Ch9-Balto of the Blue Dawn

CHAPTER NINE Baldo of the Blue Dawn Jack climbed out of the sled as Annie stepped off the runners. A thin layer of ice covered their faces and clothes, but they were both laughing as they stamped their feet and swung their arms. "You made it back!" Oki shouted. "What time is it?" asked Jack. "Almost six o'clock!" said Oki. Jack smiled at Annie. "With time to spare!" he said. "Thank God you are safe!" said Uncle Joe.

"Did you find Gunnar Kaasen?" Oki asked. "We did!" said Annie. "On the trail below Port Safety! His sled had overturned. The medicine was lost, but Balto helped us find it!" "Gunnar and his team arrived in Nome just ahead of us," said Jack. "They're delivering the medicine to the hospital!" Uncle Joe closed his eyes and sighed with relief. Oki couldn't stop grinning. He pumped Jack's mittened hand, and Annie's, too. "Thank you! Thank you! You are champions!" "Don't thank us!" said Jack. "Thank your dogs —they're the real champions!" Oki opened the gate to the dog pen. The team of huskies walked in, panting wearily. Jack and Annie helped Oki and Uncle Joe unhitch the dogs from their neck lines and tug lines and pull off their harnesses. Then they massaged the dogs' backs and legs. Oki gave the dogs water, and Jack and Annie fed them dried fish. The huskies wolfed down their meal and then howled with gratitude. As the sun rose over Nome, the eight brave dogs curled

their bodies into the bright snow, covered their noses with their tails, and closed their eyes. "Take a long rest, team," said Jack. "You deserve it," said Annie. "Let's go to the hospital," said Uncle Joe. "Yes!" said Oki. "We'll walk with you," said Annie. Uncle Joe hobbled on his crutch as the four of them headed to town. Reflecting the brilliant blue of the early-morning sky, the snow itself looked blue. By the time they arrived at the hospital, a small crowd had gathered. Jack saw Mayor Maynard and Gunnar Kaasen surrounded by a group of reporters with cameras and notebooks. Gunnar's huskies were off to the side. Children were petting them, and photographers were taking pictures. As the dogs smiled and panted, Jack could see their clouds of white breath. "The newspapers are here!" said Oki. "The whole world will soon hear this story! We will tell

everyone what you have done, Jack and Annie. They will honor you, too!" Oki and his uncle walked faster. "Whoa, wait," Jack said to Annie. "Stardust." "Right." Annie reached into her pocket and pulled out the dark blue box. "Are you coming?" Oki called back to them. "Yes! We'll be right there!" shouted Jack. As Oki and his uncle headed toward the crowd, Annie lifted the lid of the tiny box. Silvery powder shimmered inside. "We wish to be forgotten by everyone who saw us on our mission!" Annie said. Then she tossed the contents of the box into the air. Like tiny grains of windswept snow, the stardust flashed brilliantly over the street. Before anyone could even look up, the silver dust evaporated, and the sharp, crisp air was clear again. Annie put the tiny box back in her pocket. "Done," she said.

Then she and Jack headed toward the gathering in front of the hospital. When they drew close to the crowd, Oki caught sight of them—but then he looked away, as if he'd never seen them before. His uncle did the same. Gunnar Kaasen also glanced in their direction, but his eyes passed over them without interest. "I guess it worked," said Jack. "Yeah, no one remembers us at all," Annie said. She sounded sad. Jack felt a little sad, too. "Mayor Maynard! Tell us about the heroes of the great serum race!" a reporter said. Mayor Maynard proudly stepped forward. "For five and a half days, twenty mushers and more than a hundred and sixty dogs hauled the lifesaving medicine to Nome!" he proclaimed. "How many miles was that?" a reporter asked as he scribbled on a pad. "Nearly seven hundred miles!" said the mayor. "And two of our citizens from Nome heroically took part in the relay—Leonhard Seppala and Gunnar Kaasen. Both mushers had strong lead dogs. Leonhard and his dog Togo ran across

frozen Norton Sound to Golovin, and Gunnar and his dog Balto brought the medicine from Bluff to Nome!" Another reporter yelled to Gunnar Kaasen, "Congratulations, Mr.Kaasen! To what do you owe the success of your part of the relay?" "I owe everything to my lead dog, Balto!" said Gunnar. The famous musher pointed at the husky sitting patiently nearby. "He's a working dog, like all the others. But he's the best!" In the daylight, Jack got a good look at Balto. The husky had shaggy black fur, except for white paws and a white chest and a bit of white around his mouth. He had gentle brown eyes. "You told the mayor that you lost the medicine in an accident at one point," the reporter said. Gunnar nodded. "Yes, that's right. Yes, I did." "And how did you find it?" the reporter asked. "I…well, I…" The musher shook his head. "I'm not sure. After the accident, I discovered it missing. Somehow the package had come untied from my sled. I panicked and…well, I dug around