Steinbeck John The Pearl

 

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LEVEL

PENGUIN ACTIVE READING

The Peari John Steinbeck

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The Pearl John Steinbeck 

Level 3 Retold by Gregory McElwai McElwain n Series Editors: Andy Hopkins and Jocelyn Potter

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Contents

Chapter 1

Activities 1

iv

The Scorpion Bite

1 8

Activities 2 C ha ha p t e r 2

K in o F in ds t h e G r e a t Pearl

10

Chapter 3

P la n s fo r t h e Pearl

14

A c ti v i t ie s 3

20

C h a p te r 4

T h e Fi Fir st T h i e f  

22

Chapter 5

Selling the Pearl A c ti v i t i e s 4

31 38

T h e Second T h i e f

40

Activities 5

46

C h a p te r 7

T h e Fi re

48

Chapter 8

Escape to the Mountains Activities 6

55 64

C h a p te r 9

T he h e M u s ic o f t h e P Peearl

66

Talk about it

72

Write about it

73 74

Chapter 6

Project: Too Much Money?

 

The Pearl

Jua na stood up quietly and w Juana walked alked to C oy otito ’s han gin ging g box. She spoke spoke so soft ft words o f lov love to her baby boy and th en w ent to build the fir fire. e. No w K ino got up and p ut on his sho shoes es.. He w ent outside to watch the m orn ing come. It w was as col cold, d, but he was young and strong. His black hair hung down over his brown face, almost to his warm bright eyes. His mustache was thin and rough. Behind him, Juana s fire fire was was burn ing strongl strongly y and she she was was preparing food. Th ere were no new songs in the town these days, but there were personal songs. In Kinos head now, the Song o f the Family wa wass playin playing. g. The sun climbed quickly, painting the sky blue and gold above the ocean. Kino had to cover his eyes against the brightness of it. He could smell the corn-  cakes cooking. It was a morning like other mornings, but it was the most perfect o f them them all. Kino heard Juana take Coyo tito o ut of hi hiss hanging box and clean clean him. Sh Shee sang softly softly to her baby, baby, and this was was part pa rt o f the family ssong. ong. It wa wass all all par t o f it it.. He felt warm inside, and safe, and complete. Smoke was was com ing from oth er houses too, and the soun sounds ds o f breakfast breakfast.. But those were other oth er son songs, gs, their th eir pigs were othe r pigs, pigs, their wives wives were no t Juana. Juana. Kino watched two chickens fight. Then his eyes went up to a group of birds flying over the town. The world was awake now, and he went inside. Juana stood up from the fire, put Coyotito back into his hanging box, and tied her long black hair. Kino sat by the fire and ate his corn-cake, and that was breakfast. When he finished, Juana sat down. She ate. They did not speak, because there was no need for speech. T he sun was was wa rmin g their little hom e. Light shone in on Co yotito’ yo tito’ss box, box, and on the ropes that held it. Altope moved suddenly. It was a small movement, but it caught their eyes. A scorpion was moving movin g sl slowly owly dow n th e rop ropee tow ard th e baby’ bab y’ss box. A new song came into Kino’s Kino’s m ind — the Song of Evil, the music o f the enemy. Juana was praying softly, hoping for protection from this evil. Kino

stood up silent silently ly and wal walked ked with ou t a sound toward the box. His hand s we were re in fr ont o f him, and his eye eyess were on the scorpion. Below Below it it,, in the h hangi anging ng box, Coyotito laughed and reached up his hand toward it. The scorpion stopped and lifted its tail over its back.

corn  /k  /kor orn/ n/ (n) lo long ng,, y e ll o w ve vege geta tabl bles es t h a t come com e f ro m a ta ll p la n t rope /r  /rou oup/ p/ (n) a ve ry stro st rong ng , th ic k, lo long ng m ater at er ia ial, l, used f o r ty in g th in g s scorpion /'s  /'skor korpi pian/ an/ (n) a small sma ll anim an imal al fr o m a h o t co u ntry nt ry w it h a long, lon g, po inte in ted, d, da nger ng erou ous s tta a il  /'iv iv a l/ (n/ (n/ad adj) j) s om et h in g ve very ry bad and an d da ng er ou s evil  /'  /p rei/ i/ (v) to t o speak spea k t o a g od ; f o r exam ex ampl ple, e, t o say th a n k yo you u pray  /pre 2  

Cha pter 1 - The Scorpion Bite

Kino stopped, too. He could not move until the scorpion moved. It had to know where death was coming from. His hand reached slowly toward the animal.

3  

The Pearl

Its tail stood suddenly straight up. Then the laughing Coyotito shook the rope, and the scorpion fell. Kino tried to ccatch atch it, b ut it fell fell past his fingers, fingers, fe fell ll on tthe he bab baby’ y’ss shoulder, landed, and bit. Then Kino had it in his fingers, threw it down, and killed it with his foot. The Song of the Enemy was in his ears, and Coyotito screamed with pain. But Juan a had the baby in her arms now now.. She fou found nd the bite— it was already already red— and sh shee put her m ou th d own to it. She She ttried ried to ge gett the the poison out, as Coyotito screamed. Kino stood near his wife and son. He could do nothing, he was in the way. Th e screa screams ms of the baby bab y brou ght gh t the neighbors. n eighbors. Kino ’s bro ther the r Juan Tomas and his fat wife Apolonia and their four children crowded in the door, while others behind them tried to look in. And the people in front passed the news back to the people behind: “Sc “Scorpion. orpion. The baby wa wass bitten by a scorp ion.” Juana lifted her mouth from the bite. The little hole was larger now, and the place around it was red and hard. And all of these people knew about scorpions. Their bites made adults very sick, but babies died from their poison. Juana was a quiet, patient woman who did not cry with the pain of childbirth. When she was tired and hungry, she said nothing. But now she did a surorisine thine.

an// (n) so m et hi n g da ng er ou s t h a t can kill ki ll pe ople op le;; th e re are poisons, poisons,   for example, poison  /'p oiz an in some plants and in the bites of some animals 4  

Chapter 1 - The Scorpion Scorpion Bit Bitee

“The doctor,” she said. “Go get the doctor.” Th e wor word d wa wass pas passed sed out to the th e neighbors in the lit little tle y yard ard.. A nd they repeated, repeated, “Juan Juanaa wants th thee d docto octor.” r.” But the doc tor never came to this area of little ho houses uses.. He spent all his time with the rich people in their large stone houses. “He will not come,” the people in the yard said. “The doctor will not come,” Kino said to Juana. She looked up at him and said, “Then we will go to him.” Ho lding her crying baby clo close se to he her, r, Juana moved th roug h the crowd crowd.. Kino followe followed d he her. r. Th ey wen t ou t o f the gat gatee and onto the path, and all ttheir heir neighbors followed them. They came to the place where the little houses stopped. Now the town of stone began, a town of high walls and beautiful flowers inside. The crowd moved past the church, and the beggars  jo in ined ed th thee gr grou oup. p. T h e y co cou u ld see th a t J u an a and Kino were poor. They knew about the doctor and they wanted to watch. A fat, lazy doctor does not usually help a poor mans baby with a scorpion bite. The crowd came at last to the big gate in the wall of the doctors house. They could hear running water and singing birds behind the gate, and they

could smell rich foods from the house.

beggar  /'begaV (n) so some me on e w h o asks asks o th e r pe op le f o r fo o d and an d m oney on ey

5  

Kino waited befor beforee he knocked. Th e doctor wa wass no t one of his his people— he did not have Indian blood. The doctors people came to Mexico from Spain 400 year ye arss ear earlie lier, r, and they hit aand nd robb ed aand nd laughed laughe d at Kino’ Ki no’ss people. Th ey spoke to them as they spoke to animals. Kino felt weak and afraid and angry at the same time, but Coyotito was in pain. So Kino lifted his right hand and knocked on the gate, and with his left hand he to ok o ff hi hiss hat. The big gate opened, and the servant there was dark, like him. Kino spoke to him in the old language, about the baby and the scorpion, and asked to see the doctor. The servant replied in Spanish, and then he closed the gate. Kino and Juana and all their neighbors waited in the sun. The doctor was sitting up in his high bed. He was drinking chocolate and eating cookies. The servant came to his door, and stood silently, and waited. “Yes?” the doctor finally asked. “It is a little Indian with a baby. The baby was bitten by a scorpion.” servant  /'  /'sa sa va nt / (n) so some me on one e w h o wo rk s in a n o th e r person's pers on's house 6  

Chapter 1 - The Scorpion Scorpion Bit Bitee

“Has he any money?” the doctor asked. “No, they never have any money! I do do no t work for nothing . Ask him if he has any money!” The servant returned to the gate and opened it a little. And this time he spoke in the old language. “Do you have any money?” he asked Kino. Kino reached into his pocke t and brou ght ou t a smal smalll piece piece of paper. paper. H e opened it and showed the man eight small, ugly shapeless gray pearls. The servant took them and closed the gate again, but this time he came back quickly. He opened the gate and passed the paper back. “The doctor is busy,” he said, and he could not look at Kino. And then he shut the gate. The crowd behind Kino and Juana slowly moved away. The beggars returned to their place on the church steps, and the neighbors to their small wooden houses. For a long time, Kino and Juana stood in front of the gate. Slowly Kino put his hat back on his head. Then suddenly, he hit the gate very hard. He looked down at the blood that ran between his fingers.

7  

Activities 2

B H Were Were you right ght? Look back at your answers to Activity 1.2 on page iv.Then put the sentences   below in the right order. a

The baby laughs at the scorpion,

b

The baby shakes the rope,

c d

; The doctor refuses to help the parents, [ I ] Th The e paren parents ts se see e the scor scorpion, pion,

e

The parents go to see the doctor,

f

The scorpion falls on the baby and bites him.

g

The scorpion sees Kino.

What more did you learn? Kino is Mexican Indian and lives by the ocean. The doctor is Spanish Mexican and   lives in the town. Match the words with their pictures.

speaks Spanish ..... doesn't speak Spanish has a large stone house eats corn-cakes for   breakfast eats hot chocolate and  cookies for breakfast has a hard life is from a family that   came to Mexico 400   years ago is fat and lazy is young and poor has a wife and a son

 

The Pearl

Language in use Look at the sentence on the right. Then write who who,, wha t  or  or where  in   in the   sentences below.

He looked at the box where   Coyotito slept.

1

The baby s sh shou oulde lderr was red ,

.

2

Ju Juan ana a was a qu iet wo woma ma n .... ........ ........ ....

the th e sco scorpi rpion on b it it. did no t cry w ith pai pain. n. 0

are rea a a and nd came to th e hous houses es ..... ............. ................ ............ .... were made o f stone. 3  They left the ir a

4   Kin Kino o spo spoke ke to the se rv a n t......... t................. ................ ........ opened the g gate. ate. 5  He looked at th the e bloo blood d .... ....

m 

................. ran ran betw een h his is fingers.

 What's next? What do you think will happen next? Look at the words in italics   on page 10 and   at the pictures in Chapter 2. Circle will  or  or won't  in   in these sentences. 1 

Wh When en Kino finds a big pear pearl, l, he wi l l / wo n ' t   become rich.

2

Kino and Juan Juana a wi l l / wo n ' t  think   think about changing their lives.

3  The baby wi l l / wo n ' t  die.   die. 4   The news wi l l / wo n ' t  travel   travel through the to wn very qui quickl ckly. y. 5  Everyone will/won't   become Kino and Juana's enemy.

W h at othe r tthings hings w ill happ happen? en? W rite anoth er ide idea a her here. e.

9  

CHAPTER

2

Kino Finds the Great Pearl

 It  I t cau caugh ghtt th thee light ight and shone like like silver.  It  I t wa was as large as the eeg gg o fa sea bird. he town was on a yellow-sand beach. Beautiful wooden canoes lay across the beach, painted blue and white. Early in the morning, Kino and Juana came slowly down the beach to Kinos

T

canoe. cano e. It was the only thing worth mo money ney th at Kino owned. It w was as very old. old. Kino’ Ki no’ss gra grand ndfat fathe herr bo boug ug ht it, and an d the t hen n he gave it to Kino K ino’’s father. A nd Kino Ki no’’s father gave it to Kino. The canoes were very important to the fishermen. A man with a boat can be sure of pearls to sell, and food. Juana put Coyotito in the canoe. He was quiet, but his shoulder and face weree still wer still rred. ed. Juan a wen t to the water and walked in. in. She She picked some plants from the sea and placed the them m on the baby’ baby’ss red shoulder. This Thi s was her pe ople’s ople’s usual way w ith scorp ion bites, and it wa wass probab pro bab ly aass good as the d oc tor tor’’s medicine. But the plants were simple and did not cost anything. Juana prayed for a pearl to pay the doctor. Now Kino and Juana pushed the canoe down the beach to the water. Juana climbed in. Kino pushed it into deeper water and then got in, too. The other pearlers were already at work. Kino could see them. Their canoes were far out in the sea, above the oyster bed. A pearl begins as one piece o f sand. If the sa sand nd is caught caug ht in an oyste oyster, r, it will, will, in time, change into a pearl. Some pearls are small and worth little money, but a few are are llarg argee an d beautiful aand nd w hite a nd expen expensiv sive. e. For hundreds hundr eds o f year years, s, m en have searched the sea for pearls. But success is luck, a gift from God. Kino had two ropes. One was tied to a heavy rock, the other to a bag. He took off hi hiss shirt and pants and p ut his hat in the bo ttom of the can canoe. oe. H e took the rock in one hand and his bag in the other, then he jumped into the sea. The rock carried him to the bottom. Kino moved slowly because he wanted the water to stay clear. But his hands worked quickly. He pulled the oysters from the ocean floor and put them into his bag.

canoe /k  /ka' a'nu nu// (n) a lon g, liligh gh t, n a rr o w b oa t t h a t is po in te d at bo th ends worth  /wa'6/ (adj) (adj ) w h a t yo you u can ge t f o r s om et hi hing ng if yo you u sell it la rge area o f salt sal t w a te r sea  /si/ (n) a large oyster  /'  /'o o is t^ / (n) a fl f l a t se sea a an im al fo u n d on rocks in w a rm oceans god  /gad  /gad// (n) th e m ak er o f th e w o rl d and ev er yt hi hing ng in it; re reliligi giou ou s pe op le bel belie ieve ve in on one e or more gods  10  

Cha pter 2 - Kino Finds the the Great Pearl Pearl

11  

The Pearl

Kino’’s people sang o f ever Kino everything ything ttha hatt existed. existed. The T he y m ade songs songs to th e fi fish shes. es. They made songs to the angry sea and to the calm sea. They made songs to the light and the dark and the sun and the moon. The songs were all in Kino and in his people— ever every y song tha t wa wass ev ever er made made,, even the fo rgotten rgotte n ones. And as he filled his bag, the song was in Kino. But in the song was a secret little song. This was the Song of Hope. Were there pearls inside the oysters? Kino knew that, in the canoe abo above ve him, Ju ana was was praying for luc luck. k. She She neede needed d the luck for the bite on the shou lder o f Coyotito. A nd because because the nee need d was was great, great, the secret secret little Song of Hope was strong this morning. Becau Be cause se Kino was youn g an d strong, he could stay dow down n over two minutes. He worked carefully, choosing the largest oysters. A little to his right, he saw a very large oyster lying alone. It was partly open, and Kino saw something shine inside. Then the oyster suddenly closed. Kino took the oyster and held it close to his chest. Then he swam up to the canoe. He reached the boat, and his black hair shone in the sunlight. He threw his bag into the canoe and climbed in. His eyes were shining with excitement. Juan a u nde rstood this excitement an d she looked aaw way. It is is not good to want a thing too much. It sometimes drives the luck away. You must want it just enough, and you must be very polite to God or the gods.

 

Cha pter 2 - Kino Finds the Great Pea Pearl rl

Very carefully, Kino opened his short, strong knife. He looked at the bag. Maybe he should open the large oyster last. He took a small oyster from the bag and cut it open. There was nothing inside, so he threw it back into the water. Then he seemed to see the great oyster for the first time. He sat in the bottom of the canoe, picked up the oyster, and looked carefully at it. He was afraid to open it. But Juanas eyes were on him and she could not wait. She put her hand on C oyotit oy otito’ o’ss head. “Op e n it,” it, ” she sa said id so soft ftly ly.. Kino p u t his knife into the oyster oyster.. He opened it. And there it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon. It caught the light and shone like silver. It was as large as the egg of a sea bird. It was the greatest pearl in the world. Juana was surprised. And to Kino the secret Song of Hope grew loud and beautiful. He could see dreams in the beautiful silver-white pearl. He held it in his hand and turned it over. He saw that it was perfect. Juana came near to look at it in his hand. It was the hand that hit the doctors gates. Juana went to Coyotito and lifted the sea plant from his shoulder. “Kino!” she cried. He looked past the pearl pearl.. He saw tha t the redness w was as going ou t o f the baby’s baby’s shoulder. Th e poison po ison was leaving C oyoti oy otito’ to’ss body. body. K ino closed hi hiss ha nd over the pearl and felt great happiness. He screamed loudly. The men in the other canoes looked up, surprised, an d th en raced their canoes toward K ino’ ino’ss boat.

13  

CHAPTER I

3

Plans for the Pearl Only oneperson, Kino, stood between between them and their their dre dream ams, s,  so,, st so strang rangely, ely, he became every ma mans ns enemy. enemy.  tow town n is lik likee an anim al. A tow n has a head aand nd shoulder shoulderss an d feet feet..

A

No two towns are the same. And a town has feelings. It is a mystery how

news travels through a town. News seems to move faster than small boys can tell it. It moves faster than women can call it to their neighbors.

Before Kino aand Before nd Ju an anaa and the fis fisherm hermen en cam camee to K Kino’ ino’ss smal smalll wooden house, everyone in town already knew. Kino had the Pearl of the World. The news moved past the little houses into town, to the big stone houses. It came to the priest walking near the church. H e th ou ght of rep repair airss that the church needed needed.. He ask asked ed himself wha t the pearl wa wass worth. He tried to rem emb er if he ma married rried K Kino ino aand nd JJuana. uana. D id he k now Kino ’s ba baby by?? T he news came to the shopkeepers. The y looked at m en’ en’ss clothes that they could not sell. Th e news came to the doctor when he w was as si sitting tting w ith an old wom an patient. He ask asked ed who Kino w was as.. And whe n he under stood, the doc tor g grew rew serious. “His baby is my patient,” the doctor said. The news came early to the beggars in front of the church, and they laughed with happiness. A poor man is very kind to beggars when he is suddenly lucky. Kino ha d the Pe Pear arll o f the World. In the stone tow n, in littl littlee off offic ices es,, sat the men who bought the pearls from the fishermen. They waited in their chairs until the pearls came in. And then they fought and shouted with the fishermen. Th ey stopped only when the fishermen agr agreed eed tto o a low pr pric ice. e. A nd when the buying ended, these buyers sat alone with the pearls. They dreamed they owned them. There were not really many buyers. There was only one greedy man, and he kept all his workers in different offices. So it only seemed that the fishermen

could choose the buyer for their pearls. T he new newss o f Kino’ Kino’ss pearl came to these men. E Each ach ma n ttho ho ug ht a bou t hi hiss future. Someone must one day take the place of their greedy boss. And all of them dream ed o f the mo ney from Kino’ Kino’ss great pear pearl. l. “Th at money ,” each man hoped, “will help make me the new boss.” Alll kinds o f people grew interested in Kino. Some wer Al weree people with things to sell sell.. S Some ome wer weree people who w ante anted d help. K ino ha d the Pe Pearl arl of the World. Kino’ss pearl went into the dreams and plans and needs of ever Kino’ everyone yone.. A And nd only priest /p rist ri st / (n) a man w h o w or ks f o r th e Church, Chur ch, us usual ually ly th e Ca tholi th oli c Church Chu rch 14  

Chapter 3 —Plans for the Pearl

one person, Kino, stood between them and their dreams, so, strangely, he became every mans enemy. The news brought up something black and evil in the town. This black thing was like a scorpion.

13  

The Pearl

But Kino and Juana did not know these things. They were happy and excited. They thought that everyone felt the same way. Juan Tomas and Apolonia did. In the afternoon, Kino sat in his house with Juana at his side. The house was crowded with neighbors. Kino held the great pearl in his hand, and it was warm and ali alive in h his is hand. A nd when the m usic of the pear pearll joined the music o f the fam family ily,, each song became more beautiful. A nd Juan Tomas, sitting next to Kino, ask asked, ed, “W ha t wil willl you do no now? w? You have become a rich man.” Kino looked into his pearl. Juana covered her face so nobody could see her excitement. And in the shining pearl, pictures formed. In the pearl he saw Juana and Coyotito and h imse lf standing in a church. No w they could p paay. He spok spokee sof oftl tly, y, ““We We w wil illl be married— in the c hu rch.” rc h.” In the pearl he saw how they wer weree dres dressed sed.. Juan a wa wass in a new skir skirt. t. Un de derr the lon g skir skirt, t, Kino ccould ould see tha t she wore sho shoes. es. H e was d dress ressed ed in new w white hite clothes, and he carried a new black hat. He also wore new shoes. And Coyotito wore a blue suit from the United States and a little hat. All of these things Kino saw in the shiny pearl. “We will have new clothes,” he said. And the music of the pearl grew louder in his ears. Then came the little things that Kino wanted. New fishing equipment. An d— his his m ind could n ot bel belie ieve ve iit— t— a gun. W hy n ot, if he w was as sso o ri rich ch?? His m ou th moved slowly over this. ““A A gu n, ” he said said,, “maybe a gu n. ” It was the gun that suddenly brought larger dreams. People are never happy with w hat they hav have. e. If you gi giv ve them one thing, they want som ething more.

People say this is a bad thing. But it is one of the greatest things about people. It makes them better than animals. Animals are happy with what they have. T he neighbors listened silently to Kino. A nd a man in the back sai said, d, ““A A gun. He will have a gun.” But the music of the pearl was growing louder to Kino. Juana looked up. H er ey eyes es were wide at Kino’ Kino’ss bravery and imag ination. A nd now everything wa wass possible for him. In the pearl he saw Coyotito sitting at a little desk in school. And Coyotito was dressed in a jacket, and he wore a white shirt and wide tie. Coyotito was also writing on a big piece of paper. Kino looked seriously at his neighbors. “My son will go to school,” he said. The neighbors were silent. Juanas eyes were bright as sshe he watched him. She looked quickly down at Co yotito in her arms. Was this really possible? But Kino ’s fac facee shone. “My son wil willl read aand nd open the books, aand nd my son wil willl write and will will know writing. An d m y son wi will ll make num bers, and thes thesee things willl make us ffre wil ree. e. Becau Because se he wil willl know — and thr throu ough gh h im we w will ill know know.” .” An d in the pearl Kino saw himse himself lf and Juan a sitting by the little fi fire re in th their eir litt little le 16  

Cha pter 3 - Plan Planss for the Pe Pear arll

17  

The Pearl

house. They watched Coyotito read from a great book. “This is what the pearl will do,” Kino said. And suddenly he was afraid of his talking. His hand closed over the pearl. Kino was afraid. Now the night was coming. Juana went to the fire hole and built a fire. T he neighbors neighbors knew th at they should lea leave. ve. But they did n ot wa nt to go. It was was almost dark, and Juan Juanas as fire fire threw shadows shadows on the wall walls. s. Then Th en the news came, passed news passed from m ou th to m outh : “The “T he F ather is coming— comin g— the priest priest is coming.” The men took off their hats and stepped back from the door. The women looked down at the floor. Kino and Juan Tomas stood up. The priest came in — a gra ray, y, old ma n with an old skin skin and an d a bright, young yo ung eye eye. T he priest thoug tho ug ht of these people as children. And he spoke to them as he spoke to children. “Kino,” he said softly, “you are named after a great man. A great Father of the church.” His words sounded like a prayer. “He did great things. It is in the books.”

Kino looked quickly down at Coy otito s head. O ne day, ay, his m ind sa said id,, Coyotito will know what things are in the books. The music of the pearl left left Kinos head, and now the m usic o f evi vil, l, of o f the enemy, sounded.

 

Cha pter 3 - Plan Planss for the Pe Pearl arl

But the priest was was speaking again again.. “It has has come to me tha t you have foun d a great pearl.” Kino opened his hand and held it out. The priest was surprised at the size of the pearl. And then he said, “I hope you will remember to thank God for his gift.” Kino was silent, but Juana spoke softly. “We will, Father. And we will marry now.. Kino has said th at .” now « T he priest said said,, “It is is pleasing pleasing that yo ur first first thoughts thou ghts ar aree good thoughts. though ts. God be with you, my children.” He turned and left quietly. But Kino’ K ino’ss ha nd closed tightly on the th e pearl again, again, an d he looked look ed at the neighbors. The evil song was in his ears, and it was louder than the music o f the pearl pearl..

19  

Activities 3

Were you right? Loo Lo ok back at your answ answers ers to Ac tivity 2.4. Then us use e these words to com plete the   conversation between two of Juana and Kino's neighbors: b e g g ar s

b e tte r

d e s tro y

gu n

lu ck y

school

sea p la n ts

Neighbor 1: Have you heard the news? Kino has found the Pearl of the 1......................... .

Neigh bor 2: Yes, everyone knows. But nobody knows how much it is

W o rld

w o rth

2 ................ ................... ... .. .... .. . They are so 3 ..... ........ ...

. N ow all th e ir dreams

will come true. But how is the baby?

Neighbor 1: Ju Juan ana a p u t4 ... ....... ...... ..... ..... .... ..

on the scorpion bite and the baby

is 5 ... ....... .......... ............ ............ ...... .

Neighb or 2: I hav have e heard Kino tal k ab ou t the fu ture . He w ill have a 6 and Coyotito will go to 7......................... . give e the m on ey to 8 ..... ........... ............ ............ ........ .. . Neighbor 1: Maybe he w ill giv ......... ........ ...... .. ... Neighb or 2: I hope the pearl w ill n o t 9 .....

the them. m.

What more did you learn? What are these things? Write the words under the pictures. What do pearlers   use when the y look for pe pear arls ls? ? C Chec heck k ( / ) them .

Y  o

20

h h h h h h h h h h h h m

 

k fl

Language in use Look at the sentence on the right. Then use these words to   compare the things in the sentences below. loud er th than an

like

as large as

as

like

as good as

[ A to tow w n is like

a

The pearl was

b

The se sea a plants were .... ........ ....

c

The pearl shone

d

The evil in the town was ......................... a scorpion.

e

The priest thought of the Indians

f

The evil song was ......................... the th e pearl's song.

a se sea a bird s egg. ...... ........... ..... the do cto r's med medicine. icine.

......... .................... ........... silve silver. r.

......  

children.

Now wr ite about thing things s in your li life. fe. g

M y ................

h

My ......................... is as ......................... as a/an ......................... .

...... is/are like a ............. ...............

What's next? 1

Ch Check eck ( / ) th e be best st ans answer wers. s.

a

How will Kino keep the pearl safe? He will: hide it.

b

] the pearl buyers

Jua Juan n Tomas

W ill Kino get a goo good d price fo forr the pearl in L La a P Pa az? ] Yes, im m ed iat iately ely..

2

give it to the pries priest, t,

Which of these people will help Juana and Kino? ] the th e do ct o r

c

give it to his his brother.

I Yes, in the end.

I No.

You ar are e Ju Juan ana. a. You ar are e thinking abo ut your new life. life. W h a t three things would   you like? Why?

 

CHAPTER |

Thee First T h ief  Th ie f  The doctors eyesfollo followe wed d Kino Kino’s’ eyes, an and d he saw saw Kino’s eyes move 

to thefloor floor in the corner corner of o f the ho hous use. e. he neighbors left to go to their houses. Juana sat by the fire and began to prepare dinner, and Kino walked to the door and looked outside. As always,

T

he could smell the smoke from many fires. He could see the stars and feel the wet night air. But tonight he felt alone and unprotected. He felt very cold, but he carried the pearl in his hand, and it was warm and smooth against his skin. Behind him he heard Juana making corn-cakes. He was warmed by this Song of the Family. But when a plan is made, it becomes real. And nothing can destroy it, but there will be attacks on it. Kino knew this. He had to prepare to fight for his future. Kino saw two men coming toward his house, and one was the doctor. The other was the servant who opened the gate in the morning.

22  

Chapter 4 - The Firs Firstt Thief 

The doctor said, “I was not in when you came this morning. But now I have come to see your baby.” Kino stood in the door, filling it. He felt angry. He was also afraid. “The baby is nearly well now,” he said. The doctor smiled, but his eyes did not smile. He said, “Sometimes, my friend, the scorpion bite is a strange thing. The patient will seem better and then will suddenly get worse.” He moved his small, smal l, black d oc to tor’ r’ss bag into the light. H e kn ew ho w K Kino ino’’s people loved the toolss o f the doc tor tool tor’’s work. “Some times ,” the d oc octor tor co ntin ued , “there will will be a bad leg or a bad eye or a bad back. Oh, I know the scorpion bite, and I can make it better.” Kino was angry, but he was also afraid. He did not know, and maybe the doctor doc tor did. Kino’ Kino’ss people did no t know the things in the books. H Hee did n ot want Coyotito to die or to live with a bad leg or eye or back. He moved inside, and the doctor and his servant followed.

23

 

The Pearl

Juana stood up from the fire and looked away. The doctor came to her and held out his hand. She held the baby tight and looked at Kino. Kino looked back at her, and so she gave the baby to the doctor. T he do cto ctorr looked at the b bite ite an and d th then en at the baby baby’’s eye. eye. “It is as I thought,” he said. “The poison is inside him. It will attack soon. Co me me,, look!” He h held eld th e baby baby’’s ey eyee open. “S “See ee— — it iiss blue here.” here .” A nd Kino saw that it was a little blue. And he did not know if it was always blue. But he wanted Coyotito to get better. “I will give him something to attack the poison,” the doctor said, and he gave the baby to Kino. Th en from hi hiss bag he took a li littl ttlee bottle o f white medicin medicine. e. He took the baby and open ed its m outh . He pus pushed hed the medicine into the baby’ baby’ss m ou th an d the n gav gavee Coy Coyotito otito a drink. It w was as done. H e look ed again at the baby’ baby’ss ey eyee and seemed to think. Finally he ga Finally gave ve the baby back to Juana, and he tu rne d to Kino Kino.. “I think the poison will attack in an hour,” he said. “The medicine will help, but I will come back. Maybe I am in time to save him.” He left, and his servant followed him. Now Juana had the baby close to her, and she looked at it with fear. Kino came to her and looked at the baby, too. He moved his hand to look at Co yo tito’ tito’ss ey eye. e. T he n h hee saw th that at the pearl wa wass st stil illl in his hand. H e we nt to a box by the wal walll and brou ght ou t a p piece iece of cloth. He cove covered red the pearl with the cloth and made a hole in the earth floor in a corner of the house. He put the pearl in the hole and covered it with earth. And then he went to the fire, where Juana was watch wat ching ing the baby baby’’s ffac ace. e. Th e d octo r w was as back in hi hiss house. H e sat in hi hiss chair and looked at hi hiss watch. His servants brought him chocolate and sweet cakes and fruit. In their house houses, s, Kino’ Kino’ss neighbors ha had d the fir first st o f many ma ny conversations abo ut Kino and a nd his pea pearl rl.. T The hey y showed with their fing fingers ers how big the pearl w was as.. Th ey talked ab out h ow beautiful it wa was. s. Th ey discusse discussed d poss possibl iblee changes in K Kino ino a nd Juana, because money changes everyone. The neighbors knew why the doctor came. They understood him very well. In his house, Kino ate Juan a’ a’ss corn-cakes aand nd the then np prepa repared red a cigarette cigarette.. Suddenly, Juana spoke loudly: “Kino.” He looked at her and then got up and went quickly to her. He saw fear in her eyes. He stood over her and saw the face o f Coy Coyotito. otito. T he baby’ baby’ss fac facee w was as red, an d his stom ach was moving. T he baby w was as very sick. Kino sat next to his wife. “So the doctor knew,” he said. But he said it for

himself,, no t only for his wi himself wife fe.. He was reme remembe mbering ring the wh ite medicine. Juana sang the little Song of the Family while the baby, in pain, moved in her arms. 24  

Cha pter 4 — —Th Th e Firs Firstt Th ief 

25  

The Pearl

Th e mus music ic o f ev evil il rang loudl loudly y in K ino’s ino’s head hea d now. It wa wass difficu difficult lt to hear hea r Juana Jua nass song. T he doctor doct or finished hi hiss chocolate and ate the last last fallen fallen piece piecess o f swe sweet et cake cake.. He cleaned his fingers, looked at his watch, stood up, and picked up his little bag. T h e news o f the baby’ bab y’ss illness traveled quickly. Some Som e said so softly ftly,, “Luck, you y ou se see, e, brings terrible fr friend iend s.” A nd o others thers agreed an d mo moved ved tow ard K ino’s ino’s house. Th e neighbors crowded in to K ino’ ino’ss house again. again. They sto od and looked, and they talked talk ed ab ou t this sadness at a time tim e o f happiness. happine ss. And A nd they said, “Al “Alll things are in G od ’s ha nd s. s.””

26  

Chapter 4 - The Firs Firstt Thief 

Then the doctor hurried in, followed by his servant. He took the baby and looked at it and felt its head. “The poison has worked,” he said. “I think I can destroy it.” He asked for water, and in the cup he put a different medicine, and he opene d the baby’s baby’s m ou th and a nd po ured it in in.. T he baby cried, cried, an d Juana watched him with fear in her eyes. “It is lucky that I know about the poison of the sc scorpio orpion. n. O r— ” sai said d the doctor doctor.. He d id not have tto o continue. But Kino could c ould n ot take h his is eey yes of offf the bottle bott le o f white medicine medic ine in the do cto r’s r’s bag bag.. Finally the ba baby by grew silent and w en entt to sleep. sleep. It was very tired. Th e doc tor p ut the baby in Juana Juana’’s arms. “H e wil willl get well well now,” the d octo r said. sai d. “I hav havee won the fight.” A nd Juana looked at h im with lo lov ve.

27  

The Pearl

The doctor was closing his bag. He said, “When do you think you can pay this bill?” He even said it kindly. “When I have sold my pearl, I will pay you,” Kino said. “You have a pearl? A good pearl?” the doctor asked with interest. An d the n the neighbo neighbors rs shouted, “He has found the Pearl Pearl of the Wor ld.” And they showed him with their fingers how large the pearl was. “Kino will be a rich man,” they said. “Nobody has ever seen a more beautiful pearl.” T he doc doctor tor looked surpr surprised. ised. “I did n ot kno w of it it.. D o you keep tthis his pearl pearl in a safe place? Shall I keep it for you?” Kino was growing angry. “It is safe,” he said. “Tomorrow I will sell it and then I will pay you.” T h e do ctor ct or ’s ey eyes es followed K ino ’s eye eyes, s, aand nd he saw K Kino ino ’s eyes eyes move to t o the floor in the corner of the house. W he n the docto r and the neighbor neighborss lef left, t, Kino went to the do or o f hi hiss hou house. se. He smelled the wind and listened for strange sounds. His eyes searched the darkness darkne ss because the m usic o f ev evil il wa wass so und ing in his head. He was angry and afraid. Then he went to the place where the pearl was buried. He took it out of the hole and buried it under his bed. Juana watched him with questioning eyes. “Who do you fear?” she asked. Kino searched for a true answer, and at last he said, “Everyone.” The y la lay y down tog together ether,, and Juana did n ot p ut the baby in his his box tonigh t bu t held him in her arms arms.. A nd the last last light wen t ou t o f the fir fire. e. But Kino’s Kino’s m in d burn ed, ev even en while he sl slept ept.. He d ream ed th at C oyotito could read. In his dream, Coyotito was reading from a book as large as a house with letters as big as dogs, and the words ran on the book. And then darkness

covered cove red the pag page, e, a nd w ith th e darkness came the m usic o f evil evil again again.. Kino moved mov ed in his sle sleep ep.. W he n he m oved, Juana Juana’’s ey eyes es ope ne ned d in th e darkness. An d the n Kino woke up w ith the mus then music ic of ev evil il in h his is head. He lay in the darkness darkness listening carefully. T he n from the corner of the house came a ssof oftt sound, a touch o f a foot foot on earth. Kino listened carefully. He knew the dark thing was listening, too. For a time no sound came from the corner o f the house. house. Th en it came ag agai ain n! Kino’ss ha nd moved into his shirt. H e to ok ou t hi Kino’ hiss knife and jum pe ped d up lik likee an angry cat cat,, a nd the n he jump ed into the c orner of the hous house. e. H e fel feltt clo cloth, th, hit at it with his knife and missed, and he hit again and felt his knife go through the cloth. Then something crashed against his head and he felt great pain. He heard running toward the door, and then it was silent. bury /'be  /' be ri/ (v) to t o p u t so m et hi ng in to th e g ro u n d an and d cover cov er it 28  

r Chapter 4 - The Fi Firs rstt Thief 

29  

The Pearl

Kino could feel feel warm blood run ning down hi hiss head. head. He could hear Juana calling to him, “Kino! Kino!” And there was fear in her voice. Then coldness quickly came over him, and he said, “I am all right. The thing has gone.” He felt his way back to the bed. Already Juana was building a fire. She put some cloth in water and cleaned the blood from Kinos head. “It is nothing,” Kino said, but his eyes and voice were hard and cold. Hate was growing in him. “This thing is evil,” Juana cried. “This pearl will destroy us.” Her voice grew louder. “Th ro w it awa away, y, Kino. Let’ Let’ss break it between betwe en stones. Let’s Let’s bury bu ry it a nd forget the place. Let’s Let’s thro w it back into the sea sea.. It has bro ug ht ev evil. il. Kino, my husband, it will destroy us.” And in the firelight her eyes were alive with her fear. But Kino did no t listen. listen. “Thi “Thiss is our on e piece piece o f luck ,” he said said.. “O ur son must go to school. He must live better than we do.” “It will destroy us,” Juana said. “Even our son.” “Be quiet,” said Kino. “In the morning we will sell the pearl, and then the evil will go, and only the good will stay.” His dark eyes looked into the fire. For the first time, he knew that his knife was still in his hands. He saw some blood on it. He pushed it into the earth floor to clean it. M ornin g w was as comi coming. ng. Kino took the pearl out of it itss hole and p ut it in front of him and looked carefully at it.

And the pearl shone in the firelight. It was so beautiful, so soft, and its own music came from it— its its music o f happiness, its promise o f a won derful future. A nd as he looke looked d at it, Kin o’ o’ss eyes eyes softened. H e he heard ard again the lovely lovely music of the sea and saw the green light of the sea bottom. Juana saw him smile. And because they were in some way one thing and one purpose, she smiled with him. And they began this day with hope.

30  

CHAPTER

5

Selling the Pearl

“This Thispe pear arll is is too too lar large ge,, ”the buyer said. “Who wil willl buy it?  There Th ere are are no custome customers rsfo r a pear pearll like like this. this. ” n the tow n o f La P Paz az,, it was was known in the early early mo rnin g tha t Kino p lann ed to

I sell his pearl that day. It was known by the neighbors, by the pearl fishermen;

it was known by the Chinese grocers; it was known in the church. But most of all it was known by the pearl buyers who waited in their offices.

The sun was hot yellow that morning. The canoes lay lined up on the beach. The fishermen did not go out to search for pearls. For Kino and Juana this this wa wass the m orning o f mornings of their li liv ves. Th eir excitement was similar to the day when the baby was born. Juana dressed Coyotito in his best clothes. And Juana tied her hair back with red cloth and put on her best skirt. It was the middle of the morning when they were ready. Kinos old, white clothes were clean. And this was the last day in his old clothes. Tomorrow, or even this afternoon, he planned to buy new clothes.

31  

The Pearl

Th e neighbors watch ed K ino’ ino’ss doo r from their houses. Th ey were dress dressed ed and ready, too. It was accepted that this was an important day for all the fishermen. They had to go. If they did not, they were not good friends. Juana carried Coyotito so he could see everything. Kino put on his large hat and shoes. The great pearl was placed in an old, soft cloth and put, in a little bag, in a po pock cket et in Ki Kino’ no’ss shirt. shirt . N ow they the y were read ready. y. Kino stepped proudly o ut of the house house.. Juana follow followed ed him, carrying carrying Coyotito. And as they walked up the street toward the stone town, the neighbors  jo in e d them th em . Bu Butt bec becaus ausee it was a ser seriou iouss day, on only ly on e m an walk wa lked ed w it ith h Kino Ki no,, and that was his brother, Juan Tomas. “You must be careful that they do not give you a bad price,” Juan Tomas said. “Very careful,” Kino agreed. “We do no t kn ow w hat prices are paid in o ther places,” said said Juan Tomas. “How can we know what a good price is? We do not know what the pearl buyer gets for the pearl in another place.”

“T ha t is tru e,” said said Kino, “but how can we k know now?? We are here— we are are not there.” As they walked, the crowd grew behind them. Juan Tomas, nervous, contin ued spe speaki aking. ng.

32  

Ch apte r 5 - Selling Selling the Pea Pearl rl

“Before you were born, Kino,” he said, “the old men had an idea. They thou ght o f a way tto o get more m oney for their pea pearl rls. s. They decided tha t one man should take all the pearls to the capital and get a better price.” “I know,” Kino said. “It was a good thought.” “A nd so they got a m a n, ” said Ju Juan an Tomas. “A nd they gav gavee him their pearls. And they never heard from him again, and the pearls were lost. Then they got another man, and they never heard from him again. And so they went back to the old way.” “I know,” said Kino. “I have heard our father tell of it. It was a good idea, but it was against religion. The priest made that very clear. God did not like the idea. Each man m ust stay stay iin n hi hiss pl place ace and mus t not go run nin g about. O r the world will be in danger from the attacks of evil. ”

“I have heard him say that,” said Juan Tomas. “He says it every year.” Th e brothers, as they walked alon along, g, closed their eyes eyes a lit little tle.. T he hey y an d their grandfathers an d their gran dfathers’ grandfathers starte d doing this when the strangers from Spain came w with ith guns. A nd in those 40 0 year yearss K Kino’ ino’ss people had learned only one defense. They closed their eyes a little and tightened their mouths a little. Nothing could break down this wall, and they could stay complete inside the wall. "i

r 

^

33  

The Pearl

r  

~

34  

Ch apte r 5 - Selli Selling ng the Pe Pearl arl

T he crowd w was as sser erio ious us;; they unde rstood the im portance of the d daay. They came to the stone town. And, as before, the beggars joined them when they passed the church. The grocers looked out at them. The little bars lost their customers. The owners closed their shops and went along.

Th e news o f the crowd cam e to the little, dar dark k of offi fice ce^ ^ o f the pearl buy buyers. ers. They got out papers and put their pearls in their desks. It is not good to show an ordinary pearl near a beautiful one. A fat, slow man sat in an office waiting. His face was kind, and his eyes were frien fri endl dly. y. His d oor stoo d ope open n to th e m orning . He sang sof softly tly to him self and looked out the door. Then he heard the crowd coming. Kino filled the doorway. “Good morning, my friend,” the fat man said. “What can I do for you?” Kino loo ked into the d dark ark little offi office. ce. T he buy buyer’ er’ss eyes eyes were mean mea n now, b ut the rest o off his face smi smiled. led. “I have a pearl,” said Kino. And Juan Tomas stood next to him, and the neighbors looked around the doorway, and little boys climbed up to the window and looked through. “You have a pearl,” the fat man said. “Sometimes a man brings in twelve. Let’ss see yo ur pearl. We will give yo Let’ you u th e best pr price ice .” Now, Kino slowly brought out the small bag and slowly took from it the soft so ft and dirty pie piece ce o f clot cloth. h. A nd then the great p pear earll dro pped onto a p pie iece ce of black cloth on o n tthe he desk. IImm mm edia tely his eeye yess w en t to th thee b buyer uyer’’s fa face ce.. But there was no movement, no change. The buyer touche^ the great pearl with his right hand and then picked it up, brought it near to his eyes, and looked closely at it. Kino waited, and his neighbors waited, too. Word moved through the crowd: “He is looking at it. They have not discussed a price yet.” Th e buyer thr threw ew the pear pearll back on to the black cloth, an d on the buyer’ buyer’ss face face there came a sad, mean smile. “I am sorry, my friend,” he said. “It is a pearl worth much money,” Kino said. Th e buyer pushed the pear pearll awa away y fro from m him. “This pearl is too large,” the buyer said. “Who will buy it? There are no customers for a pearl like this. It is only an amusing toy. I am sorry.” No w K ino’ ino’ss fac facee w was as worried. “It is the Pea Pearl rl o f the W or orld, ld,”” he cried. “Nobody has ever seen a pearl like this.” “It is too large,” said the buyer. “It is interesting only because of its unusual size. I can give you 1,000  pesos.”

peso /' pe peis isou ou / (n) Mexican money 35  

The Pearl

Kinos face grew dark and dangerous. “It is worth 50,000,” he said. “You know it. You are not being honest.” And the buyer heard a dangerous noise from the crowd as they heard the price. And the buyer felt a little fear. “Iff yo “I you u disag disagree,” ree,” he said quickly, quickly, “ask the oth o ther er buyers. Boy!” Boy!” he called, an d when his servant looked through the back door, “Boy, go down the street and ask three other buyers to come here. Do not tell them why. Just say that I will be happy to see them.” Ki no’’s nei Kino neighb ghbors ors sp spoke oke quietly. T h e pearl was large, bu t it ha had d a stran strange ge color. color. An d 1,000 pesos pesos was was a lot o f mo ney to a po or m an. On ly yes yesterday terday Kino had nothing. But Kino was growing hard. He felt the evil circling him, and he could not protect himself. He heard in his ears the evil music. And on the black cloth the pearl shone, so the buyer could not keep his eyes from it. The crowd moved to let the three pearl buyers through. The crowd was silent now, afraid to miss a word. Kino was silent and watched closely. He felt something some thing at h his is back back,, and he tur ned ne d and looked in Juana’s Juana’s eyes. W he n he looked away, he felt stronger. The buyers did not look at the pearl. The man behind the desk said, “I have put a price on this pearl. The owner here does not like my price. Please look careful car efully ly at this— this— this thing, aand nd make an offer.” offer.” He turne tur ne d to Kino. “N otic e,” he said, “I have not said what I offered.” The first buyer, dry and thin, seemed now to see the pearl for the first time. He took it up and then threw it back onto the cloth. “I wil willl make mak e no offer at all,” he said. said. “I do no t want wa nt it. Th is is not a pearl— it is an ugly thing.” Now the second buyer, a little man with a shy, soft voice, took up the pearl, and he looked at it closely. Then he laughed softly. “This is soft,” he said. “It will lose its color and die in a few months.” The third buyer took the pearl. “One of my customers likes things like this,” he said. “I will offer 500 pesos, and maybe I can sell it to him for 600.” Kino reached quickly and took the pearl from his hand. He covered it with the cloth. T he m an be behi hind nd the desk said said,, “I’m “I’m crazy crazy,, I know, b ut I wil willl still still offer offer 1,000. What are you doing?” he asked, as Kino put the pearl in his shirt. “You are not honest,” Kino cried angrily. “My pearl is not for sale here. I will go, maybe even to the capital.”

36  

Cha pter 5 - Selling Selling tthe he Pearl Pearl

Now the buyers knew that they had played too hard. The man at the desk said, “I will go to 1,500.” But Kino was pushing his way through the crowd. He heard the crowd speaking. He pushed through and walked quickly away. Juana followed, running after him.

37  

Activities 4

Were you right? Look Lo ok b bac ack k a t yo ur answer answers s to Activ ity 3.4. Then answ er these questi questions. ons. W ho . 1

m ak e s t h e b a b y s i c k a ga i n?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

M 2

mak makes es the baby we ll the seco second nd tim e?

................... .............................. ..................... ..........

3  moves moves the pearl fro m its hidin g pla place ce in the corner?

..................... ................................ .................. .......

sends ds a th ie f to find Kino' Kino's s pea pearl? rl? 4   sen

................................ ........................................ ........

5  gives Kino ide ideas as ab abou ou t sellin selling g the pearl?

...... .............. ..................... .......................... .............

W h at more did did you learn? learn? 1

W h a t iis s eac each h p pers erson on feeling? W ri rite te tthese hese words nex t to the people. sick

1

d

greedy

...... .......... ........ ........ ........ ........ ....

2

afraid

unsure

3 ..

uncomfortable

5

.... ... .

4

Talk Ta lk to ano ther s tudent. W hy do they hav have e tthese hese fee feelin lings? gs? 2

Com plete these sen senten tences. ces. a

Kino and Juana

.... ...... .. t o La Paz.

b

The buyers .......

c

They already ........................ a plan.

d

Their plan ........................ successful.

e

The Th e bu buyers yers a l l ....... ................... ................. ..... for the same man.

ab ou t Kino's pearl befor before e Kino com comes es to La Paz.

38  

U Langu Languag age e in use use Look at the sentences on the right.   Then add past passive verb forms  

Kino planned to sell his pearl that day.

to the sentences below and complete  

It was known by the pearl sellers.

the sentences. 1

Kino

W0[S  

up

2

Kino .................. ............

3

The Th e ca no es .... ........ .......... ........... .......... ......... ....... ... (no t us use) e) th a t day

4

Kino and his brother

5

Kino............................. . (offer) 1,500 pesos

(wa wak ke u p ) ................. ....

by the neighbors.

(hit) hard on the head

by the pearlers. i

by the pearl buyers.

.......................... (follow) by the pearl thief.

Qj What's next? W h at do you thin think? k? 1

W h at w ill Kino Kino do w ith the pea pearl? rl? a

J sell it to th e pearl buyers in the to w n

b

] keep ke ep it

c d 2

[

throw it aw away ay | take it to the big ci city ty

You are Kin Kino. o. W h a t w ill you do do? ?

Kino and and Jua Juana na are talk ing. Wh o is right right? ? Why? This thing is evil.  evil.  This is our one  piece of luck.

I

This pearl will   destroy us.

$

p

—

y

^  —

is   r iigh+ gh+ because

39  

CHAPTER

6

The Second Thief  “Let’s—let’ let’s throw it back in into to the sea sea where iitt be belo long ngs. s.  Kino,, it is ev Kino evil, il, it is evil! evil!” ” hen the evening came, the neighbors sat eating their corn-cakes. They discussed what happened that morning. They never saw pearls like that, and surely the buyers knew more about pearls than they. “Those buyers did not discu dis cuss ss the these se things,” thi ngs,” they said said.. “Each “Each o f the three knew tha t the pearl wa wass wor worth th nothing.” “But is it possible that they agreed before?” “If that is true, then they have always robbed us.” Maybe Kino wa wass wrong no t to take the 1,500 pes pesos os.. T ha t is a lot o f mon money, ey, some said, more than he has ever seen. Maybe Kino is being stupid. Will he really go to the capital and find a buyer for the pearl? And now, said other fearful ones, now those buyers are angry with Kino. So they will not buy from him at all. Maybe Kino has destroyed himself. And others said, Kino is a brave man. And he is right. His brave words will help all of us. These men were proud of Kino. In his house Kino sat thinking. His pearl was buried under a stone by the fire hole. Kino was afraid. He never went far from home. He was afraid of strangers and of strange places. He was afraid of the capital. It lay over the water and through the mountains, over 1,000 miles, and he was afraid of every strange terrible every terrible mil mile. e. But K inos old world was was gone, gone, and he mu st climb on to a new one. His dream d ream o f the future futu re wa wass real, real, and he sai said, d, “I will go,” go ,” and that made it a real thing, too. When a man decided, he was already halfway there. Juana watched him while he buried his pearl. And she watched him while she

fed Coyotito. Then Juana made the corn-cakes for dinner. Juan Tomas came in and sat next to Kino and was silent for a long time. At last Kino asked, “What could I do? They are not honest.” Juan Tomas agreed. He was older, and Kino looked to him for help. “It is hard to know,” he said. “We do know that many people are not honest with us. We pay too mu ch for everything everything from the day o f our b irth to the day of our death. But you have done more than say no to the pearl buyers. You have said no to our way of life, and I am afraid for you.” “What must I fear?” asked Kino. “That I will be hungry?” “We must all fear that,” Juan Tomas said. “But maybe you are right. Maybe your pearl is is wo rth a lot o f money. money. Do you t hi hink nk tha thatt you wi will ll win the game? game?”” 40  

Cha pter 6 —The —The Second Th ief 

41  

The Pearl

“W ha t do you mean?” mean?” “I do not know,” said Juan Tomas, “but I am afraid for you. You are walking on new ground. You do not know the way.” “I will go. I will go soon,” said Kino. “Yes,” Juan Tomas agreed. “You must do that. But I do not know if it will be different in the capital. Here you have friends and me, your brother. There you will have nobody.” “What can I do?” Kino cried. “My son must have a better life. That is what they do not want to happen. My friends will protect me.” “On ly i f they are are n not ot in danger,” said said Jua Juan n Tomas. Tomas. He stood up, saying saying,, “Go “G o with God .” And Kino said, “Go with God.” He did not even look up because the words

42  

Cha pter 6 —Th e Second Th ief 

Long after Juan Tomas left, Kino sat thinking. He felt tired and hopeless. Every road seemed blocked against him. In his head he heard only the dark music o f the ene enemy. my. Juana watched him with worry. But she knew him. And she knew she could help him best through silence. And she sang softly the Song of the Family. She held Coyotito in her arms and sang the song to him. She sang to keep the evil out. Her voice was brave. Kino did not move or ask for his dinner. He could feel the dark, evil things waiting for for hi him. m. T hey wa nted him to go out into the night. The y calle called d to him. His right hand went into his shirt and felt his knife; his eyes were wide; he stood up and walked to the door. Juana put her hand up to stop him. Her mouth opened in fear. Kino looked out into the darkness and then he stepped outside. Juana heard a sudden fight. And she put Coyotito down on the ground, picked up a stone from the fire hole, and ran outside. But it was finished. Kino lay on the ground, trying to get up. There was nobody near him, but the evil was everywhere.

43  

The Pearl

Juana dropped her stone, and she put her arms around Kino and helped him stand up and walk into the house. Blood ran down his head, and there was a long cut across his face. His shirt was open and his clothes half pulled off. Juana sat him down and cleaned the blood from his face with her skirt. She brought him water to drink. He shook his head to clear out the darkness. “W ho? ” Juan a as aske ked. d. “I do not know,” Kino said. “I did not see.” No w Juana brou ght her pot of water water,, and she she washed washed the cut on his face. His eyes were empty. “Kino, my husband,” she cried, and his eyes looked past her. “Kino, can you hear me?”

“I hear you,” he said quietly. “Kino “Ki no,, th this is pea pearl rl is ev evil. il. Let’ Le t’ss de destr stroy oy it before it destroys us. Let’ Le t’ss break bre ak it be betwe tween en ttwo wo sstones. tones. Le Let’ t’s— let’ le t’ss throw it back into the sea where it belongs. Kino, it is evil, it is evil!” And as she spoke, the light came back in into to K ino’ in o’ss eye eyes. s. “No,” he said. “I will fight this thing. I will win. Nobody will take our luck from us.” His eyes softened, and then he put his ha nd on Jua Juana na’’s should shoulder. er. “Believe “Believe m e,” e, ” he said. “I am a man. In the morning we will take our canoe and we will go over the sea and over the mountains to the capital. You and I. We will find an honest buyer. I am a man.” “Kino,” she said. “I am afraid. A man can die. Let’ Le t’s thro w the pearl back b ack int into o the sea.” “Be quiet,” he said angrily. “I am a man. Be q u ie t. t.”” A nd she was silent. “Let’ “Le t’ss sleep a little. In the first light we will start. You are not afraid to go with me?” “No, my husband.” His eyes were soft and warm on her, and then his hand touched her face. “Let “L et’’s sleep a littl lit tle, e,”” he said. s aid. 44  

Chapter 6 - The Secon Second d Thief 

45  

Activities 5

B E D W er ere You rig h t? Look back at your answers to Activity 4.4. Then look at these sentences. What   does Kino decide? Use these words. sea

mountains

honest

capital

canoe

“In the m orni or ning ng we will take ou r ... ...... ....... ........ ........ ........ ........ ....... ... an d over the will find fin d an .............. ................... .....

...

and we will go over the

to t h e

.. .... .... buye bu yer.” r.”

B 5H W ha t more more di did you you lear learn? n? 1

2

W rit e these sentences agai again n w ith o u t mistakes. a

Kino's brother is going with him to the capital,

b

After Juan Tomas leaves, Kino sees the future clearly,

c

Kino knows who his attacker was.

d

Kino wants to break the pearl between two stones,

e

Juana will stay at home when Kino goes to the capital.

Lo Look ok at the picture. a

What has just happened?

a

b

What is going to happen?

 

H Language Language in use use

. We

Look at the sentence on the right. Then complete   the sentences below with the correct form of  

Juana watched him while   I he buried burie d th the e p pearl. earl.

the verb and while. 1

Jua Juana na (w (watch atch ) Kin Kino o / she (feed) C oy ot otito ito too.

^3uav\a wa w a ic h e d ^K ino in o