Ethan watched Aaron go, took Henry to Epsey, and then got his rifle and walked off into the woods, feeling that he should consider carefully this proposition to join Clarke. He was troubled about the prospect of increasing violence, and of becoming involved in it himself. Like all the settlers, and particularly those who lived on the outskirts of the ceded areas and nearest the Indians, he was acutely aware of the danger to his family if respected Indian leaders decided to approve raids on the remote settlements. At the same time, he considered it unlikely that they would renege on their commitments, forgo the advantages of peaceful trade, and attempt to take back the land they had ceded. An all-out war would undoubtedly bring trained British troops into the area, more than a match for the poorly armed natives. This was especially true because the Indians were divided, with only rare cooperation between the Creeks and Cherokees. But he trusted Aaron Hart and finally decided that it might be helpful to join in punishing Big Elk’s small group, who probably were outcasts and condemned by their own people. Another factor in his decision was that he and his neighbors might very well need protection in the future, and the newer settlers farther north would be valuable allies.

Before going to bed, he told Epsey that he would be leaving early the next morning to meet some other men about an Indian threat. It was less than twelve miles to the meeting place, and Ethan was there shortly after sunrise. Neither Elijah Clarke nor any of his close friends had arrived, but a few men had already gathered, mostly from the older settlements nearer Augusta. They shared what information they had but knew little about the latest developments or any plans for their mission. It was more than an hour later when the others arrived, almost two dozen men who had obviously traveled together and seemed to know one another well.

Clarke was silent while he counted the group, and spoke first: “We need three times as many men, but this will have to do. I believe we have enough here to teach the red bastards a lesson they’ll not forget.”