ld not get any further, so he clung to a
stray root, still keeping a close watch of the bear, who was forced to
do the same. There they both hung, regarding each other with looks of
contempt and defiance."

"Ha, ha, ha! ha, ha, ha!" they all laughed again.

"At last the bear swam along the edge to a lower place, and we pulled
Chadozee up by means of our lariats. All this time he had been groaning
so loud that we supposed he was badly torn; but when I looked for his
wounds I found a mere scratch."

Again the chorus of appreciation from his hearers.

"The strangest thing about this affair of mine," spoke up Tamedokah, "is
that I dreamed the whole thing the night before."

"There are some dreams come true, and I am a believer in dreams," one
remarked.

"Yes, certainly, so are we all. You know Hachah almost lost his life by
believing in dreams," commented Matogee.

"Let us hear that story," was the general request.

"You have all heard of Hachah, the great medicine man, who did many
wonderful things. He once dreamed four nights in succession of flying
from a high cliff over the Minnesota river. He recollected every
particular of the scene, and it made a great impression upon his mind.

"The next day after he had dreamed it for the fourth time, he proposed
to his wife that they go down to the river to swim, but his real purpose
was to see the place of his dream.

"He did find the place, and it seemed to Hachah exactly like. A crooked
tree grew out of the top of the cliff, and the water below was very
deep."

"Did he really fly?" I called impatiently from the doorway, where I had
been listening and laughing with the rest.

"Ugh, that is what I shall tell you. He was swimming about with his
wife, who was a fine swimmer; but all at once Hachah disappeared.
Presently he stood upon the very tree that he had seen in his dream,
and gazed out over the water. The tree was very springy, and Hachah felt
sure that he could fly; so before long he launched bravely forth from
the cliff. He kicked out vigorously and swung both arms as he did so,
but nevertheless he came down to the bottom of the water like a crow
that had been shot on the wing."

"Ho, ho, ho! Ho, ho, ho!" and the whole company laughed unreservedly.

"His wife screamed loudly as Hachah whirled downward and went out
of sight like a blue heron after a fish. Then she feared he might be
stunned, so she swam to him and dragged him to the shore. He could not
spea