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 Mother Bunker, who had been much worried, "that home will be the very best place in the world after this. I will not let Mun Bun out of my reach again. How does he manage to get into so much trouble?"
"Why, Muvver!" sobbed the littlest Bunker, "I just tumble in. I tumbled into this box and then they locked me in."
"How does he tumble into trouble?" demanded Vi, staring at Mun Bun.
"I _know_ there is a riddle about it," said Laddie thoughtfully. "Only I can't just make it out yet."
They were all very glad that Mun Bun was not hurt. But it did seem that he would have to be watched very closely or he might disappear again.
"He's just like a drop of quicksilver," said Cowboy Jack. "When you try to put your finger on him, he isn't there."
Just then the great horn blew to call everybody to the fort, for Mr. Habback was ready for the big scene of the picture. The little Bunkers--at least, all but Mun Bun--were eager to respond, for they wanted to be in the picture. Mother, however, kept the little boy with her, and they only watched the picture when it was made. That satisfied Mun Bun just as well, for he did not believe that he looked nice enough to go to a photographer just then.
"I guess I'll have my picture taken when I get back to Pineville, Muvver," he said. "I'll like it better."
But the rest of the party would never forget that exciting day. The Indians led by Black Bear attacked the fort, and there was much shooting and shouting and riding back and forth. The shooting was with blank cartridges, of course, so that nobody was hurt.
But even the ponies seemed to be excited, and Russ told Rose he was quite sure Pinky and his pinto, who were both in the picture, enjoyed the play just as much as anybody!