Pantu looked up and saw the tree falling toward him, so he started to run faster, but it was too late. The tree came down on top of him, knocking him to the ground. He was far enough from where the tree grew so that the trunk did not fall on him. But one of the branches hit him on the head and knocked him down, while another scratched the skin off his knee.
He jumped up as soon as he could, for he knew Oshda would be frightened. Even when he was standing up, Oshda could not see him because the tree had so many branches on it, so he had to climb out from among the leaves and broken twigs. His head ached and he felt like crying, but he knew that Indian boys never cry.
When Oshda saw that Pantu was not badly hurt, he began to chop up his tree. He found a place where the trunk was smooth and round; he chopped off two sections, each about a foot wide. He smoothed them off and made a hole through the centre. So his wheel was really just a slice across the tree with a hole in the centre for the axle. Oshda spent several days making the wheel, and Pantu went out with him every day.
“There, Pantu, you may roll one of the new wheels home,” said Oshda at last.
Oshda lifted the wheel up on its edge, and Pantu began to roll it along down the hills. Soon he grew careless, and the wheel slipped and fell down flat, hitting one of his toes. It was heavy and hurt him.
“Ouch!” said Pantu. Then he stopped short.
“You careless boy,” said Oshda. “First you run under a falling tree and almost get killed. Then you let your wheel fall down on your toes. You must be more careful.”
“I’ll try,” said Pantu, hopping about on one foot and holding the hurt one in his hand.
So Oshda tipped the wheel up on its edge again, and this time Pantu was very careful and rolled it safely home without letting it slip.
Their father, Docas, met them as they came home. It was almost supper time, and he had come out to see if they were near. He looked at the bump on Pantu’s head, at his skinned knee, and at his bruised toes. He knew that Pantu had not been paying attention to what he was about.