They listened, but could hear no sound of conflict. Captain Turner came up. For a moment he gazed on the scene of carnage, and then cried: "Great God! Major Powell ran into an ambuscade, and his force has been annihilated. The dead are all our men. But where are the Yankees?"
"Doubtless in pursuit of the few of the Major's force that escaped," replied an officer.
"That is so," cried Turner. "Forward, men! Let our war-cry be: 'Powell and Revenge!' Give no quarter! Let every one of the cursed Yankees die."
They rode nearly four miles before they came on to Major Powell and the remnant of his force. They had continued falling back until they were certain they were not pursued.
Of his hundred men, the Major had succeeded in rallying about forty. The rest had been killed or wounded, or had fled. Some of them did not stop until they reached the valley of La Belle, bringing with them the story of the disaster, saying that of all of Powell's force they alone escaped.
"Did you meet and exterminate the Yankees?" was the first question put to Captain Turner by Major Powell.
"I have seen no Yankees," was the surprising answer.
Major Powell could only gasp, "Seen no Yankees?"
"No; not one."
"Then the mountains must have opened and swallowed them."