Season of the Sandstorms - Mary Pope Osborne [10]
Jack and Annie pulled on the reins of their camels and clucked their tongues. Beauty and Cutie knelt in the sand, and Jack and Annie climbed on. Leaving the broken box behind, Jack carefully packed the ancient book of Aristotle’s wisdom and the research book into his bag. Then he hung the bag from his saddle horn.
“Which way?” said Annie.
“Toward the rising sun in the east,” said Jack. “That’s what Mamoon said.”
“It’s that way, then,” said Annie. She pointed toward a bright blur in the hazy sky.
Jack and Annie’s camels headed into the dusty, glaring sun. “Hey, we’re following Merlin’s second instruction now,” said Annie. “Ride through the dust and hot morning light.”
“You’re right,” said Jack.
As Jack and Annie kept traveling toward the east, the desert sands shimmered and sparkled with heat. The air cleared, but still they saw no sign of Mamoon.
Jack looked down to shield his eyes from the burning sunlight. Exhausted, he closed his eyes. As Beauty swayed gently from side to side, Jack’s head dropped forward. Suddenly he heard Annie shout, “Jack! Look!”
“What? Mamoon?” said Jack, jerking awake.
“No! Look!” said Annie.
In the distance, Jack saw sunlit towers and domes shining against the clear blue sky. “Oh, man,” he whispered. “Baghdad.”
“Let’s hurry!” said Annie.
As Beauty and Cutie walked toward Baghdad, the loose sand of the desert changed to sunbaked earth. Then the hard earth changed to scrubby grass. Goats and sheep grazed in the grass, and farms dotted the countryside.
It wasn’t long before Jack and Annie came to a red clay path. The path led to a crossroads where many travelers were coming from different directions. They were all heading toward the shining city. Jack and Annie rode alongside boys driving sheep and farmers in donkey carts. They passed women with veils over their faces, carrying pots on their shoulders.
Jack kept looking for Mamoon. But he never saw him. Moving with the crowd, Beauty and Cutie clomped across a bridge. Rowboats and barges glided along the yellowish brown river.
On the other side of the river was a huge outdoor market with a maze of tents. The market seemed to be filled with people from many countries. The sharp smell of incense filled the air. Stalls were jammed with burlap sacks, baskets, and carpets. Shoemakers sat cross-legged, stitching shoes. Potters were bent over ovens, baking earth-colored pots. Weavers sat at small looms, spinning silk brocade.
“Paper? Pearls?” a merchant shouted.
“No thanks!” said Annie.
“Pigeons, parrots?” another shouted at Jack.
“No thanks!” he said.
“I love this place!” said Annie. “What is it?”
“I’ll look it up,” said Jack. He pulled out their research book and read:
In the ninth century, traders from all over the world brought their goods to Baghdad to sell. Baghdad merchants traded paper, fine cloth, and jewelry for goods from Spain, India, Africa, China, Greece, and other lands. These goods were sold in a huge open-air market called a bazaar.
“Oh, so a bazaar is sort of like a mall,” said Jack.
“It’s a lot better than a mall!” said Annie. “Let’s get off and look around.”
“We don’t have time to shop,” said Jack. “We have to finish our mission.” He pulled out Merlin’s letter and read:
Find a horse on a dome,
the one who sees all,
in the heart of the city
behind the third wall.
“It sounds like we pass three walls and then we come to a horse,” said Jack. “We’d better keep going.”
Jack put the book and letter away. Beauty and Cutie ambled through the noisy bazaar. When they left the bazaar, they came to a curved brick wall. Running along the base of the wall was a muddy moat.
“Look—that must be the first wall!” said Annie.
“Cool,” said Jack.
Jack and Annie rode the two camels over an arched bridge that crossed the moat. They passed through a gate with double iron doors. On the other side of the wall was a busy avenue lined with buildings.
As their camels wove slowly in and out of the crowd, Jack pulled out their research book. Swaying from side to side, he read to Annie:
During its golden age,