The robber was quite as much interested in his visitor as the latter was in him.  He had often heard of Arthur through Joaquin; and, if the boy had known all Pierre’s intentions concerning him, he might not have felt quite so much at his ease.

“I can’t spare much time,” said the robber, breaking the silence at last.

“Nor I either,” returned Arthur; “so I will begin my business at once, and get through as soon as I can.  I have heard the particulars of your fights with Frank Nelson, and I propose to put you in the way of making five times the amount of money you would have made if you had captured him when you met him in the mountains.  I want to be revenged upon Frank and his crowd, for they have grossly insulted me.”

“Of course they have,” said Pierre.  “I know all about it.”

“I can’t punish them by myself,” continued Arthur, “for they are three to my one.  I am not afraid of Johnny Harris, or Archie Winters; but there’s that other Yankee, Frank Nelson.  He is as strong as a lion, and if he once gets his blood up, he don’t care for any thing.  I am afraid of him.”

“I don’t wonder at it.  I have had some experience with him, and, if he had a few more years on his shoulders, I should be afraid of him myself.”

“I can’t punish them unless I have help,” repeated Arthur; “and, if you will lend me your assistance, you can make sixty thousand dollars by it.  I heard those fellows say, yesterday, that they are going on a hunting expedition, next week.  I will make friends with them again, and find out when they intend to start, and I propose that you capture them, and take them to some safe place in the mountains, and demand twenty thousand dollars apiece for them.  You can demand more, if you choose, and get it, too; for Mr. Harris is rich, and so is Mr. Winters.  You must have some men to assist you, however.”

“I understand that,” said Pierre.  “I’ll find the men.”

“Will you do it?”

“Certainly, I will.”

“Give me your hand, Pierre; I knew you would help me.  But let me tell you one thing, and that is, when you capture them you must look out for yourself.  They will have plenty of weapons, and, from what I have seen of them, I don’t think they would hesitate to use them if they got a chance.  There’s one thing about this business I don’t exactly admire.  Of course, I shall start with their expedition—­I want to have the satisfaction of seeing them captured—­and my idea was, that, when you made the attack on them, you should give me a chance to escape; but Joaquin says, that won’t do at all.”

“Certainly not;” said Pierre, quickly.  “I shall have five men with me, and if we should let you get away, the boys would be suspicious of you at once.”

“That’s just what Joaquin said; and since I have thought the matter over, I have come to the conclusion that he was right.  I don’t want them to know that I had a hand in this matter, for they might make me some trouble.”