A Crazy Day with Cobras by Mary Pope Osborne Page B

alike. They both wore wide-brimmed felt hats, stockings, buckled shoes, short jackets, and puffy short pants. Jack’s backpack had turned into a leather bag.
    “I guess,” said Jack. “This must be how we would’ve dressed almost four hundred years ago in Frog Creek.”
    “If we’d both been boys,” said Annie. “So, where are we?”
    Jack and Annie looked out the window. The tree house had landed in a row of tall dark trees. The trees stood next to a red fort with a moat, a drawbridge, and massive red battlements.

    “Cool fort,” said Jack.
    “Yeah, and look—elephants,” said Annie. “I love elephants!”
    Leading away from the fort were two streets. One was filled with oxen pulling carts and people riding horses and elephants. Veiled women sat in carriages on the elephants’ backs.
    “Yeah, and there’s a bazaar like the one we saw in Baghdad,” said Jack. He pointed to the other street, which was lined with tents and stalls.
    “So where do you think we find an emerald stone in the shape of a rose?” said Annie.
    Jack picked up their research book and opened to the first page. He read aloud:
    In the 1600s, India was a vast land of crowded cities and countless villages. A great deal of India, though, was still covered by wilderness. Wild creatures such as cheetahs, elephants, and Bengal tigers lived in its forests. India’s wilderness was also home for many snakes, including the king cobra, one of the deadliest snakes on earth .
    “Yikes,” said Annie. She and Jack looked at pictures of a Bengal tiger and a king cobra. The growling tiger had a huge head and enormous teeth. The cobra had speckled yellow bands around its long body. Its open jaws revealed two deadly fangs.
    “Don’t worry,” said Jack with a shiver. “We definitely didn’t land in the wilderness.” He turned the pages until he found a drawing of the red fort. “Yes! Here’s exactly where we landed.” He read:
    For several centuries, mighty rulers, known as Great Moguls, ruled over much of India. The wealthiest of the Great Moguls was named Shah Jahãn. He lived inside the Red Fort, where he was protected night and day by imperial guards .
    “So the Great Mogul lives right here!” said Annie. “How lucky is that?”
    She and Jack looked at the fort again. “I guess those guys must be imperial guards,” Jack said. He pointed to men in white coats and leggings guarding the drawbridge. Some carried spears; others had bows and arrows.
    “Right. But who do you think
those
guys are?” Annie asked, pointing. Two carts pulled by pairs ofwhite oxen had stopped at the entrance to the bridge. Eight men were climbing out of the carts. They wore outfits like Jack’s and Annie’s—puffy pants, short jackets, and wide hats. Two of the guards greeted them with deep bows.
    “They’re dressed like us,” said Jack. “So I guess they must be ambassadors, too.”
    “If they’re visiting the Great Mogul, we should join them!” said Annie.
    “Hold on,” said Jack. He opened his bag. As he put their book inside, he noticed that everything that had been in his backpack was still there: his story from school, the note about the emerald rose, and the blue bottle with the potion to make them small. “Okay, we’ve got everything,” he said.
    “Come on, before we miss our chance!” Annie called, starting down the rope ladder.
    “Wait!” said Jack. He put his bag over his shoulder and hurried after Annie. By the time he stepped off the ladder, Annie was already heading toward the drawbridge of the fort.
    “Annie, hold on! We have to talk about something important!” said Jack. He didn’t want her to say anything crazy to the guards or the ambassadors.
    “What?” said Annie, waiting for him.
    “If they’re real ambassadors, we shouldn’t get too close to them,” Jack said. “They’ll figure out we’re fakes.”
    “Oh. Good point,” said Annie.
    “So let’s wait until they start across the bridge,” said Jack. “Then