Ch3-Mamoon

CHAPTER THREE Mamoon. Annie stuck her head out the tree house window. "Hey!" she called. "Shhhh!" said Jack, pulling her back in. "Don't let them see us up here! It's too hard to explain the tree house. Let's go down."

"Good point," said Annie. She handed Merlin's letter to Jack and started down the rope ladder. Jack grabbed his shoulder bag. He put the letter inside, then added their research book and rhyme book. He slung the leather bag across his chest and climbed down. When he stepped onto the ground, Jack twisted the rope ladder behind the tree trunk so it wouldn't be noticed. "Okay," he said to Annie. "Hey!" Annie called again, waving. She and Jack stepped out into the open. The camel riders headed toward the palm trees. The man in the lead made his camel

kneel. As he climbed off, Jack and Annie ran over to him. The man wore a long white robe. He had a black beard and stern, dark eyes. "Who are you?" he asked, unsmiling. "From where do you come?" "I am Annie, and this is my brother, Jack," said Annie. "Our home is far away in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania." "I have not heard of such a place," the man said. "How do you come to be here in the desert alone?" "Uh…" Jack didn't know what to say. "We were riding with our family," Annie said. "We stopped to rest here. My brother and I took a nap behind these trees. When we

woke up, everyone was gone. They left us by mistake. See, we have a really big family. There are many brothers and sisters—" "Annie," said Jack. She was saying too much, he thought. The man looked concerned. "Why have they not come back for you?" he said, gazing out at the desert. "I hope they have not been attacked by bandits."

"Are there bandits around here?" asked Annie. "There are many bandits prowling the desert," said the man. Jack looked anxiously around at the vast sandy plain. "That is why one must always travel with others," said the man. "But I hope your family is safe and will return for you soon." "Excuse me," Annie said politely. "But who are you? How did you happen to come here?" "I am a merchant," the man said. "My caravan was traveling from the west, when we were surprised by a sudden sandstorm. It

seemed to come from nowhere. But luckily it brought us to this oasis. We will rest and water our animals until the sun goes down. In the cool of the night, we will travel on to Baghdad." The caravan leader walked over to his men and spoke to them. They dismounted and started taking saddlebags off the camels. Annie turned to Jack. "See, our rhyme worked!" she whispered. "The sandstorm was magic! It brought them here on their way to Baghdad!" "But how can we get them to help us?" said Jack.