494 SEMINOLE INDIANS OF FLORIDA. 
subjected. But he held on bravely through the severe heat of an attic 
room at Myers. Despite the insects, myriads of which took a great in- 
terest in us and our surroundings, despite the persistent invitation of 
the near woods to him to leave ‘* Doctor Na-ki-ta” and to tramp off in 
them on a deer hunt (for ‘‘ Billy” is a lover of the woods and a bold and 
successful hunter), he held on courageously. The only sign of weak- 
ening he made was on one day, about noon, when, after many, to me, 
vexatious failures to draw from him certain translations into his own 
language of phrases containing verbs illustrating variations of mood, 
time, number, &c., he said to me: ‘Doctor, how long you want me to 
tell you Indian language?” “ Why?” Lreplied, ‘‘ are you tired, Billy?” 
‘‘No,” he answered, ‘a littly. Me think me tell you all. Me don’t know 
English language. Bum-by you come, next winter, me tell you all. 
Megoschool. Melearn. Me go hunt deer to-mollow.” I was afraid of 
losing my hold upon him, for time was precious. ‘ Billy,” I said, “you 
gonow. You hunt to-day. I need you just three days more and then 
you can hunt all the time. To-morrow come, and I will ask you easier 
questions.” After only a moment’s hesitation, ‘Me no go, Doctor; me 
stay,” was his courageous decision. 
