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Old Mission Stories of California by Charles Franklin Carter
page 10 of 141 (07%)
me."

"One night, when I was about fifteen years old, I dreamed that the
spring, near which our kindred live, dried up, and forced us to move to
another spring where we had to stay for two months. When I came to
myself (for it was not so much like sleep as a trance), I wondered; but
this passed away after a time, and I had almost forgotten the
occurrence, when one day, about a month later, we were startled by
hearing there was no water in the spring. The winter before had been
very dry, with almost no rain, and fears had been expressed that the
spring would fail us, a thing which had not occurred for more than three
generations. My dream flashed through my mind, only for an instant, but
long enough to imprint the coincidence on my memory. I thought no more
of it, however, until some six months later, after our return to the
spring; for, as I saw it in my dream, we had been forced to depart, and
to be absent from our beloved dwelling-place for two months. Again I
saw, as in a dream (but this time it was full day, and I knew I was not
asleep), our entire tribe in mourning for our chief who was lying dead
and surrounded by all the elders. It was like a flash of lightning,
leaving me, once more, broad awake, yet I had not been asleep. This time
I was frightened, for I knew there had been members of our tribe who
could foretell the future. Was I to be one of them? I dared not tell any
one of my dream, and waited trembling, from day to day, hoping and
praying that it might not come true. But the future had been revealed to
me, and a few weeks later our chief fell in a battle with our enemies to
the east. When I heard of it I swooned, and my mother found me lying
senseless by the fire. After she had revived me, she asked me the cause
of my fainting, and, weakened from the shock, I told her all."

"'Daughter,' she said, after a long pause, 'you are destined for a great
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