o, I don't guess he would," said Sammie, shaking his head. "They are
only for big men, and you have to have air pumped down to you all the
while. It makes bubbles come up, and as long as the bubbles come up the
diver is all right."

"Did a shark ever bite your father?" asked Rose.

"No, I guess not," Sammie answered. "Anyhow he never told me about it.
But I must go now, 'cause it's time for my lunch. I'll come over after
lunch and we can have some more fun."

Sammie said good-bye to the six little Bunkers and started down the side
path toward the front gate of Aunt Jo's home. Hardly had he reached the
sidewalk when Russ and the others heard him yelling:

"Oh, come here! Come here quick, and look! Hurry!"

CHAPTER III

ON THE BOAT

"What is it? What's the matter?" cried Rose, as she hurried after her
brother, who started to run toward Sammie Brown.

"I don't know," Russ answered. "But something has happened!"

"Maybe Sammie found the treasure," suggested Laddie. "Oh, wouldn't that
be great? Then we wouldn't have to dig for it down in the sand at Cousin
Tom's!"

"Pooh! there couldn't be no treasure out in front of Aunt Jo's house,"
exclaimed Violet, not being quite so careful of her words as she should
have been.

By this time Russ and Rose were in the front yard, but they could not
see Sammie, because between the yard and the street were some high
bushes, and the shrubbery hid Sammie from sight.

"What's the matter?" asked Rose.

"What happened?" Russ wanted to know.

"A policeman has arrested a big bear!" cried Sammie. "Come on and see
it! The policeman has the bear, an' there's a man with gold rings in his
ears, and he's got a red handkerchief on his neck, or maybe that's where
the bear scratched him, and there's a big crowd and--and--everything!"

Words failed Sammie. He had to stop then.

"Oh--a--a bear!" gasped Rose.

She and Russ, followed by the rest of the six little Bunkers, hurried
out to Aunt Jo's front gate. There they saw just what Sammie had said
they would--a policeman had hold of a long cord which was fastened about
the neck of a bear. And there was an excited man with a red handkerchief
tied about his throat, and he had gold rings in his ears. He was talking
to the policeman, and there was a crowd of men and children and a few
women about the bear, the policeman, and the other man, who seemed to be
the bear's owner.

"What happened?" asked Russ of a boy whom he knew, and wh