26 TRUE BEAR STORIES. 



swaying from side to side. The Indian's 

 head was doing the same, and their eyes 

 were drawing closer and closer together. 

 Whatever there may be in the Bible storj 

 of Eve and the serpent, whether a figure 

 or a fact, who shall say? but it is cer 

 tainly, in some sense, true. 



An Indian will not kill a rattlesnake. 

 But to break the charm, in this case, they 

 caught their companion by the shoulders 

 and forced him back flat on the ground. 

 And there he lay, crying like a child, the 

 first and only Indian I ever saw cry. And 

 then suddenly boom! boom! boom! as if 

 heaven burst. It began to rain in torrents. 



And just then, as we began to breathe 

 freely and feel safe, there came a crash 

 and bump and bang above our heads, and 

 high over our heads from off the ledge be 

 hind us! Over our heads like a rocket, in 

 an instant and clear into the water, leaped 

 a huge black bear, a ball of fire! his fat 

 sides in flame. He sank out of sight but 

 soon came up, spun around like a top, dived 



