"They started the next morning, all the males, and even females that were without young; and they were many, those who were waiting for males of other gentes to come and marry them. Old White Fur led them across to the river without mishap, and up to the first pond, where they visited, and rested, and ate their fill of fresh, green bark. And there some of the females met young unmarried males who wanted to mate with them; and they answered, 'We will marry you, but first you must fight for us; you must help us drive that Strong Dam and his gens from our pond.' "'And is that all you ask?' they replied. 'We are only too glad to help you. Who would not fight for his sweetheart should not have one!' "This gave White Fur something to think about; and after a time he said to Loud Slap: 'Go, now, on a secret mission: visit the ponds of our friends above here, and say to the unmarried males that our young females here will marry them, but they must first help us drive Strong Dam from this river.' "'Ai! That is a good plan,' said Loud Slap; and he started at once to carry it out. Late that night he returned, and reported that all the young males had agreed to the proposal, and would join White Fur and his kin when they came along. "'Let us start now,' said White Fur; and the advance began, and by the time he reached the dam of his own old pond, he had a large following. "There was a young man lying there on the dam, a far-back ancestor of ours who had gone there to get his medicine dream; his vision. He was awake; and when, in the bright moonlight, he saw that big, old, white-furred beaver come up on the dam, and a hundred and more beaver following, he could not believe his eyes, and cried out: 'Am I really and truly awake, or is this a medicine vision?' "'Hush! Keep still,' old White Fur told him. 'What you see is real. We are come to fight and drive off those here who have stolen our pond and our new growth of food trees. Just you keep still: we want to surprise them. If you see that they are beating us, then give us help. When all is over, I will give you a medicine that will insure you long life and happiness.' "The young man--No Otter was his name--made signs that he would keep quiet. And he sat there and watched more than a hundred beavers cross the dam close in front of him, and slide quietly into the pond, and even then could hardly believe that he was not dreaming.