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The Bronze Ring (23): The Hero's Final Return


GET READY:

Do you believe in "happy endings"?

The gardener's son now has the bronze ring again.

READ THIS:

[132] "Bronze ring," commanded the young man, "obey thy master. Let my ship appear as it was before."
[133] Immediately the genii of the ring set to work, and the old black vessel became once more the wonderful golden ship with sails of brocade; the handsome sailors ran to the silver masts and the silken ropes, and very soon they set sail for the capital.
[134] Ah! how merrily the sailors sang as they flew over the glassy sea!
[135] At last the port was reached.
[136] The captain landed and ran to the palace, where he found the wicked old man asleep. The Princess clasped her husband in a long embrace. The magician tried to escape, but he was seized and bound with strong cords.
[137] The next day the sorcerer, tied to the tail of a savage mule loaded with nuts, was broken into as many pieces as there were nuts upon the mule's back.

NOTES:

Here is some vocabulary from the story:

a. merrily: happily, joyfully (from the adjective "merry")
b. glassy: smooth, like glass
c. to clasp: to hold, embrace, hug
d. to seize: to catch, grab hold of, take into one's power
e. to bind: to tie
f. cord: rope
g. savage: wild, unable to be controlled

PRACTICE:

Use one of the above terms in each of the following sentences. Be sure to use the correct form.

1. The children laughed __________ when they saw the funny old man.
2. The two companies were __________ together by a contract.
3. You should use a strong __________ to tie a box onto your bike.
4. The police __________ the gang before they could escape.
5. It is easy to skip stones on a __________ lake.
6. The __________ dogs killed the farmer's chickens.
7. Let's __________ our hands together and sing.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION OR WRITING:

If you can, try to talk about these questions in English with a friend. If not, try writing your answers.

1. Why is it important to the captain (the gardener's son) that the ship look like it did before?
2. Why do you think the mule is loaded with nuts? How does that relate to the number of pieces the old man is broken into?
3. Do you think the gardener's son will stay home now, or do you think he will set off again?

ANSWERS TO THE PRACTICE:

1 a merrily; 2 e bound; 3 f cord; 4 d seized; 5 b glassy; 6 g savage; 7 c clasp

This lesson is ©2012 by James Baquet. You may share this work freely. Teachers may use it in the classroom, as long as students are told the source (URL). You may not publish this material or sell it. Please write to me if you have any questions about "fair use."

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