5 Lost in the Wild

5 LOST IN THE WILD Lost in the wild? thought Jack. "All right, Jack and Annie!" said John of the Mountains. "Our forest rangers will prepare the pack mules for you." "Thanks!" said Annie. "That sounds like fun." "Charlie!" John called to one of the men in blue overalls. "You and Archie make room on our pack mules for our nature artists!" "Yes, sir!" said Charlie. The gray mules were smaller than the horses. They had long ears, thick heads, and skinny legs. Both had pack saddles with bulky, side bundles. The rangers shifted the cargo forward to make room for Jack and Annie. "Climb on, partners!" said Charlie. With the rangers' help, Jack and Annie mounted the two mules. They sat on the back of the saddles

with the bundles pushed to the front. They clutched the straps that held everything together. "Be careful. A mule will always try to make a fool of you!" said Charlie. Then he walked off. "Not this one," said Annie. "I love your bunny ears," she said to her mule. "I'll call you Petey, for Peter Rabbit." She turned to Jack. "You could name yours Benny, for Benjamin Bunny." "Not. Going. To. Happen," Jack said dryly. "All set?" the cowboy boomed from the front of the line. "On through the wild! Remember—our aim is to steer clear of all civilization!"

As Jack's mule plodded at the end of the line, Jack bumped up and down. With no way to guide his mule, he felt out of control. The group left the dirt trail. Soon they were slowly climbing up a rocky path. "Hey, John of the Mountains!" Annie called out to John, who was riding in front of her. "What's the name of the cowboy with the mustache?" John looked over his shoulder. "You don't recognize him?" he asked. "Nope," said Annie. John smiled. "His name is Teddy," he said. "Oh, wow," said Annie. "We once had a great friend named Teddy. He was a dog." John laughed. "Good. Think of this Teddy as a friend, too," he said. "But call him Sir." "Sir? Okay. But what does Sir do?" asked Annie. "Many things," said John. "Years ago, he was commander of the Rough Riders in the Spanish- American War." "Who are the Rough Riders?" Jack called. "You might call them volunteer cowboy soldiers," said John. "Cool," said Annie.

"Whoa," Jack said to his mule. At the moment, he was having a rough ride himself. His mule was skittish. It kept veering to the right or the left. Soon Jack and the mule were trailing far behind. Jack was embarrassed that he couldn't keep up with Annie and the others. Suddenly a rabbit dashed across the trail. Jack's mule lurched off the rocky path. Jack let go of the strap. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. Annie turned to look. "Stop, everyone!" she shouted. "Jack fell off his mule!" All the riders came to a halt. Teddy rode back to Jack. While his mule munched on a shrub, Jack stood up and brushed himself off. He felt his face turn red. He wanted to disappear. "Are you all right?" Teddy boomed. "Did he throw you?" "No, sir. It was my fault," said Jack. "I made a mistake, and I lost my balance." "Aw, don't worry about it, son," said Teddy. "The person who never makes a mistake is the one who never tries anything." "Yes, sir," said Jack. "Be positive, Jack," said Teddy. "Talk to

yourself. Say 'I can ride this mule!' If you believe that, you're halfway there." Teddy flashed a grin. "I personally know that you can succeed at this, Jack." The cowboy tipped his hat. Then he rode back to the head of the line. Jack took a deep breath. He wanted to measure up to Teddy's belief in him. "I can do this," he mumbled to himself. "I can totally ride a mule." Jack climbed back onto his mule. He talked in a whisper to himself. "I can ride a mule. I can do this. I can keep up. I can do this…." The mule seemed to hear Jack's words. Soon it was keeping a steady pace behind the others. Teddy looked back and waved his hat at Jack. "Good work, Jack!" he called. Jack waved and smiled. As he bumped along on his mule, he no longer felt worried. Forgetting himself, he looked eagerly at the passing scenery— shrubs, birds, wildflowers. He wanted to stop and sketch everything. After a while, Teddy held up his hand and brought the group to a halt. Jack and Annie hopped down from their mules. The others dismounted from their horses. Teddy was not nearly as tall as he seemed on

horseback, Jack realized. But the stout, cheerful cowboy still seemed larger than life. "Chow time!" Teddy bellowed.