A Crazy Day with Cobras

by Mary Pope Osborne

  “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 of white 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 we’ll run to the gate and tell the guards that we’re supposed to be with them. And don’t forget, if anyone asks, you’re my brother. Oh, you should stick your braids under your hat.”

  “Right,” said Annie. She tucked her pigtails under her hat. “How’s that?”

  “Fine, I guess,” said Jack. He was still worried about the fact that he and Annie looked too young. “We have to try to act like ambassadors. So stand up straight and speak in a low voice.”

  “Okay, don’t worry,” said Annie.

  “And we should hold up our chins,” said Jack. “Try to look taller.”

  “Okay, okay. Oh, look, they’re leaving,” said Annie. “Let’s go!”

  The ambassadors had climbed back into their oxcarts. As the carts started across the moat, Jack and Annie walked quickly toward the bridge.

  The first guard held up his spear. “Who are you?” he asked. He had a long purple scar on his cheek and silver rings in his ears.

  “We are ambassadors,” Jack said in a deep voice. “We are with the gentlemen who just crossed the bridge.”

  The guard gave Jack and Annie a sharp look. “You are with the ambassadors from Europe?” he said.

  “Yes”—Jack stood straighter—“but we’re from Frog Creek.”

  “I imagine you are thinking that we look very young,” Annie said in a low voice. “Well, it is true, we are young. But we are very learned.”

  “I see,” said the guard.

  “And imaginative and creative,” Annie added.

  Oh, brother, thought Jack.

  “I see,” said the guard again. He looked at Jack’s bag. “And is that where you carry your treasure? Your gifts for the Great Mogul?”

  “Um … well …,” said Jack.

  “What gifts do ambassadors from Europe usually give Great Moguls?” Annie asked.

  “The gifts sent by the kings and queens of Europe are always rare and beautiful,” said the guard.

  “Such as …?” said Annie.

  “Silver swords, golden goblets, treasure chests filled with jewels and coins,” said the guard, “or perhaps … the fastest horses from Arabia.”

  Forget it, thought Jack.

  But Annie smiled. “I see,” she said. “Well, I am pleased to tell you that we have brought a gift far greater than any of those things.”

  “Very good!” the guard said. “The Great Mogul eagerly awaits your arrival—and your treasure!”

  What treasure? thought Jack. What is Annie talking about?

  “You may pass through the gate,” said the guard. “Follow the other ambassadors to the Hall of Public Audience, where the Great Mogul appears each morning before his court nobles.”

  “Thanks!” said Annie. She pulled Jack along toward the drawbridge.

  “And do not worry,” the guard called after them. “The Great Mogul will not mind your youth. His grandfather became emperor when he was thirteen.”

  “Super! Thanks!” Annie called back.

  “Hey, what were you talking about back there?” Jack whispered as he and Annie started across the bridge. “We didn’t bring any treasure for the Great Mogul! We didn’t bring anything!”

  “Yes, we did,” said Annie.

  “What? Tell me what,” said Jack.

  “Your story,” said Annie. “It’s in your bag, right?”

  “You’ve got to be kidding!” said Jack. “That’s not treasure!”

  “Yes, it is! Think about it! You printed your story in fancy curly type from the computer, right?” said Annie. “I did my drawings with sparkle pens. There were no computers or sparkle pens four hundred years ago! The Great Mogul has never seen writing and artwork like that. Our ordinary stuff would be treasure in his time!”

  “I—I don’t know.…” Jack didn’t know what to think. He just shook his head.

  “It would be! Trust me,” said Annie. “And hurry! We don’t want to lose the other ambassadors!” She ran to the entrance of the Red Fort.

  Jack followed her. They passed through a gateway that opened onto a stone road. The road led to a large square. At the opposite side of the square was a long, low building with columns and arches.

  “There they are,” said Annie. She pointed to the ambassadors’ oxcarts rolling toward the building.

  “That must be the Hall of Public Audience,” said Jack.

  Jack and Annie walked quickly toward the building. The air felt as if it were coming from a hot furnace. By the time they arrived at the hall, Jack felt faint from the heat.

  The ambassadors from Europe had already gone inside. Fierce-looking guards stood at all the entrances. Daggers and curved swords hung from their belts.

  Annie walked up to one of the burly guards. “Excuse me,” she said in a low voice, “but we are ambassadors from Frog Creek, and we are supposed to be with those other ambassadors.”

  To Jack’s surprise, the guard asked no questions. He nodded and gestured for them to follow him.

  Annie and Jack followed the guard into the shadowy hall. The air inside was much cooler. It smelled of roses and mint. Hidden musicians played soft music.

  The burly guard escorted Jack and Annie past the audience of court nobles. All the men had beards or mustaches and wore beautiful coats of many colors and patterns—bright orange, purple, turquoise, green striped, and pale pink with flowers.

  Next to the nobles, the eight ambassadors from Europe stood along a silver railing. They were lined up in pairs. The burly guard ushered Jack and Annie to the end of the
line.

  Everyone in the hall was facing a high platform with wide steps. The platform was made of sparkling diamonds, emeralds, and pearls. Gold columns supported a golden canopy above the platform. Statues of two jeweled peacocks with rubies in their beaks were perched above the canopy. Over the golden canopy was another canopy of rich cloth.

  Tall, thin candlesticks held flickering candles, and servants sprayed rose-scented water into the air. As Annie looked around at everything, Jack slipped their book out of his bag. He huddled over it and read to himself.

  Every morning, the Great Mogul sat on his Peacock Throne in the Hall of Public Audience. He demanded complete respect. Everyone had to be perfectly still and silent in his presence. No one was allowed to sit or leave as long as he was in the hall. If his guests spoke to him without permission or did not bow the proper way, he could have them killed.

  Oh, man! thought Jack. He shoved the book back into his bag and turned to Annie. “Don’t speak!” he whispered. “And we have to bow the proper way!”

  “Don’t worry, we learned how to bow in the palace in Vienna,” Annie said.

  “No, this is different!” whispered Jack. “When I messed up there, people just laughed. Here, they kill you!”

  “Oh. Well, don’t forget we’ve got our potion from Kathleen,” Annie whispered. “If worse comes to worst, we can make ourselves small and escape.”

  “Forget it,” Jack whispered. “I don’t want to be a tiny little person! The guards will just chase us down and squash us like bugs!”

  Annie laughed.

  “This isn’t funny,” said Jack. “Let’s go back outside and make another plan. We don’t know what we’re doing here.”

  “Yes, we do,” Annie said. “We’re going to give your story to the Great Mogul, and then we’re going to ask him for an emerald rose. Simple.”

  “No, no!” said Jack. “I told you we can’t say a word to him! Not a word! Come on, we have to leave while we’re still alive.”

  Annie sighed. “Okay, fine,” she said.

  But as Jack and Annie turned to go, trumpet blasts shattered the air. The trumpet sounds were followed by deafening drumrolls.

  Shah Jahãn, the Great Mogul of India, stepped through a door at the back of the hall.

  Jack and Annie froze. The hall was completely still and silent. The Great Mogul climbed the steps to the Peacock Throne. He wore an orange turban and a silver coat trimmed with diamonds and pearls. He wore ropes of jewels around his neck and sparkling rings on his fingers.

  The Great Mogul sat cross-legged on a cushion and looked coldly at his audience. He had a handsome face with a sharp nose and dark, distant eyes. A servant stood near him, waving a large peacock-feather fan. Another waved a broom to shoo away flies.

  An imperial guard escorted a pair of European ambassadors up the wide steps that led to the throne.

  Jack and Annie watched carefully as the ambassadors stood before the Great Mogul. The two men bowed from their waists and brushed the back of their right hands over the carpet. They straightened up, raised their right hands into the air, and placed their palms on top of their heads. Then they lowered their hands and stood very still.

  So that’s the way to bow before a Great Mogul, thought Jack. He hoped he and Annie could remember how to do it.

  One of the ambassadors then opened a bag and pulled out a jewel-studded crown and a golden goblet. He gave them to the Great Mogul. The ruler looked at the glittering gifts. Without smiling, he handed them to a servant who had appeared beside him.

  Another servant stepped forward with a silver tray. On the tray was a red satin pillow. Spread across the pillow were dozens of glittering jewels. The ambassadors selected several precious gems. Then they turned and walked slowly down the steps of the throne.

  Annie nudged Jack. He looked at her, and she smiled. He knew just what she was thinking: Those guys got jewels without saying a word!

  But Jack was still worried. An emerald rose wasn’t an ordinary jewel. Plus, his story seemed like such a teeny gift compared to a crown and a gold goblet.

  The other ambassadors climbed the Peacock Throne in pairs. They all bowed in the same way. They all opened their bags and gave gifts to the Great Mogul—a carved wooden clock, a crystal necklace, a gleaming silver sword. As the ruler received each exquisite gift, he never changed his expression.

  Jack grew more and more anxious. If the Great Mogul seemed bored with these treasures, what would he think of a kid’s story?

  All the ambassadors from Europe were offered jewels from the silver tray. Then they resumed their place in line. Finally an imperial guard beckoned to Jack and Annie. It was their turn!

  Jack’s legs felt wobbly as he walked with Annie up the steps of the throne. The Great Mogul looked at them with his distant, cold stare.

  Together, Jack and Annie bowed from their waists. They brushed the back of their right hands over the carpet. They stood up and raised their right hands into the air. They placed their palms on top of their heads. Jack held his breath the whole time. A fly landed on his nose, but he didn’t flinch.

  Jack and Annie lowered their arms. Jack’s hands were shaky as he unbuckled his bag and pulled out his story. Without a word, he handed it to the Great Mogul.

  The ruler stared at the first page. Slowly he ran his fingers over the fancy type. He turned the page and stared at Annie’s sparkly drawing of the tree house in the Frog Creek woods. Again he touched the page.

  Then the Great Mogul raised his eyes and looked straight at Jack and Annie. The next thing Jack knew, the servant was standing in front of them with the tray of jewels. In a panic, Jack stared at the pile of diamonds, pearls, and red, green, and yellow gems. The jewels were all cut in different shapes.

  Emerald rose! Jack thought wildly. He tried to focus, but the glittering gems swirled in front of his eyes—flowers, fish, stars, birds, butterflies, pears, and apples. But no emerald rose!

  When Jack glanced up, he saw the Great Mogul watching him. Jack was ready to grab anything!

  Annie reached forward and carefully picked up a green stone. She solemnly showed it to Jack. It was a small emerald shaped like a rose!

  Jack nodded, trying to appear calm. His heart was pounding. He glanced at the Great Mogul. The ruler was looking at them with interest. He seemed about to say something. But then a guard beckoned for Jack and Annie to leave the throne platform.

  Jack and Annie climbed down the steps and returned to their places behind the other ambassadors.

  Wow, wow, wow! Jack thought. We did it!

  The Great Mogul stood up from his cushion. Quickly and quietly, he walked down the steps of the Peacock Throne. No one moved as the all-powerful ruler slipped out of the hall.

  The whole audience seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Everyone began talking and moving about. The guards stepped forward to escort the ambassadors through the door at the back of the hall.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here!” Jack whispered to Annie. He pulled her away from the other ambassadors, and they joined the stream of court nobles heading toward the doors at the front of the hall.

  “Mission accomplished!” Annie exclaimed. She handed Jack the emerald rose.

  Jack stared at the delicately cut stone. It had five tiny rose petals that curled back at the edges. “Great work,” he said to Annie. He carefully put the jewel in his bag and buckled it. “I was wrong. You were right.”

  “I won’t rub it in,” said Annie with a grin.

  “That’s okay, I deserve it,” Jack said. “I shouldn’t have worried so much. Now we just have to get back to the tree house. Keep your head down. Move quickly.”

  Jack and Annie wound their way through the crowd, heading for the front doors. Just as they were about to step into the sunlight, another guard blocked their way.

  “Excuse us,” said Jack. He tried to step around the guard who towered over them.

  But the guard put out his large hand. “I will escort you now to the palace,
” he said, “to the private balcony of the Great Mogul.”

  “Uh … why?” Jack asked.

  “All the ambassadors are to view a parade in their honor,” said the guard.

  “Parade?” said Annie. “I love parades.”

  “Uh … but we’re kind of in a hurry. Do we have a choice?” Jack asked.

  “No,” said the guard.

  “Oh,” said Jack. “Okay.”

  “This way,” said the guard.

  Jack and Annie walked after him back through the empty hall.

  “Don’t worry,” Annie whispered to Jack. “What could possibly go wrong at a parade?”

  The tall guard escorted Jack and Annie out the back door of the hall and into a walled courtyard. The other ambassadors were already entering the palace quarters on the far side.

  Jack was so frustrated he barely noticed the crimson and purple flowers, the bubbling fountains, and the dazzling water pools in the courtyard. All he wanted to do was get back to the tree house. Their mission was done. He tried to think of an excuse to get away.

  “Annie!” he whispered.

  By now Annie was walking ahead and chatting with the guard. “Where do the royal women and children live?” she asked.

  The guard pointed to the palace quarters on the left side of the courtyard. Jack noticed veiled women peeping out from behind the arched windows. Annie waved at them, but the women moved out of sight.

  The guard escorted Jack and Annie out of the courtyard and through a quiet passageway. The passageway led to a chamber lit with brass lanterns hanging from the wall. The guard handed them each a silk coat, a sash, a pair of pointy shoes, and a jeweled turban.

  “Um … what’s this?” asked Jack.

  “Gifts from the Great Mogul. You may change in here,” the guard said.

  “Oh. Thanks,” said Jack.

  The guard pulled aside a curtain to reveal a small space like a dressing room. Jack and Annie stepped inside, and the guard pulled the curtain shut.