Mun Bun and Margy began to cry, as they wanted to go also, but Farmer Joel said they could go egg-hunting with Adam, and this pleased the smaller children so that smiles drove away their tears. The path to the cow pasture lay through pleasant fields, and half way to the place was a clear, sparkling spring of water at which the children stopped for a drink. Then they climbed a hill, went down in a little valley, and as they reached a broad field, Ralph said: “Here’s where we pasture our cows. But I don’t see all of them—the two black ones are missing.” There were ten cows in the pasture where there should have been twelve. “Do you think anybody stole those two cows?” asked Russ. “Oh, no,” answered Ralph. “I guess they just wandered away. They do, sometimes.” “What do you have to do?” Violet wanted to know. “Have to hunt ’em,” Ralph answered. “Jimsie helps me. There are lots of places where cows can hide in this pasture—lots of low places, and bushes and trees. Sometimes it takes me an hour to find the lost cows.” “Why don’t you yell for ’em?” asked Laddie. “I will,” said Ralph. “Co, boss! Co, boss! Co, boss!” he called loudly, the hills echoing his voice. Then the other children called: “Co, boss! Co, boss! Co, boss!” But the missing cows did not come out of the cool, shady places where, doubtless, they had gone to keep out of the sun. “We’ll have to scatter and look for ’em,” said Ralph. He and his dog Jimsie went one way, Rose and Russ went another way, and Laddie and Violet a third way. Soon the three searching parties were some distance apart. Then, suddenly, from a part of the pasture where there was a dense clump of bushes, came shrieks from Violet. “Oh, we’ve found the cows! We’ve found them, but they’re going to hook us!” she yelled. “Russ! Russ! The cows are going to hook us!” CHAPTER X BUZZING BEES Russ and Rose, who had been walking along the shores of a little brook looking for the missing cows, heard Violet’s yells. A moment later they heard shouts from Laddie. He was saying: “Get back there, you old cows! Get back there! Don’t you dare hook my sister!” Then Violet’s voice sounded again: “Oh, but Laddie, they are going to hook me! Oh! Oh!” “Come on!” called Russ to his sister Rose, and together they rushed up out of the little glen where the stream ran and hastened toward the clump of trees and bushes whence came the voices of Laddie and Violet. Ralph and his dog were not in sight. “Do you suppose the cows are trying to hook Laddie and Violet with their horns?” asked Rose. “I don’t think cows would,” panted Russ as he ran on followed by Rose, who could not go quite so fast. “Cows don’t hook you, I guess, but bulls do, though I didn’t hear Ralph say there were any bulls in this pasture.” “Is a bull worse than a cow?” Rose asked.