o savage
sing-song, but clear musical fluent speech.

We met their laughter cordially, and doffed our hats to them, at which
they laughed again, delightedly.

Then Terry, wholly in his element, made a polite speech, with
explanatory gestures, and proceeded to introduce us, with pointing
finger. "Mr. Jeff Margrave," he said clearly; Jeff bowed as gracefully
as a man could in the fork of a great limb. "Mr. Vandyck Jennings"--I
also tried to make an effective salute and nearly lost my balance.

Then Terry laid his hand upon his chest--a fine chest he had, too,
and introduced himself; he was braced carefully for the occasion and
achieved an excellent obeisance.

Again they laughed delightedly, and the one nearest me followed his
tactics.

"Celis," she said distinctly, pointing to the one in blue; "Alima"--the
one in rose; then, with a vivid imitation of Terry's impressive manner,
she laid a firm delicate hand on her gold-green jerkin--"Ellador." This
was pleasant, but we got no nearer.

"We can't sit here and learn the language," Terry protested. He beckoned
to them to come nearer, most winningly--but they gaily shook their
heads. He suggested, by signs, that we all go down together; but again
they shook their heads, still merrily. Then Ellador clearly indicated
that we should go down, pointing to each and all of us, with
unmistakable firmness; and further seeming to imply by the sweep of a
lithe arm that we not only go downward, but go away altogether--at which
we shook our heads in turn.

"Have to use bait," grinned Terry. "I don't know about you fellows,
but I came prepared." He produced from an inner pocket a little box of
purple velvet, that opened with a snap--and out of it he drew a long
sparkling thing, a necklace of big varicolored stones that would have
been worth a million if real ones. He held it up, swung it, glittering
in the sun, offered it first to one, then to another, holding it out as
far as he could reach toward the girl nearest him. He stood braced
in the fork, held firmly by one hand--the other, swinging his bright
temptation, reached far out along the bough, but not quite to his full
stretch.

She was visibly moved, I noted, hesitated, spoke to her companions.
They chattered softly together, one evidently warning her, the other
encouraging. Then, softly and slowly, she drew nearer. This was Alima,
a tall long-limbed lass, well-knit and evidently both strong and agile.
Her eyes were splendid