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.”