Aaron Hart was half-asleep as he held on to his saddle and swayed back and forth on his bay gelding. Day was just breaking, and he had already been riding for an hour and a half. He had to yank the reins several times to keep his horse from ranging up alongside the one in front of him, on which sat the much larger man who never wanted to be challenged in any way, not even as to who would lead the six-horse caravan down a narrow Indian trail. Elijah Clarke had always had a tendency to dominate other people, and since the group of men had, almost automatically, chosen him to be their leader, he was even more inclined to prove his authority at every opportunity. In many ways it reassured the other men to follow someone who was right sure of himself, but it had become increasingly difficult to have a give-and-take discussion about controversial issues or even to share in making the simple decisions necessary to forge an effective militia group.

Aaron’s thoughts wandered idly over his relationship with Clarke, which had begun when they were neighbors in North Carolina. Beginning as a farmer, Aaron had accumulated a small string of packhorses and began trading in an ever-expanding area. Although profits were minimal, he enjoyed meeting people, sharing news and opinions, and being free of the drudgery of farmwork and the exclusive role of husband. It was his knowledge of the new territories that had influenced his small group of friends to move first to South Carolina and then to Georgia, and to settle northwest of Augusta near the Savannah River. From there he had established a new trade route through Wrightsborough, across the Oconee into Indian territory, and south to Savannah. Aaron had been one of the regular visitors in Henry Pratt’s cobbler shop in Hillsborough and had known the Quakers and Ethan Pratt before they moved to Georgia. He was thoroughly familiar with their commitment to peace and their loyalty to the king. He felt somewhat guilty that he had recruited Ethan to participate in the raid on Big Elk three months ago and had not spoken out to let the other men know he shared Ethan’s disgust with the massacre of the women and children. He rationalized his reticence by convincing himself that his loyalty to Elijah would let him restrain any future barbaric acts.