"The woman!" shrieked Lil Artha, who, apparently, from his position in the rear had been enabled to see just what had happened.
"Where--is--she?" gasped Mark, once more allowing his eyes to travel ahead.
For, apparently, the fleeing Italian had vanished at that instant, as completely as though the earth had opened and swallowed her up.
"She's down--caught her foot in a root!" cried Elmer, not slackening his warm pace, for he wanted to make a quick job of the thing.
Then Mark saw that some object was threshing the bushes furiously. Twice the woman tried to rise, but on each occasion she fell back again.
Then presently he gave a shout as he guessed the true situation.
"She's caught fast in a vine, Elmer. Even the woods work with us! I tell you she's a prisoner right now! All we've got to do is to tie her hands!"
"But look out for that dandelion knife, boys," warned Elmer, as the three of them reached the spot.
It happened just as the boys had expected. While turning her head so often to see how near these persistent pursuers were, the woman had caught her foot in a stout vine.
She had been hurled to the ground with considerable force, but apparently received no serious injury. When she tried to regain her feet, however, on each occasion the clinging vine refused to release its hold. As a consequence she went down again.
Finally, as though realizing the uselessness of further struggling against Fate, the woman stopped trying to get up.
Having twisted around in some manner, she just sat there and stared at the three boys in khaki.
"Now she's wondering what we're going to do," said Mark, as they stood with the woman between them.
"Yes, she's frightened again, poor thing," remarked Elmer. "I'm afraid it's these uniforms that have done it. She surely takes us for soldiers, and thinks we've come here just to arrest the whole bunch."
"I'm glad of one thing, though," said Lil Artha.
"Looks like she must have dropped that fierce frog sticker when she fell, because you notice she hasn't got the old knife in her claws just now."
"That's right," admitted Mark, cheerfully, for the fact naturally pleased him.
"And here it is, right at my feet," said Elmer, as he stooped and took something from the ground.