But small as he was he seemed to be made of steel, and he stood, poised on his little feet, ready to spring like a leopard when he chose.
The blue eyes of the tall American looked steadily into the black eyes of the short Frenchman, and the black eyes looked back as steadily.

John was fast learning to read the hearts and minds of men through their eyes, and what he saw in the dark depths pleased him.

Here were cunning and yet courage; impudence and yet truth; caprice and yet honor.

Apache or not, he decided to like him.
"I'm going up into the lantern of the Basilica," he said, "to see if I can see the Germans, who are my enemies as well as yours." "And will not Monsieur take me, too, and let me have look for look with him through those glasses at the Germans, some of whom I'm going to shoot ?" John smiled.
"If you're going out potting Germans," he said, "you'd better get yourself into a uniform as soon as you can.

They have no mercy on _franc tireurs_." "I'll chance that.