Quash didn’t think Perkins would actually be killed, but she wasn’t sure. She was concerned about Big William, knowing that the entire community would be aroused against a slave who physically attacked a white supervisor, regardless of any extenuating circumstances or the reputations of the men involved. She tried to dissuade him, and he finally said, “He be knowing.”

Within a few days, Big William assured her that she would not be assaulted again, and she noticed an intense strain between him and Perkins.

When Quash was once again able to return to the big house, her interest increased in what was happening beyond the plantation. Mr. Mordecai began to entertain more of the young men from Savannah, who were never circumspect in their comments, especially after a number of toasts at the conclusion of their meals. While serving the table or lingering just outside the door, she was completely ignored as she listened attentively to the conversation. It became clear to her that the Americans were expecting a British attack on Savannah, but were supremely confident that they could repel any foray from the sea. They compared the marshlands and deep sloughs as a natural defense similar to the swamps and rivers that had helped to make fruitless all attempts of the Americans to attack St. Augustine. She could envision every detail of the marsh near Savannah as the men described the placement of guns and troops to block any movement of British troops westward from Skidaway Island. She began to wonder if she could exchange this special knowledge for her ultimate goal in life.

When Big William arrived, the others left, and she told him about the British armada approaching Savannah and reminded him of having lived in the marsh.

He listened and said, “De British be better.”

•  •  •

There were few plantations south of Savannah with which Thomas Brown and his Florida Rangers were not thoroughly familiar. A number of his men were former slaves who had moved down to St. Augustine with their masters and had been granted manumission by British law. Brown’s subordinate officers were always eager to find good men, and those familiar with plantation life were especially valuable as collectors of intelligence information. He had relatively easy relationships with the slave population, and they helped keep him abreast of the situation on the larger plantations along the coast, some of which had several hundred slaves. Using these and other sources, Brown was able to maintain a careful record of the Tory owners who supported the crown, and his men had strict orders not to abuse them. The others were increasingly mistreated, so that they soon learned to restrain or conceal their support of the Whigs and to avoid any contact with those who opposed British rule.