“That means I lose the girl,” Jackson sadly reminded.
“Not if she is the girl I’ve always believed her to be. I tell you she’s an American girl. She may not call it that, but she is. She would despise you if you dodged your duty to secure her love. Remember, you’ll get nothing worth while in this life except what you pay for by work and suffering. God knows we who have won the Watauga and the Kentucky lands have paid the full price. Tell the girl frankly you must know more about her father’s doings from the lips of her father.”
“He’d simply rage and probably threaten to shoot me.”
“I need scarcely remind you that threats won’t scare a man who’s just from the Shawnee country,” said Sevier with a smile.
“—— it! I’ll lose my chances of seeing the girl without learning anything that would help you.”
“Tonpit will rage and bluster, and he’ll threaten and forbid your seeing Elsie. But he won’t lie about Hester; there’s where he is weak as a plotter. If he saw him, he’ll fume and demand what business it is of yours. Then tell him you propose to marry his daughter. She’s of age. If she loves you and is worth the winning, you’ll lose nothing. The other way—trying to remain neutral—leads to dishonour and the girl’s contempt. When do you see her?”
“Tonight—about ten o’clock.”
“I will be here waiting for you. I understand your feelings. It’s natural you should feel a bit selfish. Love-making wouldn’t be worth the experience if lovers weren’t selfish. But Miss Elsie would scorn a man who slighted his duty. Our country comes first. If I can find out what Tonpit intends to do, if only a hint of his next move, I can make a close guess about what McGillivray wrote him. I know the Creek Nation has been ready to strike for months and has been held back until the Cherokees could be won over. Now that we’re ceded to the Union and believed to be unprotected, the Cherokees favour the Creek alliance.
“Old Tassel is cunning beyond the average. He wants peace, but he’ll fight to get back the French Broad lands. Tall Runner’s talk was merely to show me that the Cherokees know our condition, a strong hint for us to vacate the French Broad lands. If we’d withdraw from the Broad and the Holston, Old Tassel would strongly oppose any alliance with the Creeks. As it now stands, we’re facing the power of Spain, the enmity of the Creeks and a very probable alliance between the Creeks and the Cherokees, with the Seminoles thrown in for good measure. By heavens! It’s high time we all began to be good Americans!”
“God knows I’m an American!” cried Jackson, catching the other’s fervour. “I was training to be one when I first risked my hair among the Shawnees and Wyandots. Yes, Sevier, I’ll give my all to block Spain.”