ing to Daddy and Mother Martin as well as to the Curlytops,
"the Indians are kept on what is called a 'reservation.' That is, the
government gives them certain land for their own and they are told they
must stay there, though once in a while some of them come off to sell
blankets and bark-work at the railroad stations.

"And, sometimes, maybe once a year, a lot of the Indians get tired of
staying on the reservation and some of them will get together and run
off. Sometimes they ride away on their own horses, and again they may
take some from the nearest ranch. I guess this time they took some of
mine."

"And how will you catch them?" asked Mrs. Martin.

"Oh, we'll try to find out which way they went and then we'll follow
after them until we catch them and get back the ponies."

"It's just like hide-and-go-seek, isn't it, Uncle Frank?" asked Janet.

"Yes, something like that. But it takes longer."

"I wish I could go to hunt the Indians!" murmured Teddy.

"Why, The-o-dore Mar-tin!" exclaimed his mother. "I'm _surprised_ at
you!"

"Well, I would like to go," he said. "Could I go if I knew how to ride
a pony, Uncle Frank?"

"Well, I don't know. I'm afraid you're too little. But, speaking of
riding a pony, to-morrow I'll have one of the cowboys start in to teach
you and Janet to ride. Now I guess I'll have to go see this Henry Jensen
and ask him about the Indians and my stolen ponies."

"I hope he gets them back," said Teddy to his sister.

"So do I," she agreed. "And I hope those Indians don't come here."

"Pooh! they're tame Indians!" exclaimed Teddy.

"They must be kind of wild when they steal ponies," Janet said.

A little later the Curlytops and Trouble went to bed, for they had been
up early that day. They fell asleep almost at once, even though their
bed was not moving along in a railroad train, as it had been the last
three or four nights.

"Did Uncle Frank find his ponies?" asked Teddy the next morning at the
breakfast table.

"No, Curlytop," answered Aunt Millie. "He and some of the cowboys have
gone over to the field where the ponies were kept to see if they can
get any news of them."

"Can we learn to ride a pony to-day?" asked Janet.

"As soon as Uncle Frank comes back," answered her father. "You and Ted
and Trouble play around the house now as much as you like. When Uncle
Frank comes back he'll see about getting a pony for you to ride."

"Come on!" called Ted to his sister after breakfast