170 OLD HICKS THE GUIDE. that " In a word, will you tell me what we can do for you' much of your confidence you surely can favor me with." The expression of her face changed at once; she rose, and carae near to me. As she knelt hy my side, she placed her hand upon mine, and looked with her large, dark eyes, brimming with emotion, steadily into my face. " Yes, good capitaine, I will tell you what you can do for me • but, first, you must forgive me for having been very saucy 1" I smiled slightly, and nodded my head ; she proceeded : "You have rescued me, good capitaine; but then there is another prisoner among those vile Camanches, and I will guide you to their village, and to his rescue !" " O, that infernal Albert!" thought I, with an involuntary twitch, as I looked into her imploring eyes ; I felt, however, that I had met with a despot, whose commands I was bound to obey, though it seemed to me now that it was a very natural qualm of prudence which caused me to ask, " Why, would you have our small party attack a whole village ?" " Ah, my jealous capitaine, you were not afraid of a whole camp when you rescued me, and there was as many warriors in it as it is probable there will be in this village, if we choose our time well!" "You are a saucy minx!" said I, smiling. "Well, well, we will talk more about it in the morning '." " That's a dear capitaine ! but don't you want to know who the prisoner is ?" said she, with a roguish look of inquiry. " O, never mind," said I, with a desperate effort at appearing cool and careless ; " it is some one you feel an interest in, and that is sufficient for me. I will see to-morrow what the men are willing to do, and then you shall tell us all about distance, place, and so forth." She laughed gayly, and was in the act of replying with raillery, when, at a sudden exclamation on her part, I looked up, and there stood Landeville full in front of her, the light of the sinking fire