Captain James Dalyell was one of those killed. Soon after these events, Pontiac's war effort collapsed and Pontiac himself faded away into obscurity and death. Surprisingly, Rogers later memorialized Pontiac and his conflict in a stage play during his sojourn in England. Post-war success and failure Rogers had brought total dedication to his position as commander of the rangers. As was often the custom in the British and American armies, he had spent his own money to equip the rangers when needed and consequently had gone into debt. In 1764, he was faced with the problem of repaying his creditors. To recoup his finances, Robert engaged briefly in a business venture with the fur trader, John Askin, near Detroit. After it failed, he hoped to win the money by gambling, with the result that he was totally ruined. His creditors put him in prison for debt in New York, but he escaped. Author in Britain In 1765, Rogers voyaged to England to obtain pay for his service and capitalize on his fame. His journals and A Concise Account of North America were published. Immediately thereafter, he wrote the stage play Ponteach [Pontiac]: or the Savages of America (1766), significant as an early American drama and for its sympathetic portrayal of American Indians. He enjoyed some moderate success with his publications (though Ponteach was condemned by the critics) and attracted royal attention. He had an audience with King George III, to whom he proposed undertaking an expedition to find the Northwest Passage. The King appointed Rogers governor of Michilimackinac (Mackinaw City, Michigan) with a charter to look for the passage, and he returned to North America. Royal Governor Upon his return to America, Rogers moved with his wife to the fur-trading outpost of Fort Michilimackinac and began his duties as royal governor. During Rogers' absence, Amherst had been replaced by Thomas Gage as commander of the British forces in America, and Gage was a bitter rival of Amherst. Rogers was a loyal friend of Amherst and was consequently hated by Gage. As an aristocrat and political intriguer, Gage viewed Rogers as a provincial upstart who posed a threat to his newly acquired power, due to his friendship with Amherst. At the time, Rogers was still a half-pay captain in the British army and, to some degree, under Gage's military jurisdiction. However, Gage could not challenge Rogers, the king's appointee, unless he