“Half Spaniard, half Frenchman, half Scotchman, and altogether a Creek scoundrel.”
But Robertson was biased in his judgment because of his hatred for Spain; and there was a strain of Spanish blood in the polyglot emperor. Others of his generation pictured him as fiend and treacherous in his dealings. These charges are not substantiated by any known facts and resulted from the stress and heat of the times. That he played one power against others with consummate adroitness is a matter of historic record—England, Spain and America. He wore the military trappings of the British, he was fond of his Spanish uniform, and finally the insignia of an American officer; the last after Washington made him a brigadier general. But at the time of Chucky Jack’s visit to Little Talassee he was all for Spain.
As Sevier faced him in the comfortable living-room of the big house it was without the prejudices of many contemporaries. As McGillivray stood by the table and rested the tips of his long, tapering fingers on the polished board, his spare six feet of muscle gracefully inclined toward his “guest,” his smooth, dark handsome face portraying only solicitude for the comfort of his new acquaintance, Sevier knew he was in the presence of a gentleman.
After Sevier had seated himself McGillivray tapped a bell and gave an order to the half-breed servant. Wine and cakes were brought. All that surrounded the man reflected the opulence resulting from a partnership with Panton, Forbes and Leslie, whose importations yearly ran to nearly a quarter of a million of dollars. And yet this atmosphere of well-being contained no suggestion of the garish. The impression was that the house of McGillivray always had enjoyed a king’s income.
Sinking into a chair across from Sevier, the emperor studied the borderer with courteous curiosity. Then, raising his glass, he gave—
“To your good health and—discretion.”
“I thank you. The last is proven by my seeking you in a time of great need,” said Sevier.
McGillivray’s dark eyes became luminous.
“Ha!” he softly exclaimed. “If you come for assistance you can count on McGillivray of the Creeks to the hilt.”
“Not so fast,” restrained Sevier. “The need I speak of is yours as well as mine.”