But captives too readily escaped into the nearby forest, and the Carolinians worried that contact between Indian and African slaves might embolden both to make common cause in a rebellion against their exploiters. Consequently, the Carolinians exported most of the Indian captives to the West Indies, especially Barbados, trading them for Africans, who were then brought back to work the Carolina plantations. The exchange rate of two Carolina Indian slaves for one African reflected the shorter life expectancy of the enslaved native.
