back--"

She hugged him closer. He sensed the sudden thrill that leapt through
her body.

"Peter," she whispered, "will you do it?"

For a few moments she did not seem to breathe. Then he heard a quick
little cry, a sob of inspiration and hope, and her arms came from about
him, and he saw the knife flashing in the yellow moonlight.

He did not understand, but he knew that he must watch her carefully.
She had bent her head, and her hair, nearly dry, glowed softly in the
face of the moon. Her hands were fumbling in the disheveled curls, and
Peter saw the knife flash back and forth, and heard the cut of it, and
then he saw that in her hand she held a thick brown tress of hair that
she had severed from her head. He was puzzled. And Nada dropped the
knife, and his curiosity increased when she tore a great piece out of
her tattered dress, and carefully wrapped the tress of hair in it. Then
she drew him to her again, and tied the knotted fold of dress securely
about his neck; after that she tore other strips from her dress, and
wound them about his neck until he felt muffled and half smothered.

And all the time she was talking to him in a half sobbing, excited
little voice, and the blood in Peter's body ran swifter, and the
strange thrill in him was greater. When she had finished she rose to
her feet, and stood there swaying back and forth, like one of the
spruce-top shadows, while she pointed up the moonlit trail.

"Go, Peter!" she cried softly. "Quick! Follow him, Peter--catch
him--bring him back! Mister Roger--Jolly Roger--go, Peter! Go--go--go--"

It was strange to Peter. But he was beginning to understand. He sniffed
in Jolly Roger's footprints, and then he looked up quickly, and saw
that it had pleased the girl. She was urging him on. He sniffed from
one footprint to another, and Nada clapped her hands and cried out that
he was right--for him to hurry--hurry--

Impulse, thought, swiftly growing knowledge of something to be done
thrilled in his brain. Nada wanted him to go. She wanted him to go to
Jolly Roger. And she had put something around his neck which she wanted
him to take with him. He whined eagerly, a bit excitedly. Then he began
to trot. Instinctively it was his test. She did not call him back. He
flattened his ears, listening for her command to return, but it did not
come. And then the thrill in him leapt over all other things. He was
right. He was not abandoning Nada. He was not running away. She WANT