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GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 85
for this action on the part of the Creeks toward Tomo-chi-ehi, it does not seem,
that it was the result of any special ill-will, or that the expatriation was a punish
ment either for specific crime or general misconduct. The probability is that he went
into voluntary exile for a season, or that he may; have been temporarily expelled
the limits of the nation, on account of some political disagreements. Oueeka-
shumpa, the great chief of the O'Conas, claimed kinship with him and saluted him
as a good man and a distinguished warrior.
Kemoving from his former abode, after some wanderings he finally, and not very
long before the arrival of the Colony of Georgia, formed a settlement at or very
near the present site of the City of .Savannah, where he gathered about him the
tribe of Yamacraws, consisting mainly of disaffected parties from the Lower Creeks,
and, to some extent, of Yemassee Indians, by whom he was chosen mico or chief.
Prior to his removal to Yamaeraw Bluff he tarried for a season with the Palla-
Chueolas. But little can be gathered of his life previous to his acquaintance with
Oglethorpe. Ninety-one years had been, amid the forest shades, devoted to the
pursuits of war and the'ehase, and there is scarcely a tradition which wrests from
oblivion the deeds and thoughts of this aged chieftain during that long and voice
less period.
Dvu'iag the visit wMeh. he subsequently made to London, in company with Ogle
thorpe, his portrait was painted by Verelst, and hung for many years in the Georgia
rooms. This likeness, which represents him in a standing posture with his left
hand resting upon the shoulder of his nephew and adopted son, Toonahowi, w,ho
holds an eagle in his arms, was subsequently engraved by Faber and also by
Kleinsmidt. That Tomo-ehi-chi was noble in his connections we are fully advised,
and there is that about the countenance of this venerable mieo, as it has thus been
handed down to us, which savors of intellect, dignity, manliness and kingly bearing.
It will readily be perceived how important it -was to the interests of the colony
that the good-will of this chief should be secured at the earliest moment, and his
consent obtained for the peaceable occupation of the soil by the whites. On the
occasion of his first interview with Tomo-ehi-chi, as we have already seen, Mr. Ogle
thorpe was fortunate in securing the services of Mary Musgrove * as an interpreter.
Perceiving that she possessed considerable influence with the Creeks, he retained
her in this capacity, allowing her an annual compensation of £100. The meeting
between the governor of the colony and the aged mico beneath the grand live-oaks
and towering pines, the sheltering arms of which formed a noble canopy, was frank,
cordial and satisfactory. His personal friendship and the good-will of the Yama-
craws were firmly pledged, and permission was granted for the permanent occupation
of the site selected by Oglethorpe for the Town, of Savannah.
Although amicable relations had thus been established with the nearest Indians,
it was necessary, in order to promote the security of the colony, that consent to
its foundation here should be ratified by other and more powerful nations.
Learning from Tomo-ehi-chi the names and the abodes of the most influential
chiefs dwelling within the territory ceded by the charter, Mr. Oglethorpe enlisted
the good offices of the mieo in extending to them an earnest invitation to meet him
at Savannah at some early convenient day. The value of these interviews with
and the generous intervention of Tomo-chi-ehi cannot easily be overestimated in
considering their influence upon the well-being and prospects of this lonely colony
struggling for its primal existence. Had this chief, turning a deaf ear to the
advances of Mr. Oglethorpe, refused his friendship, denied his request, and, inclin
ing his authority to hostile account, instigated a determined and combined opposition
on the part not only of the Yamacraws, but .also of the lichees and the Lower
Creeks, the perpetuation of this English settlement would have been either most
seriously imperiled or abruptly terminated amid smoke and carnage. When, there
fore, we recur to the memories of this period, and as often as the leading events
in the early history of the Colony of Georgia are narrated, so often should the
favors experienced at 'the hands; of this Indian chief be gratefully acknowledged.
If Oglethorpe's proudest claim to the honor and the respect of succeeding genera
tions rests upon the fact that he was the founder of the Colony of Georgia, let it
* Her Indian name was Coosaponakesee.