Ch9-Lovers of Knowledge

CHAPTER NINE Lovers of Knowledge Jack and Annie crawled over to the soldier lying in the snow. "Hi there," said Annie, gently shaking him. The young man opened his eyes. "Who are you?" he asked in a hoarse voice. "Where are the dogs?"

"The dogs are gone. We're Jack and Annie," said Annie. "We won't leave you." "Thank you," breathed the young soldier, and he closed his eyes again. He was trembling with cold. Annie pulled off her monk's robe and tucked it around the soldier. Jack did the same. Annie began rubbing one of the soldier's shaking hands, and Jack rubbed the other. As the snow flew around them, Jack wondered what to do. Where was Barry? How could they get the soldier up on his feet? How would they find their way back to the monastery? "Listen," said Annie, as if answering Jack's questions. Jack heard distant voices. He heard booming barks. People were coming to help! And Barry was leading the way. The huge dog bounded down the narrow passage to the young soldier. He seemed startled when he saw Jack and Annie. He sniffed them, and then barked his booming bark. Jack wasn't sure what Barry was saying now. He wondered if it might be: "HOW THE HECK

DID YOU CHANGE FROM DOGS BACK INTO PEOPLE?" "Magic," Jack said. Barry just panted, but Jack had the feeling he understood. "Hello!" Brother Michael was hurrying up the narrow passage. Behind him were the two French soldiers who had stopped earlier at the monastery. The soldiers dropped to their knees and helped lift the avalanche victim to his feet. They wrapped Jack's and Annie's robes tightly around him. "Did Barry find you?" Jack asked Brother Michael. "Yes. We had just met these soldiers on the pass when Barry came running up to us," said the monk. "How did he get out of the monastery?" "He escaped when we weren't looking," said Jack. "When we found him, he led us to the buried soldier." "Amazing!" said Brother Michael. Barry wagged his tail. It didn't seem to worry him any longer that Jack and Annie had turned back into people. Dogs accept whatever comes along, Jack thought.

"We must help this young man to the monastery," said Brother Michael. The two soldiers lifted the rescued man to his feet and helped him walk. "Barry, lead us home!" Barry took the lead with Jack and Annie. The three soldiers and Brother Michael followed. "I loved being a dog," Jack whispered to Annie. "I loved all of it. Didn't you? Didn't you love it?" "Of course I did!" said Annie, grinning. "Playing with you and Barry was one of the happiest things I've done in my life," said Jack. "And we helped teach him stuff, and we helped him save a life!" "I know," said Annie. As he hurried through the snow beside Barry, Jack tried to remember how it felt to be a dog. He moved quickly, keeping in step with Barry's prancing gait. He inhaled the cold, fresh wind, smelling woodsmoke and falling snow. By the time they had all reached the monastery, the wind and snow had stopped. Jack held the door for Brother Michael and the three soldiers. Then he, Annie, and Barry followed them inside.

Father Laurent and another man were waiting for them in the torchlit hallway. The man wore a long gray overcoat and a large black hat in the shape of a triangle. He had a pale face, and his gray eyes were deeply set above a long, straight nose. Jack thought he looked familiar. "So the missing officer has been found! Wonderful!" said Father Laurent. "Brother Michael, please make him comfortable by the fire in the parlor. Bring him some hot soup." Brother Michael led the soldiers down the hall. "Jack and Annie," said Father Laurent, "may I present you to Consul Napoléon Bonaparte?" Now Jack knew why the man looked so familiar! He had seen paintings of the famous military leader in history books. Napoléon Bonaparte took off his hat and bowed his head. When he straightened up, he looked at Annie and Jack with a piercing gaze.

"Am I to understand you have saved my man from a snowy grave?" Napoléon Bonaparte said. "Not us, Consul, sir," said Jack. "It was Barry." The big dog was swinging his tail and panting. "Barry saved the lost soldier?" exclaimed Father Laurent. "Oh, my! I knew that you were trying to train him. But I had no idea you could work miracles! How did you do it?" "Well… I guess we know how to think like dogs," said Jack.