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.