3 Marmots and Red Deer

Chapter 3 MARMOTS AND RED DEER As the tour bus headed out of the capital city, the driver kept talking to the other volunteers. Jack and Annie leaned forward to hear. "What's he saying?" Annie asked Jack. Jack shook his head. "I can't hear. The bus engine is too loud." "I wonder why he said this is the perfect day," said Annie. "Yeah, and what miracle is supposed to happen?" said Jack. Annie shrugged. "I guess we'll find out sooner or later." Jack and Annie looked out the window as the minibus drove through heavy traffic, passing tall concrete buildings. At the edge of the city, they saw gas stations, factories, and tiny brightly colored houses.

But soon there were no more buildings, no power lines, no telephone poles. Just open country. "Let's use our binoculars," said Jack. "Good idea!" said Annie. She pulled their pairs of binoculars from the tote bag. She and Jack peered out the window at the rugged, open countryside. "Whoa, I think I see marmots," said Jack. "You do! They're so cute!" said Annie. "Yeah, they are," Jack murmured. The fuzzy gray marmots raised their heads. They sniffed the air as they watched the minibus rumble by. "And red deer!" said Annie. In the distance were deer with huge antlers. "They look just like elk," Jack said. "Very similar but a different species," said Annie. As Jack scanned the countryside, a line of horseback riders came into view. They were crossing a flat grassy field. "Nomads!" said Jack. "Look!"

The nomads all wore long tunics with colorful cloth belts. The women and girls wore scarves on their heads. Through his binoculars, Jack saw a baby in one of the riders' arms. He saw a huge golden eagle perched on another rider's wrist. "Oh, wow," said Annie. "Did you know that long ago, people trained golden eagles to hunt with them?" "Looks like they're still doing it today," said Jack.

Trailing the riders were herds of sheep and goats. Then came horse-drawn carts loaded with furniture and rolled-up rugs. "Look! Camels!" said Annie. She pointed to camels with boxes and bundles tied to their backs. "Cool," said Jack. He opened their brochure. He found a page titled "Nomad Journeys." He and Annie read: For thousands of years, Mongolians lived as nomads. Nearly half the country still lives that way. Families travel from place to place to find fresh grass and water for their animals. They set up round huts called yurts, or gers, in each new location. "Wow," said Annie. "Can you imagine us with Mom and Dad, traveling on horseback with a bunch of animals? We'd have a great time." "Yeah, I'd like to see a giant golden eagle perched on Dad's arm," Jack said with a laugh. Soon the minibus left the main road and started bumping down a dirt path. Red dust blew into the air.

The minibus passed scrubby, treeless fields until it arrived at a camp. The camp had a row of round white huts. Horses, goats, and sheep grazed nearby. Yaks and camels drank from water buckets. The driver faced his passengers. "We've arrived at the nomad camp near the reserve," he said. "Eco-Volunteers will stay in these yurts. The nature reserve is within walking distance. But first, take time to get settled with your host families. Tuya will tell you where to go." Tuya looked at her clipboard. "The Roths will stay in the first yurt with the Dorj family," she said. "The Johnsons will stay in the next one with the Ganbold family." The two couples pulled on their backpacks. They grabbed their tote bags and climbed down from the minibus. The driver looked at Jack and Annie. "Hurry, kids, go with your parents," he said. "No, Khan," said Tuya. "Jack and Annie are alone. But they are amazing. They—" "What? What are you talking about?" said Khan.

"Don't worry. We've been Eco-Volunteers before," said Annie. "We've saved rhinos in Africa and a llama in Peru and a turtle in—" "Excuse me," Khan broke in. "Tuya, these children cannot stay here without an adult! They're too young. You know that. I must take them back to the city." "Please, Khan, not yet," said Tuya. "They can stay with me and my family." Khan glared at Jack and Annie.