His chubby little finger was thrust in, almost before he knew it. The flowing was stopped! Haarlem shall not be drowned while I am here!
This was all very well at first, but the night was falling rapidly. Chill vapors filled the air. Our little hero began to tremble with cold and dread.
He shouted loudly; he screamed, 'Come here! The cold grew more intense, a numbness, commencing in the tired little finger, crept over his hand and arm, and soon his whole body was filled with pain. He shouted again, 'Will no one come? He tried to whistle. Perhaps some straggling boy might heed the signal, but his teeth chattered so, it was impossible.
Then he called on God for help. And the answer came, through a holy resolution: 'I will stay here till morning. His head was bent but he was not asleep, for every now and then one restless hand rubbed feebly the outstretched arm that seemed fastened to the dike -and often the pale, tearful face turned quickly at some real or fancied sounds. How can we know the sufferings of that long and fearful watch - what falterings of purpose, what childish terrors came over the boy as he thought of the warm little bed at home, of his parents, his brothers and sisters, then looked into the cold, dreary night!
If he drew away that tiny finger, the angry waters, grown angrier still, would rush forth, and never stop until they had swept over the town. No, he would hold it there till daylight - if he lived! He was not very sure of living. What did this strange buzzing mean? And then the knives that seemed pricking and piercing him from head to foot? He was not certain now that he could draw his finger away, even if he wished to.
At daybreak a clergyman, returning from the bedside of a sick parishioner, thought he heard groans as he walked along on the top of the dike. Bending, he saw, far down on the side, a child apparently writhing with pain. The legend of Hans Brinker, the brave Dutch boy who supposedly put his finger in the dyke to prevent a flood, was actually a literary invention by the American writer Mary Elizabeth Mapes Dodge , who was born in New York.
In the chapter called 'Friends in Need' there is this story read out in class called 'The Hero of Haarlem'. This is the story - quoted above - of the heroic boy who saves the land from drowning by putting his finger in the dyke all night long. The adventure is situated near Haarlem in the province of North Holland , not yet in Spaarndam.
Actually, the hero in the story remains anonymous, but still the adventure is mostly attributed to Hans Brinker, Hansie Brinkers or Peter van Haarlem. Therefore, in this case, the city of Amsterdam would be responsible.
We'll ask them and let you know result: the city doesn't know, and we asked someone who lived in the building, and he didn't know either. So we may never know Hans Brinker statue at Spaarndam. Jim Goyjer Jim Goyjer is a public relations consultant. Currently living in the Netherlands with his wife, he looks forward to writing, photography, traveling throughout Europe and exploring more of the Netherlands and his Dutch family heritage going back to the 16th century in Noord Holland. Liked it?
Try these on for size:. Health Press conference: lockdown measures announced, 2G policy is coming By now, you've likely heard that the Netherlands will be going into lockdown tomorrow. But you're also likely a bit Culture Dutch Quirk Bike while holding hands We've all experienced it.
You're innocently cycling along when all of a sudden, up ahead, a monstrous spectacle emerges. Sources have confirmed to What do you think? Comment: Please enter your comment! Related posts. Latest posts. By now, you've likely heard that the Netherlands will be going into lockdown tomorrow. But you're also likely a bit confused. Is it really It seems like half the Netherlands is holding its breath, waiting for Rutte and De Jonge to explain the partial lockdown at the press We've all experienced it.
An obstacle. A display of There are film adaptations? Yes, in fact there are several adaptations in different formats. Namely, in a musical live tv , in a Disney TV movie which was exhibited in two parts; in NBC made another musical, in Disney Channel made a pretty poor adaptation of the original film version, which was set in Los Angeles, and finally, in a russian film was shot , The silver skates , a free version of the story. The Netherlands have also capitalized on the fame of history so there are some statues here and there, even though on that side of the Atlantic the story is not so well known.
But still, there is even a hostel in Amsterdam called Hans Brinker. The novel tells the story of a poor but honest year-old boy who lives in Amsterdam with his mother and sister. The city regularly holds a ice skating race in December and on one of the canals of the famous city.
The prize is a pair of silver skates. Of course, participating is what Hans wants the most, but being poor has very few chances with his humble wooden skates. Also, to make the story even sadder, Hans's father has lost his memory. One day, while working, he fell into a dam and since then has lived without memory and half in a trance, half with violent outbursts, forcing the rest of his family to work in order to live.
But Hans is a good boy and he loves his father, so one day he consults with a prestigious surgeon , Dr. Boekman, a retired physician and widower with a missing son. Amazed by the attitude of the year-old boy, he agrees to visit his father and, after reviewing him, gives his diagnosis: has a concussion and needs surgery.
Obviously, surgery is expensive and he is absolutely out of the reach of his poor family. The surgeon decides not to charge for the operation, but still Hans sees that he needs money and that the only chance to get it is participate in the race and win the silver skates.
Determined, Hans spends all his meager savings and buys two pairs of skates, one for himself and the other for his sister Gretel, who will also participate.
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