250 



The cliuchert fist, back forward, tliunib upward, is held before the 

 chest, tlien depressed a few inches and suddenly arrested. If you wish 

 to tell a person at some distance to stay where he is, stretch the arm 

 out at full length toward him in making the sigu, otherwise the hand is 

 held near the body. {Mandan and Hidatsn I.) 



Clinch the right hand as if holding a stick, and make a motion as if 

 trying to strike something on the ground with the bottom of the stick, 

 held in an upright position. {Wichita I.) 



Steal, To. 



The left forearm is held, horizontally, a little forward across the body, 

 and the right hand passing under it with a quick motion seems to grasp 

 something and is suddenly withdrawn. [Loiuj.) 



Seize an imaginary object with the right hand from under the left fist. 

 (Burton.) This implies concealed action and the transportation form- 

 ing 23art of the legal, definition of larceny. Our instructed deaf-mutes 

 make the same sign. 



Left arm and hand held diagonally to the body on level with elbow, 

 right-hand foretiuger hooked, quickly drawn under left hand and back 

 to the side (sometimes all the fingers are hooked as though grabbing 

 something or tearing it away). [Cheyenne I.) 



Left hand held about a foot in front of the breast, horizontal, l>ack 

 outward, fingers extended and pointing toward the right; then the right 

 hand, with the fingers extended, hooked, tips outward, hand horizontal, 

 is passed outward uuder the left hand, and quickly drawn backward 

 again behind the left hand, as though seizing and subsequently con- 

 cealing the article. [Dakota I.) " Stealing and concealment." 



The left arm is partly extended and held horizontally so that the left 

 hand will be, palm dow award, a foot or so in front of the chest. Then, 

 with the right hand iu front, a motion is made as if somethiug were 

 grasi)ed deftly iu the fingers and carried rai)idly along uuder the left 

 arm to the axilla. [Mandan and Ridatsa 1.) 



Xo sj^ecial sign for this unless the i)ortrayal of a Texan (see 

 Tr) bal Signs) be accepted as the Mescalero type for a thief, as these 

 poor wretches are said to have been dreadfu"y harassed and plundered 

 by Texans (tay-ha-nas) for many years. Patricio gave several narra- 

 tives ; in one the Texans came and drove off his horses ; in another the 

 Texans entered a house and took (shown by a quick grabbing) property. 

 [Apache III.) 



Deaf-mute natural signs. — Look around, put forward the baud, and 

 close it as if to take something, and move it to the side. [Ballard.) 



