m."

She and Teddy sat on their ponies' backs and kept looking at the other
figures. They were coming nearer, that was sure, and as they came closer
it was more and more certain to the Curlytops that some of the strangers
on the horses were wrapped in blankets.

"Oh, I know what they are!" suddenly cried Janet.

"What?"

"In--Indians!" faltered Janet. "Oh, Teddy, if they should be _wild_
Indians!"

"Pooh!" exclaimed Teddy, trying to speak bravely. "Uncle Frank said
there weren't any very wild Indians near his ranch."

"Maybe these ones wasn't near the ranch before, but they're coming near
now," said Janet, so excited the words tumbled out all mixed-up like.
"I'm going home!"

"I--I guess I'll go with you," added Teddy, as he turned his pony's head
about. "We'd better tell Uncle Frank the Indians are coming. Maybe they
want more of his horses."

"Oh, he won't let 'em have any!" cried Janet. "But they _are_ Indians
sure enough!" she went on, as she took a look over her shoulder.

And there was no doubt about it. As the group of riders came closer to
the children, whose ponies did not go as fast as the larger horses, it
was seen that they were indeed Indians, many of them wrapped in
blankets. There were men, women, boys and girls, and some of the smaller
children were carried wrapped tightly to their mothers' backs.

Up to the ranch rode Teddy and Jan as fast as their ponies would take
them without tossing off the Curlytops.

"Oh, Uncle Frank!" cried Teddy. "They're coming!"

"A lot of 'em!" shouted Janet.

"What's that?" asked the ranchman. "Who are coming?"

"Indians to take more of your ponies!" Teddy gasped.

For a time there was some little excitement on the ranch, until one of
the cowboys, riding out to see the Indians, came back and said they were
not "wild" ones, but a band that went about selling baskets and other
things they made. They did no harm, and for a time camped near the
ranch, the children, even Trouble, going over to see them. But for some
time the Curlytops did not forget the fright their first view of the
Indians gave them.

In the days that followed Teddy and Janet had many rides on Clipclap and
Star Face, their two nice ponies. Sometimes they were allowed to go a
little way over the prairies by themselves. But when they went for a
long ride Uncle Frank, Jim Mason, their father or some of the cowboys
were with them.

"After a while maybe I'll learn how to ride so I can go off wi