Bubbling Well Road

BUBBLING WELL ROAD
- Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling (born on 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936) was a British author and poet. Born in Bombay, in British India. He is best known for his works of fiction The Jungle Book (1894) ,Kim (1901), and has written many short stories. Kipling was one of the most popular writers in English, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.In 1907 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English language writer to receive the prize, and to date he remains its youngest recipient.
1.Narrate the mystery of Bubbling Well Road.

The Chenab River falls into the Indus fifteen miles above the village of Chachuran. Five miles west of Chachuran lies Bubbling Well Road, and the house of the priest of Arti-goth. Five miles of the west of Chachuran, there is a patch of ten to twenty feet high jungle grass in a plot of three to four square miles. In the middle of this plot hides the priest.

The priest is a one-eyed man with the impress of two copper coins burnt between his brows. Some say that in the days of Ranjit Singh, this old man must have been tortured for his mischief. Only British government can control him now.

A pig with foot-long teeth enters the grass patch. The narrator goes into the patch to shoot it for the sake of honour. He takes a gun and is accompanied by his dog, Mr.Wardle. The dog slips in and out of the grass clumps, but the narrator finds it hard to go through the thick grass. He feels as if he is in the heart of Central Africa. There is nothing but grass everywhere, and it is impossible to see two yards in any direction. The grass stems are as hot as boiler tubes. The narrator wishes to leave the pig along. He comes to a six –inch narrow path that runs through thick grass. After fifty yards, he finds his dog missing. He wonders where it has gone. Whatever words he speaks are repeated. When he is silent, he hears an offensive laughter. The heat and laughter upset him. There seems to be no ground in front of him. He drives his gun around but it does not touch the ground. The grunting sound he makes is repeated. When he is silent, there is the sound of laughter.

The narrator moves forward inch by inch and finds a black gap in the ground just before him. It is a very deep well. Very black things are circling round and round in the black water. A little spring of water on one side of the well is creating the sound of laughter. Something is the well turns over on its back and moves round and round with one hand and half an arm held high. The narrator creeps round the well and after walking through the grass for some time, comes to a good path. This path takes him to the priest’s hut. The priest is afraid of the white coloured narrator. Being tired, he goes to sleep on a bedstead outside the priest’s hut. After waking up, he asks the priest to lead him out of the grass into an open ground. When they reach an open ground, the priest runs back into the thick grass. The villagers throw stones at him if they see him. The narrator walks to the village of Arti-goth for a drink.

The narrator learns from the villagers of Arti-goth that the patch of grass is full of devils and ghosts. They are all in the service of the priest. Men, women and children who enter the grass never return. The priest uses their lives for his witchcraft. Before leaving, the narrator tries to burn the grass, but it is too green. He decides to come back in summer with a bundle of newspapers and a match-box and put an end to the mystery of the Bubbling Well Road.

2.What did the writer see when he pushed his way through a thick clump of grass?

When the narrator entered into thick grass he found a very mysterious situations in the thick clump of grass.

The narrator goes into the patch to shoot a pig for the sake of honour. He takes a gun and is accompanied by his dog, Mr.Wardle. The dog slips in and out of the grass clumps, but the narrator finds it hard to go through the thick grass. He feels as if he is in the heart of Central Africa. There is nothing but grass everywhere, and it is impossible to see two yards in any direction. The grass stems are as hot as boiler tubes. The narrator wishes to leave the pig along. He comes to a six –inch narrow path that runs through thick grass. After fifty yards, he finds his dog missing. He wonders where it has gone. Whatever words he speaks are repeated. When he is silent, he hears an offensive laughter. The heat and laughter upset him. There seems to be no ground in front of him. He drives his gun around but it does not touch the ground. The grunting sound he makes is repeated. When he is silent, there is the sound of laughter.

The narrator moves forward inch by inch and finds a black gap in the ground just before him. It is a very deep well. Very black things are circling round and round in the black water. A little spring of water on one side of the well is creating the sound of laughter. Something is the well turns over on its back and moves round and round with one hand and half an arm held high. The narrator creeps round the well and after walking through the grass for some time, comes to a good path.

3.What was the priest’s reaction when the writer suddenly appears at his hut?

The narrator after experiencing very mysterious situations in the thick grass at last he lands into the priest’s hut. The priest is afraid of the white coloured narrator. Because of British people tortured him for his cunning nature.

Being tired, he goes to sleep on a bedstead outside the priest’s hut. After waking up, he asks the priest to lead him out of the grass into an open ground. When they reach an open ground, the priest runs back into the thick grass. The villagers throw stones at him if they see him. The narrator walks to the village of Arti-goth for a drink.


4.What was the secret promise the writer made to himself before he left the village?

The narrator learns from the villagers of Arti-goth that the patch of grass is full of devils and ghosts. They are all in the service of the priest. Men, women and children who enter the grass never return. The priest uses their lives for his witchcraft.
Before leaving, the narrator tries to burn the grass, but it is too green. He decides to come back in summer with a bundle of newspapers and a match-box and put an end to the mystery of the Bubbling Well Road.



5.Why did the writer’s dog go with him into the grass patch?

Mr. Wardle (dog) went with the writer because he believed that he was incapable of existing for an hour without his advice and countenance.

6.Why did the villagers not share their fears about the patch of grass with the writer before he set out to hunt wild boar?

Because of the villagers wanted the writer to hunt wild boar.