The sabertooth crept forward.
Jack stared in horror.
“Play the flute，”whispered Annie.
Is she nuts?Jack thought.
“Try!”said Annie.
Jack held the mammoth-bone flute to his lips.He blew.
The flute made a strange sound.
The tiger froze.He glared at Jack.
Jack’s hands shook.
The tiger growled.He took another step.
The mammoth roared and stomped the ground.
“Play it!”said Annie.“Keep playing!”
Jack blew again.
The sabertooth froze again.
Jack kept blowing until he ran out of breath.
The tiger snarled.
“He’s still here，”whispered Annie.“Keep it up.”
Jack closed his eyes.He took a deep breath.Then he blew as hard and as long as he could.He covered and uncovered the holes on the bone.
The music sounded strange—as if it were coming from another world.
“He’s leaving!”Annie whispered.
Jack raised his eyes.The sabertooth was slinking off toward the cliffs.
“We did it!”said Annie.
Jack lowered the flute.He felt very tired.
The mammoth waved her trunk happily.
“To the tree house，Lulu，”said Annie.
The woolly mammoth snorted.Then she lumbered over to the tallest tree.
From the back of the mammoth，Jack grabbed the rope ladder.He held it for Annie.
She stroked the mammoth’s giant ear.“Bye，Lulu.Thank you，”she said.
Annie grabbed the rope ladder.Then she started up.Peanut climbed up，too.
After they disappeared into the tree house，Jack climbed onto the ladder.
He looked back at the woolly mammoth.“Bye，girl，”he said.“Go home now.And watch out for the sabertooth.”
The mammoth walked away into the sunset.
When Jack couldn’t see her anymore，he started up the rope ladder.He pulled himself into the tree house.
“Ta-da!”said Annie.She handed the Pennsylvania book to Jack.
Jack smiled.Now he was positive they had found the third M thing.Their mission was complete.
“Before we leave，we have to give our coats back，”said Annie.
“Oh right，”said Jack.
They took off their reindeer-skin coats and dropped them to the ground.
“Brrr!”said Annie.“I hope the Cro-Magnon people find them.”
Jack stared out the window.He wanted to take one last look at the prehistoric world.
The sun was setting behind the hills.Four people were crossing the snowy plain.It was the Cro-Magnon family.
“Hey!”shouted Annie.
“Shhh!”said Jack.
The Cro-Magnons stopped and peered in Annie and Jack’s direction.
“We left your reindeer skins!”Down there!“Annie pointed to the ground.
The tallest person stepped forward and raised a spear.
“Time to go，”said Jack.
He grabbed the Pennsylvania book.He found the picture of Frog Creek and pointed at it.“I wish we could go home，”he said.
“Good-bye!Good luck!”Annie called，waving out the window.
The wind started to blow.And the tree house started to spin.
It spun faster and faster.
Then everything was still.
Absolutely still.
9动物之主
剑齿虎缓缓靠近。
杰克恐惧地凝视着。
“快吹笛子。”安妮低声说。
她是大傻帽?杰克想。
“试一试!”安妮说。
杰克把猛犸骨笛放在嘴唇上。他吹了起来。
笛子发出一种奇特的声音。
剑齿虎呆了。它盯住杰克。
杰克双手颤抖起来。
剑齿虎大叫一声，又向前进了一步。
猛犸吼叫起来，跺着地面。
“吹笛子!”安妮说，“不停地吹!”
杰克又吹了起来。
剑齿虎又一次呆住了。
杰克不停地吹呀吹呀，吹得上气不接下气。
剑齿虎咆哮着。
“它还在这儿。”安妮低声说，“接着吹。”
杰克闭住双眼，深深地吸了一口气。然后他拿出吃奶的劲儿，拼命地吹，不停地吹。他在骨笛的洞上不停地按上、松开。
音乐声听起来十分奇特——像是从另一个世界传来的。
“它要离开了!”安妮低声说。
杰克抬了抬眼睛。剑齿虎正悄悄地溜向悬崖那边。
“我们成功了!”安妮说。
杰克放下笛子。他感到非常疲倦。
猛犸高兴地挥舞着它的鼻子。
“向着树屋前进，露露。”安妮说。
长毛猛犸鼻子里喷了喷气。然后它隆隆地向最高的那棵树走去。
杰克从猛犸的背上抓住了绳梯。他帮安妮掌稳绳梯。
安妮抚摸着猛犸的大耳朵。“再见了，露露。谢谢你。”她说。
安妮抓住绳梯，接着开始向上爬。花生也爬了上去。
她们钻进了树屋之后，杰克也登上了绳梯。
他回头看了一眼长毛猛犸。“再见了，小姑娘。”他说，“现在回家去吧。当心剑齿虎呀!”
猛犸离开了，渐渐消失在夕阳的余辉之中。
当猛犸的身影完全消失的时候，杰克这才顺着绳梯往上爬，钻进树屋里。
“嗒——哒!”安妮说。她把宾夕法尼亚那本书递给杰克。
杰克笑了笑。此刻他确信他们已经找到了第三样带M的东西。他们这次的任务完成了。
“我们离开之前，要把外套还回去。”安妮说。
“啊，你说得对。”杰克说。
他们脱下驯鹿皮外套，把它们扔到地面上。
“好冷呀!”安妮说，“我希望克罗马农人能发现它们。”
杰克凝视着窗外。他想把这史前的世界再看上最后一眼。
太阳正在落山。有四个人正在横越雪原。这是克罗马农人的那一家子。
“嗨!”安妮大喊大叫着。
“嘘!”杰克制止着。
克罗马农人停了下来，凝视着安妮和杰克的这个方向。
“我们把你们的驯鹿皮留下来了!就在那下面!”安妮指了指地面。
最高的那人走上前，举起了矛。
“是走的时候了。”杰克说。
他抓起宾夕法尼亚那本书。他找到蛙溪镇那幅画，并指着它。“我希望我们能回家。”他说。
“再见了!祝你们好运!”安妮说着，朝窗外挥了挥手。
风吹了起来。
树屋开始打转。
转得越来越快。
然后一切都平静了。
绝对的平静。
