Holland is a country which is extremely flat. In fact, much of the land lies below the level of the sea, so it is often flooded. But the people of Holland have now built high walls around the land to keep the sea from flooding in, which helps to make their lives a lot easier. The walls are called dykes. Now, in a certain part of Holland, there's a small town called Haarlem, and everybody who visits there is told the story of Hans, the brave little boy who saved the town from the sea. Hans lived with his parents and younger brother. His father was a fisherman, like most of the menfolk, and Hans always dreamed of being a fisherman too, when he was old enough. One day, Hans and his brother went walking, and they wandered far over the land until they found they were playing alongside the dykes. They both ran along the top of the dyke and threw stones into the water that leapt against it on the other side. So they both played and romped for the rest of the day on the dyke till the sun began to lose its warmth. We must hurry home before it grows too dark to see, said Hans. But as they clambered down the wall of the dyke, Hans's brother noticed something rather strange. Look, he exclaimed, there's a small hole in the dyke and the water is trickling through. In a moment, Hans was beside his brother staring at the dyke. Sure enough, water was trickling through a small hole in the bottom of it. Hans knew only too well what this would mean, so there was not a moment to lose. As he looked towards the town, he could see no one in sight whom they could call for help. If they ran for help, Hans knew it would be too late, for the tide was coming in and already the hole was growing bigger. You must run to town as quickly as possible and summon all the men, said Hans, and I'll wait here and block the hole with my finger. So the little brother ran back to the town while Hans waited behind. He knelt down and stuck his finger into the hole. It fitted just like a plug and the water stopped trickling through. Hans watched his brother disappear in the fading light and settled down to wait. It grew dark and cold and Hans' arm and body began to ache, but still there was no sign of any help arriving. He could hear the water lapping at the top of the dyke and he grew very frightened. He wanted to take his finger from the hole and run home, but he knew that if he did, the water would rush in through the hole, causing the dyke walls to collapse and the land to flood. He was determined not to give in. Soon he heard shouting and straining to see through the darkness, he saw men running towards him. They carried all manner of tools, shovels, spades and pickaxes. They were soon beside him and while some men set about mending the hole in the dyke, others rubbed him down and gave him a warm drink from their flasks. When the dyke was safe, Hans was lifted onto the men's shoulders and carried back to the town where a hero's welcome was given to him. Hans, the boy who saved the town of Haarlem from the sea.