There was an uncomfortable silence, and the governor motioned for Clarke and Hart to follow him and John Stuart into a back room. They had a heated exchange, and Aaron finally helped convince Elijah to accept the overall proposal, with the understanding that the natives would be forced to move from all territory ceded by them in the Augusta agreement of 1773. Furthermore, if the scalps were not delivered as offered, British troops would join the militia in a search party to find and punish the two braves who escaped from Big Elk’s camp. Elijah also agreed to permit the governor to speak for the entire group in the presence of the Indians, so that it would not appear that the whites were divided among themselves.

The assembly soon reached an agreement, and after another exchange of gifts the Creeks went back to their camp and departed the following day for their villages. They agreed that a death sentence be issued for the two criminals, and three weeks later Newota was sent to deliver the two scalps to Governor Wright, with a solemn statement from Emistisiguo that they were from the renegades.

All the white leaders marked the chief as the unquestioned leader among his own people, and a man who could be trusted to honor his commitments. The chiefs had also learned a lesson that would have profound consequences as tension increased between the British and the militia forces: in the long run it was undoubtedly better to cast their lot with the Redcoats, but to remember that the whites were divided. Both sides, in a dispute, would be seeking their favor and services, which could be sold to one or the other—or sometimes to both.

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