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diff --git a/old/66807-0.txt b/old/66807-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f3bd501..0000000 --- a/old/66807-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3967 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of On the Border with Andrew Jackson, by -John T. McIntyre - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: On the Border with Andrew Jackson - The Buckskin Books - -Author: John T. McIntyre - -Illustrator: F. A. Anderson - -Release Date: November 23, 2021 [eBook #66807] - -Language: English - -Produced by: D A Alexander, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by the - Library of Congress) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ON THE BORDER WITH ANDREW -JACKSON *** - - -[Illustration: “SO THE INDIANS ARE STILL GATHERING?”] - - - - - ON THE BORDER - WITH - ANDREW JACKSON - - _By_ - JOHN T. McINTYRE - - _Illustrations by_ - F. A. Anderson - - [Illustration] - - THE PENN PUBLISHING - COMPANY PHILADELPHIA - 1915 - - - - - COPYRIGHT - 1915 BY - THE PENN - PUBLISHING - COMPANY - - [Illustration] - - - - -Contents - - - I. IN THE CREEK COUNTRY 7 - - II. THE COMING OF TECUMSEH 21 - - III. THE WILDERNESS TRAPPER 37 - - IV. ATTACKED BY INDIANS 53 - - V. THE FIGHT ON THE KNOLL 63 - - VI. SIGHTING THE ENEMY 77 - - VII. THE ONSLAUGHT AT FORT MIMS 93 - - VIII. OLD HICKORY APPEARS 108 - - IX. THE BLOW AT TALLUSHATCHEE 124 - - X. AN INDIAN MESSENGER 132 - - XI. CAPTURED BY THE CREEKS 141 - - XII. A FIGHT--AND A REVOLT 160 - - XIII. THE BEGINNING OF THE END 175 - - XIV. THE BATTLE OF THE HORSESHOE 185 - - XV. LIFE OF ANDREW JACKSON 194 - - - - -Illustrations - - - PAGE - - “SO THE INDIANS ARE STILL GATHERING?” _Frontispiece_ - - THE TRAPPER WAS SEATED IN THE DOORWAY 45 - - THEY SIGHTED THE FORT 99 - - THE ARROWS OF THE CREEKS RAINED ABOUT THEM 163 - - - - -On the Border With Andrew Jackson - - - - -CHAPTER I - -IN THE CREEK COUNTRY - - -“Much good place for camp! Heap fine water!” - -It was a young Cherokee brave who spoke; from the back of his wiry -little sorrel horse he pointed ahead to a small stream which could be -seen winding its way among the trees. - -“Yes; it looks as if it had been made for a camp, Running Elk,” replied -a bronzed athletic white boy. “What do you say, Frank, shall we pitch -the tent there to-night?” - -Frank Lawrence glanced toward the sun, which was already lowering -toward the horizon. - -“We might as well, Jack,” replied he. “We couldn’t go much farther, -anyway.” - -Jack Davis shook the rein of his black horse; and so the three rode -toward the stream, which was perhaps a quarter of a mile away. It was -late autumn and the year was 1812. The Muscogee country, as the state -of Alabama was then called, was green with mighty forests, and in -places almost untrodden by the foot of the white man; game was to be -met on every hand; and the red huntsmen ranged the hills and valleys, -seeking not only food, but their foes as well. - -The young Cherokee warrior led a packhorse which bore upon its back -provisions and camp equipment. The youthful savage was a handsome, -supple fellow, attired in the picturesque dress of his nation, and -carrying a bow and quiver of arrows; also a tomahawk and knife hung at -his belt. - -Jack Davis was about eighteen years of age; he had been born and reared -upon the Tennessee border, and had the keen, hardy look which comes -of facing nature in her most rugged aspects. Frank Lawrence, on the -other hand, was a product of civilization; he was fresh from Richmond; -and while he had little of the bronze and none of the woodcraft of the -other lad, still, ounce for ounce, it would have been a cunning choice -to select the one who would have endured the greater fatigue. - -Both wore fringed leggings, hunting shirts and coonskin caps; from the -shoulders of each hung a long rifle, powder horn and bullet pouch; in -their belts were thrust broad bladed hunting knives and keen edged -hatchets. - -“Since we got down into this country I’ve noticed a great number of -small streams much like the one ahead,” remarked Frank. “It’s as though -there were a sort of network of them.” - -Jack laughed. - -“I noticed that, too, first time I got down this far,” replied he. -“Those streams gave the redskins of this region their name. They call -themselves Muscogees; but the whites call them Creeks.” - -“It seems to me I’ve heard Running Elk speak of them by another name,” -said Frank, with a glance at the Cherokee. - -“Oh, yes, Red Sticks,” said Jack. “They get that name from the war club -they carry, which is always colored red.” - -“Red Stick no good,” spoke Running Elk, calmly. “Much bad medicine. -Cherokee hate ’um.” - -Both the white boys laughed at this unhesitating declaration; their -nags loped easily forward over the velvet-like sward toward the creek; -they were intent only upon camp, a good supper and a comfortable rest -after the long ride through the wilderness. Suddenly Running Elk reined -in his sorrel horse so sharply as to throw it back upon its haunches. -With a gesture of warning he threw up one hand. - -“Stop!” said he. - -The white boys scarcely needed the spoken warning; they had noted the -young brave’s sudden stop; and their own was almost as short. They were -at the top of a hill. - -“What is it?” asked Frank, surprised. - -But Jack Davis had no need to ask; his sharp eyes, as accustomed as an -Indian’s to the signs of the forest, swept the growth of trees ahead, -and at once saw the cause of Running Elk’s action. - -“Look there,” said he, pointing. - -Frank followed the direction of the indicating finger; from above the -softly waving tops of the trees curled a slim column of smoke. - -“Hello!” said he. “Some one else has camped there.” - -All three drew back into the cover of a clump of beech; Jack dismounted -and began to examine the ground. And as he worked over it, going from -place to place like a keen-scented hound, Frank joined him. - -“Any tracks?” he inquired with interest. - -“I don’t see any here,” replied the young borderer. “They may have come -another way.” Upon his hands and knees, taking advantage of the tall -grass, fallen trees and hummocks of earth, he made his way to the right -of their own trail. “Keep as close to the ground as you can,” he warned -Frank, who followed him. “We don’t know who they are, and as they are -almost sure to be on the watch, we don’t want to be seen until we know -they’re friends.” - -About two score yards from their original stopping place he paused. - -“Injuns!” said he. - -Frank looked at the signs; there were the hoof tracks of a dozen or -more horses; and the broad drag of the poles in the midst of these was -unmistakable. - -“I suppose none but the redskins drag their camp stuff on poles at -their horses’ heels that way, eh?” asked he. - -“No,” replied Jack Davis. “But there are other signs, too. If you’ll -notice, they rode in single file; Injuns almost always do that and -white men never, unless the trail is narrow. And look where one of the -redskins dismounted! See the print of his moccasin in the dust? Only -Injuns have feet shaped like that.” - -They made their way, in the same cautious fashion, back to the place -where the young Cherokee guarded the horses. - -“They’re Injuns,” said Jack. - -Running Elk nodded; he did not seem at all surprised. - -“Red Sticks,” spoke he. And then: “How many?” - -“About ten--with packhorses, and lodge poles.” - -This latter statement seemed to attract the young warrior’s attention. -His keen eyes went in the direction of the curling column of smoke as -it was lifted above the tree tops. - -“Not hunters,” said he. “Party from long way off.” - -“What makes you think that, Running Elk?” asked Frank. - -“Hunters no carry tepee; pack meat on horses’ backs.” - -From their concealment behind the clump of beeches, the three watched -the ascending smoke for some little time; then as the sun sank below -the line of forest and the shadows began to gather, Jack said: - -“Well, it looks as though we couldn’t venture down to the creek, at -this point, anyhow; so, if we’re going to have any supper, we’d best be -looking for another camping place.” - -Remounting, they headed away to the west; darkness came upon them as -they reached a narrow ravine. Here they built a small fire, carefully -masked so as not to be observed by a chance prowler; some small game, -shot during the afternoon, was roasted upon their ramrods, with flour -cakes baked upon the gray coals. While they ate, Frank looked soberly -at Jack. - -“I suppose we’ve been very fortunate in not coming upon any roving -Indian bands before now,” said he. - -Jack nodded. - -“We slid through this whole Creek region as quietly as you please,” -said he. “Never had to stop for anything except to kill a bit of meat -now and then, and get a little sleep.” - -“Well, now that we have run into a lot of reds,” said Frank, “I can’t -help blaming myself for dragging you away down here and getting you -into danger.” - -Jack, as he polished a bone to which some scraps of meat still clung, -grinned good-humoredly. - -“Danger!” said he. “Why, the Injuns haven’t seen us; and a sight of the -smoke from their camp-fire won’t do us any harm.” - -The young Virginian also grinned at this; but he resumed, soberly -enough: - -“Our coming on this band so unexpectedly has made me think. Here we -are, away in the heart of this wilderness; there’s possibly not a white -man nearer than Fort Mims, and that’s fifty miles away. Of course, -we’re armed and our horses are good ones; but, if we were attacked by a -party of Creeks of any size, we’d stand a poor chance.” - -“We’re taking the regular chance of the border,” said Jack. “No more, -no less.” - -“I know that; and as it’s a kind of a desperate one, now that I get -to thinking about it, it worries me. Not that I care very much for -myself,” hastily. “It’s not that; for it’s my affair, and it’s only -right that I should meet any of the dangers connected with it. But -neither you nor Running Elk are concerned, except through friendly -interest in me; and, still, your danger is as great as mine.” - -Jack listened to this with attention; but that he did not regard the -situation with the same seriousness as his friend was evident by the -twinkle in his gray eye. - -“Well, seeing that this little expedition of yours is not any different -from the hunting trips which Running Elk and myself take now and then, -we’re not as ready as you are for the things that are likely to pop -out on us suddenly. Richmond’s not like this border-land of ours; and -the inconveniences, such as hostile redskins, panthers and other such -varmints, are not so big to us as they might look to some one not used -to them.” He wiped his mouth upon the sleeve of his hunting shirt and -sat comfortably back against a tree. “So don’t worry about us, old -boy; this is nothing new to Running Elk and me; just the day’s work, -you might say; and if we weren’t down here with you, we’d be somewhere -else, just as dangerous, on our own account.” - -“Well,” said Frank, “it’s very good of you to look at it that way, -Jack, and I hope we’ll come through the trip without any great danger. -But just the same I don’t mind admitting that I’ll be pretty well -satisfied when it’s over.” - -“As such things go,” said Jack, “you ought to be somewhere near the -neighborhood of that old French land grant you’re looking for. If -my calculations are right, inside a day or so you ought to have it -located.” - -“Let us hope so,” said Frank, fervently. “Then my trouble will be over.” - -But in the dim glow of the masked camp-fire Jack’s face looked somewhat -dubious. - -“Fact is,” said he, “I think your father made a little mistake when he -took that old French grant in payment for a big debt.” - -“I hope not,” said Frank, anxiously. “For it’s about all he has now; if -it doesn’t turn out fortunately, things will go very badly with him.” - -“It’s not so much that I doubt the value of the grant,” said Jack. “But -the Creeks claim this whole region; and it would be a hard thing to -make good a claim of white ownership, no matter how small the tract. -The whole tribe’d be down on you like a landslide before you’d know it.” - -“But the government would back me up. The grant is a perfectly honest -one; the land was once purchased from the Indians by the French -government, which granted it to the man who transferred it to my -father. Upon the United States purchasing the control of this territory -from Napoleon a few years ago, our government recognized all legitimate -claims of this sort; so there should be no real trouble.” - -“Maybe not in the courts; but, as I said before, the Creeks will be -sure to have a word or two to say.” - -As the young Tennesseean spoke, Running Elk, who was reclining upon the -ground beside the fire, lifted his head. From across the stillness of -the night there came a dull, throbbing sound. - -“War drum!” said the Cherokee; and the hands of all three reached for -their weapons. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE COMING OF TECUMSEH - - -The three youths stood there, at their lonely camp-fire, in the heart -of the Muscogee wilderness, with darkness all about them, listening to -the steady, monotonous beat of the drum. - -“That’s kind of a new thing to me,” said Jack Davis. “Sounding a war -drum must be a new fashion, eh, Running Elk?” - -“Heap big medicine!” replied the young Cherokee. “Big war! Much -pow-wow!” - -Jack kicked apart the embers which made their small fire; then he trod -them out after the manner of an experienced woodsman. - -Frank Lawrence, after a space of listening, said: - -“There is something unusual in that sound, then, is there, Jack? Out -of the ordinary?” - -“Never heard it before except in an Indian village when some kind of a -ceremony was going on.” - -“Before I left Richmond,” said Frank, and there was some concern in his -voice, “the newspapers were full of Indian news; reports of all sorts -were going about; it seems that the savages had finally put their heads -together, and were planning a league of tribes to resist the advance of -the white man.” - -“Yes; we’ve had the leaders of that thing down here,” said Jack. “But -the movement was not among the tribes here on the southwestern border.” - -“Ugh!” said Running Elk; and there was that about his exclamation which -said he was not quite sure upon the point in question. - -“Suppose,” said Frank, “we leave our horses tied here, and move a -little nearer to the Indian camp. There may be something going on that -will be worth knowing.” - -“All right,” agreed Jack, willingly enough. “I’m always curious to -learn what the reds are up to myself.” - -So the boys saw to their mounts, and the pack animal; then with their -long rifles in the hollows of their arms, and Running Elk with his bow -ready strung and his quiver of arrows handy for use, they moved quietly -forward in the direction of the now intermittent sound. - -There was no moon that night; the sky was without stars; nevertheless -there came a soft coppery glow through the low hanging clouds which -enabled them to make their way along without any great difficulty. But -finally the beat of the drum ceased. - -“We’ll locate them by the camp-fire,” whispered Jack Davis to Frank. -“See, there it is, ahead among the trees.” - -Softly their moccasined feet padded the earth; carefully, noiselessly -they advanced, flitting from tree to tree, from bush to bush. Because -they were in the heart of their own country, the Creeks evidently had -no fear of attack; therefore they had placed no sentinels about the -camp. And because of this the boys found it possible to approach near -enough to get a good view of the encampment through the open places in -the tangle of brush. - -In a circle sat a score of savages, each wearing a highly ornamental -head-dress of colored feathers; their faces were streaked with paints -of various colors and they passed a long stemmed, ornamented pipe from -one to the other. - -“Hello,” breathed Jack, his accustomed eye taking in the unusual -features of the scene at a glance. “What does this mean?” - -One splendid looking savage, by features evidently a half-breed, -attracted the attention of Frank Lawrence. - -“That looks like a chief,” said he, in the same low tone as his comrade. - -“Heap much chief,” spoke Running Elk. “Him Weatherford.” - -This name, dreaded along the entire border, caused a thrill to run -through Jack Davis. - -“The Red Warrior!” He stared at the famous leader of the Creeks, who -sat like a grimly carven statue within the fire-lit circle. “What in -the world can he be doing here?” - -Frank’s eyes left Weatherford and curiously roved over the remainder of -the band; two who sat side by side, and whose commanding personality -and different head-dress made them stand out from the others, now -claimed his notice. - -“They must be out of the ordinary, too,” said he. “They look different, -somehow.” - -Jack’s eyes went to the two. - -“They are not Creeks,” said he, for he was well acquainted with the -head-dress of that tribe. “They are strangers.” - -“Shawnee,” spoke Running Elk. “One great chief. Other much medicine.” - -Frank Lawrence, who stood beside Jack, felt him start suddenly, and -heard him draw in a long breath. - -“Shawnees!” said Jack in a whisper. “One a great chief, the other -a medicine man!” His hand went out and closed upon the arm of the -friendly Cherokee. “What more do you know of them, Running Elk?” - -“They come to the villages of the Cherokee before last harvest moon. -They are from the north. The chief is Tecumseh and the medicine man is -Elskwatawa.” - -“By Jingo!” Jack’s voice was lifted to such a pitch that Frank quickly -grasped him by the shoulder to recall him to a sense of their position. -Then in a lower tone, the frontier youth continued: “Then the thing -_is_ spreading! These two are down here again trying to get the Creeks -and other tribes into the league against the whites!” - -Tecumseh, which, translated, means “Wild-Cat-Springing-on-its-Prey,” -was a Shawnee, and perhaps one of the most famous and sagacious of -all the savage chieftains who figure in the stirring history of the -border. At the time in which the boys saw him beside the camp-fire in -the Alabama wilderness he was about forty-five years of age. He was the -son of a Shawnee chief, but his mother had been a Creek; his birthplace -was Old Piqua, near where the town of Springfield, Ohio, now stands. -Elskwatawa, which means “the Loud Voice,” was his brother, a Shawnee -sorcerer of great fame and known throughout the frontier of that day -as the “Prophet.” These two, shrewd and able far above their race, saw -that if the advance of the white men were not stopped the power of the -Indian would be stripped from him forever. - -So they set about forming a confederation of all the tribes, and in -a solid body striking a desperate blow to regain the hunting grounds -wrested from them by the paleface. - -The fame of the Prophet, as has been stated, was very great; the -credulous red man looked upon him with awe, and never for a moment -thought of doubting any utterances he saw fit to make. Tecumseh -shrewdly saw the value of this; with mystic jargon, with religious -mummery, the superstitions of the tribes were played upon until the -confederation became a thing of fear to the scattered whites in the -border settlements. From near and far the savages vowed to follow -the commands of the “Great Spirit” as voiced by the Prophet; the -Delawares, the Wyandottes, the Ottawas, the Kickapoos, the Winnebagoes -and Chippewas had been dancing and preparing for the great blow at the -white interloper for many months; and evidently not satisfied with -this, the two leaders had secretly made their way south a second time, -and were now, most likely, engaged in trying to arouse the Creeks and -other nations against the settlers. - -All this passed through the minds of Frank and Jack; for they were well -acquainted with the force behind the movement; indeed, it had been the -one topic talked of in the lonely cabins or the little hamlets at which -they halted during the journey through the forest. - -“Well, if Tecumseh’s got down here again, and the Prophet with him, -there’s likely to be an outbreak,” spoke Jack, with assurance. “For the -Creeks have been acting ugly for some time, and it’ll not take much to -set them on the war-path.” - -Frank turned to Running Elk. - -“How did they do with your people?” he asked. - -The young savage lifted his taut strung bow. - -“Cherokee is friend to paleface,” said he. “Tecumseh he go away much -mad.” - -“Good!” said Frank. “I hope it happens the same way with the Creeks.” - -“Tecumseh is Creek on his mother’s side,” said Jack. “That’ll weigh -heavily in his favor--if anything is needed to turn the scale.” - -All this talk had been carried on in the most hushed of whispers; and -not for a moment had the three taken their eyes from the painted and -warlike circle in the glare of the camp-fire. That the Indians were -also talking was evident; but the boys were too far away to hear what -was being said. After a little while Jack’s curiosity mastered him. - -“I wonder if we couldn’t get a little closer without much danger,” -whispered he. “Seems to me there must be lots of things in that talk -that we ought to know.” - -Apparently the other two were of the same mind, for they at once -agreed. So softly, and with slow, pantherish steps they parted the -brush and moved nearer the savage camp-fire. Not a branch was permitted -to rustle, not a twig nor dead leaf to crackle under foot. Jack went -first, and the young Cherokee was second; Frank Lawrence stepped as -nearly in their tracks as he was able and imitated their movements as -nearly as he could make them out in the partial darkness. - -By great good fortune, a large green tree had fallen quite close to the -spot where the Creek camp was pitched; the three boys, snugly ensconced -behind this, had now a vastly improved view of the scene, and, what was -of equal interest, could hear almost all that was said. Weatherford was -speaking, and Jack, who had a practical acquaintanceship with a number -of Indian dialects, had no trouble in understanding the deep-voiced, -solemn utterance. - -“Word has reached the Muscogee villages of the doings of their -brothers, many suns to the north. And the news made us glad.” A murmur -went up from the other savages of the Creek nation; it was one of -approval of the words of the Red Warrior; and Weatherford proceeded: -“Swift runners reached us from the far country of the Shawnees. -The Muscogee was glad to hear that the great chief Tecumseh, and -Elskwatawa, who speaks the words of wisdom, were once more journeying -through the forests to visit their brothers. We have journeyed to -meet them; we have smoked the pipe of friendship. Let Tecumseh and -Elskwatawa speak.” - -For a space after the sonorous voice of Weatherford had died away there -was a silence. The circle of fantastically painted and befeathered -Indians remained as still as graven images; then the Shawnee chieftain -spoke: - -“We are glad that the great chief Weatherford speaks with the voice of -welcome. We are glad that the chiefs and the old men of the Muscogee -greet us with kindness. It is well; for the blood of the Muscogee runs -warm in my veins. Many suns have passed since we left the hunting -grounds of our tribe to seek council with our brothers; the trails -have been long, the rivers swift, the mountain passes hard; but we are -here, and we are heavy with the message of the red man’s wrongs.” - -Again there was a silence, and then Tecumseh went on: - -“It is well that my voice is only for the ears of the old men. For -they are wise, and will judge well of what I have to say. Young men -are quick, but they have no wisdom; they are strong when the war-whoop -sounds, for their knives and tomahawks are keen, and their arrows -straight. But in the council they are like young bears. My words are -the wisdom of the Muscogee; let the old men give ear.” - -Elskwatawa sat silently while his brother spoke. As became a -wonder-worker, he was decked with the teeth and claws of bears and -hill-cats; a string made up of skulls of squirrels hung from his neck. -Totems and charms were plentifully distributed about his person; a -broad band, made of the skin of a rattlesnake, was bound about his -brow. The lank hair of this sinister looking savage hung down over his -shoulders; his eyes were keen and restless. While those of all the -others who made up the savage circle were fixed upon Tecumseh, his were -darting here and there, restlessly. More than once they shifted in the -direction of the fallen gum tree; and each time Running Elk warningly -nudged the white boys crouched at his side. - -But Jack Davis feared no danger; he noted from time to time the -wandering glance of the Prophet; but he felt sure that the savage, -no matter how keen his vision, could not penetrate the thick shadows -thrown by the branches and stem of the fallen tree. - -Tecumseh began to speak in a sing-song voice; item by item he took -the aggressions of the paleface; wrong by wrong he took the deeds -against his people. On the bravery of the red man he dwelt fervently; -of the treachery and evil-doing of the whites he spoke with a tongue -of scorn. Bit by bit the tide of his anger grew; key by key his voice -lifted until it was shrill with fury. His savage audience was stirred -profoundly by his recital; their customary stoicism was gradually -shaken off; his rage infected them; they swayed their bodies to and -fro, their plumes nodding in the fire-glow. - -The interest and attention of Jack Davis was almost equal to that -of the Creeks; he leaned forward, drinking in the utterances of the -Shawnee eagerly. - -“And now,” spoke Tecumseh, “at last the end has come. Suns have risen -and gone down upon the white man’s advance, and the red man’s retreat -before him. Moons have begun and moons have ended, and more and more -the forest rings with the stroke of the axe which means death to the -hunting grounds of our fathers. The march of the white man is the march -of an evil spirit; the red man must stop this march or his day is -done; he must stop it or he will find his grave on the great plains, in -the shadow of those mountains beyond which lies another sea.” - -The sound of the last word still lingered in the air when the Prophet -suddenly leaped erect; his tomahawk was snatched from his belt, his -right arm went back like lightning. There was a whistling hum of the -weapon as it flew through the air; then the sharp blade bit deep into a -branch of the gum tree close to Jack Davis’ head. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE WILDERNESS TRAPPER - - -The haft of the hatchet was still a-quiver from the Prophet’s cast when -Jack Davis’ long rifle spoke in reply. Then, with a hiss, an arrow from -the bow of Running Elk found its mark; Frank’s piece cracked sharply, -and then all three turned and darted away through the trees. - -Behind them arose a terrific din; the Creeks, amazed at the unexpected -happening, could, for a space, do nothing but yell their surprise and -anger. Then they seized their weapons; arrows began to sing their -swift flights over the heads of the running boys; a few rifles spoke -spitefully; but in the darkness the aim of the Indians was bad. - -As swiftly as they could travel, the lads tore through the woods; -emerging from this their way was easier and they could make better -time. When about a half a mile from the camp of the Creeks, Jack paused -and his comrades drew up beside him. After listening a moment, the -youthful borderer said: - -“They are not after us; we must have given them a scare.” - -“Creek not know how many,” said Running Elk. “Him think plenty white -man.” - -“Well, I’m glad enough for that,” spoke Frank, as he mopped his face -with a handkerchief which he wore about his neck. “It would not be any -too comfortable with that crowd pounding at our heels.” - -They waited for perhaps a half hour for some sounds of pursuit; but as -none came, they resumed their course toward the abandoned camp where -their horses were tied. - -“At daylight the Creeks will be stirring,” said Jack, “and then they’ll -find our tracks and learn how few there are of us. So the best thing -we can do is to mount and be on our way before they know too much about -us.” - -“A good idea,” said Frank. - -“Creek good trailer,” admitted Running Elk. “Find track, like wolf.” - -Accordingly they saddled, untied and mounted their horses; then in -Indian file they rode away in the semi-darkness of the coppery sky. - -Jack Davis and Frank Lawrence had been friends for almost ten years. -Jack’s father was a prosperous farmer with a great tract of land which -he had won from the wilderness of Tennessee, and the boy had been -brought up at the plow in the planting season, harvesting the crop -in the autumn, and in the fall and winter ranging the woods with his -rifle, accompanied by friendly Indians, or by some old trapper who had -spent his life in the wilds. - -But there had been three years in which Jack had gone to school. The -school selected for him had been at Richmond and kept by a dapper, -kindly old Frenchman who knew much, and had the knack of imparting -it. It was here that Jack and Frank first met; they became chums, and -during those weeks in which the schoolmaster saw fit to close his -establishment at Christmas time, and during the heated term Jack was -always carried enthusiastically away to the fine old house on the banks -of the James, outside the city. - -Frank’s father had then been a man of wealth and social position, -but things, as his son had told Jack beside the camp that night, had -changed. He had great losses in various ventures. And now this old -French grant in the heart of the Creek country, once looked upon -lightly enough, was all that stood between the old gentleman and real -want. - -Frank had realized this with a shock, and at once he set about turning -the land to some practical account. First it had to be located, and -that meant a journey through the wilderness. With the thought of this -journey came one of Jack. - -“The very fellow to go with me!” Frank had exclaimed. “He’s as learned -in the lore of the woods as the oldest trapper.” - -So away rode Frank into Tennessee and put the matter before his friend. -Jack leaped at the idea; a venture into the woods appealed to him -mightily; and at once he sent word to a Cherokee village, two score -miles distant, for the young hunter, Running Elk, companion of many an -exploit with the wild denizens of the forest. - -They had been out something like two weeks when they met with the -adventure related in the preceding chapter; but save for two bears and -a panther, which gave Frank a very thrilling moment, they had had few -experiences. But the scene at the savage camp-fire, the streaked faces -of the Creek council, the words of the Red Warrior and of Tecumseh had -been ominous and impressed themselves upon the boys’ minds. - -“If the Injuns ever really join together for a war against the whites, -they’ll sweep the border like flame for a while,” observed Jack, -soberly, as they rode along. “The settlers are far apart, and the -soldiers would be a long time getting into action.” - -“I hope it never comes,” spoke Frank, fervently. “It will gain nothing -for the tribes, and it will cost many an honest man his life.” - -“Big war!” said Running Elk, confidently. “Heap fight. Much kill. -Prophet great medicine. Injun fool! Soldiers shoot ’um like wolf.” - -However, whatever the prospects for an Indian uprising, the mission of -the boys at this time was to locate the old land grant, the position -of which was set down upon a chart which Frank carried in the breast -of his buckskin hunting shirt. Jack now dwelt rather gravely upon the -situation; he felt that it would be well to return to the settlements -and give warning as to the presence of Tecumseh and the Prophet among -the Creeks, but he couldn’t very well see how it could be done at that -time. It was daylight and they were seated beside a fire, kindled upon -the banks of a small stream, and eating their breakfast of ash cake and -baked woodcock when an idea occurred to the youthful borderer. - -“We’re not more than a day and a half’s travel from old Joe Grant’s -trapping grounds,” said he, delighted at the thought. “Joe will be -going to the settlements for traps, powder and provisions to carry on -his winter work. If we can reach him before he starts, he’ll carry the -news we have to tell.” - -Frank was equally pleased at this plan; and after a rest until noon, -for both they and their horses were tired out by the all night ride to -escape the Creeks, they mounted once more and headed in the direction -of the old trapper’s cabin in the woods. - -Old Joe Grant was one of those unique backwoods characters so plentiful -in the early days of the fur hunters. He had a line of traps, in -season, for miles along the banks of the streams; he hunted bear and -hill-cats and deer, and lived in a small log house in the shelter of a -huge, uprearing rock, in a region into which man, white or red, seldom -ventured. Here with a packhorse and a brace of huge dogs, almost as -savage as wolves, he had lived for years, only venturing into the -settlements in the spring to sell his furs, and in the early fall to -lay in his necessities, as Jack had said, for the winter. - -[Illustration: THE TRAPPER WAS SEATED IN THE DOORWAY] - -At about sundown next day as the three were riding through a depression -between two hills, they heard the deep bay of dogs; in another quarter -of an hour they sighted the lonely cabin. The trapper was seated in the -doorway, his rifle at his side, mending a trap. The two white boys -shouted and waved their caps as they approached; the huge hounds which -had winded them from afar rushed forward, their red jaws gaping, and -growling deep in their mighty chests. - -“Down, Bully! Down, Snow!” cried the trapper. At sight of the horsemen -he had dropped the trap and seized his rifle; but recognizing Jack he -arose, shouted once more to the dogs, and advanced with a broad smile. - -“Wal, wal!” said he, “this here is a surprise! I wasn’t calculatin’ on -no visitors. Howdy, Injun,” to Running Elk. “Light, lads, and have a -snack and a shake-down for the night.” - -Both Bully and Snow, who was a white dog, had subsided at seeing their -master so friendly with the newcomers; they now sniffed inquiringly at -the horses’ heels and at the boys themselves when they rode up to the -log house and alighted. The lads found a place to picket their horses -where there was plenty of grass; then they joined the trapper, who was -already gathering dried leaves and twigs to start a fire. - -“Got some good fresh pickerel,” stated old Joe, “and some bear meat -which was killed only yesterday morning. Hope you got some flour in -your pack; bread’s mighty scarce with me just now.” - -“We’ve got quite a lot of it,” said Frank, who had been introduced to -the old backwoodsman and received a hearty hand-grasp from him. - -While the fish and strips of bear meat were cooking at one fire and -the bread was baking in the ash of another, the two white boys took a -plunge into a deep clear pool which was close at hand, and then ran -themselves dry in the last glancing barbs of the sun. Then after they -had all four done complete justice to the meal, they drew inside the -cabin, where old Joe lighted some home-made candles of bear’s grease; -settling back upon the skins of bear, deer and catamount which covered -the floor, they fell into a conversation which was one of the most -interesting in which Frank Lawrence had ever taken part. - -The candles flared yellow, lighting up the rough log walls chinked with -clay; from the peak of the roof hung dried roots and herbs gathered -by the trapper for medicinal use; heaps of pelts were piled up in one -corner; others were stretched upon the walls to dry. Upon the door was -the skin of a panther which in life must have been a monster; bears’ -claws and teeth, traps, fishing-tackle, hatchets, and axes, and an -extra gun also hung upon the wall. There was a huge fireplace at one -side, built of stones and dried clay. With a little thrill of content, -Frank pictured the cabin as it must be in the winter, with a fire -of logs roaring up the chimney’s wide throat; all was snow and cold -without, the dreary wilderness stretched away on every hand, but, -within, the fire-glow gave off a cheer and comfort missing in a more -stately dwelling. - -“Wal, what brings you younkers so far down this a-way?” questioned the -old man. “Never thought to see anybody this summer.” - -Jack informed the trapper as to the nature of their errand in the -wilderness; the old man, who had resumed the tinkering at the trap -which their arrival had interrupted, listened with many nods of the -head. - -“Some day them there old French grants will be worth a mighty heap of -money,” said he at length when the boy had done. “But, in the first -place, they’ll have to be powerful well proven; and then it’ll not be -until the Creeks is larned a lesson.” - -This naturally brought up the subject of the boys’ journey and as Jack -related the adventure with the Creeks, and the words of Tecumseh, the -ancient woodsman put the trap aside and gave the matter his undivided -attention. After the youngster had related all the details, old Joe -began to ask questions; and when Jack had answered these at length, -there was a silence. The trapper sat bolt upright, his shoulders -resting against the wall, and his heavy white brows bent. - -“So them varmint Shawnees have got into the Muscogee country again, -have they?” said he. “Well, I’ve been expecting it for some time now; -but I didn’t think to hear of it so soon, for all that.” - -“As we couldn’t turn back from our hunt just yet,” said Frank, “Jack -thought you’d carry the news to the settlements when you went in for -your stores.” - -“That I will,” replied old Joe, grimly. “I’ll carry it right enough; -and I’ll be heading that way in four days’ time. And it won’t be none -too pleasant for them to listen to, youngsters; for the Spaniards in -Florida and the British on the northern frontier will give the redskins -rifles, and ball and powder, and with plenty of them same articles, the -varmints’ll be more dangerous than ever.” - -“The Spaniards have never been any too friendly on the border,” said -Jack, resentfully; “and the Creeks, when it gets too hot for them, will -race for Spanish territory.” - -“I suppose the outbreak of the war with England will be of great -advantage to Tecumseh,” spoke Frank. Congress had only recently -declared war against the British because of that nation’s aggression on -the sea. “And, if the truth were known, I’ll venture that’s one of his -reasons for starting an Indian uprising at this time.” - -“Like as not. The Shawnees are a cute lot of redskins,” commented the -old trapper. “And Tecumseh and his brother, the medicine man, are the -sharpest of them all.” - -The boys slept well that night in the trapper’s cabin; and next -morning after a good backwoods breakfast, they bid the old man good-bye. - -“Take care of yourselves,” said he. “With things as they are, there’s -no telling what might happen. Always be on the safe side of anything -that turns up, if you can fix it that way. For you are in the enemy’s -country, and there are only three of you.” - -He shook each of them by the hand. - -“If you see my father,” said Jack, “tell him I’m all right and expect -to keep that way.” - -“I’ll do it, son,” promised old Joe. - -“And say that we’ll be back as soon as we can finish up our errand,” -said Frank. - -The trapper waved his hand to them as they rode away; and the huge dogs -barked their good-bye as they disappeared in the green of the forest. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -ATTACKED BY INDIANS - - -Their mounts having had a good rest and the boys themselves being more -than usually refreshed, they made considerable progress that day. Night -found them at the ford of a large stream. - -“Hello,” said Jack, as they drew up at the ford and gazed about, “this -looks like a place I’ve seen before.” - -“Cache on other side,” said Running Elk, who seldom made a mistake in -his observations. “Much dried meat. Put there two snow moons ago.” - -Jack’s face lit up with recognition. - -“Why, so it is,” said he. “I hadn’t thought we’d gone so far.” Then to -Frank he added: “This is the place we’ve been heading for.” - -“Is this the Alabama River?” asked the young Virginian. - -“Yes,” said Jack. “And from now on we’ll have our bearings pretty well -laid out for us. Running Elk and myself hunted hereabouts two winters -ago; that’s how we came to have the country so well in mind.” - -They forded the river and camped for the night on the opposite bank; -next morning, after breakfast, Frank got out his chart, roughly done -upon a piece of tanned deerskin in the pigment used by the Indians. - -“Here,” said he, his finger indicating the places on the chart, “is the -Alabama. Just below is a place where a smaller stream flows into it, -and upon the point of land between the two is a small clump of trees -under which is written ‘Triple Oaks.’” - -“The clump would be three trees, I think,” said Jack, “and pretty big -ones, to make them stand out so as to be noticed more than others.” - -“I should say so, too,” agreed Frank. - -“There is such a place as that not far down-stream,” said Jack. “At -least I think there is. I remember some big oaks, just at a place where -a creek runs into the river. But how many there are, I don’t know.” -Then turning to Running Elk, he asked, “What do you remember about it?” - -The young Cherokee’s reply was brief and comprehensive. - -“One, two, three,” he counted upon his fingers. “Three oak trees. Grow -near creek on river bank. Half a sun’s ride.” - -Jack chuckled and nodded to Frank. - -“He never forgets anything like that.” - -Frank was much gratified. - -“Good for you, old chap,” said he, slapping the Cherokee upon the -shoulder. To Jack he said: “As we are without instruments, we couldn’t -locate the tract without these landmarks, and it’s a great comfort -to have some one along who knows where the landmarks are.” Again his -fingers went from point to point upon the chart. “Here, to the north, -is a hill; and around to the west is a pine forest; I think we ought, -by the help of these, to prove if the three oaks you have in mind are -the ones in the chart, or no.” - -When the horses had finished grazing, they were saddled, and the lads -sprang upon their backs with keen excitement. That Running Elk was a -most excellent judge of distance as well as topography was soon made -manifest. For just about high noon, when the sun was staring like a -huge fiery ball from directly overhead, Frank uttered a cry. - -“What is it?” demanded Jack, his hand going in the quick, instinctive -movement of the frontiersman for his weapon. - -“The triple oaks,” was the reply, and Frank pointed over the tree tops. - -Sure enough, as they broke through some underbrush upon the river bank, -they sighted three massive oaks, growing close together and towering -above their neighbors like giants above pigmies. To the left of them -flowed a slow shallow stream of yellowish water which entered and -discolored the river for some distance below. - -“Well, there they are,” said Jack, “just as I saw them last, and as -they have been standing for at least a hundred years.” - -They all dismounted, and their bridles were thrown across some -low limbs close to the water’s edge. Frank got the chart from his -saddle-bags, and began unrolling it. - -“With any sort of good luck,” said he, “we’ll have this job over sooner -than we expected.” - -As he spoke he felt a hand upon his shoulder, pressing downward. - -“Down!” came the voice of Jack, harshly. “Don’t look up! Down!” - -His weeks in the wilderness had not been without their effect upon the -young Virginian. He had learned that if a thing must be done in the -forest, one must do it promptly and without question. So he at once -dropped to the earth; as he did so a flight of arrows sped over his -head, and a dozen bullets hummed their course through the trees. - -“Red Sticks,” said Running Elk, from behind the gnarled stem of a -cottonwood. He fitted an arrow to his bow, and as Frank, astounded by -the suddenness of the attack, gazed at him the taut string twanged, and -a shrill cry from across the river told of a victim. - -Almost at the same moment the long rifle of Jack Davis spoke, and a -second yell arose, proving the sureness of his aim. Frank now turned -his eyes upon the point of land upon which stood the triple oaks; to -his surprise, he saw among the trees all the evidences of a Creek -encampment; and a new flight of arrows and volley of rifle shots from -behind rocks, stumps and trees, told of the hiding places of the -savages. - -By great good fortune, the boys’ horses, at the first sound of the -rifles of the hostiles, had broken away from their slight restraint -and galloped off into the woods, unhurt. - -“Keep close to the ground,” warned Jack, “and after them. We must not -lose sight of our mounts, or we’re done for.” - -Running Elk slipped from tree to tree; Jack crawled along the earth -with the supple movements of a snake. Frank followed suit, and in spite -of the continuous flight of arrows, they reached unharmed the thick -cover of the trees some distance from the river’s brink. - -By great good fortune, the packhorse, which was a wise old beast, had -brought up a few hundred yards away; and naturally the other horses -stopped also, and so were easily caught. The boys sprang upon their -backs and went tearing away through the aisles of the forest; and as -they did so they heard the yells of the Indians, who now for the first -time became aware of their flight. - -“Do you think they’ll follow?” asked Frank, as he and Jack rode side -by side for a space where the woods was not so dense. - -“They will if they have noticed how few we are,” replied the young -borderer. “And if they cross the river, our tracks will tell them that.” - -After about an hour’s hard riding they slackened their pace, and then -at the top of a knoll they halted. They had emerged from the forest -some time ago, and from where they were they had a clear view of the -surrounding country for miles around. - -Away swept the green of the early autumn, all rippling in the breeze -and shining in the sunlight. Here and there a splotch of yellow or red -marked where the fall had already set its hand. The sky was cloudless -and the air very clear. - -“It’s the sort of a day when we can see great distances,” said Frank. -“I don’t think I remember ever seeing a finer.” - -“Well, and just because of that,” said Jack Davis, with the caution of -experience, “we’d better not stand here in such full view. If there -are any reds on our trail, they’ll mark us, even if they’re still miles -away.” - -“Ugh!” agreed Running Elk, in prompt approval. “Creek have good eyes. -See far!” - -So they drew back below the shoulder of the knoll, dismounted and gave -the horses a breathing space. Frank, as he watched his friend, saw that -his face was serious and that his looks in the direction of the waving -green forest which they had left behind were intense. Running Elk also -kept his keen black eyes upon the distant woods; as he stood watching, -with barbaric composure, he had the appearance of a splendidly wrought -bronze, meant to typify vigilance and grace. - -Suddenly Jack spoke. - -“There they are,” said he, pointing. “There’s a big band of them, and -they are following in our tracks like hounds.” - -From out the green of the woods came a full score of Creeks. Some were -mounted and some were afoot. They carried shields and spears and bows -and arrows; and here and there the metal of a rifle barrel glistened as -the sun’s rays struck it. - -“They seem to come on boldly, and without much thought of concealment,” -said Frank, after he had watched them for a moment. “And that is not at -all the way I thought Indians made war.” - -“Um, Creek no care who see,” stated Running Elk. “Got hill, with ring -around him.” - -“What’s that?” said Frank, only partly catching the Cherokee’s meaning. - -“He means that they’ve got us surrounded,” said Jack Davis. “And he’s -right. Just throw a look around.” - -Startled, Frank did so; his heart gave a leap and began to beat -swifter; from all directions, closing in upon the knoll, were bands of -armed savages. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE FIGHT ON THE KNOLL - - -For a moment or two Frank Lawrence was too startled to speak; but when -he could collect his wits his first action was to throw his rifle -around in position for use; his second was to look at Jack Davis and -the Cherokee hunter. - -“Well,” said he, quietly enough, “we seem to be in for it, don’t we?” - -“There’s a good hundred of them, all told,” spoke Jack. “I wonder where -they all sprang from.” - -“Young men,” said Running Elk. “Braves. Old men in council; young men -come afterward.” - -“That’s it,” cried Jack, grasping at the Cherokee hunter’s meaning. -“Weatherford, chief of the Creeks, took his old men forward to hear -and talk with Tecumseh and the prophet at the council fire. The young -men, or warriors, were left a few days’ march behind; they were on -their way to join their chief when we ran into them at the river.” - -“Worse luck for us,” grumbled Frank, his eyes on the advancing Indians. -“What shall we do?” - -It was plain to Jack and Running Elk that the Creeks had used their -superior knowledge of the country to their great advantage. They had -seen the direction taken by the boys and knowing, very likely, the -course they must take through the forest if they desired to make speed, -the red men had cunningly thrown parties forward along various paths -through the woods, short cuts known only to themselves and the wild -things, and so had managed to form a ring about them when they had -least expected it. - -To stand at the top of the grassy knoll and see the Creeks advance -upon all sides was an experience the like of which Frank Lawrence had -never undergone before. The sun glanced upon the oily bronze skins of -the braves, their eagle and heron plumes nodded in the breeze, their -buckskin leggings and quilled and beaded ornaments were interesting and -picturesque. But Frank knew that there was something more than show in -the force moving so slowly, so surely toward them; he knew that if they -were not checked, their presence in such numbers meant almost certain -death to him and his friends. - -“Do you think they are in range?” asked he, looking at Jack. - -Young Davis swept the distant Creeks with an estimating glance. - -“Not by fifty yards,” said he. “And we’ll give them twenty-five more -than that, for we must not waste any ammunition.” - -But Jack did not give the Indians much attention at the moment; as soon -as he had answered Frank’s question, he turned to a place at the top -of the knoll which had caught his eye a few moments before. This was a -bowl-like depression, possibly fifteen yards across and some four feet -in depth. The young Tennesseean leaped into this, and walked about, -trying it at various places for a view of the sloping sides of the -knoll. - -“Just the thing,” cried he, excitedly. “Couldn’t have been better -placed if it had been made for the occasion.” - -Catching Jack’s idea, the others also sprang into the depression. - -“Bully!” exclaimed Frank. “It’s quite a fort.” - -“Made for fort,” stated Running Elk, whose searching glance had been -going about. “Long time ago.” - -At once the four horses were driven into the bowl, and made to lie down -in the center; then the defenders gave their attention to the oncoming -foe. - -The Creeks had come on slowly; it was evident that they felt sure of -their prey and so were in no great hurry to close in. At the head -of the band advancing from the direction of the forest was a tall, -evil looking brave carrying a long tufted spear; he seemed to exult -in the prospect of bringing death to the white face, and he danced -fantastically and flourished the spear. - -“They are about in range now,” said Jack Davis, as he threw his long -rifle forward. “But hold your fire, Frank, until I have a try.” The -piece went to his shoulder, the barrel resting upon the edge of the -hollow. “That fellow doing the dancing seems to be mighty pleased,” -added the young borderer, grimly. “So I just think I’ll try to make him -laugh on the other side of his mouth.” - -The long tube of the rifle held steadily upon the exultant savage for -an instant; then the weapon cracked; the tufted spear was flung high in -the air, as the Creek’s arms went up; and with a yell he dropped prone -upon the sward. - -A chorus of yells followed this; and while they were still sounding, -Frank’s piece spoke clearly and spitefully; a warrior in advance of his -fellows, upon the opposite side, screeched his death note and fell to -the earth. - -At once the bands to which the fallen braves had belonged scattered and -fell back. They were still out of bow shot; a few rifles sounded from -among them, but the pieces were of obsolete pattern and poor range, -so the bullets did no harm. However, the parties upon the two other -sides had sustained no loss; and so they came on with a speed greatly -increased by the yells and shots. - -With cool, practiced hands, the two young riflemen rammed home fresh -charges of powder and ball; Frank sprang to one side and Jack to -another. - -“Sight ’em carefully,” admonished Jack, “and don’t let go until you’re -sure of bringing down your Injun.” - -Again the long weapons cracked, one after the other, and two more -Creeks fell with wide flung arms and yells of pain. And that was not -all. The youthful Cherokee had been impatiently waiting a chance to -bring his bow into the conflict; the chance had now come. So he rose -up beside Frank and the bowstring sang shrilly. The feathered shaft -whistled through the air and found its mark; then before the stricken -brave had sunk to the ground, the pantherish speed of Running Elk had -carried him across the little fort; upon the opposite side, the one -covered by Jack, the bowstring sounded again, and another warrior fell, -transfixed through the shoulder. - -With four more of their number down, the Creeks let fly a perfect rain -of arrows; their rifles rang out in a scattered volley, and they came -on vengefully. But the ready bow of the Cherokee continued to twang; -the rifles of the two young marksmen were reloaded and again laid a -brace of warriors low. This was too much for the Creeks; all their -ideas of warfare, which was to fight from cover, were against this -method of attack. They were in an open position and their enemies were -out of sight; it looked like death to advance, so promptly, with the -last shots of the two rifles, they broke and fled out of range. - -“They don’t seem to have much appetite for lead,” said Jack, as he -cleaned out his rifle barrel with a bit of cloth, and proceeded to -reload. - -Frank duplicated this performance; then with a very sober countenance -he said to his friend: - -“I say, Jack, as that gang of savages were coming on shooting and -yelling like all possessed, it struck me that we were in a rather -desperate situation.” - -Jack Davis pulled a wry face. - -“I never want to see a worse one,” said he, quietly enough, but with a -look in his eyes which Frank had never seen there before. - -“What do you think of our chances of pulling out of it?” asked Frank, -his gaze going to the Indian bands, clustered in council, well out of -range. - -“Well,” said Jack, “there’s a lot of them, and if they could get at us, -they’d soon make an end of the thing.” - -“It needs only a rush,” said Frank. “If they had kept at it a few -minutes more, it would have done for us.” - -“But they didn’t keep at it,” spoke Jack. “And that is the only real -thing that we can count on. It’s not the Indian nature to stand up -unprotected in the face of rifle fire. Their training is to hunt cover, -to stalk their enemy, to creep up and jump on him when he’s not looking -for it. One-quarter as many white men would have taken this knoll at -the first rush, seeing that there are only three to defend it. But -Injuns are different.” He pointed with one outstretched arm toward the -discomfited savages. “They have the worst of it and they know it. It’ll -surprise me a good deal if they pull themselves together enough to make -another attack.” - -“What!” Frank Lawrence looked at his friend in surprise. “Do you mean -to say there is any chance of their giving up the attempt--of letting -us escape?” - -But Jack shook his head. - -“No,” he said, gravely, “not quite that. But as there is no cover for -the redskins on the sides of this knoll, no trees, no rocks, no stumps -or anything like that, they might wait for a kind of cover that’s to be -found anywhere.” - -“What’s that?” asked Frank. - -“Darkness.” - -The young Virginian felt a cold, creeping shudder run down his back. -His imagination pictured the darkness of night falling over this lone -place; its stillness, its ominous, brooding depths. He seemed to feel -the presence of the Creeks as they crept through the blackness, slowly -and with the soft padded tread of panthers. No superiority of rifle -fire, no vigilance, no courage would serve under such conditions; it -would mean only one thing--massacre. - -“If they wait for night and attack us in the dark,” asked Frank, “what -can we do?” - -“There is only one thing to do in such a case,” said the young -borderer. “As soon as darkness settles we must get away from here as -best we can. We must not wait for them to spring upon us; we’ll strike -a blow at them, and be away in the darkness.” - -“Ugh!” said Running Elk, with approval. But that he did not favor every -aspect of the proposition was shown when he added, “Creep away like -snakes--no noise--no shots. Heap best.” - -“Right,” agreed Jack, with a nod. “If it can be done that way, it’ll -be best. However, when the time comes, we shall see.” - -Minute by minute went by; then an hour passed, but still the Creeks did -not renew the attack. - -“They don’t seem to be in any hurry about it, at any rate,” said Frank. -All three of the youths were leaning over the edge of the depression -looking along the slope at the Indians in the distance. - -“No,” said Jack. “A half dozen, or so, in killed and wounded is a -staggerer to them. They’ll not budge before night, you’ll see that.” - -After a time they saw the savages subside and go into camp; however, -each band kept its place; the ring about the knoll was preserved; and -red skinned sentinels were observed here and there, their keen eyes -fixed upon the apex where the boys lay. - -“There’ll not be much that’ll escape them,” said Jack. “Injuns have as -much patience as a hill-cat at a water hole.” - -The afternoon wore away; then the sun began to lower behind the range -of waving tree tops and the long shadows began to trail upon the slopes -of the knoll. But the Creeks made no sign; craftily they assumed -carelessness, lolling about in groups, their horses picketed at some -little distances. - -“They think to fool us,” said Jack. “It’s their idea not to stir until -their movements are covered by darkness; and in that way, so they -imagine, they’ll lure us into thinking they are not going to move at -all.” - -Slowly the shadows thickened; twilight passed and night settled upon -the wilds. There were countless stars in the sky; but they seemed very -far off and their glimmering cast no light; the moon would not show -itself for some hours. - -“Now!” said Jack Davis. “If we are going to make the attempt, now is -the time. Are you willing, Frank?” - -“I’ll follow right after you wherever you go,” replied the young -Virginian. - -“Get away now, or Creek take ’um scalp,” said Running Elk. - -They got their horses to their feet and out of the hollow; Jack had -laid his plan before night settled, and he knew what he wanted to do. - -“Right after me, one at a time,” said he. “Lead your horses, and when -you feel me stop, do the same.” - -Down the slope of the knoll went the three, in Indian file; ahead of -them all was dusk; around them the silence settled like death. - -Half-way down, Jack paused; the others did likewise, as directed, the -horses huddling together for companionship. Frank was about to whisper -a question as to why they had halted, but Jack stopped him at the first -syllable. Then the young Virginian became aware of a movement in the -darkness near to them--the soft, steady forward movement of some low -lying mass. With a thrill he realized what it meant; the Indians were -advancing to the attack. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -SIGHTING THE ENEMY - - -Like the slow lapping of black water the bands of creeping Indians -ebbed forward. Frank Lawrence held his rifle ready to fire at the word; -and as he stood waiting, he wondered why the command was not given. - -But Jack Davis was observant; he had planned the direction of their -attempt with an eye to probabilities; and what he had figured upon -happening came about in due course. Upon this side of the knoll, but -some distance from it, there was a shallow ravine; when the Creeks on -this side advanced to the attack earlier in the day, they split their -forces at this ravine and came on in two separate bodies. The boy took -a desperate chance upon the same thing’s happening in the darkness, -and so had led the way, with the ravine directly ahead. - -Slowly the creeping redskins moved forward up the knoll; they passed -within a dozen yards upon either side of the crouching group and -continued unaware of the situation. A minute passed, then another--and -when Frank had finally despaired, in the suspense, of Jack’s ever -giving the word to go on, it came. Cautiously they urged their animals -on down the slope; they were now behind the Creeks; ahead was the -whole wide wilderness. A hundred yards or more from the spot where the -savages passed them on the hillside, Jack whispered: - -“Mount! But go slowly.” - -They clambered into the saddle; Running Elk, who had clung to the -packhorse during all, kept the faithful beast beside his own horse as -they rode along. After having gone something less than a mile they -heard a yell, faint, but high pitched and exultant, from the distance; -rifles cracked and a flare of light lit the sky. - -“They’ve reached the summit of the knoll,” spoke Jack. “And they’ve let -drive with everything they had.” - -After the scattering of shots there was a short pause; a murmur, dull -and sustained, came from the direction of their late fort; then, as -though the Indians had just realized the escape of their intended -victims, a screech of rage, hate and disappointment swept the still -night with shuddering intensity. - -“I’m as well satisfied that we didn’t fall into the hands of those -gentlemen,” observed Frank, as they rode away at a gallop. “I don’t -think they’d stop at much.” - -“The Creeks are not the merciful kind,” said Jack. “And they seldom -take prisoners.” - -“Creek burn and scalp,” stated Running Elk, calmly. “Him no good.” - -They rode all that night in order to put as much distance between them -and the savage bands as possible; in the morning they had breakfast, -saw to their horses and rested for a few hours; then they were off -again. - -During that day they came upon innumerable Indian signs; in the course -of the next they sighted a small party of Creeks headed through -the forest, and toward evening they all but stumbled upon a large -encampment. - -“It looks as though they were gathering for trouble,” said Frank. “The -woods are alive with them.” - -“Like as not runners have been sent out to the different villages that -the Prophet is here,” said Jack. “And, of course, they are all anxious -to see him and hear his medicine.” - -“Much war,” said Running Elk, as they made away from the vicinity of -the savage camp. “Creeks and Shawnee burn blockhouse and white face -tepees.” - -“Do you think they’ll start soon?” asked Jack. - -“No.” The Cherokee hunter shook his head. “Not yet. After the snow’s -gone from hills. Tribes all join together. Heap fight.” - -“That sounds like the facts,” nodded the young borderer to Frank. -“It’ll take some time for Tecumseh to get the tribes together for the -blow--if he can do it at all.” - -“Next spring, then, a big outbreak may be expected?” said Frank. - -“Maybe not so soon. But it will come, sooner or later, mark my words. -The Injuns are about ripe for it.” - -That night they were unable to light a fire because of the closeness -of the Indian bands; and the greater part of the next day they were -forced to remain in hiding because of the parties of savages constantly -encountered. This went on for some days; they were unable to cook their -food the greater part of the time, and had little real rest, for it -was necessary to guard against surprise every moment. - -After about a week of this sort of thing, Jack, one morning, said to -Frank: - -“It doesn’t seem as though we were going to locate your father’s land -grant in a hurry, does it?” - -Frank shook his head. - -“No,” said he. “We’ll never be able to move in that direction now. It -must be alive with Indians.” - -“Too bad,” said Jack. “And we were just on the edge of it, too.” - -“What do you think we’d better do?” asked Frank. - -“Well, we can’t go back to Tennessee,” replied the young borderer. -“That would be as dangerous as trying to locate the land marked on your -chart. About the only thing I can see for the present, at least, is to -make our way south to Mobile, and halt there for a while until this -excitement among the redskins dies out.” - -“Good,” said Frank. And the Cherokee hunter grunted his approval. - -So from that time on their attempt was not in the direction of -Tallapoosa, but toward the fort which stood overlooking the bay at -Mobile. - -This they searched after a tremendous effort through the wild country; -and when they appeared at the stockade, they were stared at in -amazement. - -“Well, youngsters,” greeted a bluff old officer, who seemed to be -in command, “where did you come from?” And when they told him, and -related some of their experiences, he and the group of soldiers and -frontiersmen who had grouped about opened their eyes still wider. - -“Well,” said the commandant, shaking his head, “you’ve had great good -fortune, lads. The country you’ve just come out of must be as thick -with excited Injuns as a hive is with bees. I wouldn’t venture in there -with less than five hundred men.” - -Mobile and the section thereabouts was fairly well defended, and had -little to fear from an uprising of the Indians alone. - -“But the British are getting active,” the boys were told; “they are -sending in supplies to the redskins; and the Spaniards are helping -them.” - -This condition of affairs held during the fall; the boys saw the winter -come and spring show itself in its thousands of green shoots and -blooms, and still they were forced to remain at Mobile. - -The whole Indian country was surcharged with the madness excited in -the people by the religious frenzies of the Prophet, who in turn -was directed by the shrewd mind of Tecumseh. But some of the tribes -through whose country he passed, like the Cherokees, the Choctaws -and Chickasaws, turned a deaf ear to his plotting, for they had the -wisdom to see that his plans could not succeed. But the others gave the -Shawnees their attention, for with England’s aid they felt that they -could finally overthrow the other white men. - -During the fall while the boys were safe in Mobile, the news came that -Tecumseh and the Prophet had visited Toockabatcha, the great village -of the Creeks. There were fully five thousand warriors of that nation -assembled in the town; the Shawnee chief and the magician, painted and -bedecked with all the trappings of savage custom, made their last great -appeal. The British officers had told the Prophet that a comet was to -appear--giving him the exact time; and the wily savage now used this -information to good advantage. Rising before the assembled Creeks in -all the impressiveness of paint and ornaments, he proclaimed: - -“The Great Spirit will give you a sign. And when that sign comes, the -Muscogee must take the war-path. You will see the arm of Tecumseh, the -great chief, in the sky. It will be of fire and will be held out to -destroy the paleface.” - -This prediction made a great impression upon the superstitious Creeks. -A saying of Tecumseh, which that leader had probably not meant to be -taken literally, also caused great excitement among the savages. A -Creek chief known to the white settlers of Alabama as “Big Warrior” had -refused to believe that the Great Spirit had sent Tecumseh among them. -With upraised hand the Shawnee had said to him: - -“You do not believe me, chief of the Muscogees; you think I speak with -a crooked tongue. But you shall believe. When I leave your country I -will go to Detroit; when I reach there I will stamp my foot upon the -earth; and the wigwams of this village will tremble.” - -Unquestionably what Tecumseh meant was that the effects of the war -which would begin upon his reaching the region of the Great Lakes would -be felt as far as Toockabatcha; nevertheless a strange thing is said to -have happened. About the time in which he must have reached Detroit, -a sharp shock of earthquake shook almost the whole of the Creek -country; and the wigwams of Toockabatcha did, indeed, reel and tremble. -Instantly the Indians recalled the Shawnee’s words and were filled with -fear. - -“Tecumseh has reached Detroit!” they cried. “He has struck the earth -with his foot and it has trembled.” - -This was in December, 1812, and the entire Gulf region was affected by -this earth tremor. At about the same time the predicted comet appeared -in the sky; and the credulity of the Creeks at once saw in it the fiery -arm of Tecumseh. - -“War with the white man!” ran through the nation of the Muscogee. “War! -The Great Spirit has commanded it!” - -Through the remainder of the winter and the next spring, clashes -took place between the military and the Indians, who were preparing -for the war. Settlers were attacked, hunters were driven from their -trapping grounds. At Burnt Corn, a number of whites and half-breeds -were assembled for mutual protection; the Creeks attacked, defeated -and scattered them. Farms were abandoned, the settlers flocking to the -numerous stockades to await the expected onslaught. - -Having remained idle, so far as their mission was concerned, through -the fall, the winter and the spring, Jack and Frank, together with -Running Elk, made up their minds that they could not afford to waste -any more time. So, in the month of July, in spite of the protests of -the friends they had made at Mobile, they took horse and rode into the -wilderness once more. - -“It’s a risk,” admitted Jack to his comrades, “but, then, we can’t wait -forever.” - -“I’d rather face the Creeks than the clock,” stated Frank. “They were -the longest hours I ever spent toward the last.” - -As for the young Cherokee hunter, he seemed greatly pleased with the -venture; the danger, instead of being dreaded in his case, was welcomed. - -“Brave must fight,” said he, elatedly. “Not like squaw or papoose.” - -“Well, I’d just as leave dodge any fighting at the odds we’ll have -to give,” said Jack, drily. “But,” and there was a hopeful note in -his voice, “maybe we’ll not be molested much. You see,” to Frank, -“that section of the Alabama River where the triple oaks stand has -no white settlers; and the Indians at this time are mustering in the -neighborhoods they mean to attack. We might go through the entire grant -which you’re looking for and not see a single redskin.” - -“I hope that turns out the case,” remarked Frank, though it was plain -he had no strong expectations of the affair’s proving so. “But let us -keep a good lookout, just the same. I haven’t had but a few brushes -with the Creeks, but I know they have a habit of turning up just at -the time you’re not expecting them.” - -But it so happened Jack Davis’ judgment of the conditions of affairs -along that section of the river was quite correct. At most times it -would have been the region in which to find the Creeks the thickest; -but, save for a few villages occupied by old men, and women and -children, there were no braves to be seen. Signs were everywhere of -parties having passed that way; they came upon the blackened remains of -a half hundred camp-fires; but not a single eagle feather was visible -anywhere about; not a bow twanged, not a war cry sounded. - -Jack Davis was greatly interested in the movements of the parties who -had camped on and moved across their track. - -“Every one of them is headed for the settlements,” said he. “There must -be thousands of them.” - -However, they knew that the uprising was expected, and felt that the -military authorities and backwoodsmen were alert; so they concerned -themselves with the object of their expedition alone. The triple oaks -were once more sighted; unmolested this time, they studied the chart -upon the deerskin scroll; one by one they located the landmarks set -down, blazed trees with their hatchets and explored. The result of five -days’ work was that the old grant was shown to be a splendidly located -one, having every natural advantage. - -“It’s worth thousands,” said Jack, who had a fairly keen eye for such -things. “If the Injuns are ever brought to see things in the right -light, your father has a fortune here.” - -With this fact greatly comforting him, Frank was willing to turn once -more toward the settlements; so after one night more in the river bank -camp, they took to the saddle and headed for the Tennessee line. After -the first day, unmistakable signs of Indians compelled them to change -their course somewhat; the twilight of the second day found them in the -forest amid a perfect maze of fresh trails. - -“They seem to be all around us,” said Jack, as they brought up at last, -and sat their horses looking about them. - -And he was right; for as the twilight deepened into dusk, and dusk into -night, they saw the red twinkle of Creek camp-fires on every hand. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE ONSLAUGHT AT FORT MIMS - - -For a time the two white boys and the young Cherokee hunter gazed -in silence at the sparkle of the Creek camp-fires; the woods seemed -studded with them; hundreds of savages must have been camped within a -circle of a half mile. - -“It’s almost a miracle how we got into the midst of them like this -without seeing any of them, or their seeing us,” said Frank Lawrence. - -“We’d been traveling very quietly,” said Jack. “I suppose that accounts -for it. But,” and he gazed around at the gleaming sparks of red light -among the trees, “we must get out of this, and before daylight. If we -don’t, we’ll be caught as sure as the sun rises.” - -“No get away in morning,” said Running Elk. “Best go now. Too many -warriors to fight.” - -In the direction from which they came the camp-fires of the Indians -were fewer; so the boys mounted once more and headed in that direction, -aiming at a point between two of them which were farthest apart and -therefore seemed to afford the best way out. - -There followed what they would all remember as one of the most perilous -half hours of their lives; but, at length, they were out of the region -of the camps and were making good speed away in the darkness. - -“Once or twice I thought sure that a sentinel would call to us,” said -Frank. - -“We were so close to them that they couldn’t help thinking we were -members of their own party,” said Jack, “and as they couldn’t make us -out in the dark we had a few chances in our favor.” - -“Creek heap much sleep on watch,” charged Running Elk, with contempt. -“No good!” - -The three rode all night; and as morning dawned, they saw signs of the -white man’s hand all about them. - -“Hello!” cried Frank, “we’re closer to the settlements than I thought.” - -“Unless I’m wrong by a good deal,” said Jack, “we’re not far from Fort -Mims.” - -“Fort there,” said the Cherokee, pointing toward a distant strip of -woodland. “Other side of trees.” - -They did not go into camp, though tired by their night in the saddle; -but cheerily rode toward the fort, feeling that a good breakfast -awaited them. An hour’s ride brought them in sight of the fort, which -stood on Lake Tensaw. - -Fort Mims was built and occupied by a half-breed named Samuel Mims, who -had lived there in the wilderness many years. His house was a stout one -of logs, and was surrounded by a stockade, pierced by loop-holes for -rifle fire in case of attack. The place was only a little distance from -the lake; all about it was forest, marsh and ravines. A large gate was -let into the stockade at the north and there was another at the south. - -When the Creeks began their depredations on the border, the settlers -of that section had flocked to Fort Mims. At this time there were some -seventy-five men, mostly white, but some also of mixed blood, gathered -behind the shelter of the stockade; and with these were a great number -of women and children. - -A month before, General Claiborne, who was in command of the United -States forces in Alabama, dispatched Major Beasley and one hundred and -seventy infantry to this place. Claiborne recognized the seriousness of -the situation and thought it best to be prepared. When Beasley reached -Fort Mims he found an officer and about a score of soldiers already -there; and in taking charge, proceeded to organize the settlers into a -fighting force, of which a young half-breed named Dixon Bailey was made -captain. - -A week or so after this force was located at the fort, General -Claiborne paid a visit to the place; seeing with a practiced military -eye the weakness of its defense, he urged the strengthening of the -stockade, and the completing of a blockhouse which had been started -some years before, but never finished. - -Major Beasley was a man of unquestioned courage; but he was a poor -officer. Being of a sanguine, optimistic nature, and with little -imagination, he belittled the urgency of the occasion. He had a -contempt for the warlike qualities of the red men, and did not think -it worth while to erect the defenses recommended by the general. There -were six hundred people gathered in the enclosure; and with half of -these fighting men, he ridiculed the idea of danger. - -The boys stood in a fringe of woods. From there they sighted the fort, -and saw one of the gates standing wide. - -“And there is no guard,” said the observant Jack Davis. “That looks -like a foolish thing to do in a time like this.” - -The boys were about to ride forward when Running Elk hurriedly, and in -a low tone, said: - -“No go! Creek braves out there!” - -Drawing in their mounts, Jack and Frank looked keenly about; sure -enough, from above the high grass at a point indicated by the young -Cherokee, they saw the nodding eagle plumes of a half score savages. - -“And watching the fort,” whispered Frank. - -“Creek make ring around fort,” said Running Elk. - -“It’s true!” said Jack, startled, his roving glance taking in the -indications. “They’ve got it surrounded, and are tightening the circle -all the time.” - -[Illustration: THEY SIGHTED THE FORT] - -“We must warn the people in the fort,” said Frank. “With that gate open -they are in danger.” - -“To stir a step in their direction at this time,” said Jack Davis, -“would be to run into sure death. Surely, of all the people who are -inside there at this time, some one is on the lookout; and they will -see the redskins before it is too late.” - -Knowing that it would be foolhardy to attempt anything just then, Jack -rode his horse into a deep ravine, followed by the others; here they -dismounted, and, concealed by a dense growth of trees and underbrush, -they crawled up the sides of the ravine and watched the situation with -the most acute interest. - -Jack had said that surely out of all the people inside the stockade at -Fort Mims some one would be on the lookout. This was naturally to be -expected--it was the very least that a military officer could do in the -heart of a hostile country. Yet it was a thing that Major Beasley had -not done. But to leave the stockade gate sprawling open and the fort -unguarded was not the least of this officer’s offenses. A day or two -before a couple of negroes, who had been sent out to watch some cattle -at pasture, had rushed in and reported signs of Indians. A party had -been sent out, under an officer, to scout about the country; but they -had been very perfunctory in the performance of this grave duty, and -returned saying that no Indians were in the neighborhood, and neither -had they seen any signs of them. - -At this report the negroes were lashed, in spite of their -protestations, and things went on in their usual careless spirit. - -For several hours the boys watched from the ravine. The advance of the -circling savages had stopped; apparently they were waiting some sort of -signal. Inside the stockade the women and military cooks were preparing -the midday meal; the soldiers were lounging about, the children were -romping in the shade of the walls. Another short space of time, and -then the drum beat the mess call, telling the soldiers that their food -was ready. - -Apparently this was the signal. The Creeks arose from out the grass, -from behind stumps, from out of hollows. Like magic, hundreds of -them, smeared hideously with war paint, armed with scalping knife and -tomahawk, with rifle and war club, bounded silently across the level -space between them and the fort. - -Major Beasley was the first of the defenders to see them. - -“Injuns!” he cried as he darted toward the heavy gate. The swift-footed -Creeks were also plunging toward this point; seeing that they were -discovered, they cast silence aside and the air was filled with the -dreaded war-whoop. - -Major Beasley reached the gate and threw himself against it with -desperate strength. But the savages were too swift; they gained the -gateway and before the cumbersome bar could fall they had thrust the -gate back, and the ill-fated commander fell before their tomahawks. - -Soldiers and settlers both had sprung for their rifles at the -first shout of Beasley. But before they could form for any sort of -concentrated defense the Creeks poured through the wide open gate like -the waters of an angry sea. - -Seeing that there was no hope of withstanding the Indians at that -point, the defenders, or what remained of them after this first -terrible onslaught, fell back with the women and children behind a -second line of wall. Here the gate was closed, and lining the wall with -deadly rifles the whites began a gallant defense. - -The leader of the settlers now took command; and no more gallant fellow -than this half-breed ever lived. He kept his men to their frightful -task with the most desperate resolution. So bitter was the defense of -the settlers and soldiers that the Indians, a great number of them dead -under the walls, slackened in their attack. With what booty they could -lay hands on they fell back before the terrible rifles. - -But their leader was another half-breed, Weatherford, the dreaded “Red -Warrior” of the Creeks. Upon the back of a great charger, garbed in all -the barbaric splendor of a savage chief, he dashed among his scattering -bands. His great voice lifted like a trumpet, burning them with his -scorn. - -“Are the Muscogees men, or children?” he cried. “Have they the hearts -of warriors, or of rabbits? You have asked to be led against the foe; -he is before you. Shall your children say their fathers turned their -backs upon the paleface? Or will you be able to show by the scalps upon -your lodge pole that when your chief called you braves he did not lie?” - -Lashed to fury by the scorn of the Red Warrior, the Creeks returned to -the assault. Burning arrows were discharged, and soon the buildings -behind the second defense were destroyed. The gates were broken in; -the settlers now fought penned up in houses which were burning over -their heads. Soon all were dead save a party which had closed itself -up in a bastion at the north of the fort; these fought doggedly under -the courageous direction of their captain, Dixon Bailey. But nothing -could withstand the overwhelming strength of the Indians; they stormed -the bastion, and in spite of the protests and commands of Weatherford, -began their dreadful work of death once more. - -In a frenzy of strength some of the troopers broke apart the stakes -which formed the outer wall of the bastion. About a half score escaped -by this means, among them being the gallant Dixon Bailey. But it was -not the fate of this fine fellow to escape with his life; he was -bleeding from a half dozen wounds and died a few hundred yards from the -doomed fort. - -Broken and breathless, the remainder of the little party ran on; a band -of Creeks had noted their escape and were in swift pursuit; the whites -had about given up hope when they heard a loud “Hello” far ahead. - -Amazed, they saw in a fringe of woods two white boys and a friendly -Indian, well mounted--and holding a number of Indian ponies by their -bridles. - -“This way,” shouted one of the lads, a bronzed, bold-faced fellow. “We -have mounts for you all, borrowed from the Creeks. Quick now!” - -And while the fight-worn men were straining their pounding hearts for -just a little more speed, Jack and Frank threw up their long rifles; -like whips they cracked and two bronzed warriors tumbled forward. Then -Running Elk’s bow sang its song of death and a third went to join his -comrades. - -While the fugitives clambered upon the backs of the horses, the lads -finished reloading. Again the pieces cracked and once more the great -Cherokee bow twanged. Amid the death yells of the fallen braves and the -ruins of Fort Mims blazing behind them, the fugitives, with Jack and -Frank and Running Elk riding behind as a rear guard, dashed away with -the news toward the settlements. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -OLD HICKORY APPEARS - - -The news of the deed of blood at Fort Mims swept along the border like -fire; swift riders carried it to the hamlets of Georgia and Tennessee; -and in the wake of the tidings went up a cry of vengeance. - -Nowhere did the dreadful story have more effect than in West Tennessee. -Governor Blount at once called for three thousand volunteers to move -against the Creeks, and the hardy backwoodsmen flocked from all points -to enlist. - -Frank Lawrence, Jack Davis and the young Cherokee hunter, Running Elk, -had ridden through the perils of the hostile Indian country and forced -their way north by sheer pluck after leaving the fugitives of Fort Mims -at a stockade some dozen miles away and making sure that the troops -at Fort Stoddart had been notified. And now, when the borderers were -pouring in to enlist in the force which was to strike a blow against -the Creeks, these three young men were in the thick of the movement. - -“A friend of my father, a lawyer named Andrew Jackson, is leader of the -state militia,” said Jack. “Suppose we go see him; he’ll tell us what’s -best to do.” - -But first they consulted the elder Davis, a stout, hardy man who had, -like the other farmers, rode into the city to see what was to be done. -He shook his head when Jack told him of their idea. - -“Of course,” said he, “you lads ought to volunteer. It’s the duty of -every youngster on the border to do so. But as for Andy Jackson’s doing -anything for you, I don’t think he’ll be able.” - -“Why, how’s that?” asked Jack, surprised. “He’s still general of the -militia, isn’t he?” - -“Yes,” replied the farmer, “but just now he’s ill; in bed with the -doctors attending him. A few weeks ago he engaged in a desperate -personal affray with the Bentons, and was shot in the shoulder. And I -hear the wound is a bad one, and he’s not mending very fast.” - -However, the lads, after some consultation with Mr. Davis, made up -their minds that it would be a good idea to go on to Nashville anyway. - -“It may be,” admitted Mr. Davis, “that he’s taken a turn for the better -since I heard from him. News travels slowly, you know.” - -Next day Jack and Frank, Running Elk having departed for a visit to -the lodges of his people, took horse and rode to Nashville, and went -at once to General Jackson’s house. They found him upon a sunny porch -in the midst of a committee which had been appointed to offer him the -command of the volunteers. He was a long thin man with large bones and -a frame of great natural strength. His face was long and gaunt at the -best of times, but just now it was haggard from the effects of his -wound, and bloodless in color. He lay back in a big chair supported by -pillows, and talked to the committee in a low voice. - -Frank Lawrence gave one look at the drawn, white face and gaunt frame -and whispered to his friend: - -“I say, do they really mean to offer this man command of an army? He -looks to be dying.” - -Jack nodded his head and answered in the same low voice: - -“Maybe so. But that won’t make much difference to the general. Anything -he sets himself to do, he does; and if he makes up his mind to lead -the expedition against the Creeks, he’ll do it, no matter what his -condition is.” - -Frank, as they stood apart, waiting, looked with much interest at -the sick man. He saw a great mop of stubborn hair standing straight -up from his head; he saw the powerful jaw and the thin nose of the -warrior. But above all he saw the eyes, fiery, indomitable, the eyes of -one to whom death meant nothing, but to whom submission was unthinkable. - -Andrew Jackson was at this period about forty years of age. He was -of Irish ancestry and had been born on the border of the southwest -territory. He had been a lawyer, judge, storekeeper, farmer and United -States Senator. At this time he was practicing law, farming his place, -the Hermitage, and acting as general of the Tennessee militia. - -“What authority have you to offer me the leadership of this body of -men?” asked Jackson from the depths of his chair. - -“The right of citizens of Tennessee, gathered in public conference,” -said the spokesman of the committee. “We cannot wait for formal action -by the state or national governments; it might be fatal to do so. Even -now these red fiends may be gathering for a blow at our frontier.” - -The deep-set eyes of the sick man glowed; apparently this was the sort -of spirit of which he altogether approved. - -“Right!” said he in a voice filled with sudden deep strength. “To -prepare quickly is the only way.” - -“And you will accept?” asked another of the committee, eagerly. - -“My wound is bad,” said Jackson, “and I shall be of less service than -I should be otherwise. But, still, I will march. And if the general -government will only keep hands off,” grimly, “we shall in the end have -peace in Israel.” - -After the committee, much elated by their success, had departed, Jack -and Frank were brought to the notice of the general. - -“Oh, yes,” said he, holding out one gaunt hand to Jack, “I recall you. -How is your father?” - -“Quite well.” Then presenting Frank, he added: “This is my friend from -Virginia, Frank Lawrence.” - -The general shook the boy by the hand and had his black servant bring -chairs. When they were seated, he looked at them smilingly. - -“You both look as though you’d been through some hard service,” said he. - -“We have,” replied Jack. “A full year of it. And we’ve just returned.” - -They then related to Jackson, in as few words as possible, the story of -their expedition to locate the land grant. The general listened to the -harrowing tale of the assault upon Fort Mims with frowning brows. - -“This is the work of Tecumseh and his brother, the wonder-worker,” said -he. “And to repay it means that the Creek nation must feel the weight -of the white man’s power. And they shall, if it’s in my power.” - -Then Jack spoke of the errand that brought them to the Hermitage, and -the general nodded approvingly. - -“We’ll need young men like you two, who know the country, to scout -ahead of our force. If you volunteer, that shall be your work.” - -The two thanked the officer, and left quite buoyantly, riding to the -Davis place next day, and there accepting the call for service against -the savages. The order went out that the volunteers were to assemble at -Fayetteville in October; but before this time arrived the disturbing -news came that the Indians were threatening Madison, in the Mississippi -territory, which then took in a large portion of the present state of -Alabama. From his sick room Jackson sent forward Colonel Coffee, a huge -fighting man, who was related to him by marriage. Coffee’s command -was but three hundred in number, and consisted of cavalry and mounted -riflemen; but these hardy woodsmen had no fear, and rode toward -Huntsville, in the threatened district. - -On October 4th Jackson was not able to stand on his feet, much less -mount a horse, and so was not able to join his command upon the day -named. However, three days later, like a gaunt ghost, he rode into -camp, his will alone keeping him in the saddle. - -Scarcely had he taken command when a rider from Coffee’s column dashed -into the camp at Fayetteville with a dispatch saying that the colonel’s -small command was in danger of attack by a huge force of Indians. Camp -was broken and the Tennesseeans moved forward. In spite of the fact -that they had a disabled commander they marched thirty-two miles that -day; the end of it found the force near Huntsville, and the news then -came that Coffee’s danger was not as pressing as supposed, so Jackson -at once went into camp. - -Next day he crossed the Tennessee River near Huntsville, and joined -Coffee’s little force of horsemen. The first thing to be done now was -to find a well located place to be used as a depot of supplies. Under -the guidance of Jack Davis, who knew the country like a printed page, -they moved up the river to Thompson’s Creek and laid out a work which -the commander named Fort Deposit. - -While at Fort Deposit preparing for the plunge into the wilderness, the -boys one night while reclining upon a blanket outside General Jackson’s -tent heard the commander and Colonel Coffee going over the plans for -the campaign against the Creeks. - -“Right here,” said General Jackson, as he lay weakly back upon a sort -of couch of boughs covered by a bearskin, “we have a depot at the most -southerly point of the Tennessee River. All our supplies can be sent -down to us in boats without trouble. The first thing to do is to open a -military road through the forest and over the mountains to the Coosa -River, and there establish a second depot. The great idea is to create -a permanent communication between East Tennessee and Mobile. Once we -reach the Coosa that will be easy, as the Alabama River can be used for -the remainder of the way.” - -“But in opening this way you’ll encounter many hostile Indians.” - -“We’ll destroy all armed bands,” spoke the general. “And not only the -bands, but their villages as well.” - -At first the boating of the army’s supplies down the Tennessee River -met with unforeseen obstacles because of the inexperience of the -contractors who had this most important work in charge; then the -cutting of a road through the dense forests, the bridging of streams -and the continuing the way over the Raccoon and Lookout Mountains to -the Ten Islands of the Coosa was a grim labor for even these hardy -borderers. However, on about the first of November they reached the -Coosa; and here another work was constructed, which was given the name -of Fort Strother. - -Here there was more trouble and delay by the contractors; but Jackson -grasped the situation in his own ready hands, impressed all the -horses and wagons in the settlements roundabout, and so the army’s -requirements were much relieved. - -The military force, as it had progressed into the hostile country, had -been joined at different points by small bands of Cherokees. These -Indians had long been upon a friendly footing with the whites, and as -they were the natural foes of the Creeks they readily consented to join -with Jackson against that nation. By the time the fort upon the Coosa -was completed the Cherokees numbered some hundreds of young warriors, -led by enterprising and warlike chiefs. On the second night at Fort -Strother a fresh band of Cherokees came up, and both Jack Davis and -Frank Lawrence were delighted to see Running Elk among them. - -“How?” said the young hunter, as he threw himself from his horse and -shook hands with them, a wide smile upon his face. - -“Good,” replied Frank. “And you look quite fresh and lively yourself, -Running Elk.” - -“Glad to see you,” spoke Jack, who had a great regard for the young -brave. “That’s a good sized war party you’ve ridden in with.” - -“Much want fight Creeks,” stated Running Elk. “Creek bad medicine. Make -big war. All die like wolf.” - -The Creek town of Tallushatchee was no great distance from Fort -Strother, and this last band of Cherokees, so it seemed, had passed -quite close to it in the night. - -“Heap Creek warriors at Tallushatchee,” said Running Elk to the two -boys, after a time. “Great dance. Council of warriors and chiefs. White -chief must be careful.” - -As this seemed to be a piece of important information, Jack Davis -went to the general’s tent and informed the sentry that he had some -important news to communicate. - -“The general will see you,” said the sentry, a few moments later as he -returned. - -Jack entered the tent. He found a number of officers present; among -them was Colonel Coffee, the giant leader of the cavalry. The youth -saluted General Jackson and upon being asked what he had to say, told -of Running Elk’s story of the Creek village. When he had finished, -Jackson’s eyes went to Coffee’s face. - -“It’s just as you said, colonel,” said he. “They are making ready an -attack.” - -Coffee nodded, and spoke in a deep voice. - -“They’ll attack us within a week,” said he. - -But General Jackson shook his head and replied, grimly: - -“You are wrong in that, at least. We’ll not await an attack. Take one -thousand men and strike at Tallushatchee as hard as you can.” - -Coffee sprang alertly to his feet, and pulled his sword belt a hole -tighter. - -“Now?” he asked eagerly. - -“Within an hour,” answered Jackson. - -The Creek town lay some thirteen miles to the east, across the Coosa; -and the energetic Coffee immediately began getting his men together, -horse and foot, for the advance. - -As the backwoodsmen and militia were eagerly responding and falling -into line, the colonel turned to Jack. - -“Do you know that country across the river, Davis?” he inquired. - -“Very well,” said Jack. “I’ve hunted it many a time.” - -“Then I’ll depend upon you to lead us by the best way,” said Colonel -Coffee, “and to give me some notion of the lay of the country in order -that I may make my plans for this little job.” - -Before the force under the giant colonel forded the river, its -commander had a very clear idea of the natural formations; moreover, -Jack and Frank, with Running Elk and a scouting party of young Cherokee -braves, were riding ahead. - -“Looks like a piece of sharp work,” said the young Virginian to his -friend. - -“Yes,” replied Jack. “We’ll reach Tallushatchee before morning; and if -the Creeks are in the frame of mind Running Elk reports, there will be -a piece of fighting such as this border hasn’t seen for many a day.” - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE BLOW AT TALLUSHATCHEE - - -Some few miles from the Creek town Colonel Coffee brought his command -to a halt. - -“Houston,” said he, to a young ensign who sat his horse near by, “take -a few scouts and make a reconnaissance of the village. Find out, if you -can, how many redskins there are.” - -The ensign, who was Sam Houston, years afterward hero of San Jacinto, -and president of the Texan republic, saluted and rode forward; he -signaled to Jack, Frank and Running Elk. - -“Come on, boys,” said he, in the rough, hearty fashion for which he was -noted in the little army of Tennessee. “And you, too, Injun. There’s a -little thing or two to be done before daylight grows too strong.” - -The four rode on together, while the cavalry dismounted and, with the -foot soldiers, lay upon their arms to await their return. - -“I don’t think the colonel’ll attack before daylight, though, will he?” -asked Frank. - -Young Houston laughed. - -“I guess not,” said he. “Coffee is a first class fighting man, and that -means that he’s going to make sure about the odds--for or against him. -If I were leading this crowd, I’d walk into that nest of redskins with -every gun going and without asking a question.” - -The discipline of this hardy backwoods army was none of the strictest, -and the line between officer and private was not very sharply drawn, so -Frank was not at all backward in replying. - -“But don’t forget, Houston, that Colonel Coffee has his men’s welfare -to look to as well as the Creeks to beat. Why run risks with other -men’s lives when a little care and prudence will make it unnecessary?” - -Again young Houston laughed; and there was a note of recklessness in it -which seemed to rise above everything else. For this young man, almost -boy, was one of the most fearless spirits of the border. The time was -to come, though, when he was to look after the lives of his soldiers -with even greater care than Colonel Coffee, when he was many years -older, and responsibility had tamed his wild nature. - -“I don’t think there would be more danger for us than for the -redskins,” stated he, humorously. “Another thing: Here’s a good chance -to make a mark in the war; so why not do it?” - -About a half mile from Tallushatchee they drew up and dismounted. -Making their horses fast among some trees, they stole toward the -village with all the secrecy of stalking animals. Through the trees -they caught sight of the fires, neglected, but still glowing redly. -The huts and lodges lifted before them in dense masses; a sentinel -stalked to and fro at intervals around the town; now and then a dog -howled dismally. - -Because of the sentinels they could not venture too near. However, they -were able to count the number of fires, and so were able to reckon upon -the number of warriors with a fair degree of accuracy. For a half hour -they prowled about the Indian town, endeavoring to learn all that was -possible; but then the dogs began to get wind of them; their howls were -changed to sharp distrustful barks and the stalking, shadowy sentinels -became alert and suspicious. - -“About time to draw off, I’d say,” remarked Jack Davis in a low tone. - -“Creek all awake soon,” said the Cherokee hunter. - -Houston agreed, reluctantly, that this was very likely so, and that -remaining in the vicinity of the village, now that they had secured -all the information possible, was useless. So they drew off silently -as they had approached; when they reached the spot where their horses -had been tied, they could hear the savage barking of the village dogs -lifted to a higher pitch than ever; and as they mounted and rode away, -the other unmistakable noises from the town showed that the hostiles -had been aroused from their sleep and were even then preparing to meet -the hated paleface. - -Houston, a half hour later, had reported the facts they had gathered to -Colonel Coffee; and in a few minutes more the entire command, horse and -foot, was once more upon the march. As quietly as possible the leader -advanced his men toward Tallushatchee and drew a line about it. - -Dawn showed itself palely in the eastern sky; the savages caught sight -of their foes with the first slanting rays, and a yell of defiance -and hate went up from them. The same rays showed Colonel Coffee the -strength of the Indian position. In spite of the fact that his force -outnumbered that of the Creek warriors, that leader, knowing the work -ahead before the Creek nation was subdued, and knowing that every man -would be needed, looked troubled. - -“They will pick a half hundred off like flies if we rush them as they -are now,” said he. - -So, craftily, he began to plan to draw them out; by a feint he -accomplished this. Thinking they saw a chance to strike a deadly blow, -the Creeks rushed forward with exultant yells. But the whites closed -around them like a ring of iron and there began a most desperate -combat. Rifles cracked, pistols exploded vengefully, tomahawks and -hunting knives rose and fell in the mêlée. - -It was the first engagement of the sort in which Frank Lawrence had -ever been; but he stood shoulder and shoulder with Jack and fired and -struck with purpose and deliberation. To all intents he was as steady -as a veteran. Jack had taken part in more than one desperate affray -with the red men in his expeditions into their hunting country, and so -he was more or less familiar with their methods. - -“Look out for the wounded Creeks,” he advised Frank as he reloaded his -piece. “They are never too weak to strike another blow. And they are -not always dead when they appear to be so. They have a habit of lying -quiet and entangling your legs when you come within reach, and pulling -you down within reach of a knife.” - -Colonel Coffee raged among the Indians like an infuriated giant. His -great sword rose and fell; he always had a clear space around him which -his weapon’s sweep constantly made larger. Ensign Houston fought like -a panther. He seemed to glory in the dangers which beset him; wherever -the battle raged thickest he plunged with his shining face and wild -laugh, and the bravest of the Creeks shrank from his crashing blows. - -Tighter and tighter closed the steel-like ring about the red men. - -“Remember Fort Mims!” was the slogan of the backwoodsmen. “Strike hard!” - -Desperation itself was the conduct of the Creeks; they fought like -trapped wolves, ever seeking to break through the circle of their foes. -But at length, when the last rifle had cracked, the last pistol had -spoken its sharp sentence of death, the last hatchet, sword and knife -had ceased to rise and fall, the smoke of the conflict slowly lifted -and drifted away. Of the warriors of Tallushatchee more than a hundred -and sixty were slain, and the remainder were taken prisoners. And when -the white men took their way back to the river through the morning -light they bore upon improvised stretchers six of their own men dead, -and almost a half hundred wounded. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -AN INDIAN MESSENGER - - -At Fort Strother things were going with little smoothness; in spite -of all that General Jackson could do, supplies came very irregularly -through the forests and across the mountains. As things stood, almost -any other commander would have fallen back until arrangements could -be made to feed the army; but Jackson held on grimly. He knew that -this was the time to strike; if he retreated the savages would at once -conclude that it was a sign of fear on the part of the paleface, and so -their ravages would have grown greater than ever. - -“The contractors must do better!” declared the haggard commander of -the forces of Tennessee. “No matter what comes or goes, this force -must hold its place. I’ll not retreat!” One gaunt hand was lifted as he -spoke; there was a stain of fever in the hollow cheeks, his deep-set -eyes glowed lion-like from under his bushy brows. “The men who are -risking their lives to protect this border must have food; and if it’s -not sent them, those who have neglected their duty will reckon with me.” - -Jack and Frank were seated just outside the flap of Jackson’s tent, -when the commander spoke these words to his officers within. Jack -nodded to his companions. - -“I wouldn’t care to be an army contractor and have the general on my -trail,” said he. “He wouldn’t stop at much.” - -“Not he,” said a young Nashville lawyer, who was in the scouts. -“Jackson is a man who accomplishes everything he sets out to do. He -does not know what fear is, and has the most resolute will I’ve ever -known.” - -“Well, it seems to me he’ll need it all,” said an old hunter who had -been driven in from the forest by the Creeks, and who had enlisted in -the volunteers in an effort to retaliate. “It’s a deal to undertake, -this feeding so many men so far away from any place, where supplies -can’t be had handily. A small party can carry and kill all it needs for -months; but a force like this can’t go further than its supply train -can follow.” - -It was this same night that Jack and Frank were visiting in the camp of -the friendly Cherokees just outside the fort. They sat at a camp-fire -with the father of Running Elk, a stately old chief with a hard -Cherokee name and great fame as a warrior and hunter. Running Elk was -also there, as were numerous braves of the tribe. Conversation with -them was most difficult, as everything had to be translated by Running -Elk; and as his knowledge of English was very limited, the boys had to -work hard to make themselves understood. - -It was while they were so engaged that a sudden commotion began upon -the outskirts of the camp; loud voices were heard in the Cherokee -tongue, then the rush of moccasined feet in the darkness. - -“Hello! What’s all that?” asked Jack Davis, looking around. - -The Cherokees about the fire had arisen and were talking excitedly -among themselves in the laconic Creek jargon. - -“What’s happened?” demanded Frank Lawrence of Running Elk. - -The young Indian hunter, who had been listening intently to the voices -beyond the light circle of the camp-fire, replied: - -“Messenger from Talladega. Much hurt.” - -In a few moments a group of Cherokees came forward, bearing a burden -between them; they approached the fire and the white boys saw that it -was an Indian brave whom they carried; as Running Elk had said, he -seemed badly wounded. - -However, he was strong enough to talk; impressively he began to tell -his story to the Indians, but in the midst of it, catching sight -of the white youths, he broke off. Holding out his hand to them, -appealingly, he said in fairly good English: - -“Young paleface, I, Black Bear of the Cherokee people, ask you to carry -my message to your chief.” - -“Speak, Black Bear,” said Jack, quietly; “and be sure we will do so.” - -The wounded Indian lifted himself upon an elbow and proceeded. - -“I am of the village of Talladega; we of that village are friends of -the white man. Four suns ago the Red Sticks attacked us; they had us -ringed about with spears and arrows, and they were as many as the -leaves of the forest in summer. We fought, but we were too few to -drive them away. Then we held a council, and our old men said we must -get a runner through the enemy to bear the news to the white man, our -friends.” - -“And you are the chosen one, are you?” asked Frank. - -“I am the fourth,” said Black Bear, steadily. “The others were killed -before they got out of sound of the council lodge.” - -“How did you get through?” asked Jack Davis. - -The brave grimaced; apparently he had no liking for the methods he had -been forced to use. - -“The courage of the warrior was no use,” said he. “So another way had -to be thought of. I crept through their line with the skin of a hog -drawn about me. It was not until I had cast it aside and stood upright -that one of their sentinels saw me; and his arrow pierced my shoulder.” - -“And yet you made your way here?” cried Frank, wonderingly. - -Black Bear nodded, stoically. - -“Yes,” said he, “to bring to the white chief the news that his friends -of the Cherokee people are in danger.” - -Within a very few minutes the two boys were seeking admission to the -presence of the commander of the army. Upon being admitted, they found -General Jackson seated at a roughly hewn table, writing in the light of -a half dozen candles. He lifted his powerful face, now so drawn by long -lines of suffering, and looked at them. - -“What is it?” he asked, patiently enough. “The sentry says you have -news of importance.” - -Jack saluted and stepped forward. - -“A messenger has just reached the Cherokee camp, general. He’s from -the friendly town of Talladega, and carries the news that the place is -besieged by the Creeks, and is in great danger.” - -Instantly Jackson was upon his feet; the officers in the tent looked up -alertly. - -“Where is this messenger?” said Jackson. “Let him be brought here, and -with an interpreter.” - -“He can speak English very well, general,” now spoke Frank Lawrence. -“But he’s badly hurt.” - -“Very well!” The commander reached for his hat, and the officers -prepared to follow him. “Lead the way.” - -Seated upon a fallen tree beside the Cherokee fire, General Jackson -listened to the story of Black Bear; and when he had heard it all, he -looked at his officers. - -“This appears to be a most grave situation,” said he, “for the town -seems in great danger. From this man’s story the Creeks are in force, -and a blow dealt them now would have a double purpose--it would rescue -the Indians who are our friends, and it would go far toward breaking -the power of the hostiles.” - -The opinions of the officers present were that it was an opportunity -not to be lost. At once they returned to Jackson’s tent; others of the -senior officers were summoned and a brief council of war was held. -Before dawn the bugles blew, and the drums rolled; horse and foot, the -army of Tennessee fell into column, and with the graying of the eastern -sky, pushed across the river and toward Talladega. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -CAPTURED BY THE CREEKS - - -As in all his previous advances, General Jackson sent a body of -horsemen before the main column, under command of the giant Colonel -Coffee. In advance of these, again, rode the scouts and pathfinders, -mostly Indians and hunters who knew the country through which they were -passing. - -Jack and Frank were in this party of keen-sighted trailers, and rode -side by side down the forest aisles and across the shallow streams. -Jack regarded his friend with a humorous look. - -“This kind of a thing is different from Richmond,” said he. “You -wouldn’t find there things so stirring, nor so exciting, of an early -morning, I know.” - -Frank laughed. - -“Well, not usually,” said he. “But,” and he nodded his head, “I’d not -have missed it for a good deal. And now that my father has had the -news about his land and, according to his letter, is feeling quite -comfortable about it, I’m in no hurry to go back to Virginia, I can -tell you. Things are not so regular here; but they have a great sight -more go in them.” - -Frank, while they were still at Fort Deposit, had received a letter -from his father, expressing great pleasure at the news sent him; and -also telling of the gratification it gave him to hear of his boy’s -gallant conduct. It was Jack who had written to tell him of this, -without Frank’s knowledge. Frank had been dubious as to the result when -he learned of it, but his father’s letter had settled all this. - -“Danger, my dear boy,” the old man had written, “is a thing which every -man must face in one form or another. That you have faced what has come -to you in the performance of your duty pleases me beyond description. -And since that other duty (your aid in defending the homes of those who -have befriended you) has arisen, I can only say, God bless you. Do what -you have to do with all your might, and never think of yourself or me.” - -“The old gentleman was always game, I remember,” said Jack, who had -been handed this letter by Frank, and who had read it with a great deal -of interest. “And I’m glad I wrote him as I did; for he’s as proud of -it all as a hen that has a gosling for a chicken.” - -Frank laughed once more. - -“It’s a very good thing that you did write,” said he, “for now I can -stay on down here until all this trouble’s over and not feel that -father is worrying about me.” - -The country through which they were passing was one of huge timbered -stretches, streams, ravines and canebrakes; the scouts were forced -to go slowly, searching out the best way for the column of troops -to follow; also they were compelled to watch for lurking parties of -hostiles. - -“They are sure to know of what took place at Tallushatchee,” said -Jack to his friend as they rode along. “And they are also sure to be -watching us. Creeks don’t need much cover, as I guess you know by this -time; and a little attention to the bush and canebrakes’ll not be -thrown away.” - -The idea of a lurking foe was not at all pleasant to the young -Virginian; but he held his rifle ready and set his jaw and guided his -nag along without an instant’s hesitation. They had covered half of the -thirty miles to Talladega when the formation of the country caused the -scouts to separate and advance in detached groups. The two boys still -remained together, Jack in advance and Frank close behind; they rode -along a narrow ridge which rose up like the vertebræ of some monster; -upon all sides of them was lowering tangled forest and canebrake. In -the distance they could hear the crashing progress of their fellow -scouts, but they could not see any of them because of the tangle. - -Then suddenly, without an instant’s warning, a band of Creeks rose up, -apparently from their very path; before they had a chance to fire a -shot, to strike a blow or make an outcry, they were dragged from their -horses; and in a few moments lay bound with thongs of deerskin, and -gagged with sticks thrust between their jaws and tied fast. - -Silently and expertly the Creek braves performed their task; then with -the two prisoners thrown across the horses, they made their way like -shadows into the depths. - -That it was a war party was plain to the boys by the variously colored -paints which streaked their faces, and from the war bonnets of eagle -and heron plumes upon their heads. As Jack had guessed, the leaders of -the horde surrounding Talladega had sent out groups of spies to watch -for the advance of the whites, and the lads had had the bad fortune to -stumble upon one of these. - -Cleverly, readily, with the sureness of men accustomed to the ground -over which they traveled, the Creeks hurried through the forest, aiming -to get out of the path of the advancing whites; once they felt they had -done this, they veered slightly and headed in the direction of their -operations at Talladega. Night fell, but the party of spies pressed -on; at length they came in sight of the camp-fires of their main body; -they halted, and one of them blew a clear bird-like call. Almost -immediately it was answered by a hidden sentinel; then they advanced -about twenty-five yards further. A half dozen Creeks rose up from -the concealment of stumps and glided from behind trees. Greeting the -newcomers, they examined the captives by the light of torches kindled -at a masked fire. - -“Ugh! much good horse,” spoke a fat brave, as he passed a covetous hand -over the animals. - -“White face heap jump!” exulted a gaunt savage, hideously disfigured -by war paint and pox-marks. His snaky eyes were riveted upon the bound -boys and gleamed with wicked anticipation. “Much jump when Muscogee -torture.” - -The lads were pulled from the horses’ backs; much to their relief, -the gags were removed from their mouths and their legs were unbound. -However, their hands were kept tied behind their backs; and in this way -they were marched forward into the camp of the besiegers. - -In the heart of this, surrounded by rank on rank of sleeping and -squatting Indians, they were bound back to back to a tree. Three braves -were stationed with them as guards; what stir they had caused subsided; -apparently their cases had been put aside until morning. - -“Well,” said Jack, turning his head as far as possible to get a glimpse -of his friend, “we’ve got into a kind of mess, eh?” - -“It looks like it,” agreed Frank. “We’ve lost horses, rifles, saddles -and everything else.” - -“That’s bad enough,” said Jack. “But,” and there was a grave note in -his voice, “we stand a fair chance of losing our lives as well.” - -There was silence for a moment or two; then Frank said, soberly: - -“It’s a bad scrape. I wonder what sort of odds we have against us in -the matter of escape.” - -“Hush!” said Jack, in a low warning tone. - -The three Creek warriors detailed as their guards were moving up and -down, silently; they were armed with spears and hatchets and knives, -and appeared to be a surly, suspicious trio indeed. - -“Hello, I say, Red Stick,” said Jack to one of them. “I’d like a drink -of water.” - -The guard spoken to looked at him uncomprehendingly. - -“Ugh!” spoke he, and went on in his slow pacing to and fro. - -“All right,” said the young borderer, “you, then,” to a second, “could -you get me some water?” - -This savage shook his head and said something to the third guard in -the Muscogee tongue. But that brave also seemed puzzled, and growled -impatiently like a bear that had been disturbed. Two or three times -more Jack tried them; then being satisfied by their manner he said, in -a relieved way to Frank: - -“I guess you can go on with what you were saying. None of these fellows -speaks English.” - -“Here we are in the middle of them all,” said the young Virginian, his -eyes going about the camp with its hundreds of prostrate and huddled -forms, “and as we have no notion about what to-morrow is going to bring -us, it would be best, I think, to begin counting our chances of getting -away.” - -“The only good chance is in General Jackson’s coming up with the army,” -said Jack. “But,” and like Frank, he allowed his gaze to go about the -sleeping camp, “I’ve heard of men’s escaping from Indian villages with -as many chances against them as we have.” - -“Who knows?” spoke Frank, hopefully. “We may be as lucky as they.” - -“You never can tell what might turn up,” said Jack, his voice colored -by the hope he caught in that of his comrade. “Let’s look into the -prospects a little.” - -Again there was a silence. The guards paced up and down with lagging -steps, the sleepers were as motionless as logs; from the depths of the -woods came the calls of night birds and the occasional howl of a timber -wolf. The fires had grown a dull red; through the thick of the trees a -crescent moon was sending pale trails of light. - -“Just across from me,” said Frank, who faced the north, “is the -sleeping place of one whom I take to be a chief. Maybe he’s the -commander of the whole band. At any rate, all our things have been put -in his charge, rifles, horses and all.” - -“Huh!” said Jack, thoughtfully. “That’s interesting.” He seemed to -consider the proposition for a moment, then added: “But, tied up as we -are here, I don’t see what good it will do us.” - -“Suppose we were not tied up,” said Frank. - -Jack caught at something in the tone which caused a thrill to shoot -through him. - -“What do you mean?” he asked, in a hushed way. - -“My hands are untied,” said Frank. “I’ve been working at the thongs for -the last half hour. Keep still now; I’m going to see what can be done -for yours.” - -Jack felt a fumbling about his wrists; the tree to which they were -tied was not a very large one, and Frank had no difficulty in reaching -around it, even though his back was turned. Frank’s long, strong, -clever fingers had been noted in the school at Richmond, and Jack now -recalled some of the feats which his friend had then performed. So it -was with growing interest and hope that he felt the fumbling at the -thongs increase. - -“How are you doing?” he asked, anxiously. - -“The knot’s the same,” answered Frank, “but I broke my nails badly on -my own; so this will be harder.” - -However, in a few minutes, Jack, to his keen delight, felt the thong -loosen. He had difficulty in restraining the cry of exultation which -leaped to his lips, but managed to pass the supreme moment without -giving any evidence of the situation. A little more and the thong was -loose enough for him to slip his hands through. - -“Now,” said Frank, “feel around for the knots in the strip that fasten -you to the trunk; once we get them untied we’ll have some sort of a -chance, anyway.” - -The tree to which they were bound was well within the shadows; they -worked quietly, and so did not attract the attention of their guards. -The knots were hard to find and when their searching fingers had -found them, they were in such difficult positions for working that it -was almost impossible to do anything with them. However, they gave -themselves steadily and doggedly to the task and, finally, were elated -to feel the tough leather give; a few moments afterward their bonds -were in such a condition that they could step out whenever it pleased -them to do so. - -“Now that that’s done,” breathed Jack, “let’s give a little more -attention to the lay of the land.” - -The quiet of the night, the uneventful nature of their duty, had caused -the braves guarding them to lag in their steps. Finally one of them, -his war club upon his shoulder, had paused and leaned against a tree. -It was not long before the other two had followed suit. However, as all -three of them faced the captives there was no apparent increase in the -chances of the latter for escape. - -“They are keeping their eyes on us,” said Jack, quietly. - -“I see they are,” spoke Frank. “Do you suppose they suspect anything?” - -“About our being loose? No. If they did, we’d hear from them without -delay.” - -Stillness hung heavily over the camp. Some distance away, the ring of -braves about the town of Talladega occasionally gave evidences of being -upon the alert; but the warriors here, perhaps worn out by a day of -conflict, slept like tired animals. - -“If we only had our rifles and our horses under us,” said Frank, -longingly, “we could make a rush for it.” - -“Quiet,” said Jack, for he feared their talking might be noticed by the -guards. “I think I hear something.” - -Jack faced the denser section of the wood in which the Creek camp was -pitched. For some little time he had been watching the thin, trailing -moonbeams as they filtered through the limbs and clambering vines. -The pallid rays gave no light of any consequence; indeed, they only -seemed to make the shadows deeper. The rustle of the small wild things -of the wood occasionally came from the tangle, but as Jack had looked -and watched, there had come a sound which was different, a regular -purposeful sound which to his quick ears and attentive mind suggested -the advance of some one or something who desired to remain unseen and -unheard. - -“What is it?” asked Frank, after a space. He had listened but had heard -nothing. - -“I get a sound now and then,” said Jack. “It comes from off here in the -woods, and sounds like some one stealing up to have a look at us.” - -“It’s probably one of the Creeks,” whispered Frank. - -But Jack, listening, only pressed the speaker’s arm for quiet. For the -sound had gone on in the tangle, coming nearer and nearer. It was so -faint, even at its loudest, that not once did it attract the attention -of the three braves on guard. At times even Jack fancied that he must -be mistaken, that it was nothing more than his excited imagination. But -then the sound ceased; to his amazement he saw first one form and then -another lift itself from the ground. That they were Indians was evident -even in the dense shadow; but why they should approach in that silent -fashion puzzled Jack extremely. - -The three Creeks, all with their faces toward the captives, had their -backs to the place where the mysterious night prowlers had appeared, -and so they did not see them appear; neither did they see them advance. - -Within a half dozen paces of the boys one of the newcomers raised his -hand in a warning gesture for silence. There was a characteristic -something in the gesture which Jack Davis immediately recognized. - -“Running Elk!” was his mental exclamation. - -Step by step the Cherokee hunter and his companion advanced. Within -springing distance there was a pause; then with the silent bound of -the panther, each leaped upon a Creek guard. Without a sound the -unsuspecting braves fell under their blows; like lightning they were -upon the other one before he fairly realized what had taken place, and -with strong bronze fingers twisting about his throat he was borne to -the earth. - -The lads needed no words to tell them what to do. With a shake they -were free of their bonds; a half dozen steps took them to where -their horses were tied, the saddles still upon their backs. Near by, -and perilously close to the sleeping form of the chief of whom Frank -had spoken, were their rifles, powder horns and other equipment; -noiselessly possessing themselves of these, they cut the ropes which -held their horses and quietly led them toward the spot where Jack had -seen Running Elk and his fellow hunter appear. - -The third Creek had been quickly disposed of; and now the two Cherokees -were free to turn their attention elsewhere. - -“Horses, good!” muttered Running Elk in Jack’s ear. “Make ’um fast -run--away.” - -At the edge of the thicket the boys climbed into the saddle; the two -hunters mounted behind them. Then with a word to the faithful nags, -they rode unnoticed through the Creek camp. A signal whistle was heard -from a sentinel at the outskirts. This was the sign that speed, not -silence, was the necessary thing; so they dug their heels into their -horses’ ribs and with a scattering flight of arrows dropping harmlessly -about them, they dashed away into the forest. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -A FIGHT--AND A REVOLT - - -There was no pursuit by the Creeks, and after the first mile or so -the doubly laden horses were permitted to slow down; and then the two -Indians slid to the ground and ran easily at their sides, one hand upon -the saddle. - -A half hour brought them in sight of the spot where Jackson’s men had -camped for the night; passing the sentries, they were received by their -friends with surprise and enthusiasm. - -“Never expected to see either of you again,” said one of the scouts. -“Not many get away from the Creeks when they once fall into their -hands.” - -A little later the two boys rolled themselves in their blankets and -went to sleep; they felt that as Jackson was so close to the Indians, -the morning would see a battle. And in this they were right. - -At sunrise the haggard general was abroad, issuing his commands. The -troops were quickly under arms and advancing through the forest. - -The force of savages besieging Talladega numbered more than a thousand. -They were well armed, having many rifles and muskets supplied by the -English, besides their spears, war clubs and bows and arrows. They were -worked up to the proper war pitch and did not hesitate to give battle. -With yells they greeted the force of frontiersmen, and plunged forward -to the fight. - -Andrew Jackson had studied the tactics of the Creek nation in warfare, -and so had a pretty clear idea of what they would do. With a few -orders, he arranged his soldiers in the form of a crescent, the horns -pointed forward. His horsemen were placed upon the flanks. - -“As the Creeks rush forward, as I think they will do,” said the general -to Colonel Coffee, who led the cavalry, “drive forward without delay, -and get behind them. Then, as we force them back, let them feel your -strength.” - -All being ready and the savages, their war cries sounding, filling the -air with arrows, Jackson said to Jack Davis: - -“Advance on foot with a score of men and engage them with rifle fire; -as they advance, fall back until you get the order to stop.” - -Promptly Jack passed the word to his fellow scouts. They dismounted and -went forward, flitting from tree to tree as they went, firing sharply -and making a great pretense of eagerness to push forward. Instantly the -arrows of the Creeks rained about them; an occasional bullet clipped -the twigs over their heads. - -“They are great fellows to waste their ammunition,” said Jack, from -behind a huge cottonwood. - -[Illustration: THE ARROWS OF THE CREEKS RAINED ABOUT THEM] - -Frank Lawrence drew a bead upon a particularly active foeman and fired. - -“Yes,” said he. “And seeing that it’s so hard to get in their case, -you’d think they’d be more careful.” - -Here the war-whoops grew shriller and the fire thicker. - -“Fall back slowly,” ordered Jack. - -The scouts did as directed. Eagerly, triumphantly, the redskins -followed; faster and faster the little band under Jack retreated; like -a bronze tide the Creeks pursued. This was exactly as Jackson had -figured. Coffee’s cavalry was soon in their rear, awaiting the word. - -When the party of scouts reached the main body, Jackson signaled for -volley firing. Feeling the real weight of the force confronting them -for the first time, the Indians retreated. To their consternation they -found themselves surrounded; like their brothers at Tallushatchee they -were in the center of an iron ring. Bitterly they fought, like rats in -a trap, all the time beating at the ring in an effort to break through. - -If it had not been for the rawness and confusion on the part of some -militia, there is scarcely any doubt that General Jackson would have -ended the Creek war right there. But unused to the grimness of a -protracted fight the militia at one place gave way; and before they -could be rallied, the savages had discovered the break made by their -retreat, and poured through it in a frenzied stream. - -In this way seven hundred hostiles escaped to face Old Hickory on -another day in the wilderness. But even as it was, three hundred of -them fell before the rifles of the Tennesseeans; and this, added to -the blow dealt the Creeks at Tallushatchee, went a great way toward -weakening their power. - -Jackson saw the advantage he had gained, and was eager to follow it up; -if he had been able to do so he would have been enabled to force the -Creeks into another battle before many days and so delivered the blow -which failed at Talladega. - -But it was not to be so. Many things conspired to prolong the brave -Tennesseean’s task. In the first place, much to his amazement, no -supplies were being sent them from Fort Strother; indeed, a rider -brought the news that the fort itself was almost destitute. To maintain -an army in the wilderness without food is of course impossible; and so, -instead of pressing forward to the victory which would have ended the -war, the army was forced to retreat. - -On top of this came the tidings that the brigade of troops left at Fort -Strother to protect those wounded at Tallushatchee had been ordered -away by the commander of another division which was also operating in -the hostile country. - -Jackson was never a man of mild temper; and seeing the result of all -his work snatched from him in this way caused him to burst into a -furious denunciation of all concerned. Raging like a baffled lion he -fell back on Fort Strother. Even his friends advised him to continue -his retreat to Fort Deposit on the Tennessee. - -“You cannot maintain your army here,” he was told. “Go on falling back -until you have accumulated enough supplies; then you can push on once -more.” - -But the stubborn spirit of Jackson was aroused. Weakened as he was by -his wound, haggard, worn and really in a dangerous state due to his -over-exertion, still he was resolved to retreat no further. - -“I’ll hold my position at the Ten Islands,” declared he, “if we have to -live on acorns.” - -Because of this inefficiency of those who were in charge of the army’s -supplies, and because of the loose nature of the terms under which his -men had volunteered, General Jackson was soon plunged into a series -of crises which would have broken the spirit of a less powerful -man. Besides the Tennessee militia, there was a body of men in his -force known as the United States volunteers; these troops, because -of the lack of food, demanded to be led back to the border. There is -no doubt that the army was in a wretched condition, needing not only -food, but clothes and shoes as well. However, General Jackson realized -that if they were allowed to have their way, the chances were against -the advance ever being resumed. So without hesitation he refused to -sanction the demand. - -Officers and men joined together in a renewal of the petition, giving -their reasons in detail. In great anger the commander again refused. - -“We were sent out to subdue the hostile Creeks,” said he, sternly, “and -until that is done we shall not turn our backs upon the wilderness!” - -Finding him unyielding, the militia now became mutinous; they broke -ranks and doggedly prepared to take the trail back to the border. But -like lightning Jackson acted. - -“Forward, volunteers!” he cried, drawing his sword. “We shall see who -is commander here.” - -The volunteers threw themselves across the path of the dissatisfied -militia with ready rifles. Seeing that blood would be shed, and not -desiring any such extreme action, the militia officers advised their -men to give up their purpose. Sullenly the militia obeyed, and so the -first of the mutinies at Fort Strother was at an end. - -A little later discontent broke out once more; this time it was the -volunteers, and it was the militia, now loyal to the commander, who -were called upon to put the outbreak down. - -Some time after the settling of this second uprising of the hungry -soldiers, Jackson received word that a large store of supplies had -arrived at the depot on the Tennessee. Feeling sure that they would at -once be forwarded, the general said to his officers: - -“Food is at hand; if it is not here in two days, I will consent to fall -back.” - -But in counting upon the promptness of the contractors, Jackson made a -mistake. The supplies did not reach Fort Strother upon the day set; and -bitterly disappointed he was forced to give the word to take the border -trail. But even then he had not entirely given up. - -“I remain behind if only two men will stay with me.” - -Instantly a half dozen, Jack Davis and Frank Lawrence among them, -stepped forward. Jackson’s deep-set eyes glowed. - -“Volunteers!” he cried, sweeping the ranks with his stern gaze. -“Volunteers to hold Fort Strother against the Creeks!” - -In a few minutes one hundred and nine men had responded; and the army -to the tap of a single drum set off for the border. It now looked as -though the thing were at an end; but not so. Barely a dozen miles from -the fort the returning soldiers met a large herd of cattle being driven -forward. This was the meat expected by the general; delighted, the -soldiers halted, killed what they required and settled themselves for a -feast. - -But when they had finished and had formed to resume their homeward -march they were astonished to receive the command to face about and -return to the fort. At once they rebelled. But General Jackson was on -the ground, and at once took the situation in hand. - -“Men!” he cried, one hand uplifted, “you have the food you required. -In the future things will be better. Turn back. The work the border -requires of you is yet to be done.” - -A cry of dogged protest went up from the men; one company, in spite -of its officers, started forward. With blazing eyes, Jackson rode -forward, some of his followers at his side. - -“I’ll give you ten seconds to turn back,” he shouted, as he rushed his -horse at them. Sullenly, doggedly, muttering their anger, the company -fell back upon the main body. - -No move was made homeward by any of the others; but at the same time -neither did they show any disposition to face about as ordered and -march back to the fort. General Jackson threw himself from horse, the -pain of his wounded arm forgotten; and he stalked among the rebellious -troops with bent brows and blazing eyes. - -“Soldiers!” he cried. “You are all men of the border. You know its -dangers. In the face of the rising savage tide you swore to serve -your state; like brave men you moved forward to strike a blow at the -murderers of your fellow settlers. But you have had a change of heart! -Why is this? Has the wilderness frightened you? Have the savages, whom -you have twice beaten, broken your spirit? You have said it was lack -of food which turned your thoughts homeward. Well, here is food in -plenty. Be men; march back to Fort Strother in good spirits; and in one -month we shall have ended the campaign.” - -But the men refused; even while he was speaking, the boldest of them -broke their ranks; the others followed suit; in a mass, disorganized, -with no thought of anything but their own desires, they moved forward -on the road home. - -In a fury Jackson seized a rifle from one of them; his left arm was -powerless, and he was unable to level the rifle in the usual way. So he -stepped back to where his horse was standing; resting the barrel of the -weapon across the animal’s neck, he covered the mutineers. - -“Let any man among you make a step forward,” he shouted, fiercely, “and -I will shoot him as I would a snake.” - -Like a statue of wrath and command he stood for a moment--alone. Then -Colonel Coffee and another officer, each armed with a rifle, leaped to -his side. - -“Now, then,” cried Jack Davis to his friend. - -Frank answered promptly; and as they moved forward, the remainder -of the scouts followed. Then some companies of volunteers, possibly -ashamed of their conduct, lined themselves up behind the heroic leader. -The mass of disorganized soldiers hesitated and wavered. - -“Fall in!” thundered General Jackson. Automatically, the ranks were -reformed. “About-face!” They turned toward the wilderness fort once -more. “March!” - -And away they went, their rifles on their shoulders, sullenly but -steadily. The iron will of Jackson had conquered. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE BEGINNING OF THE END - - -The spirit of revolt which had risen up in Jackson’s army would not -down. Though unflinchingly faced by him it rose and rose again; for -these men of the border lands were wild, uncontrolled fellows who knew -no discipline and were accustomed to receive orders from no man. - -Once Jackson brought two pieces of artillery to bear upon them, loaded -and the gunners with lighted matches in their hands. But as often as he -suppressed the mutinies just as often they broke out in a fresh place. -So persistent did the thing become that the authorities of the state -of Tennessee, and those at Washington, evidently having little hope -of securing any real service from such a discontented force, took a -hand in the proceedings; the result was that the men were gradually -recalled. At one period the indomitable Jackson had but a hundred men -left him. - -But then the tide turned. Because of his own persistent efforts, those -of the authorities whom he aroused, and the good will of those of his -officers who had returned to the settlements, a new army was raised. By -the middle of the following March some five thousand well conditioned -troops were assembled at Fort Strother. - -During this entire time of stress and falling away, Jack Davis and -Frank Lawrence clung to the cause of the general. And now that his star -was once more upon the rise, they were delighted. - -“Any other man, almost, would have gone down under that fight and never -risen again,” said Jack, admiringly. - -“It’ll not be long now before he gets to work again,” said Frank. - -“I don’t think it’ll be as easy a task as it would have been some time -ago,” observed the young borderer. “The Creeks have pulled themselves -together, and they are once more ready to make a fight of it.” - -During all this time of trouble at Fort Strother, things had not been -at a standstill in the Creek country; that savage tribe had been -ravaging and burning; the war-whoop had been heard in many a little -hamlet, and the tomahawks and scalping knife had made their presence -felt. But the white man had not done much in return. Floyd and a body -of Georgia militia had marched against the Indian towns on the lower -Tallapoosa. At a place called Autosee, in November, he attacked the -redskins and drove them from the field, slaying some two hundred of -their warriors. However, though much was expected of him, Floyd did -little more. An expedition up the Alabama River under General Claiborne -was a failure. - -From then on it was seen that if the Creeks were subdued it would be -Jackson’s force that would do it. - -But while the renewing of his army was in progress, Jackson had not -altogether closed his work against the hostiles. He was not the man to -pause, even though he had but soldiers enough to man his few pieces of -artillery. But by the early part of January, 1814, he had a strong body -of men at Fort Strother; though more were on their way, he felt that he -need not wait for them. - -About eighty miles south of his position on the Coosa River was a -fortified camp of Creeks, a place called Tohopeka. At this place the -savages were assembling in great numbers; the scouts from Fort Strother -had been watching them for some time and keeping the general closely in -touch with what was happening there. - -One night Jack Davis and Frank Lawrence arrived at the fort, their -horses in a lather of foam. At once they went to the commander’s tent -and were admitted. The general was seated at his table going over a map -he had made of the region, and he looked up as the boys entered. - -“Well,” said he, “what is there to report?” - -“We’ve been scouting in the neighborhood of Tohopeka for the last -week,” said Jack. “And things have reached such a state we thought it -best to come in at once.” - -“Hah!” The deep-set eyes of the general began to glow. “So the Indians -are still gathering?” - -“They are,” replied Frank. “All the villages for a hundred miles around -the fortifications are pouring braves into it. There is something of -great moment about to be attempted.” - -“They are better armed than I ever saw Indians before,” put in Jack. -“And they are drilling and practicing the maneuvers of the white man’s -sort of warfare.” - -General Jackson, with a quietness of demeanor which was ominous, asked -a number of pertinent questions; and when he had learned all they had -to tell, he said: - -“That will do. And as you go out, give my compliments to Colonel Coffee -and beg him to step into my room.” - -When they were outside, Frank said in a low, exultant tone: - -“That means a move of some sort, as sure as you live.” - -Colonel Coffee was closeted with the commander for perhaps an hour; -then other officers of rank were summoned. The result was that on the -following day Jackson led a force of nine hundred mounted riflemen, -some two hundred Cherokees and a cannon for use against the Creek -fortifications. - -Five days this little army marched through the wilderness; then camp -was made upon the banks of Emuckfan Creek at a place only three miles -from the Indian fort against which they were moving. Preparations were -made for a sharp blow to be delivered next day; guards were placed -about the camp in the charge of alert young woodsmen, among whom were -Jack and Frank. - -Quiet reigned in the forest; the water of the stream went rippling over -the stones in its bed, the wind stirred in the tops of the trees, the -stars looked down peacefully. But even in the midst of the quiet, Jack -was not at rest. - -“I don’t know just why it is,” said he, “but I’ve got the feeling that -something is going to happen.” - -“It’s the same with me,” replied Frank, in the same whispering tone -which his friend had used. There was a short pause, then he added: “I -suppose I’m foolish for thinking so, but somehow I’ve got the notion -that the Creeks are on the move to-night.” - -“What makes you feel that?” asked Jack, and there was a note in his -voice which Frank knew as mingled eagerness and alarm. - -“I fancied I heard and saw something several times off there to the -south and west,” said the young Virginian. - -“That settles it,” breathed Jack. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. -And the fact that we both saw and heard it shows that it is true.” - -Quickly, but with caution, the word was passed to the guard; at once it -began to pass from man to man on watch about the camp. Then the lads -stole back to the line of tents, and in a few minutes the men were -aroused and stood under arms awaiting the word from their officers. - -And it was well that they were prepared, for suddenly the forest seemed -alive with savages; the night was filled with the war-whoop of the -border-land. But to the amazement of the exultant savages, instead of -a sleeping camp, they found lines of riflemen. A sleet of lead swept -among them, and with yells of rage they fell back into the cover of -the woods. Once more, after dawn, the Creeks attacked the white men, -but again they were beaten off, and retired to their fort. - -Jackson now managed to get sight of this, and also had an opportunity -of estimating the number of savages facing him. - -“They are too strong!” said he, promptly. “With the force at hand we’ll -be taking too many chances in attacking them.” - -“You’ll not fall back,” objected the officers. - -Jackson nodded and smiled grimly. - -“But don’t be afraid, sir,” said he. “The Creeks will still be here -when we come again.” - -Having made up his mind, Jackson at once set his little army upon its -retrograde motion. Eagerly the savages followed, hanging to his flanks -persistently. At a stream called the Enotachopco, the Creeks attacked -the rear guard fiercely; but with the aid of the six-pounder gun they -were held back until the stream was crossed. - -On the twelfth day after its departure the army reached Fort Strother -once more. The result of the expedition was that the great prospective -movement of the Indians was halted and that two hundred of them had -fallen in the fighting. Jackson’s loss was twenty-four killed and -seventy-one wounded. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE BATTLE OF THE HORSESHOE - - -Not only did the fights at Emuckfan and Enotachopco Creeks dash the -spirit of the Indians, but they also gave Jackson’s raw troops a taste -of war as it is waged in the wilderness. Instead of harrying the border -and setting it ablaze as they had no doubt intended, the savages were -content to hold their fort at the bend of the Tallapoosa and await the -aggression of the white man. - -Being reinforced by more militia and the thirty-ninth regiment of -regulars, General Jackson grew quite at ease and confident that success -was at last at hand. With three thousand troops he moved down the -river, where some thirty miles south he established a new base of -supplies called Fort Williams. - -“Let me manage to collect enough provisions to last my army but four -weeks,” said the commander at this place, “and I will end the war at a -blow.” - -Just about this time there came the tidings from Fort Stoddart that -fifteen hundred men with a great store of supplies were about to move -up the Alabama River to a place called Hickory Grounds. This was, -perhaps, the most cheerful and helpful news that Jackson had heard in a -long time; and from then on he felt safe as to the future. Let him but -open the way to that point and his work in the Creek country was done. - -So, getting his force under arms, he led them through the forest to -the bend of the Tallapoosa where the Creeks had made their stronghold. -This bend was much like a horseshoe in shape, and built across the -narrow tongue of land was a “snake fence” barrier of logs and earth. -Between the wall and the river was a space of perhaps a hundred acres; -and in front of the wall trees had been felled to form a shelter for -sharp-shooters. The lodges and huts of the Indians were built upon the -river’s edge; and here their canoes were tied, to be used in escaping -across the river if the fort was carried by the white men. - -The leaders of the savages had boasted of the strength of this -position, of its possibilities for defense or retreat. In the first -of these claims there was some truth; the barrier was strong and the -zigzag manner of its building enabled the Indians to sweep an attacking -party with a deadly cross fire; but as to retreat in case of need, it -lacked every necessary advantage. - -Coming in sight of the bend, Jackson put his plan of battle into -instant operation. He planted his infantry before the barrier of logs -and mounted his two small cannon on a hill eighty yards away where they -commanded the Creek position. Colonel Coffee, with the mounted troops -and friendly Indians, was instructed to ford the Tallapoosa and hold -the opposite bank at the rear of the fort. - -Allowing time for the cavalry to accomplish this movement, General -Jackson opened with his two pieces of artillery; the shot thudded upon -the logs and buried themselves in the earth, but apparently no damage -was done. - -“It looks as if the guns were too small,” observed Jack Davis, his keen -eyes upon the Creek barrier. - -“Hark to the redskins hoot!” said Frank, as yells of mockery came from -the stronghold. - -“That’ll not be for long,” said Jack, grimly. “I see the general’s -brows coming together. He’ll be fighting mad in a little while, and -then the Indians had better look out.” - -But General Jackson knew the position selected by the Creeks was a -formidable one, and so held back any desire he might have had to launch -a frontal attack. This, he felt sure, would mean the certain death of -many of his soldiers; and if the thing could be done without that, he -was most anxious so to accomplish it. - -While the two small guns were booming, and the riflemen were -endeavoring to pick off any Indians who showed themselves, the -Cherokees who accompanied Colonel Coffee in his movement toward the -rear of the Indian fort introduced a piece of Indian warfare which at -once brought matters to a crisis. Running Elk, who was among them, saw -the Creek canoes tied upon the opposite bank. Without a word he plunged -into the water and began to swim toward them. - -At once his fellow braves understood his purpose; they also entered the -water and struck out for the further shore. The Cherokees seized the -canoes; also they set fire to the Creek huts and lodges. A great blaze -went up; the smoke ascended in clouds. - -Seeing the flames, the infantry before the barrier of logs could no -longer be held in check. They begged of the general to permit them to -storm the Indian works, and Jackson, seeing their eagerness and not -desiring to dampen their spirits at this critical time, finally gave -the word. - -With a rush, the white men, both regulars and militia, went at the log -wall. Paying no attention to the sleet of arrows and bullets, they -scaled it like monkeys. The first over was young Sam Houston; he had an -arrow through him almost at his first move; but this did not stop him. -With his clubbed rifle sweeping a path among the savages he shouted: - -“Come on, boys. Strike hard, and the thing is done.” - -Jack and Frank were at his heels; the infantry then came smashing down -upon the Creeks; and amid the blaze and smoke of the burning huts the -desperate contest was on. Rifle and pistol cracked, bows twanged, sword -and tomahawk rose and fell. At length the savages felt that they were -being worsted, but when they turned to run they saw that their way was -blocked. Again they faced their foe and battled like cornered wolves; -they did not ask for quarter and were given none. With the memory of -the slaughter at Fort Mims in their minds the whites struck vengefully. - -By mid-afternoon the battle was over; the Americans had forty-five men -killed and about one hundred and fifty wounded. The Creeks had lost -eight hundred in killed, and three hundred were prisoners. - - * * * * * - -This was the last of the Creeks as a warlike nation; almost the entire -remainder of the tribe fled into Florida, where they were protected -by the Spanish flag. When General Jackson a little later marched upon -those villages which he knew were located upon the lower Tallapoosa, he -found them deserted. - -“And now,” said Jack Davis, as he and Frank sat, their rifles laid -aside in the peace of the Davis farmhouse, “the war is over as far as -the Creeks are concerned; and I don’t think there will be much delay -about the rights to your father’s land.” - -And this proved to be the case; for General Jackson, in his great -treaty with the Indians at Fort Jackson some time later, secured great -tracts of territory from the subdued savages in payment for the harm -which they had done. In this ceded land was the old grant held by Mr. -Lawrence, and as soon as his possessions could be removed from Virginia -to the border-land, he took possession of it. - -Slowly the settlers took up the land all about; but the hunting grounds -remained as they had been for many years. And through the aisles of -the mighty forests, across the streams which wound like silver threads -among the trees, Jack Davis, with Frank Lawrence and the Cherokee -brave, Running Elk, often wandered with rifle and bow, stalking deer -and hunting bear and panther. Peace was upon all the border-land--a -peace which they knew would not have come for many years if it had not -been for the invincible resolution of Andrew Jackson. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -LIFE OF ANDREW JACKSON - - -In the year 1765 an Irish workman of Scotch blood, and of the name -of Jackson, made up his mind that the grind of poverty in his native -land was too great for endurance. So, with infinite labor, he scraped -together a little store of gold; and with his wife and two children -he took ship for the colonies of America of which he had heard such -glowing tales. - -George III had been five years king of England, and the French war -which gave Canada to the British had just ended when the little family -of Jacksons landed at Charleston in South Carolina. Having no money -with which to purchase land, they set out with some others for the -interior. Here, one hundred and fifty miles from civilization, and in -the midst of a wilderness of dark pines, a little clearing was made -near Waxhaw Creek, a log cabin erected, and a home established in the -new land. - -But the clearing bore only one small crop. Then the head of the house -sickened and died; the widow was left with fear in her heart as to the -future of herself and her two children. However, after the burial, -she drove across the border into North Carolina, where her sister had -established a home; and there in a log house, only a few days after her -arrival, was born Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the republic, -and one of its greatest soldiers. - -This was on March 15, 1767. About a month afterward Mrs. Jackson -with her children set out for the home of her brother-in-law, named -Crawford, who lived some distance away. Her sister, Crawford’s wife, -was an invalid; and for ten years Mrs. Jackson lived with them as a -sort of housekeeper. - -In this frontier home Andrew Jackson grew up into a rather ungainly, -rough, hot-tempered boy. Among his comrades he was something of a -bully. It has been long said of such boys that they are usually -cowards; but in Andrew’s case this was not true, for there was no -more resolute spirit on the border than his, even at that early day. -Andrew’s mother had some thought of making a minister of him; at any -rate he was sent to the little log schoolhouse, and was taught to read; -his handwriting was wretched and during the whole course of his life he -never learned to spell. - -During the boyhood of Jackson great questions were on the verge of -settlement; the colonies revolted and England set about crushing them -under the weight of her trained regiments. During the boy’s ninth year -the Declaration of Independence was signed; and in a little while -Marion, known on the border as “the Swamp Fox,” Sumpter, known as -“the Game Cock,” and other heroes of the wilderness were up in arms -and stemming the tide of the red-coated aggression. Amidst the Tory -outrages, the assaults of the ferocious dragoons of Tarleton, Hugh -Jackson, Andrew’s elder brother, took up his rifle and joined the -defenders. He met his death in the fight at Stono. - -The old log church was used as an hospital, and Mrs. Jackson was among -the women who nursed the wounded Americans. Not long afterward the -terrible Tarleton and his men made a rush at Waxhaw; at another time -the army under Cornwallis attacked the same place, and the settlers -fled from his fury. Six months later the Jacksons returned to the -ravaged section. Andrew was now fourteen, tall and thin and seething -with the desire to take part in the fighting going on all around him. -His first chance was when, as one of the guard of a place attacked by -the Tories, he helped to beat them off. Dragoons arrived in time to -save the Tories, and among the captured were Andrew and his brother. - -It was while he was with the British that Jackson was slashed by a -sword in the hands of an officer whose boots he had refused to blacken. -Afterward, wan and wasted by neglect and disease, the two boys were -exchanged. From this experience the brother died; but the stronger -constitution of Andrew carried him through and he recovered. Mrs. -Jackson then heard that her nephews were suffering in the British -prison pens at Charleston; she hurried to their aid, but was attacked -by the fever and died. - -Andrew Jackson was now alone in the world, and without a penny. After -the war he turned his little stock of learning to good account. He -became a backwoods schoolmaster. Then he studied law, worked in a -country store, and afterward opened a law office at Nashville in -Tennessee. During all of this period Jackson was acquiring a reputation -as the wildest and most daring spirit on the frontier; the hot temper -of his boyhood had cooled not a jot; he was always ready for any deed -of hardihood, and the rough spirits of the border learned to fear his -anger. - -His marriage, from unusual circumstances attending its contraction, -was one which promised many sorrows; but as a matter of fact proved a -very happy one. Jackson was sent to Congress from Tennessee, and was -afterward made senator. Later he resigned and returned to Nashville. -Here at different times he practiced law, kept a store, and farmed. It -was at this period that he was made commander of the state militia, and -subdued the Creeks. Afterward he became head of the army of the United -States in the southwest, and drove back the British at New Orleans. - -After defeating the Seminole Indians in Florida, and performing other -services of great value to the country, Jackson began a political -career full of tumult; he was the most loved and most hated man of -his time. He was elected President of the United States in the year -1828, and again four years later. Then he retired to the quiet of the -“Hermitage,” near Nashville, as his home was called, and spent the -remainder of his life in peace. He died June 8, 1845. - - - The Stories in this Series are: - - IN KENTUCKY WITH DANIEL BOONE - IN THE ROCKIES WITH KIT CARSON - IN TEXAS WITH DAVY CROCKETT - ON THE BORDER WITH ANDREW JACKSON - - - - -JOHN T. McINTYRE - - -[Illustration] - -Mr. McIntyre was born in Philadelphia. At six years of age he was sent -to St. Michael’s Parochial School in that city, and says he considered -his education finished when he left it four years later to begin the -earning of a living. He was employed as a boy at a great many things, -and admits he was very bad at all of them. One of his later jobs was -clerk in a secondhand bookstore, where he acquired an overwhelming love -for history and also became acquainted with all the masters of English -literature. His chief ambition as a boy was to read more than anyone he -knew, and he says, “I think I won this race by a million laps.” - -He began to write when he was about twenty and he found the way to be -rougher than he imagined. Finally he began to get stories into the -newspapers, then into the magazines, and at last, in 1902, published -his first novel, “The Ragged Edge.” His first book for boys, “Fighting -King George,” was published in 1905, and since then thousands of boys -have learned to look for a new “McIntyre book” every year. His most -popular series, “The Young Continentals,” was begun in 1909. Mr. -McIntyre has also written a great many plays, a number of which have -been produced professionally, and some novels, including the well-known -“Ashton-Kirk” series. His books for boys are: - - The Young Continentals at Lexington - The Young Continentals at Bunker Hill - The Young Continentals at Trenton - The Young Continentals at Monmouth - The Boy Tars of 1812 - Fighting King George - The Street Singer - With John Paul Jones - In the Rockies with Kit Carson - In Kentucky with Daniel Boone - In Texas with Davy Crockett - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - - Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ON THE BORDER WITH ANDREW -JACKSON *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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