tion when the Indians got through their job here with the picture
company. It looked to be a perfectly innocent box, and at first the
children and Cowboy Jack heard nothing remarkable from within it.

"I reckon you were hearing things in your mind, old fellow," said the
ranchman to the Indian.

The latter grunted suddenly and pointed to the box. There was a sound
that seemed to come from inside. Something made a rat, tat, tat on the
cover of the box.

"Goodness me!" murmured Rose, quite startled.

"That's a real knocking," admitted Russ.

Cowboy Jack sprang forward and tried to open the box.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "It's locked. Where's the key? When did you lock
this box?"

"Black Bear--him lock it. Got key," said the old Indian, keeping well
away from the box.

"You go and get that key in a hurry. Somebody is in that box, sure as
you live!" cried the ranchman.

"I know! I know!" shouted Russ excitedly. "It's Mun Bun! They have
locked him in that box!"

"Oh, poor little Mun Bun!" wailed Rose. "Do--do you suppose the Indians
were trying to steal him?"

"Of course not," returned Russ disdainfully. "Mr. Black Bear wouldn't
steal anybody. He just didn't know Mun Bun was in there. I guess Mun Bun
crawled in by himself."

Then he went close to the big box and shouted Mun Bun's name, and they
all heard the little boy reply--but his voice came to them very faintly.

"We'd better get him out in a hurry," said Cowboy Jack anxiously. "The
little fellow might easily smother inside that box."

CHAPTER XXV

SOMETHING THAT WAS NOT EXPECTED

There was great excitement at the Indian camp during the next few
minutes. Everybody came running to the spot when they heard that Mun Bun
was found but could not be got at. Everybody but Chief Black Bear. He
had gone off to a place at some distance from the camp, and a man on
pony-back had to go to get him, for Black Bear had the key of the big
box.

Daddy Bunker and mother came with the other Bunker children, and Vi
began to ask questions as usual. But nobody paid much attention to her
questions. Laddie said he thought he could make up a riddle about Mun
Bun in the box, but before he managed to do this the chief arrived with
the key.

When the lid of the box was lifted the first person Mun Bun saw was
Daddy Bunker, and he put up his arms to him and cried:

"Daddy! Daddy! Mun Bun don't want to stay in this place. Mun Bun wants
to go home."

"And I must say," said