“Well, once we reach agreement with them and sign a treaty, it should be honored. If the Indians agree later to sign a new one, that’s up to them, but they deserve to be treated right.”

Ethan replied, “I can’t disagree with being fair and keeping our word, and I also know that there are good and bad folks of all colors. But our first task is to take care of our families and ourselves, and this is the choice that we all have to make.”

He hesitated a few moments and then added, “Maybe you’ve been spending too much time across the river, Kindred. Good day to you.”

Kindred sat on his horse quietly, blaming the tears in his eyes on the glare of the evening sun and watching until Ethan’s broad shoulders and yellow pigtail disappeared around a curve in the narrow trail. Something had gone out of his life. He realized that he had indeed been naive, at least in presuming that Ethan would share his concern about the plight of the natives. He didn’t see how anyone could know how he felt about Newota.

After a day or so, Mavis asked, “Kindred, are you sick or something?”

He shook his head and replied, “Ethan seems to have changed since we first met him.”

“I haven’t noticed it. What do you mean?”

“Well, for one thing, he seems to want more and more land, when it seems to me that both of us have all we can use.”

“Kindred, you know that we are different from him and almost all the other settlers. They see the size of their farm as a measure of success in life. Besides, Ethan probably figures that someday Henry will be needing more fields and woods than the Pratts have now.”

She looked at her husband for a while and then asked, “Is that all that’s bothering you?”

“I’m not sure Ethan feels loyal to the crown or to the British officials in the colonies, and he also seems unhappy with the Indians.” He paused for a few seconds and then added, “He even fussed at me for visiting their village.”

Now Mavis understood.

Although the two families were still polite and apparently friendly when together, Kindred’s solo visits with Ethan became less frequent, and Mavis was pleased to become the primary focus of his philosophical musings and their discussions as naturalists. They did the necessary farmwork but were not trying to expand or even improve their homestead as were the Pratts. Kindred now almost invariably moved toward Newota and the Creek village to pursue his botanical studies. Mavis went with him a few times and came to share his deep concern about the increasing tensions that were developing between the Indians and the white settlers.