somewhere under ground," answered Uncle Fred.

"So do I," said Captain Roy. "I shouldn't be surprised if this was where
the water either ran into or out of our spring."

"We must get shovels and dig," said Uncle Fred. "When we dug back of the
rocks it wasn't in the right place, I guess. Laddie and Russ, by
accident, have found the very place we were looking for. I'm sure it's a
good thing I brought the six little Bunkers out to Three Star Ranch."

"Don't be too sure yet," laughed Daddy Bunker. "We haven't found the
answer to the riddle, yet."

They were going to ride back to the barn, to get picks and shovels, when
Mrs. Bunker came hurrying out to them.

"Oh, Fred!" she called to her brother. "Something has happened!"

"What?" he asked.

"Russ and Laddie----" went on Mrs. Bunker.

"Has anything happened to them?" cried Daddy Bunker quickly.

"No, they're all right. But they just rode up to the house greatly
excited, and they tell a remarkable story about a cowboy with a broken
leg, and say that he's lying in the grass at the end of the bridge.
They're quite worked-up over it. Maybe you'd better go to see what it
is."

"Yes," said Daddy Bunker, "I presume I had better hurry on to see about
Russ and Laddie."

"The spring and the well will keep until you come back," observed Uncle
Fred.

"We'll wait for you," added Captain Roy.

Mr. Bunker hurried back with his wife to the ranch house.

"Russ and Laddie are there," said Mother Bunker, and she told about the
little lads having seen the cowboy, just as Russ and Laddie had told
her. They had ridden home from the bridge, and reached the house just
after Daddy Bunker and Rose had gone away.

"Well, boys, what's this I hear?" asked Daddy Bunker. "Did you really
find a cowboy? Or was it an Indian?"

"Oh, it's a cowboy all right, and I got him a drink of water in my cap,"
replied Russ. "He wanted me to ride over the bridge to get his horse,
but Mother said I wasn't to, and I didn't."

"That's a good boy," said his father.

"And the cowboy, I guess, is hurt bad," said Laddie. "He couldn't walk
on one leg, and he shut his eyes and sounded like he was sick."

"Maybe he is, poor fellow," said Mr. Bunker. "We must see about him at
once. I'll go for Uncle Fred," and he hurried back where he had left the
ranchman and Captain Roy.

"A cowboy hurt!" exclaimed Uncle Fred. "Well, I don't believe it can be
any of mine, or I'd have heard about it. However, we'll ride o