Page 46 - English Reader - 3

me by the roots or bow my head to the ground?” And the tree

turned away from the plant in a great huff.

But the tree was to regret its words very soon. One evening a

great hurricane arose in the region. It hurled the trees off their

roots and almost completely destroyed the forest. It uprooted

the neem tree and hurled it away with a great force.

When the storm had passed, the villagers living nearby surveyed

the damage. Mighty trees that had once touched the sky, were

now reduced to stumps or worse. The forest was littered with

carcasses.

But there was an exception, the little plant. The plant had been

tossed and turned under the fury of the hurricane, and bent

completely. But when the hurricane ended, it sighed and stood

upright again. www.africantale.com

46 Dolphin English Reader book 3