the help of Rose, bore down on the end of the fence
rail far enough to hoist the calf half way out of the mire.

"Where's Mun Bun?" demanded Rose, looking around.

"Can you save the calf, Russ?" asked Vi.

Russ, however, like Rose, was instantly alarmed by the absence of Mun
Bun. A dozen things might happen to the littlest Bunker here in the
swamp.

"Where is he?" rejoined Russ. He jumped up and the rail began to tip
again, dousing the poor calf into the mire.

"Don't, Russ!" screamed Rose. "He's going down again!"

Russ sat down on the fence rail, and the calf came up, bawling
pitifully. It was a very serious problem to decide. If they ran to find
Mun Bun, the calf would be lost. What could Russ Bunker do?

CHAPTER V

GOOD-BYE TO GRAND VIEW

"Didn't you--any of you--see which way he went?" Rose demanded of the
other children. "Oh! if Mun Bun gets into the swamp----"

"Of course he won't," said Margy. "He isn't a bossy-calf."

"Of course he won't," added Laddie. "Mother told us not to, and Mun Bun
will mind mother."

"Shout for him!" commanded Russ, and raised his own voice to the very
top note in calling Mun Bun's name.

The chorus of calls brought no response from Mun Bun. Only an old crow
cawed in reply, and of course he knew nothing about Mun Bun or where he
had gone.

Russ got off the rail again in his excitement, and down went the calf!

"Oh, you mustn't!" gasped Rose. "You'll drown him."

"But I guess we've got to find Mun Bun," said Vi.

Russ, however, had another idea. He was frightened because of the little
boy's disappearance, but he did not want to lose the calf, having
already partly saved him from the mud.

"You and Laddie, Vi, come here and help Rose hold down the rail," said
Russ.

"But I must go look for Mun Bun, too!" cried Rose.

"Wait a minute," said Russ, "and we'll all go and hunt for him."

Russ had noticed a post of the old fence that had rotted off close to
the ground. It was quite a heavy post, but Russ was strong enough to
drag it to the side of the miry pool where the calf was fixed. He rolled
the post upon the platform, and then on the end of the rail which the
other children were holding down.

The post did not stay there very firmly at first. It was not perfectly
round and it was gnarled (which means lumpy), and it did not seem to
want to stay in place at all. Russ, however, was very persevering. He
was anxious too, to keep the poor calf from drowning in