第6章 Lesson 6: The Merchant's Caravan

Once there was a merchant who had fine silks and rugs to sell. He wanted to sell his goods to a country on the other side of the sandy desert.

The merchant owned many camels and employed many men. Camels were the only animals that were strong enough to travel over the desert with such heavy loads.

For many days, Abdul the merchant and his men prepared for their long journey. Their tents and poles were placed upon one camel. Large leather bottles of water were placed upon another camel. Firewood and food were loaded onto yet another camel. Many camels were needed to carry all the merchant's goods.

At last Abdul and his men were ready for the journey. The Sun shone very brightly and the sand was so hot that no one could walk on it during the daytime. However, at night both men and camels could travel easily.

So after sunset, Abdul, his men, and the camels began their journey. They traveled all night. One man rode ahead because he knew which way to go by looking at the stars in the night sky.

When the Sun rose, they stopped. They put up their tents and fed the camels. Then they built fires and cooked rice and vegetables for themselves. For the rest of the day, they rested in the tents.

In the evening, after dinner, they continued their journey. They traveled like this for three long, silent nights. Early on the third morning, the camels became excited and stretched their nostrils. The man at the front said, "the camels can smell water and grass! An oasis is near!"

Soon they could see palm trees waving in the wind. The men rested very happily that day, and the camels drank water from the cool spring. Before continuing their journey that evening, the men filled their leather bottles.

They traveled for several more nights until finally the leader said, "We will soon reach the end of our journey." The men were very happy to hear this because they were very tired and the camels also needed rest.

After dinner that night, Abdul said, "Throw away the firewood and most of the water. We can travel lightly now because we will reach the city tomorrow."

That night the leader led the way as usual, but after a while he fell asleep on his camel because he was so tired. The group traveled until the morning light.

When he woke up, the leader yelled, "Halt! The camels must have turned around while I slept! We are at the place we started from yesterday."

Now they had a serious problem because they had no water to drink and no firewood for cooking. The men were very worried.

However, Abdul said to himself, "I must find water. If I don't find water, all will be lost." So he walked away from the tent looking at the ground. At last he saw a tuft of grass. "There must be water around here or the grass could not grow," thought the merchant. He ran back to the tent and yelled, "I found water! Bring an ax and a spade!"

The men followed Abdul and began digging in the sand. Soon they found a big rock. Abdul put his ear close to the rock. He could hear water running! He hit the rock with the ax many times until it broke. A stream of beautiful, clear water filled the hole as Abdul jumped out.

The men shouted with joy. They drank the water eagerly and then led the camels to drink.

In the evening, the men continued their journey, and they reached the city the next day.

I. Word List

merchant: someone who buys and sells things

desert: a very dry area

oasis: an area in the desert where water can be found

tuft: a small amount of something

spade: a tool for digging (shovel)

II. Answer the following questions.

1. Why did Abdul and his men travel at night?

___________________________________________________________.

2. What did Abdul and his men do during the daytime?

___________________________________________________________.

3. How did the men become lost?

___________________________________________________________.

4. How did Abdul find water?

___________________________________________________________.

5. What happened After Abdul found water?

___________________________________________________________.

III. Circle the sentences that are true.

1. The men traveled at night.

2. Some of the men died.

3. The men ate firewood.

4. Abdul found water.

5. The men slept during the day.

6. Men and camels need to drink water.

IV. What's the word? Choose the correct word from the story.

1. a boy's name: A _ _ _ _

2. a strong animal: c _ _ _ _

3. a small, green plant: g _ _ _ _

4. a tool for cutting and breaking: a _

5. a shelter to rest or sleep in: t _ _ _