Page 127 - Lavender-B-4

Let’s read and find out about two siblings who saved their domestic animals
from a snow leopard.

I grew up in Kumdok, a small village of seventeen homes in the interior of
Ladakh, a place of mountains and blue skies. When I was young, all of the
families in my village reared livestock. Each family had goats, sheep, yak and

cows. All of us, even children, herded the animals. We had to make sure we were
with them as they grazed in the pastures around our village. I still remember

that time when I went to herd livestock for the village.

It was the most thrilling and terrifying day of my life!

Since my parents were busy with other chores, they asked me and my eight-year-

old brother Nurbu to go with the herd. I was six years older than my brother.
We spent the day minding the animals, having tea and sattu , and chit-chatting
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constantly. We had nearly fifty animals in our charge. The day passed smoothly,

and we were feeling confident. This seemed easy, I thought.

Just as we were climbing down the mountain with the herd of animals, Nurbu
let out a shriek and pointed towards a huge, furry, grey animal that had caught a

goat by her neck. Both of us froze.

interior: far away from the main We did not know how to react. The creature we saw
city or town
reared: raised; took care in front of us was a large-sized cat. Its paws were
livestock: farm animals enormous, and we could see it flexing its muscles as
herded: gathered animals and
moved them in a group it held the struggling goat in its jaws. It was a snow
grazed: ate grass or other plants leopard, the phantom of the
growing in a field, pasture
pasture: a large area of land mountains, the most dangerous What would
where animals feed on the grass you have done if
terrifying: causing great fear creature in Ladakh.
Let’s connect
chore: a small job that is done you were Nurbu?
regularly life skill decision making
minding: taking care of something
confident: having a feeling that
you can do something well
shriek: a sharp shrill cry
froze: became fixed or motionless
and not able to act
react: to act in a particular way
when something happens
enormous: very great in size or
amount
flexing its muscles: showing its
strength or power
phantom: something that seems
unreal
1 flour made from roasted barley
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