She twitched at Pinky's bridle, and the pony swerved about and plunged away at such a fast pace that poor Rose could only cling to the bridle and saddle and cry. But Russ remained where he was. He was greatly amazed, but slowly a comprehension of the whole thing was forming in the boy's mind.
"It's--it's only make-believe," Russ Bunker told himself. "They are not doing anything dangerous. It's a--a play, that's what it is. Why, those men have got moving picture cameras!
"Oh, I know what the surprise is now--Mr. Cowboy Jack's surprise! It's a moving picture company!" said Russ Bunker aloud. "They are make-believe soldiers, even if Black Bear and his people are real Indians. They are making moving pictures--that is what they are doing, Rose."
But when he turned in his saddle to look for Rose, the girl and Pinky had completely disappeared.
"My goodness!" said Russ, somewhat alarmed, "she's so frightened that she has run back home. Maybe she will fall off the pony."
Much as he would have liked to remain to watch the actors and the Indians make the picture on which they were at work, Russ felt it his duty to see that Rose was all right. If anything happened to Rose daddy and mother might blame Russ, because he was the oldest.
The pinto pony cantered away with Russ at quite a fast pace. He kept to the wagon-trail that led back to Cowboy Jack's ranch house. And at every turn Russ expected to see Pinky and Rose ahead.
But he did not see his sister on Laddie's pony. He came in sight of the big house, and even then he did not see her. So, when the pinto stopped before the big veranda and Mother Bunker and the other children appeared, Russ could scarcely find voice enough to ask:
"Oh, Mother! have you seen Rose? Did she come back alone?"
"Rose? I have not seen her since you both rode away together. Do you mean to say----" Then Mother Bunker saw that Russ was having hard work to keep back the tears and she--wise woman that she was--knew that this was no time to scold the boy.
"Where did she go? When did you lose her?" his mother cried, running down the steps.
"Back--back where they are making the moving picture," gasped Russ. "She was scared by the Indians shooting at the whites. But, of course, they were only making believe. And--and Rose rode away somewhere and--and--oh, Mother! I can't find her."