Summary:
“The Treasure in the Forest” is an exciting story written by H.G. Wells long ago. It’s about two English men, Evans and Hooker, who go on a dangerous adventure to find Spanish treasure on a faraway island. They have an old map that’s hard to read, making the story even more mysterious.
As they get closer to the island, Evans starts having vivid dreams about the treasure and a man named Chang-hi, who hid the gold during a shipwreck. These dreams give a hint about the dangers waiting for them.
When they reach the island, they face many challenges. They find a dead body, probably Chang-hi’s, and they also discover three palm trees that show where the treasure is buried. They feel very excited when they dig up the gold bars from a hole.
But their greed takes over. Evans becomes obsessed with the gold and ignores the dangers. He keeps getting pricked by thorns that protect the treasure while collecting the gold. On the other hand, Hooker becomes more cautious and scared as he realizes the risks involved.
In the end, their greed destroys them. Both Evans and Hooker are poisoned by the thorns and suffer a lot of pain. Hooker remembers Chang-hi’s smiling face and realizes the tragic consequences of their greed.
To sum up, “The Treasure in the Forest” is an exciting story that shows how greed can have bad effects. It takes readers on a suspenseful journey full of mystery, danger, and the sad downfall of characters who can’t stop wanting more and more riches.
Exercise:
Answer the following questions.
a. Describe the expository scene of the story.
In the expository scene of the story, there are two people named Evans and Hooker. They are in a boat and have a map, but they look confused because they can’t figure out the map. They are getting closer to a land that has a thick forest on it.
b. What does the map look like and how do Evan and Hooker interpret it?
The map was old and a bit damaged, so the paper wasn’t very clear. However, they managed to figure out the symbols on the map. They decided to head towards the area marked with dotted lines on the map because they believed that’s where the treasure was hidden.
c. How did Evan and Hooker know about the treasure?
Evan and Hooker learned about a hidden treasure that was protected by Chang-hi while the Chinese man was chatting with his three friends in the jungle. The Chinese men were speaking in English by a big fire. Evans and Hooker quietly approached them and listened to their plan to find the hidden treasure.
d. Describe Evan’s dream.
Evan had a strange daydream while he was on his boat. When he closed his eyes, he was surprised to see many pictures in his dream. In the dream, he and Hooker were in a forest looking for something. They overheard three Chinese men talking in English about the forest’s riches, so they moved closer to listen. One of the Chinese men was telling them about Spanish treasures.
There was a fight, and Chang-hi, one of the Chinese men, was killed. After a moment of silence, Chang-hi suddenly started laughing. Evan saw a big devil-like Chang-hi with a huge black tail sitting in a pile of gold and calling his name.
e. What do the two treasure hunters see when they walk towards the island?
The two treasure hunters, Evans and Hooker, came across three palm trees and many plants. Among the plants, they found a partly decayed body of a Chinese man lying face down on the grass.
f. In what condition did the treasure hunters find the dead man?
The treasure hunters discovered a dead man who was swollen and partly decomposed. They carefully approached the body, clearing away large white flowers and thick bushes. When Evans examined the dead man, he realized that the person was Chinese, and there were only a few gold bars scattered near the body.
g. How did the treasure hunters try to carry gold ingots to the canoe?
They wanted to take as much gold as possible back to their boat. They put gold bars in their jackets and began taking them to the boat. While doing this, Evans got pricked by a poisonous thorn and started feeling very sick. Hooker was still very determined to get the gold and treasure, so he collected all the scattered gold bars and started carrying them to the canoe. However, both of them ended up getting seriously injured in the end of the story.
h. How were Evan and Hooker poisoned?
Evan and Hooker were poisoned because they were carrying the gold ingots, and these ingots were hidden among poisonous thorns, as shown on the map with dashes (—). While carrying the ingots, Evan felt his arm ache and fell to the ground, but he still told Hooker to take the ingots to the canoe. However, when Hooker started carrying the ingots, he also got pricked by a thorn, and this thorn had poison on it. Hooker’s thumb was pierced by a thin thorn, and this is how they both got poisoned.