forefinger, after which he pointed to the knife Mark was holding out,
and nodded his head.

The woman was interested.

"Go through it all again; she's beginning to understand," said Mark,
himself deeply interested in the success of this deaf and dumb method of
communication.

"Well, of all the stupids going, give me one of these same dagoes,"
grumbled Lil Artha. "Why, you make it plain enough for a Hottentot to
grab, Elmer. But I'm beginning to hope she'll get on soon. Try her once
more, pardner. You're the boss hand at wig-wagging. Give her the high
sign, Elmer."

Deliberately Elmer again pretended to cut the vine with his forefinger,
then shook his head and afterward pointed to the knife.

The woman's black eyes followed each movement, and evidently she began
to grasp the idea that he did not desire the weapon so as to injure, but
to assist her.

"Glory be!" ejaculated Lil Artha, who had been almost holding his breath
with suspense while all this pantomime business was going on, "look at
that, would you, fellows? A bright thought has managed to get a foothold
in her brain. I bet you it needed a sledge hammer to pound it in. Say,
she's beginning to smile at you, Elmer. You've won out. She believes you
mean all right. Give him the toad-sticker, Mark, and let him get to
work."

Elmer knew that his actions would no longer be misconstrued. The Italian
woman understood.

So he held out his hand and received the knife from Mark. The woman
moved uneasily, but the smile Elmer gave her was surely enough to disarm
any lingering suspicion she may have entertained.

Of course it was only a small job now to cut through the obstinate vine
at a point where the greatest holding point lay.

"There you are!" remarked Lil Artha, as the knife severed the last
strand.

The woman got slowly to her feet. She folded her arms across her bosom
with what seemed to be an air of resignation. Yet Elmer knew that all
the while those sparkling black eyes were watching him intently.

The woman had guessed that Elmer must be the leader of the three
strangers in uniform. Hence she looked to him for orders.

"Well, what're we going to do with this pretty thing, now that we've got
it?" remarked Lil Artha.

"I suppose, first of all, we ought to go back to the shack," said Elmer.

"You mean to hold her a prisoner, I take it?" asked Mark, who had the
utmost faith in the acting scout master's ability to grasp the
situation.

"That's ab