Season of the Sandstorms - Mary Pope Osborne [5]
“Don’t the thorns hurt the camels’ throats?” Jack asked Mamoon.
“No,” said the caravan leader. “Their mouths are very tough. They can eat anything: sticks, bones—”
“Even our tents and saddlebags if we let them!” said a young camel rider.
Annie and Jack laughed. “What’s in your saddlebags?” Annie asked.
“Our bags are filled with goods from Greece, Turkey, and Syria,” said Mamoon. “We have many things: jewels, beads, and precious spices, such as cinnamon, pepper, and vanilla. We are taking everything to Baghdad to sell.”
“We have to get to Baghdad, too,” said Annie.
“We have to meet with the caliph.”
The camel riders chuckled as if they thought Annie was making a joke.
Only Mamoon did not laugh. “Your family is to meet with the caliph?” he said.
“No,” said Annie. “Just Jack and me. We have to help him spread wisdom to the world.”
“Annie,” warned Jack.
The camel riders laughed loudly.
“What’s so funny?” Annie asked.
“The caliph does not meet with children,” said a young man. “He is the most powerful and important person in the world.”
“Oh,” said Annie, frowning.
The news worried Jack, too.
Mamoon looked at Annie and Jack with a curious expression. “Night will soon be upon us. Since your family has not yet returned, would you like to travel with us to Baghdad?” he said. “You have journeyed by camel this far. I trust you can ride camels the rest of the way.”
“Sure we can!” said Annie. “We love camels!”
We do? thought Jack.
“Good. We love our ships of the desert, too,” said Mamoon. “We will set sail on them soon.”
“So that’s what ‘ships of the desert’ are!” Annie whispered to Jack.
Camels, thought Jack. Oh, brother.
The camel riders all silently watched the sun set over the faraway dunes. As the fiery ball slipped beneath the horizon, the desert was flooded with red light. As soon as the sun disappeared, the air grew much cooler.
Mamoon stood up. “It is time to go,” he said.
The camel riders put out their small fire. In the growing darkness, Mamoon helped them saddle up their animals and load them with baggage.
Then Mamoon came over to Jack and Annie. “You can ride those two sisters,” he said, pointing to two camels kneeling in the sand. “Climb on, then come to the front of the line to ride with me.”
Jack and Annie walked over to the two camel sisters. Each had reins hanging from her neck. Saddles made from colorful cushions were piled high on their humps.
Annie patted the wiry, tan-colored fur of one of the camels. The camel looked at Annie with big eyes and fluttered her thick eyelashes. “Hey, Cutie,” said Annie.
The other camel nuzzled Annie’s neck. “Hey, Beauty,” Annie said to the other. “You want some attention, too?”
“Cutie and Beauty?” said Jack. He didn’t find either camel particularly cute or beautiful.
Annie climbed onto Cutie’s saddle cushion and picked up the reins. “Let’s ride!” she said.
Cutie rose awkwardly up from a kneeling position to a full stand. “Oh, wow!” said Annie, towering over Jack. “She’s really tall.”
Jack started to climb onto Beauty. But the camel caught an end of his head cloth and began chewing it.
“Stop that!” said Jack, pulling the cloth away from her. Beauty opened her mouth wide and flashed rows of sharp teeth. Jack drew back.
“Don’t be afraid,” said Annie.
“Easy for you to say,” said Jack. “Yours likes you.”
“Don’t worry, Beauty likes you, too,” said Annie. “I can tell.” Annie’s camel began ambling toward the other camels waiting to head off into the desert. “Come on, Jack! It’s really fun once you’re moving!” she called.
“Fun,” muttered Jack. “Right.” He held on to the ends of his head cloth and put his leg over Beauty’s hump. The camel eyed him suspiciously. She swished her tail, slapping his back.
“Hey!” said Jack.
Jack tried to get comfortable on the saddle cushion. But Beauty spat at him and made a weird screeching sound.
“Quiet!” said Jack. He hooked his shoulder bag onto a saddle horn. When he was finally settled, Beauty turned