When Thomas Brown finally returned to St. Augustine, Governor Tonyn honored him with an official welcome and reminded him that he was still the Indian superintendent and faced many challenges. He produced a tally sheet indicating that there were 2,400 whites and 3,600 blacks in the area, and several thousand Indians were following them into this haven, having placed their trust in the Rangers and regular British troops. For years, Brown had visited their villages, dealt fairly with their leaders, and convinced them that he was preventing further encroachment of American settlers on their land. Now he met with delegations of Creeks, Cherokees, Choctaws, Mohawks, Senecas, Delawares, Shawnees, Manjoes, Tuscaroras, Tatanous, and other tribes. They paid their respects to him, and he and other British officials gave them proper honors, thanked them for their loyalty, tried to reassure them about their future, distributed some gifts, and urged all of them to return home and unite forces to protect their hunting grounds. They were promised the permanent protection of the king, who would retain St. Augustine as the American capital of his vast kingdom.

•  •  •

Now secure in their control of Savannah, Georgia’s newly elected governor, John Martin, met with Colonel James Jackson in Tondee’s tavern, where they examined their best map of south Georgia.

The governor said, “Although we have assurances from British officials that the border between Georgia and Florida will be respected, we know damned well that Thomas Brown cannot be trusted. There is still no telling what he and his renegade Indians will do, including raids against our people right up to the edge of Savannah.”

Jackson replied, “Well, now that all the regular British troops have left, I’m sure my men and I can handle any scattered marauders. I’d like to take fifty good men and make a tour all the way down past the St. Illa River, to make sure everything is peaceful and to send a clear signal about who controls the state.”

Two hours later, Lieutenant Ethan Pratt was one of those assembled in front of the troops’ barracks. Colonel Jackson first announced that some of the troops who desired to return to their homes would be free to leave, but stated that he needed a few men to accompany him on an excursion to the south that might take as long as three weeks. Knowing that Epsey was still in the Watauga Valley and not daring to see Mavis again in Wrightsborough, Ethan immediately volunteered.

Although their excursion along the Florida line proved to be uneventful, the leaders thought it was an ominous sign that they did not encounter any friendly Indians along the way. The tribes obviously considered the Americans still to be their enemies. After consulting with his subordinates, Colonel Jackson decided to return to Savannah.

CHAPTER 56

Ethan Returns to Augusta