rule, pole, bow a down, wicked, bow, obey, punish
Listen and read. How did
Sessler decide to punish
Villiam Tell?
The Legend of William
A story from Switzerland
Many years ago, a cruel man called Gessler ruled over the people of
Switzerland. The people did not like Gessler and they were afraid of him.
One day, Gessler's men put up a pole in the town square and put his hat on
the top of it. Gessler gove orders that every man who came into the town
must bow down in front of the hat. Everyone obeyed because they were
afrald Gessler might kill them. There was one man, though, who was not
afraid. This brave man's name was William Tell. When he saw the hat, he stood
in front of it and laughed: 'I will not bow down to this wicked man!
William Tell looked at his dear son and the boy looked back at his
father. He was not afrald because he knew his father was the best
shot in the land. William Tell fired and the arrow flew through the
air. It hit the apple exactly in the middle! Everyone in the square
cheered. Then Gessler saw another arrow in William Tell's hand.
What is the other arrow for?' he asked.
William Tell looked the evil man in the
eye and said, 'This arrow was for you if
anything happened to my son!'
According to legend, some time later William Tell finally
managed to shoot Gessler and set his country free.
When Gessler heard of this, he was really angry. He decided to punish William
Tell. Everyone knew that William Tell could shoot with a bow and arrow better
than anyone. Gessler ordered William Tell's son to stand in the town square
with an apple on his head. He then told William Tell that he must hit the
apple with just one shot of an arrowl 'If you don't hit the apple,' said
Gessler, 'my men will kill the boy right in front of you!"
