"She has good medicine," said Black Hawk.
"Annie doesn't have any medicine," Jack said. "She just has away with animals."Black Hawk was silent. He climbed back on his waiting pony.
Then he rode down toward Annie.
Jack followed. Annie's pony trailed behind. Annie turned toJack and Black Hawk as they rode up to her. On her face was alook of amazement.
"You wouldn't believe what happened!" she said.
"You stopped the stampede" said Black Hawk.
"But it wasn't just me," said Annie.
"What do YOU mean?" asked Jack.
"I was trying to find Teddy," said Annie, "and I got in the wayof the buffalo. I couldn't escape. So I held up my hands andshouted, 'Stop!' Then, out of nowhere, a beautiful lady in a whiteleather dress came to help me.""You saw a lady in white?" asked Black Hawk. His eyes hadgrown wide.
"Yes!" said Annie. "She held up her hands, and the buffalostopped running. Then she disappeared.""Where's Teddy?" said Jack.
Annie gasped.
"I don't know! I forgot about him!" she said. "Teddy! Teddy!"Arf! Arf!
The little dog came bounding out of the grass toward them.
Annie scooped him up. Teddy licked her face all over.
"Where did you go?" Annie asked him.
"Did you see the beautiful lady, too?""That lady does not live on this earth," Black Hawk saidsoftly.
"What do you mean?" said Annie.
"You saw the spirit of White Buffalo Woman," he said.
"What do you mean, spirit?" said Jack.
"You mean like a ghost?"Black Hawk turned his pony around.
"Let us go back," he said. "We must tell Grandmother."Annie put Teddy in Jack's bag. Then she climbed on her pony,and they took off.
Behind them, the buffalo grazed peace-fully on the plains. |