The man helped Brown from his horse and into the cabin, where his wife and two children had been peeping through the door. “My name is Jason Turner. It’s too wet to work in the field, and this afternoon I will be glad to go with you to the settlement. I’ve been needing to do some trading and don’t require any pay.”

The family members were polite and somewhat timid, and they observed Thomas Brown with great curiosity, while attempting to conceal their interest. They could see that he was quite weak and feverish, and that he did not wish to discuss his circumstances any more than necessary. He seemed to be obsessed with his own thoughts and eager to recommence his travels. He accepted some warm water and managed to bathe and rewrap his right foot, which was badly swollen.

That afternoon Turner helped Brown onto his horse, and the two men rode for only a half mile before the injured man began swaying in the saddle. After a brief conversation, Brown agreed to go back to the cabin to spend the night. After eating a few bites of cornbread and drinking some milk, he lay down on a pallet and slept soundly, rising sometime during the night to relieve himself outside. The next morning, Brown and Turner proceeded as rapidly as possible to Ninety Six, where they entered the big gate of the fort. Brown insisted that Turner accept a sovereign for his trouble before they parted company. Then Brown hobbled into the clapboard command post, had the duty officer close the door, showed him his papers from the governor, and asked to see the commanding officer, a Captain Whitman. The captain knew of Brown as the “governor’s man,” had seen him during one of his encounters with Drayton, and had already heard a report of the incident in Augusta. The captain was a professional soldier, completely loyal to the crown, and treated the lieutenant with sympathy and respect. He arranged for a curtained-off bed and some rudimentary medical treatment from the apothecary assigned to the fort. Brown asked for paper and writing materials, and spent as much time as possible composing a report of the disgraceful attack on himself. He finally decided to abbreviate the written account so that he could describe all the facts directly to the governor. After two days, Captain Whitman assigned a dependable man to accompany Brown to Charles Town, a long trip of about 175 miles.

•  •  •