ditch, now came up, and seconded my proposal, as I offered him a mount on
mine.

"How on earth am I to let you escape, dear Valeria?" I whispered, giving
her a sort of affectionate nudge: the position of our arms prevented my
squeezing hers, as I could have wished, and the two troopers kept behind
us, watching us, I thought, suspiciously.

"It is quite impossible now--don't attempt it," she answered; "perhaps
there may be an opportunity later."

"Was that Croppo who got away?" I asked. "Yes. He could not get his
cowardly men to stand on that hill."

"What a bother those men are behind, dearest! Let me pretend to scratch
my nose with this hand that is tied to yours, which I can thus bring to
my lips."

I accomplished this manoeuvre rather neatly, but parties now came
straggling in from other directions, and I was obliged to give up
whispering and become circumspect. They all seemed rather astonished at
our group, and the captain laughed heartily as he rode up and called out,
"Who have you got tied to you there, _caro mio_?"

"Croppo's wife. I had her tied to me for fear she should escape;
besides, she is not bad-looking."

"What a prize!" he exclaimed. "We have made a tolerable haul this
time,--twenty prisoners in all--among them the priest of the band. Our
colonel has just arrived, so I am in luck--he will be delighted. See,