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Gov. Ayala sent Lt. Pena to solicit old Brims

Source: The Governorship of Spanish Florida #122

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Ayala, however, was not completely satisfied with the progress of his Indian program. Despite vows of friendship from most of the lesser chiefs of the Lower Creeks, he had not received a pledge of loyalty from the grand emperor, old Brims. Without the support of Brims the professions of friendship made so freely by his lesser chiefs in drinking bouts at Saint Augustine meant little. To woo the emperor, therefore, Ayala sent Diego Pena back to the banks of the Chattahoochee with the Lower Creek delegation that visited Saint Augustine in July, 1717.

Pena was a logical choice. He had traveled widely among the Indians northwest of Apalache and had bargained with them successfully in 1716. Inured to the rigors of life among the natives and acquainted with their attitudes, Pena was the most likely one to persuade Brims to side with the Floridians. Ayala also considered gifts a requisite for success, and he armed Pena with silver, fine hats, muskets, pistols, powder, shot and an elegant gold-braided uniform especially for Brims. Pena had strict instructions to treat the emperor kindly, patiently, and gently and to refrain from any disputes with the Lower Creek tribes. No Spanish soldier accompanying the lieutenant could trade with the Indians for personal gain. Ayala also instructed Pena to press the Indians for removal of their villages to sites closer to the new fort he intended to establish on Apalache Bay.

(Tepaske GSF)