track5

Pacam is a poor farmer, but he dreams of having much land.

Pacam's farm is very small. It is less than an acre.

Every morning, Pacam gets a pearly and works until it is dark.

In this way, he is able to save some money.

Pacam works and saves, and he dreams of having much land.

One day, a traveler stops at Pacam's farm.

The traveler needs food for his horse.

Pacam gives the horse some oats.

Then Pacam and the man drink tea and talk about farm life.

The man says,

I am returning from a land that is far away.

It is in the south of Russia. They call it the land of the Bashkirs.

I have got a very large piece of land, more than 1500 acres.

The land is cheap. It is very cheap.

It costs only 500 rubles, he continues.

Pacam is very surprised. He keeps on listening.

The man says, the Bashkirs are very stupid.

They may sell you land for very little money.

All you need to do is make friends with them.

You must make friends with their chief.

The man drinks some more tea, he says.

It is easy to make friends with the Bashkirs.

Give them some gifts. Then they will be your friends.

He smiles. This makes them happy.

Then they can sell you a large piece of land for almost nothing.

The man tells Pacam.

The land is very good too. It is near a river.

The earth is very rich. You can grow almost anything there.

Do the Bashkirs own much land?

Asks Pacam. The traveler laughs.

Oh yes, he says. They own many acres.

They own more land than you can ever see.

You can't walk from one end of their land to the other in years.

Pacam shakes his head and thinks about the land.

I tell you, says the traveler.

The Bashkirs are stupid. Just give them some gifts.

Then they will sell you their land for very little money.

They are happy people who live in tents near the side of a river.

Pacam thinks, I must visit the Bashkirs.

I always dream of having much land. This may be my chance.

Pacam asks, how do I get to the land of the Bashkirs?

The traveler tells him.

Then Pacam and the man shake hands and the traveler leaves.

Pacam tells his wife about the Bashkirs.

Then Pacam says, I will go to see the Bashkirs.

I will leave in the morning. You must stay here to take care of the farm.

The next day, Pacam and his helper start on their journey.

The helper is a strong man. He pulls a heavy wooden cart.

First, they stop at a town along the way.

Pacam buys some presents and two boxes of tea.

They travel for a week. On the seventh day, they see some tents near the side of a river.

Pacam remembers the visitor's words. They live in their tents.

They look like a happy people.

The Bashkirs see Pacam and they come out of their tents.

They stand around the visitor.

The Bashkirs seem very happy to see Pacam.

They let him into one of the best tents. They offer him a seat.

They sit down around him. They give him some tea and some food to eat.

Then Pacam takes the presents out of the cart. He gives them to the Bashkirs.

He also gives everyone some tea. The Bashkirs are very happy.

Then one of the Bashkirs steps forward. He tells Pacam,

we like you very much. We want to give you something.

What can we give you? What do you want?

What I like, says Pacam, is your land.

Our land is not very good, but you have plenty of land and it is good land.

I want to buy a piece of your land. The Bashkirs talk to each other.

They joke and laugh. Then they are silent. The man steps forward again.

He says, we will gladly sell you some land, but we must wait for our chief.

We must ask the chief before we can sell you the land.