He threw his arms around her. She thrashed about, turned and struck at his face with her fists. Her eyes were wild, like a trapped fox's, her cheeks bright red, her mouth twisted and quivering. "I've got to get away!" "Nancy, you can't." They were waist deep in water, and he felt his feet sinking into the mud. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her as hard as he could. "Listen to me!" She went limp in his arms, and he had to hold her up. "I can't stay here. I won't let them kill me!" He pulled her toward dry ground, the cold water swirling around them, slimy mud tugging at their feet. When they were out of the water, dripping, he said, "If there were any way you could escape from here, I'd help you. If you try to get away, you'll die. There are miles of swamp in every direction. Only Black Hawk and a few braves know the way out. You'd drown or be buried alive in quicksand. Or the warriors would catch you, and they would kill you no matter what I did. And they'll kill me if I help you try to escape." "I'll die if I stay here." Her eyes were dull with hopelessness. "No, you won't. I'll take care of you. My family will protect you--Redbird, Sun Woman, Owl Carver, Iron Knife. You'll be safe with me." She leaned against him. "Auguste, I can't bear being so frightened. My heart is so full of fear it will burst." "The band will not free you, but they will not hurt you. They respect me. I talk to the spirits for them and heal them." She took a long look at him and spoke more calmly. "You look so strange, dressed like a--like a--" "Like a real Indian?" He tried giving her a little smile. For an instant a little life came back into her face. _I can heal her fear, too, if she will let me._ He felt an inward glow as she managed to return a tremulous smile. She said, "But you're still that fine young gentleman who charmed me so, back at Victor, aren't you?" "Yes, I'm that man too." He looked down at her bare feet. "You've lost your moccasins. We must get you another pair." And she was lucky not to have a leech or two clinging to her feet; so was he. His moccasins were lost too. Clothing would be hard to come by, with the band on the run in strange country, but he need not make her feel worse by telling her that. "I have to resign myself to staying with your people, don't I?" she asked. "Thank God you're here, Auguste. Maybe it was Providence that your uncle stole your estate from you." _Yes, Earthmaker's way is surprising_, he thought. "One thing I must ask of you, Nancy. For your protection, you and I must go through a wedding ceremony. Then no one will be allowed to bother you." "A wedding!" She let go of him and stepped away quickly. His heartbeat quickened with anxiety over her apparent shock.