s. They have got swords and guns," repeated Russ
confidently. "And I guess they are American soldiers, too."

"Well, they are not Indians, anyway," agreed Rose. "I guess they won't
hurt us, anyway. We can go by 'em. Don't be afraid, Mun Bun."

"Not 'fwaid," declared the littlest Bunker. "But I want to see muvver
and daddy."

"Sure you do," agreed Russ kindly. "Guess we all do. Come on. I'm going
to tell that man riding ahead what the Indians are doing to those folks
at the cabin."

They could still hear faintly the yells of the supposed savages behind
the hill, down which the little Bunkers had just run. This noise did not
seem to disturb the men in blue, who trotted their horses along the
wagon track in a most leisurely manner.

The six little Bunkers stood off the track as the soldiers rode nearer.
The chains on the horses' bits jangled, and the sun flashed from the
barrels of the short guns and from the sword hilts. The men wore
broad-brimmed hats with yellow cords around them, and one of the men
riding ahead, who was an officer, wore a plume on the side of his hat.

"It's more than Indians that wear feather headdresses," whispered Vi to
Rose. "So why _do_ they?"

Like a number of Vi's other questions, this one remained unanswered.
When the head of the procession came up Russ began to speak quite
excitedly to the man leading it:

"Please, Mister Officer! There are Indians over that hill. Don't you
hear them? And they are going to hurt some white people I guess."

"There's a baby," added Rose earnestly. "I wouldn't want the baby to be
scalped."

"Hi!" exclaimed the leader of the soldiers, "it will be pretty tough if
Props' rag baby gets scalped, that's a fact. Come on! Shack along, boys!
They are looking for us now, I bet."

This seemed rather a strange way to command a troop of cavalry, and even
Russ Bunker was puzzled by it. But as the soldiers in blue rode on at a
faster pace Rose called after them:

"Please save the baby! Look out for the baby!"

"We'll do that little thing, girlie," promised one of the soldiers
riding in the rear. "Don't you fear. We'll save the baby and the whole
bunch!"

This was quite reassuring to Rose's troubled mind. But Russ was greatly
puzzled. These soldiers did not look like the soldiers he had seen, nor
did they act or speak like soldiers. He stared after them with great
curiosity as they disappeared over the hill. But the other little
Bunkers were so anxious to get b