e you go!" cried Uncle Fred, as he left the pony on which Vi was
riding and ran to help Russ.

Russ had fallen in a bunch of soft grass, so he was not hurt; and the
pony, after trotting around in a circle, stood still and began to eat
grass.

"I wouldn't try to ride fast yet a while," said Uncle Fred. "Better
learn more about the ponies first. You can have just as much fun riding
slowly, and then you won't tumble off."

"I won't go fast any more," said Russ, as his uncle helped him back into
the saddle. The other children did not have any accidents, and rode
around on the ponies for some time. Then Mun Bun and Margy awakened
from their naps, and they, too, wanted rides. Their father and mother
held them on the backs of two small ponies, and walked with them about
the grassy field, so that all six little Bunkers had pony rides that
day.

"And may we ride to-morrow?" asked Laddie when it was time to go back to
the house.

"Yes," promised his uncle, "to-morrow we may all take a ride over the
plain."

"Goody!" exclaimed Violet.

"Will mother come, too?" asked Rose.

"No, indeed!" laughed Mrs. Bunker. "I don't know how to ride pony-back,
and I'm not going to learn now. You children can go."

"That's what we'll do then," said Uncle Fred. "Daddy and I will take
Rose and Vi and Laddie and Russ for a ride over the plain. We'll go and
see if we can find where our spring water comes from, and why it shuts
itself off in that queer way."

The children waved good-bye to the ponies, and went back to the house.
On the broad, shady porch stood Captain Roy. He was waiting for Uncle
Fred, and there was a worried look on the old soldier's face.

"What's the matter?" asked the ranchman of his partner.

"More bad news," was the answer. "One of the cowboys just rode in to
tell me that some more of the cattle have been taken."

"I might have known it!" cried Uncle Fred. "When the spring goes dry
other bad news is sure to come in!"

CHAPTER XI

VIOLET TAKES A WALK

Uncle Fred seemed tired as he sat down in a chair on the porch. He
looked up at Captain Roy and asked:

"How many cattle gone this time?"

"About twenty-five. One of the cowboys, who was watching them, rode over
to the far end of the field to see about a steer that had fallen into a
big hole and couldn't get out, and when he got back the twenty-five
steers were gone."

"Hum! More work of those bad men!" exclaimed Uncle Fred. "Well, we'll
see if we c