But there was no time for second thoughts. The band began Captain Cody’s entrance music, the curtains parted, and the Captain galloped in. He did his salute to the crowd, came out again, and the Parade began.

And it was not her imagination: although the color-guard maintained their fierce and solemn expressions—properly, really, since after all they were carrying the two national flags and the sacred standards with the eagle feathers on them—the rest of the Pawnee, instead of looking straight ahead, waved and nodded soberly to the crowd. And the spectators nearly went insane at being acknowledged by the Indians. Some of the boys in the audience even dared to attempt what they thought were war whoops. By the time they all left the arena, she was feeling more confident.

Captain Cody was the first turn, of course. She was the second, doing her non-trick shooting, and waited patiently for him to ride back out. She forced herself to concentrate on her targets; she really, really needed to be able to do this with her own skills and powers, because the sylphs, while well-meaning, were not reliable. The newer rifles helped immensely, of course, as did the fact that she was shooting inside a great tent, so there was very little windage to speak of. She finished the last of her targets, mounted Lebkuchen, and made a circuit of the arena, accepting the applause with smiles and waves.

Once outside, she dismounted and drank thirstily from the barrel and dipper left at the entrance. She felt drained, more drained than after her first performance!

“Nervous?” She looked behind her. Cody was sitting at ease in Lightning’s saddle.

“I am,” she admitted.

“Don’ be,” he advised. “You was dead right. I heerd how them folks shined right up t’the Injuns. Jes’ wait’ll they come on as heroes.” He nodded. “Now you better run’n’ get inter yer next costume.”

Cody was right; now came the Cowboy Camp and the “cattle stampede,” during which the cowboys got to show their riding, roping and “bulldogging” expertise. Then the Grand Quadrille, and she really needed to be in her dress and on her horse well before time for that. So far, there was nothing changed in the show except the order of the turns, but that was going to change.

The new arrangements meant that she had to wear her Indian dress under the Quadrille dress, which took some . . . arrangement. And she had to wear her black Indian wig as well, with the wig braids hastily pinned up. She was in place before the cowboys had finished their “round-up” of the cattle, joining the other riders, who were all Mexican. They grinned at her; she grinned back, and they all rode in to perform what was probably her most relaxed turn in the show.