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Aladdin And The Magic Lamp

Long time ago in China, there lived a poor boy, whose name was
Aladdin. Aladdin lived with his mother. One day a rich and
distinguished looking man came to their house and said to Aladdin's
mother, "I am a merchant from Arabia and want your son to come
with me. I will reward him handsomely." Aladdin's mother instantly
agreed. Little did she know that the man pretending to be a rich
merchant was in reality a magician.

Next day, Aladdin having packed his belongings left with the
'merchant'. After many hours of traveling the 'merchant' stopped.
Aladdin too stopped, surprised that they should stop in such a desolate
spot. He looked around; there was nothing in sight for miles.

The 'merchant' pulled out some colored powder from his pocket and
threw in the ground. The next instant the whole place was filled with
smoke. As the smoke cleared, Aladdin saw a huge opening in the
ground; it was a cave. The 'merchant' turned to Aladdin and said, "I
want you to go inside this cave; there will be more gold than you have
ever seen; take as much as you want. You will also see an old lamp;
please bring that back to me. Here, take this ring; it will help you."
Aladdin was very suspicious but the decided to do as was told.

He lowered himself into the cave, thinking all the while that it would be
difficult to climb out without help. Aladdin entered the cave and just
like the 'merchant' had said saw gold, jewelry, diamonds and other
valuables. He filled his pockets. When this was done, he looked for the
lamp; it was lying in the corner, full of dust and dirty. He picked it up
and ran to the cave's opening and shouted to the 'merchant', "I have
your lamp. Can you please pull me out?" "Give me the lamp," said the
'merchant'. Aladdin was not sure that he would be pulled out if he
gave back the lamp; so he said, "First, please pull me out."

This angered the 'merchant'. With a loud cry,


he pulled out the same colorful powder and
threw it on the cave opening, sealing it with a
huge boulder. Aladdin was depressed. He
thought, "That was no rich merchant; he was
surely a magician. I wonder why this lamp was
so important to him." As he was thinking he
rubbed the lamp. All of sudden a strange mist
filled the room and from the mist emerged a stranger looking man. He
said, "My master, I am the genie of the lamp, you have rescued me;
what would your wish be?" Aladdin was scared but he said in quivering
voice, "Ta.. Take me back home."

And the next moment Aladdin was home hugging his mother. He told
her of the magician and the lamp. Aladdin again summoned the genie.
This time when the genie appeared he was not scared. He said,
"Genie, I want a palace, not an old hut." Again to Aladdin and his
mother's amazement in front of them was a magnificent palace.

Time passed. Aladdin married the Sultan's daughter and was very
happy. It so happened that the evil magician got to know of Aladdin's
good fortune. He came by Aladdin's palace pretending to exchange old
lamps for new. The princes, Aladdin's wife, not knowing the value of
the lamp to Aladdin called out to the magician to wait.

As soon as the magician saw the lamp he grabbed it from the princess'
hand and rubbed it. The genie appeared, "you are my master and your
wish is my command," he said to the magician. "Take Aladdin's palace
to the great desert faraway from here," ordered the magician.

When Aladdin came home, there was no palace and no princess. He


guessed it must be the evil magician who had come to take revenge
on him. All was not lost, Aladdin had a ring that the magician had
given to him. Aladdin pulled out that ring, rubbed it. Another genie
appeared. Aladdin said, "Take me to my princess."

Soon, Aladdin was in Arabia with his princess. He found his lamp lying
on a table next to the magician. Before the magician could react,
Aladdin jumped for the lamp and got hold of it. As soon as he had the
lamp, Aladdin rubbed it.

The genie appeared again and said, "My master, Aladdin, it is indeed
good to serve you again. What is it that you wish?" "I want you to
send this magician to another world so that he never harms anybody,"
said Aladdin. Aladdin's wish was carried out; the evil magician
disappeared forever.

The genie carried Aladdin, the princes and the palace back to China.
He stayed with Aladdin for the rest of his life.
Gulliver's Travels
One stormy night at sea, a ship was wrecked. All the passengers on
board drowned, except Lemuel Gulliver. Gulliver was a excellent
swimmer and swam for many miles before he reached shore. Gulliver
was very tired and decided to sleep. He would look for food after he
had had sufficient rest.

Gulliver slept for a whole day. When he woke


up, the Sun was beating down upon him. He
tried to move, he could not. His hair, hands,
legs and body were tied to the ground. He saw
little men running all around him. Someone had
got a tiny ladder and was climbing up to him.
The little man, no bigger than Gulliver's thumb
nail, came up to him ears and said, "You are in
the land of Lilliput; we are Lilliputians. We are
taking you to our Emperor, so please do not make any trouble. You
will be shot at." Gulliver almost laughed at this threat but nodded.

A huge wooden structure with wheels was brought. Gulliver was slid on
to it after much struggle. The wooden structure was pulled through the
streets of Lilliput with all the Lilliputians lining up the streets.

It was a carnival atmosphere which the Lilliputians seemed to be


enjoying themselves, much to the amusement of Gulliver.

Finally, they arrived at the Emperor's palace. The Emperor was there
to receive Gulliver, "You are indeed a strange sight. If you are to stay
here you will have to be of service to my people here," he said
pointing to the crowd. Gulliver said, "I agree to any condition but only
if you untie me."

Gulliver was freed. He was provided with food and water, a house was
built for him. It was a monumental effort by the Lilliputians, who were
all out to serve Gulliver. Gulliver stayed with the Lilliputians, helping
them with many small tasks.

It so happened, that the neighboring kingdom of Bleuse were not on


very friendly relationship with Lilliput. The King of Bleuse declared war
on Lilliput. He took a hundred ships to mount an attack.

The Lilliputians ran to Gulliver for help. The Emperor said, "Don't let us
down now Gulliver; we need your help." Gulliver walked into the sea.
He took long rope, tied all the hundred ships together and dragged
them in the water. Gulliver pulled the ships the whole day, until the
army of Bleuse was giddy and in no position to fight.

The King of Bleuse came begging for peace between the two
kingdoms. The Emperor agreed. Gulliver was hailed as the hero and
lived in Lilliput for many years.

Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe as a young man loved to sail to distant lands. His
father did not approve of Robinson as a sailor but let Robinson make
his own decisions.

Robinson Crusoe wanted to become a sailor. He went on his first


voyage at the age of nineteen. It was a disastrous journey; there was
a heavy storm and the ship was wrecked. Robinson survived but did
not go home. He went to Brazil. There he became a farmer.

In time, Robinson Crusoe made a lot of money in Brazil. This he re-


invested in other businesses.

One day Robinson Crusoe had to go to Africa on business. On the way,


there was another storm like the one on his first journey. This time the
storm was more fierce; his ship was wrecked and Robinson Crusoe
was washed to a lonely, uninhabited island.

Robinson Crusoe explored the island for any sign of human life; there
was none. With great difficulty, Robinson built a home. His expertise in
farming helped; he started growing rice and barley. For meat, he
hunted the wild goats. Robinson Crusoe tamed a few of these goats for
milk, from which he learnt to make butter and cheese.

Twenty six years passed in this lonely way for


Robinson Crusoe. He craved for company. One
day, he saw footprints on the beach; instead of
being happy, Robinson was scared having been
alone all these years. Robinson had made sharp
weapons, which he now carried around for self
defence. He also had a gun which he had
preserved and kept since the time he was
shipwrecked.

For many days Robinson Crusoe saw nobody, but one evening he saw
about a dozen men. They were eating other humans. They were
cannibals from a nearby island. The cannibals left the island after a
few days.

Robinson Crusoe felt safe but he knew the cannibals would come back.
One morning Robinson saw the wreck of a ship. He ran to it and saw
that it was a Spanish ship and in it was a survivor - a middle aged
man.

Robinson Crusoe took the man to his hut, gave him some food and
water. Once the man recovered his health, he helped Robinson Crusoe
with his work Robinson called the man Friday as he had been rescued
on a Friday.

Friday did not know English but as time went by he learnt a few words,
enough for basic communication. One morning, Robinson Crusoe found
friday missing; he suspected that the cannibals were back and had
captured him.

He went in search of Friday and found him just before the cannibals
were about to kill him. He rushed into their midst firing at all the
cannibals and killing them. Friday was safe.

Robinson Crusoe and Friday found the boat of the cannibals. They
decided to sail back to Brazil, where Robinson had left his business.
They carried enough food and water and set sail to Brazil. Robinson
Crusoe had spent thirty five years in the island.

Robinson and Friday reached Brazil. Robinson Crusoe got several


thousand pounds from the trustees of his estate. Friday remained with
Robinson Crusoe helping him in his estate.

A Tale of Two Cities


Lucie was a young, beautiful girl who was in love with Charles Darnay.
Lucie's father, a doctor, had been imprisoned in Paris on false
accusations of having killed a woman.

Lucie often went to meet her father in prison. One day, the French
police got evidence that it was not Lucie's father who had committed
the murder but two noblemen. The noblemen were Charles Darney's
father and uncle. They had ill treated a peasant woman, who had later
died.

When Lucie's father was released from prison, she looked after him
well. Lucie's father who had been a sick man in prison, now got back
to good health. He had a lawyer, Sidney, who often visited him. Sidney
fell in love with Lucie.

When Sidney came to know that Lucie was in love with Charles
Darnay, he decided not to tell Lucie of his love for her. Charles and
Lucie were married.

In the year to come the French revolution destroyed the peace of Lucie
and Charles. Charles was arrested and sentenced by court to be
executed. He was accused of having aided his uncle and father in the
murder of the peasant women for which Lucie's father too had been
sentenced. Charles was innocent.
Lucie was heartbroken. Sidney, who was by Lucie's side in these trying
times, came up with a suicidal plan. Sidney's plan was to have Charles
escape to London from Paris wearing Sidney's
clothes Sidney was the one to be executed. He
told Lucie the plan. She said, "No, Sidney, you
cannot walk to your death." Sidney confessed his
love for her and said, "This is my ultimate
sacrifice."

He went to the prison in Paris to meet Charles. In


prison, with the guards back turned towards them,
Sidney said, "Charles, quickly remove your clothes
and give it me. Do not say a word. Here, you can
wear my clothes." Sidney removed his clothes. Once, Charles was
dressed in Sidney's clothes, Sidney said, "Outside you will find Lucie
waiting; your train tickets to London are booked." "But Sidney, why
are you doing this?" Sidney just smile and said, "Hurry Charles, Lucie's
waiting."

The plan worked. Charles Darnay and Lucie escaped to London. Sidney
was executed. He had indeed made the ultimate sacrifice.

Pied Piper of Hamelin


Hamelin was a small town in Germany. The city was full of rats.
Hamelin was a rats’ paradise truly. They were in houses, inns, shops,
schools and in every street. It was a menace and a solution had to be
found fast.

The mayor had often held meetings with the town folks to discuss this
problem. At the beginning they had thought that cats would drive
away mice. However, the number of rats became a problem for them.
It was very tough to take proper steps as it was really very difficult to
find huge numbers of cats. They were in a real dilemma.

One day, a stranger came to the town of Hamelin. He used to carry a


flute along with him. He had a stern look on his face and had walked
straight to the mayor's building. He faced the mayor of Hamelin and
said, "It is well known around Germany that Hamelin has a problem
with rats. I will get rid of all the rats. What would my reward be?" For
a moment the mayor was stunned. It was difficult for him to believe
that a man who was coming from somewhere suddenly was claiming
to drive away all the rats from the city.
"Ten Thousand gold coins from our treasury if you can do as you
promise," said the mayor. The stranger nodded his head and said, "In
a day's time Hamelin will have no rats."

The stranger walked out in the street, pulled out his flute and started
playing it. An eerie sound floated in the air. People of Hamelin could
hear the beautiful tune from every corners of Hamelin and were
paralyzed hearing this enchanting tone.
All of a sudden, there was a 'whirring' noise. Thousands of rats came
all the way from various directions. They followed the eerie sound that
came from the Piper's flute. It seemed that the
rats were mesmerized with the delightful tone
of the flute. The stranger headed towards the
sea, with all the rats of Hamelin behind him. It
was an extraordinary sight for the folks of
Hamelin.

The stranger was continuously playing the flute and walked right into
the sea. The rats followed him and all of them were caught by the
waves which dragged them into the sea. All the rats of Hamelin
drowned. The strange piper had got rid of all the rats and kept his
promise.

The stranger approached the mayor for his reward. The mayor and the
town's people were rejoiced watching the bizarre thing. But the mayor
had changed his mind. When the stranger went to him, he said, "It is a
wonderful task you have accomplished but isn't ten thousand gold
coins a hefty reward for a day's work. I will pay you five hundred gold
coins." The stranger looked at the mayor and then walked out.

In the street he pulled out his flute again and started playing it. This
time the sound that came from the flute was different but was eerie as
well. All the children of Hamelin started to follow the stranger.

The stranger walked out of town and disappeared into the mountains.
Children followed him. The parents of the children wept, "Where had
the stranger taken their children," they went to the mayor and
complained about it. The mayor was helpless. He knew that he had
been dishonest with the stranger.

The stranger returned to Hamelin but children didn’t accompany him.


The mayor rushed to him, begging for forgiveness. He pleaded to the
stranger to get the children back. Without uttering a single word, the
stranger turned and walked away. He returned after a few hours, this
time with all the children.

The stranger was rewarded with his ten thousand gold coins. The
mayor had learnt his lesson.

The Jungle Book


In the thick of a jungle in India, a little boy is playing with wolf cubs.
Mother wolf is there. She says to the little boy, "Mowgli, be careful,
you could hurt yourself."

Mowgli, as an infant had been found by the wolf


in the jungle; she had brought him up just as
she had brought up her own cubs. Mowgli, still
a boy played with all the animals in the jungle.
He had many friends; Bhaloo, the bear.
Bhagera, the panther and his many monkey
friends. But Sher Khan, the tiger was no fiend. Mowgli had always
been warned to stay away from Sher Khan's territory. Sher Khan did
not like Mowgli and waited for a chance to harm the boy.

One day, while Mowgli was playing, Bhaloo came running to Mowgli
and said, "Mowgli, Sher Khan is in a terrible temper. He is going
around telling everyone that he wants to kill you." Mowgli said, "Don't
worry Bhaloo, I can protect myself."

Mowgli had a plan. It was to counter attack. He wanted to let loose the
wild bulls of the forest on Sher Khan. To do this he had to corner Sher
Khan. He knew where Sher Khan spent most of his time; it was on a
slope in the mountains, far from Mowgli's cave. He did not want Sher
Khan to spot him because that would be the end of him. Mowgli
thought, "I should go around the mountain and to the top without Sher
Khan seeing me. From the top the bulls can charge at Sher Khan."

That evening, Mowgli gathered eight wild bulls with the longest and
sharpest horns. He said, "Today, we will put an end to the reign of
terror by Sher Khan. This is my plan." Mowgli explained to the bulls
how he wanted to attack Sher Khan.

As per plan, they circled the mountain, unnoticed by the slumbering


tiger. Once they reached the top, they could see in a clearing a little
below rested Sher Khan. Mowgli said, "Once I give you the signal,
charge together. Any false move and we could be endangering out
lives." Mowgli lifted up his hands, brought it down and shouted,
"CHARGE."

The bulls ran down the slope, kicking up huge amounts of dust. Sher
Khan looked up hearing this thunderous noise. He saw the bulls
hurtling towards him; he tried to turn and run but before he knew it
the bulls were on top of him. The bulls pierced Sher Khan with their
horns and flung him with the momentum of their run. Sher Khan was
hurled and flung to his death.

Mowgli and the bulls proudly went to announce to the jungle folks of
Sher Khan's end.
David Copperfield
David Copperfield was born in a village in England. His father had died
six months before he was born. David's mother looked after him well.
He was sent to the best school in the village.

When David was six years old, his mother married


a man by the name of Murdstone. Murdstone did
not like David and David did not like Murdstone.
Murdstone disliked David so much that he decided
to send him to a boarding school. Next day, much
to the displeasure of his mother, David's bags
were packed and he was sent off.

He was in boarding school for two years, when he


got the news that his mother had died. He hurried
home to find his stepfather seated on a chair, glaring at him.
Murdstone said, "Your mother is dead; I have no money to fund for
your education; you have to start earning. Tomorrow you will leave for
London."

So, at the age of ten, David Copperfield was in the streets of London
with no money, food or shelter. He remembered his mother having
told him that in Dover lived his aunt, his father's sister. David had
never seen her. He walked to Dover to his aunt's house.

It was morning by the time David reached his aunt's house. Her name
was Miss Trotwood. She was in the garden, when she saw a ragged
boy looking at her. She asked, "What is it boy? What do you want?"
David said, "I am David Copperfield, your nephew." He told her
everything. Miss Trotwood took David inside, gave him a hot water
bath and some food.

As days went by, Miss Trotwood put David in a good school and looked
after him fondly. Miss Trotwood had a friend, Wickerden, when had a
daughter Agnes. David and Agnes became great friends.

Wickerden was a rich lawyer; he had a habit of drinking every night


before he went to sleep. His assistant, Micawber, was a dishonest
man. He would get valuable documents signed by Wickerden in his
drunken state.

David would often visit the Wickerden house. One day David happened
to see Micawber getting some papers signed by Wickerden. He did not
trust Micawber. He asked to see the documents. Micawber said,
"David, these papers are related to work and would make no sense to
you." But, David insisted.

When David saw the papers, he realized that Micawber was getting
documents signed that would make him a partner in Wickerden's firm.
David had Micawber arrested for deception.
Wickerden was happy that David had caught the dishonest Micawber.
Agnes too thanked David for saving her father from ruin.

A few years later David and Agnes, who were in love with each other,
were married. They lived happily for a long time.

Rip Van Winkle


Rip Van Winkle was a lazy boy. He was so lazy that he slept the whole
day. His mother tried her best to get Rip Van Winkle to take up a job.
When he did get a job, he was asked to leave because he slept too
much.

One day, Rip Van Winkle, tired of his mother insisting on him getting a
job, ran up a mountain with his favorite companion, his dog and his
gun. He reached the top, crossed a stream, went to a spot where
nobody ever came and sat down panting. He had never had so much
exercise in all his life.

He was just getting back his breath, when he heard someone call his
name. "Strange, nobody ever comes here and surely no one that I
know," thought Rip Van Winkle. He turned to see a funny looking man
carrying a big barrel. The funny looking man said, "Please help me
carry this barrel to my mates a little below the stream."

Rip Van Winkle had climbed so far up the mountain to avoid work.
Here was a man asking for help. He first decided to refuse but then
thought, "Let's help the poor chap, then I can come and rest." So, he
and the funny looking man walked down to a
cave in the mountain, below the stream. There
Rip Van Winkle saw many other funny looking
men, all of them were playing the game of nine
pins. They ignored him. As soon as the barrel
was placed in the ground, the men pulled out
mugs, dipped it into the barrel and drank. It
was wine.

Rip Van Winkle too dipped a mug in the barrel


and drank the wine. It tasted good. He thought
he should have one more mug, then another and another, until he
found the room swinging in front of him. Rip Van Winkle went to sleep.

When he awoke, he saw that all the funny looking men had gone. He
called out to his dog but there was no response. He could not believe
he had slept the whole day and night. He got up, his joints ached. He
picked up his gun. Instead of the clean well oiled piece, he found the
barrel rusted and the lock falling off. He threw it away.
As he started trudging back home, he saw the village down below,
which seemed somehow changed. When he entered the village he saw
new faces; all of them looked at him and rubbed their chins. Seeing
them do this, Rip Van Winkle did the same. To his astonishment he
found he had grown a foot long beard overnight.

Rip Van Winkle was puzzled; he believed that he knew most of the
village folks well but there did not seem to be anyone he knew around.
This was the same village, where he could see the mountains and the
streams. The children made fun of him, running behind him, pulling his
beard.

Rip Van Winkle stopped by a place where there had been a school and
asked the crowd that had gathered, "Where is Schooner, the school
master?" Somebody said, "Oh! Schooner, he went to war in sixty three
and never came back." "And Van Dammel?" asked Rip Van Winkle. "He
died eighteen years back," said another voice in the crowd. Rip Van
Winkle thought he was going mad. "Had he slept all these years on the
mountain?"

Finally Rip Van Winkle asked, "Does any one here remember Rip Van
Winkle?" A very old woman said, "Yes, he was my lazy son. He went
up the mountains twenty one years back but never returned. His dog
came back without him."

Rip Van Winkle was overjoyed. He said, "Mother, it is me Rip Van


Winkle. Don't you recognize me?" "Oh! My son. It is really you. Where
have you been all this while?" Mother and son hugged each other.

Rip Van Winkle had indeed slept for twenty one years.

Treasure Island
Jim Hawkins loved adventure. When a blind man by the name of Black
Dog came to live with him and his mother in their Inn, Jim had no idea
he was to get into one great big dangerous adventure.

Black Dog was an unfriendly old man. One morning, Black Dog was
found dead in his room. Jim and his mother opened his trunk and
found an old map. It looked like a treasure map. Jim was excited and
told his mother that he would go and look for the treasure. But before
that he went to meet the village Squire.

"Sir, this is what I have found in the blindman's trunk who died
yesterday. It looks to me like a map of some hidden treasure," said
Jim to the Squire pulling out the map. " Indeed it does," agreed the
Squire. "We should set sail immediately to look for this treasure."

So, the next day, Jim and the Squire boarded a


ship, to set sail to an unknown island, looking
for treasure. It was a long journey. In the ship
Jim met an one-legged sailor who was the
ship's cook. His name was Long John Silver. He
always had his pet parrot perched on his
shoulder. Silver was very friendly and had Jim
rolling with laughter with his stories.

One stormy night Jim feeling hungry, walked up to one of the barrels
that contained apples. Suddenly, he heard voices, Jim felt suspicious
and jumped inside the barrel. Once inside he froze. Long John Silver
was talking. He was saying, "Tomorrow we will reach Treasure Island.
As soon as I give the signal we will take all passengers on board as
prisoners. Then we can take the map and dig up the treasure. Let us
go back to our places before anyone sees."

When Jim was sure everyone had gone, he climbed out of the barrel.
He immediately warned the Squire of Long John Siler's plan. The next
morning, the island was visible in the distance, Jim jumped off the ship
and swam to shore. There he met a ragged old man, who said, "I am
Ben Gunn, I have been shipwrecked in this island for twenty years. I
suppose you have come to look for the treasure." Jim nodded and
said, "I jumped off the ship, there are dangerous men on that ship.
Please help me, my friend the Squire is on that ship too."

Ben Gunn knew the island very well. He laid out traps for Long John
Silver and his men. When they came shouting and waving their guns,
they fell into a hole in the ground dug by Ben Gunn. They were
trapped. Jim and Ben Gunn unearthed the treasure and swam to the
ship. Jim, Ben and the Squire sailed back home leaving Long John
Silver and his men in the island forever.

Frankenstein
Frankenstein was a genius. As a boy Frankenstein always wanted to
know and learn. He loved experimenting. Frankenstein grew up to be a
doctor.

One day, Frankenstein was sitting in his library when a thought struck
him, "Could he take pieces of human body and make a perfect human
being?" The question rankled in his brain. "But what about giving this
mass of flesh, life." He questioned himself. The answer came to him
almost instantly. "Electricity, a great big shock of electric current."

The following day onwards Frankenstein started digging up bodies


from the grave, amputating either the legs or hands. No one knew of
this strange eerie experiment. As days past Frankenstein had all the
parts of a human body. He had carefully stitched each piece together.
What lay in his laboratory now was a monster of a man with no life in
him.

Frankenstein thought, "Now for the final step, to pass great big bout of
electricity through this monster." All preparations were made. A lever
was moved and ZAP....the monsters body shook with the powerful
blasts of current.

Everything was silent for a moment, then the


monster stirred and slowly stood up. He looked
much bigger than when he was lying down, he
stood at eight feet and weighed two hundred
kilos.

Frankenstein's euphoria of a successful


experiment was short lived. The monster was now
coming towards him. The monster walked past
Frankenstein smashing the door into the streets. Terror reigned in the
streets. Anyone who saw the monster ran for their lives. The monster
destroyed everything. Shops were razed to the ground and glasses
smashed. Somebody had to stop the monster.

In his house Frankenstein himself was in shock; his monster was


creating havoc in the city; he had to stop it somehow. He decided to
confront the monster.

Taking a gun with him Frankenstein went in search of the monster. He


found him in one of the street corners. Frankenstein fired all the
bullets in the gun at the monster's head, shoulders and chest, killing
him.

Frankenstein swore to himself to never ever experiment with nature.

Robin Hood
Long ago, in England in Sherwood forest live Robin Hood. As a boy
Robin had been cheated by a few noblemen and since then he had
decided hat he would not spare the rich. He would rob the rich and
give to the poor.

The Sheriff of Nottingham had placed many rewards for the capture of
Robin Hood but nobody had ever caught him. Robin Hood had a
number of men who served him; they had made him their leader. They
acted as informers; they would warn Robin Hood whenever the Sheriff
had any new plan to catch him.

The rich were scared of going through Sherwood Forest because they
knew Robin Hood would attack. The pressure mounted on the Sheriff
of Nottingham to capture Robin Hood. He went to take the help of the
king. The king refused to send any of his men to help in the capture of
Robin Hood.

Finally, the Sheriff thought of a plan. "Let us have a competition to


choose the best shooter in Nottingham. Robin Hood cannot resist such
a competition. He will surely come, when he does, my guards will
capture him," he told his noblemen. All of them agreed.

Now, Robin Hood was an excellent shooter; there was none better
than him with a bow and arrow in the whole of Nottingham. And Robin
Hood could surely not resist taking part in any competition to prove
that he was the best.

Robin Hood's loyal men dissuaded him. "Robin, this competition is


being held to trap you," said one of the men. "It would be foolish to
talk into the lion's den," said another. But Robin Hood was not willing
to listen.

So, the next day all arrangements for the competition were made. The
crowds were all seated and ten contestants were there. The Sheriff
turned to one of the guards and asked in a whisper, "Has Robin
come?" "No, Your Highness, Robin has red hair. None of the
contestants have red hair." The Sheriff said, "He must be scared."

The competition began. William, the


Sheriff's man, who had also participated
and man in a green outfit were vying for
the first prize, a golden arrow, after ten
rounds. It was time for the last arrow to
be shot; the winner of this round would
be declared the best shooter in
Nottingham.

William took aim first and shot; it was very close to the center. The
Sheriff applauded. "Good shot, William," he said. Then it was the turn
of the man in green; he let go of his arrow. The crowd cheered
hysterically. It went through William's arrow and bull's eye. And within
a flash the man in green let go of two more arrows which came flying
towards the chair on which the Sheriff sat and stuck on either side of
it. The Sheriff was stunned.

The man in green was none other than Robin Hood. Before the Sheriff
recovered, he pulled off his black wig, threw it in the ground, jumped
over a wall on to his waiting horse and was gone. "Get him, you fools.
That is Robin Hood," shouted the helpless Sheriff, but it was too late.
Robin Hood had escaped again.

Around The World In Eighty Days


In a club, in England, there was a heated discussion. Phileaus Fogg
had taken a bet with certain members of the club that he could travel
around the world in eighty days.

"Impossible," said Joseph Cain, one of the members, "You cannot


travel to every continent in eighty days." " It's a bet, gentlemen.
Twenty thousand pounds," said Phileaus confidently. "That is a bet,"
said the members.

Phileaus Fogg had not made an empty boast. He was very correct
gentleman and had made precise calculations with a world map. He
had decided that eighty days were enough to travel round the world.

Phileaus Fogg's bet was well published in all newspapers in and around
England. It so happened that a big diamond burglary had taken place
a few days earlier. Phileaus's face fitted the description of the man
who was wanted for the burglary. Scotland Yard appointed a man, Fix,
to follow Phileaus.

Phileaus Fogg along with his personal assistant, Passepartout, packed


their bags to start their journey. Phileaus had a chart. First stop was
from London to Suez, seven days by rail and
steamer.

Phileaus fogg and Passepartout reached the


Suez and from there set sail to Bombay by
steamer, a thirteen day journey. Fix came face
to face with Fogg on this journey, "Were you
not on the steamer to Suez?" asked Fogg.
"Yes," replied Fix uneasily.

Once they reached Bombay, Phileaus and


Passepartout checked into a Hotel., with Fix
right behind them. In Bombay Phileaus was informed that the king had
died and the queen was to commit sati, that is, jump into the funeral
pyre of her husband.

Phileaus Fogg was not a man to sit down and do nothing about it. He
and Passepartout went to rescue the queen on elephant back. They
were just in time. The queen had been drugged and was about to be
thrown into the fire, when Phileaus intervened. He carried the queen
back to the Hotel.

Phileaus Fogg realized that the queen was very beautiful. He fell in
love with her and proposed to marry her. She agreed. They were
married immediately. Phileaus Fogg told his new bride of his bet, "We
will have to leave Bombay and move on the Calcutta and from there
on to Hong Kong. A sixteen day journey."
They reached Hong Kong, Mr. and Mrs. Fogg and Passepartout
followed closely by Fix. Fogg had noticed that Fix seemed to be
everywhere they went. He ignored Fix.

They left Hong Kong and headed to Japan and from Japan to San
Francisco. A twenty eight day journey. Fix was getting really tired
following Phileaus Fogg. Here was a man who never rested. He had
found a bride and got married in a single day; kept on the move
jumping from Rail to Road to Sea. All this seemed to be taking a toll
on Fix.

In San Francisco, Phileaus Fogg again saw Fix lurking somewhere


behind him. He waited until Fix was alongside him and asked, "What is
your game, Sir? You have been following me from London all the way
to the Suez to Bombay and now here." Fix was speechless. He said,
"I..I..It's just a coincidence.

Phileaus Fogg was now on his way to New York and then to his final
destination London, another sixteen days. The journey to New York
and London went without a hitch, except for the annoying presence of
Fix who tried his best not to be seen.

Everything was fine until Phileaus Fogg realized that he had not taken
the different time zones into consideration, he was shocked to realize
that he would be a day late. He was supposed to reach London on the
morning of Sunday and win his bet. Phileaus Fogg would now reach on
Monday. He walked home dejected. He lay in bed, when suddenly his
eye caught the calendar. He called Passepartout, "Is it you who has
changed the calendar. What day is it today?" He had told nobody that
his calculations had been wrong. "It is Saturday, Mr. Fogg. You have
won the bet, I would have told you but you seemed so dejected for
some reason."

Phileaus Fogg rejoiced. He ran to the club to tell the members that,
"He had indeed won." The members of the club gladly paid Phileaus
Fogg his twenty thousand pounds. As for Fix he came to know that the
thief had been caught the same day he had started on the trail of
Phileaus Fogg.

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