the well. Pa lighted the end of the string and w aited until the spark w as craw ling quickly along it. T hen he dropped the little bundle into the well. In a m inute they heard a muffled bang! and a puff of sm oke came o u t of the well. T h a t will bring the gas, Pa said. 140 W hen the sm oke w as all gone, he let L aura light the candle and stand beside him while he let it dow n. All the w ay dow n in the dark hole the little candle kept on burning like a star.

So next day Pa and M r Scott w ent on digging the well. But they alw ays sent the candle dow n every m orning. 145 There began to be a little w ater in the well, but it was not enough. The buckets cam e up full of m ud, and Pa and M r Scott w orked every day in deeper m ud. In the m ornings when the candle w en t d o w n , it lighted oozing-w et w alls, and candlelight sparkled in rings over the w ater w hen the bucket struck bottom . Pa stood knee deep in w ater and bailed out bucketfuls before he could begin digging in the m ud. O ne day w hen he w as digging, a loud shout cam e echoing up. M a ran o u t of the house and Laura ran to the well. Pull, Scott! Pull! Pa yelled. A sw ishing, gurgling sound echoed dow n there. M r Scott tu rn ed the w indlass as fast as he could, and Pa cam e up clim bing hand over hand up the rope.

150

155

Im blam ed if th a ts not quicksand! Pa gasped, as he stepped on to the g round, m uddy and dripping. I w as pushing dow n 160 hard on the spade, w hen all of a sudden it w ent dow n, the w hole length of the handle. And w ater came pouring all up aro u n d m e. A good six feet of this ro p es w et, M r Scott said, w inding it up. The bucket w as full of w ater. You show ed sense in getting o ut of th a t hand over han d , Ingalls. T h at w ater came up faster th an I could pull you o u t. T hen M r Scott slapped his thigh and shouted, Im blasted if you d id n t bring up the spade! Sure enough, Pa had saved his spade. 170 In a little while the well was alm ost full of water. A circle of blue sky lay n o t far dow n in the ground, and w hen Laura looked at it, a little girls head looked up at her. W hen she w aved her h an d , a hand on the w a te rs surface w aved, too.

165

The w ater w as clear and cold and good. L aura th o u g h t she 175 had never tasted anything so good as those long, cold drinks of w ater. Pa hauled no m ore stale, w arm w ater from the creek. H e built a solid platform over the well, and a heavy cover for the hole th a t let the w ater-bucket through. Laura m ust never touch th a t cover. But w henever she or M ary was 180 thirsty, M a lifted the cover and drew a dripping bucket of cold, fresh w ater from th a t well.
La u ra In g alls W
ilder

Comprehension
1 Why does Pa need help digging his well? 2 What danger is Pa looking for by sending his candle into the well? 3 Why doesnt Ma want Pa to go into the well after Mr Scott?
4 How is Mr Scott saved?

Talking point

Have you or someone you know ever had to do something dangerous? 2