Narrative Text

The Moonstone

At one time, Great Britain was one of the most powerful countries in the world. It was said that the sun never set on the British Empire, because the empire spread right around the globe. places as different as Jamaica, Australia, and India were part of the British Empire until they became independent during the 20th century.

For almost 200 years, India was known as the "Jewel in the Crown" of  The British Empire. While the British were in India, the Indians and the British learned a lot from each other. For example, the English game of cricket is India's most popular sport. And the Indians thought the English the words for "jungle," "pepper," "bungalow," and "panda'" among others. English became the common language in a country with so many different languages.

Thousands of British men and women lived and worked in India. Some were missionaries, some doctors, and some soldiers. This story begins with one of them..

John Herncastle was a soldier in the British Army. He was a cruel and dishonest man who had never liked living in India. He wanted to go back to England, but he did not have a job there and no way to make a living.

One day Herncastle heard about an ancient and mysterious diamond. It was called the moonstone because it was said to have come from moon. It was kept in a temple on a mountain near Herncastle's barracks, watched day and night by three guards.

"I have been in India too long," Herncastle said to himself, "so i will steal the moonstone. Then i will be a rich man when i get home." That night, he crept out of the barracks and up the mountain to the temple. It was dark, and Herncastle was frightened. "May be i shouldnot do this," he thought. But he swallowed his fear and continued on.

When Herncastle reached the temple, he peered inside. There was the moonstone!The guards heard him and attacked him. they were fierce warriors, but they only had swords and Herncastle had his gun. He shot them and made his way toward the moonstone. It seemed to have special power. John Herncastle hesitated for a minute. But then he grabbed the moonstone, hid it deep in his pocket, and quickly ran back to his barracks.

A few weeks later, John Herncastle was on a ship heading home to England. He felt lucky. But his luck was not to last.

Text Narrative ini dikutip dari Buku English Zone.

Robbins, Laruren & Prieto, Margarita. (2006). English Zone. Mc Grow Hill. New York. America