dried up once more? Well, I suppose that means more trouble
and more cattle missing. I do wish I could find out this puzzle.
Laddie, why can't you solve that riddle for me?"

"I don't know, Uncle Fred. I wish I could," said Laddie, as he was taken
off to bed.

The next day Uncle Fred and Daddy Bunker went out to look at the spring,
to take some more pictures of it with the camera, and see if they could
find any reason for its going dry. Laddie and Russ and Vi, who usually
wanted to go where her twin did, went with them, the other children
staying at home to play.

"Yes, there's hardly any water in it," said Uncle Fred, as he looked
down in the rocky basin at which Laddie and Russ had taken a drink the
night before. "I think we'll have to dig back of those rocks," he said
to Daddy Bunker, "and see what's behind them."

"It might be a good plan," agreed the children's father. "There may be
some sort of secret channel through which the water runs out under the
ground. I think I would dig, if I were you."

"I will," said Uncle Fred. "I'll go back to the house now and get picks
and shovels. You can wait here for me."

"I'll come with you," said Daddy Bunker. "The children will be all right
here."

"I'll go with you, Daddy," said Vi. "I must look after my mud pie I left
in the sun to bake."

Uncle Fred started back toward the ranch buildings with Mr. Bunker and
Vi, while Laddie and Russ sat down near the spring to wait. There was
just a faint trickle of water coming through the rocks.

Suddenly the boys were surprised to hear a sort of grunt behind them,
and, turning quickly, they saw a figure such as they had often seen in
pictures.

"An Indian!" gasped Russ. "Oh, Laddie! It's an Indian!"

CHAPTER XIX

WHAT ROSE FOUND

There was no doubt about it. Standing in front of Laddie and Russ was an
Indian. He was a tall man, with dark skin.

The Indian had a blanket wrapped around him, and on his feet were what
seemed to be slippers, made of soft skin. Later the boys learned that
these were moccasins.

In his hair the Indian had stuck two or three brightly-colored feathers.
He was not a nice-looking man, but he smiled, in what he most likely
meant to be a kind way, at the boys, and, pointing to the spring, said:

"Water? Indian get drink water?"

For a moment Russ or Laddie did not know what to think. The coming of an
Indian was so sudden that it surprised them. They were all alone, too,
for Uncle Fre