Chapter 3: Follow the Tracks
"Jack, look!" Annie shouted, pointing at the ground a bit in front of her.
He walked over to her and looked where she was pointing. There on the ground were hoofprints.
"We can follow the tracks to the cowboy," said Annie, smiling.
Jack agreed and they began walking. They were able to follow the hoofprints up the side of a muddy hill. When they got to the top, grass was growing everywhere, even over the prints.
Jack bent down to try to see the hoofprints.
"Uh, Jack? I don't think we need to follow the tracks anymore."
Jack looked up. "Why not?"
Annie pointed down the hill.
Jack stood up. Below the hill was a large camp with many bright tents. On the far side of the tents, Jack could see big wooden stands overlooking a wide stretch of dirt.
"Do cowboys live in tents?" Annie asked.
"I don't know. Let's see what the book has to say." Jack pulled the book out of his rucksack and flipped through the pages until he found a picture of the camp. He read aloud:
Wild West Shows were popular all over America. These traveling shows told stories about cowboys, Native Americans, and the dangers faced on the frontier. The most famous of these shows was Buffalo Bill's Wild West.
"Wow! The cowboy must be from the Wild West show!" Annie said, jumping up and down. "Let's go see the show, Jack!"
Jack nodded and put the book away. They walked down the hill and started looking at the tents.
"I wonder where the show is?" Jack asked.
"Well, it's certainly not here in the camp," a new voice answered.
Jack and Annie spun around to see a woman in a brown dress and cowboy hat, carrying a rifle.
"Who are you?" Jack asked quickly, hoping they weren't in trouble.
"Me? I'm Annie Oakley."