THE SEMINOLES OF FLORIDA 43
 white ladies wuz a coquettin' wif de sojers an' dem
 Indians wuz as thick as hops an a laughing' an' a jab-
 berin' too.
 When Colonel Worth see dem long tables setting'
 under the big live oaks an' see dem beeves an' mut-
 tons an' turkeys an' deer we cooked, he jest natchelly
 laughed an' say, 'Clar ter goodness, what kin' o'
 Krismas doin's is dis'; an' how dem sojers an' In-
 dians did eat.
 How come I ter cook de treaty dinner?
 "Well, I wuz livin' out on ole Marse Watter-
 son' plantation, 'bout four miles from Fort King,
 dats to Ocala, now, you know, an' Jim, dat wuz
 Colonel Worth's servant, he ride out on dat big white
 horse o' de Colonel's an' say 'Colonel Worth want
 Marthy Jane ter cook de treaty dinner;' so me an'
 Diana Pyles an' Lucinda Pyles cook dat dinner.
 "Oh, Lordy, what scufflin' roun' an' jumpin' like
chickens wif der heads off as we do dat day.
 "All de sojers' guns an' de Indians' guns, too,
wuz stacked in dat garrison, an' when de night come,
dey make big camp fires an' de white folks dance an'
de Indians wuz a dancin' too, wif dem ole coutre
(terrapin) shells a strapped 'roun' der legs.
 "Tell you 'bout Colonel Worth? He wuz de
gem'men ob all dat crowd; he wuz de nobles' looking'
man an' so kind an' easy; de United States nebber
would hab conquered dem Seminoles if dey had not
induced Colonel Worth ter come down an' argufy
wif dem. Him an' old Captain Holmes wuz de mos'
like our folks ob any ob dem big generals.