Rita Ortega, age 16, of Freeport, I11., for her question:

WAS THERE REALLY A WILLIAM TELL?

William Tell was a legendary hero of Switzerland. It is said that he used a crossbow to shoot an apple off his own son's head. His story, though not verified by history, represents the spirit of the Swiss movement for independence from the Austrian Hapsburgs in the 1300s.

According to the legend, Tell was a man of tremendous strength and the most skilled marksman in the whole state, or canton, of Uri. An Austrian bailiff named Gessler ordered all Swiss to bow to a hat he had set up on a pole in the main square of Altdorf. When Tell refused to bow, he was arrested. Gessler promised to let him go free if Tell could shoot an apple off his son's head. Tell completed the challenge but Gessler wouldn't free him and instead put him in chains.

While Tell was being taken across a lake in Gessler's boat, a storm broke out. Gessler ordered Tell untied to help steer the boat safely to the shore. Tell escaped to the shore and shot an arrow through the tyrant's heart. This act led to a revolt by the Swiss, in which Tell played a leading part.