--- title: The Story of William Tell. — Fifty Famous Stories Retold · full text with trees description: The Story of William Tell., «Fifty Famous Stories Retold» by James Baldwin: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: The people of Swit-zer-land were not always free and happy as they are to-day. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Fifty Famous Stories Retold](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/) / The Story of William Tell. # The Story of William Tell. The Story of William Tell. of «Fifty Famous Stories Retold» by James Baldwin: the whole text, 32 sentences and 453 words. Every sentence has its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/1/) — The people of Swit-zer-land were not always free and happy as they are to-day. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/2/) — Many years ago a proud tyrant, whose name was Gessler, ruled over them, and made their lot a bitter one indeed. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/3/) — One day this tyrant set up a tall pole in the public square, and put his own cap on the top of it; and then he gave orders that every man who came into the town should bow down before it. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/4/) — But there was one man, named William Tell, who would not do this. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/5/) — He stood up straight with folded arms, and laughed at the swinging cap. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/6/) — He would not bow down to Gessler himself. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/7/) — When Gessler heard of this, he was very angry. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/8/) — He was afraid that other men would disobey, and that soon the whole country would rebel against him. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/9/) — So he made up his mind to punish the bold man. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/10/) — William Tell's home was among the mountains, and he was a famous hunter. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/11/) — No one in all the land could shoot with bow and arrow so well as he. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/12/) — Gessler knew this, and so he thought of a cruel plan to make the hunter's own skill bring him to grief. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/13/) — He ordered that Tell's little boy should be made to stand up in the public square with an apple on his head; and then he bade Tell shoot the apple with one of his arrows. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/14/) — Tell begged the tyrant not to have him make this test of his skill. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/15/) — What if the boy should move? - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/16/) — What if the bow-man's hand should tremble? - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/17/) — What if the arrow should not carry true? - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/18/) — "Will you make me kill my boy?" he said. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/19/) — "Say no more," said Gessler. " - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/20/) — You must hit the apple with your one arrow. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/21/) — If you fail, my sol-diers shall kill the boy before your eyes." - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/22/) — Then, without another word, Tell fitted the arrow to his bow. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/23/) — He took aim, and let it fly. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/24/) — The boy stood firm and still. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/25/) — He was not afraid, for he had all faith in his father's skill. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/26/) — The arrow whistled through the air. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/27/) — It struck the apple fairly in the center, and carried it away. - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/28/) — The people who saw it shouted with joy. - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/29/) — As Tell was turning away from the place, an arrow which he had hidden under his coat dropped to the ground. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/30/) — "Fellow!" cried Gessler, "what mean you with this second arrow?" - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/31/) — "Tyrant!" was Tell's proud answer, "this arrow was for your heart if I had hurt my child." - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/23/32/) — And there is an old story, that, not long after this, Tell did shoot the tyrant with one of his arrows; and thus he set his country free. - ← previous: [Grace Darling.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/22/) - next →: [Arnold Winkelried.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/24/) - ↑ back to [Fifty Famous Stories Retold](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/)