go now?" asked Janet, as she watched Teddy get up in
his saddle after he had helped her mount Star Face.

"We've got to follow the trail," Teddy answered.

"How do we do it?" his sister inquired.

"Well, I asked Baldy and he said just look on the ground for tracks in
the dirt. You know the kind of marks a horse's foot makes, don't you,
Jan?"

"Yes, and I see some down here," and she pointed to the ground.

"That's them!" exclaimed Teddy. "We've got to follow the marks! That's
the trail!"

"Is this the Indians' trail?" asked the little girl, and she looked
over her shoulder, perhaps to make sure no one was following her and her
brother.

"I don't know if it's the Indians' trail, or, maybe, the marks left by
Uncle Frank and daddy," said Teddy. "Anyhow we've got to follow the
trail. That's what Baldy said."

"He doesn't know we came off alone, does he?" asked Janet.

"No. I guess he wouldn't have let us if he did. But we won't have to go
very far, and then we'll catch up to the rest. Then they'll have to take
us with 'em."

"Yes," said Janet, and she rode along beside her brother.

Neither of the Curlytops stopped to think that their father, Uncle Frank
and the cowboys had started off early that morning, and must have ridden
on many miles ahead. The cowboys' horses, too, could go faster than the
ponies Star Face and Clipclap, for the larger horses had longer legs.

All Teddy and Janet thought of was hurrying along as fast as they could
go, in order to catch up to the Indian hunters. What would happen after
that they did not know.

All at once, as the Curlytops were riding along, they heard what they
thought was a whistle.

"Some one is calling us," said Janet, turning to look back. "Did you
hear that, Ted?"

"Yes, I heard a whistle. Maybe it's Uncle Frank, or some of the
cowboys."

The children looked across the prairie but could see no one. They were
about to go on again when the whistle sounded once more.

"That _is_ some one calling us," declared Jan. "Let's see if we can't
find who it is, Teddy."

So the children looked around again, but no one was in sight, and, what
was still stranger, the whistling sound kept up.

"It's some one playing a joke on us, and hiding after they whistle,"
said Janet. "Maybe one of the cowboys from the ranch."

"Maybe an Indian," said Ted, and then he was sorry he had said that, for
his sister looked frightened.

"Oh!" said Janet, "if it's an Indian----"

"I do