Chapter VIII: Part 8

The boy gave Young-Eagle the intestine to eat, and also some bones to gnaw. Young-Eagle told his brother-in-law that the enemy were within a short distance, and that he was going out to bring all the ponies that they had in the village; and that he was to turn all the ponies over to him; and that his brother-in-law should divide the ponies among the warriors.

The leader of the war-party had sent out different scouts, but they had seen no enemy’s village, nor any ponies. But every once in a while Young-Eagle would appear, and this brother-in-law of his would go to meet him. The warriors still doubted that they were brothers-in-law.

The next day, when they saw a drove of ponies coming towards them and Young-Eagle driving them afoot, they knew him. Young-Eagle’s brother-in-law went out to meet him. Young-Eagle gave him all the ponies and told him to divide them among the people. Young-Eagle went back into the enemy’s camp. He killed one man, took his scalp, and gave it to his brother-in-law, who in turn gave it to the leader of the war-party.

Young-Eagle went back to the village, and about this time the enemy were coming after him. Young-Eagle killed several more, taking their scalps. He gave the scalps to his brother-in-law, who in turn gave them to the leader. They knew that the young man was brave. After the battle he went home as Young-Eagle. The others drove ponies.

Young-Eagle went into his lodge where his wife was. He did not tell her what had happened. Two days afterward, the war-party came, singing scalp songs and telling all that Young-Eagle had done. Yellow-Calf’s father sat upon the lodge, listening, and thought that they were making fun of his son-in-law.

The warriors entered the lodge of the priests, and there they told the story, from the time they had left and from the time Young-Eagle overtook them, and the capturing of the ponies and the killing of the enemy. This was all true. Scalps were brought to Young-Eagle’s lodge, and the old man put them upon a long pole, and stuck the pole in the ground outside of the entrance of his lodge. The ponies that were left over after dividing them up between the warriors were given to Yellow-Calf’s father, who took only so many. Then Young-Eagle went out and gave the remainder of the ponies to the poor people.

Some people went to the other village, and reported all that Young-Eagle had done, and the father of Young-Eagle was ashamed, for he thought they were making fun of him, for when Young-Eagle had been at home he would never go out on the war-path. He did not believe the story; he believed the boy to be dead, for he had been away for some time. So all the sisters of Young-Eagle had cut their hair and mourned, as had also his father and mother.

Every time a war-party came to attack the village Young-Eagle was there to save the village. Once in a while, when a war-party went out, Young-Eagle followed. He did the same as he had done before. On one of these occasions he made up his mind that he would go and get his own likeness; for, although he had changed once, when first he had gone on the war-path, he still retained his big belly. One evening he went with his wife to the lake. He went into the lake. When he came out he had on his fine leggings, a fine robe and a mountain-lion quiver, and he was fine-looking, with long hair. The girl was proud of him now. They went home.

In a few days, Young-Eagle told Yellow-Calf to take all the scalps that he had taken, and saddle the ponies; for they were going to visit his father’s village. His father’s name was “Black-Sun.” They went south to Black-Sun’s village. One evening they came to the village. Young-Eagle left his wife outside of the village, and went to his father’s lodge. He told his father that he had come back. His father got up and made a fire. He told his woman to get up, for their son had come back. The four sisters got up from their beds and hugged their brother, for they had been mourning for him as dead. Young-Eagle told his sisters to go out and to bring their sister-in-law. They went out, and they found Yellow-Calf sitting outside of the lodge, holding three ponies. The girls embraced their sister-in-law and led her into the camp, took in the things that belonged to Young-Eagle and his wife, but led the ponies away. The stick with the scalps was fastened upon a long pole and stood up in front of the lodge.

Early on the next morning, Black-Sun got up and went through the village singing scalp songs, thus letting the people know that his son had returned with many scalps. The people heard it. They went out, and they saw the pole that had the scalps upon it. The people rushed into the lodge, and that very same day the braves and warriors decided that this Young-Eagle should lead the people to the girl’s village.

So the people of the other village went north, and the north and south tribes of the Arikara came together and became one tribe again.

FOOTNOTES:

[48] Told by Yellow-Bull.

48. THE GIRL WHO BECAME A WHIRLWIND.[49]

Many, many years ago the Arikara left their village and went west on a buffalo hunt. They left behind a family, the woman of which was leading a pony that dragged a travois with two children on it—a girl seven years old and a boy of five. As these people were crossing a little stream of water the pony jumped across the stream, and the children fell off. The woman, supposing the children still to be on the travois, never looked behind, and did not miss the children until she came into camp.

The men were then sent back to try to find the children, but they could not be found; for when they fell off, instead of following their parents they had gone back in the direction of their village, but instead of going into the village they had gone into the timber west of the village. There they wandered through the timber, and at last they came to a cave, where they stopped. The girl left the boy there while she went about trying to find something for him to eat. While the girl was gone, a Whirlwind came and took her far away. It was not long before the girl returned; but often after that she would go away for days. When she returned she was always very happy. Now, the boy told his sister that he wanted a bow and arrows; that he was all the time going around through the timber seeing rabbits and smaller game. The girl disappeared, and when she came back she had a bow and four blunt arrows. For many days the girl would disappear and then would return. One day the boy said: “My sister, I wander through the woods, and I am getting older; I think I ought to have a larger bow and many arrows.” So the girl said, “All right.” She went away, and when she came back she brought the bow and quiver filled with arrows for the boy. The boy was thankful for this. The girl disappeared very often. Every time she came home the boy would hear the storm coming, then, all at once, the girl would appear.

One day when the boy was out hunting, an Owl came to him, and said: “We have taken pity upon you. We have an animals’ lodge close by. We have taken pity upon you because your sister is now a wonderful being—a Whirlwind. She goes from one place to another, killing people. She has planned to kill you, that she may be the Whirlwind always. She thinks that you are in her way, for she has to look after you. Now, the girl travels far over the land. She visits places where people have food, and there she finds bows and arrows, knives, axes, and hoes, and she brings them here to your place. Testes autem moribus excidit, domumque adfert; eos frictos, dum dormis, dentibus frangit et mandit. To-night when she comes home, stay awake, for she intends to kill you soon. You will find out what she eats.” That night, when the boy lay down, he watched and waited for his sister. She came at last. She looked down and saw that her brother was sleeping, then she took some of her special meat and placed it upon hot coals, took it off and began to eat. When she got through eating, the boy arose and said, “Sister, I am glad you are back.” She said, “Well, I am going away, far away from here to-morrow, and I want you to stay here until I come back.” The next day the girl was gone. The Owl came to the boy, and said: “Make haste! Come!” So the boy followed the Owl, and as they traveled along the Owl said: “Do you see that cloud coming? That is the Whirlwind coming to destroy you. Make haste and come with me!” They ran, and as the Whirlwind was near, the boy was taken into the den of the Owls.

The Owls told the boy that when the Whirlwind should come it would make threats, but that they had taken pity upon him and would keep him there; but that there was something that this girl wanted, and they were going to tell him what it was. They said: “Your sister wants a woman. You tell her that the first woman you marry you will give her.” So the Whirlwind came to the side of the hill where the Owl’s den was. The wind blew and the girl spoke, and said: “You big Owl, turn that boy loose! He is mine! I must kill him!” But the Owls would not turn the boy loose. They said, “He is here under our protection.” The girl kept on demanding the boy. At last, the boy said, “My sister, if you will let me go, the first woman I marry I shall give to you.” The girl said: “That is what I want; I shall let you go.” So the boy was turned loose, and traveled towards his people.

When the boy came to his people, he saw that they were very poor. He entered his father’s lodge and told his father that he had come back. His father arose and built a big fire. He saw the boy sitting there and recognized him. The father asked about the sister. The boy said that his sister was well, but that she was far away. Then the boy told his father to tell the chief to come to their lodge. The boy told the chief that he had come to tell them that the buffalo were not very far away and that the people must go and kill these buffalo. The people sent hunters out and they found the buffalo as the boy had said they would. In a few days the enemy attacked this village, and they saw that the boy was a wonderful boy, for he made a way for his people to kill the enemy. The people cried through the village, and said that they should give him a nice young woman to marry. The chief’s daughter was the one to be given to him.

That night the boy went out and called for his sister. The sister came that night into the tipi and sat down by her brother, and said, “I have been far away.” The boy said: “My sister, I am now to marry. Here is the girl that I promised you.” The boy’s sister said, “That is what I want.” She went to the girl, and the sister and the boy’s wife were together. The boy went out. The next day the brother came into the lodge, and his sister said: “My brother, I give you this club and this medicine, and I give you the power that I possess—that of the Whirlwind. You will have power to kill the enemy. They will try to shoot you, but they can do you no harm. For many days I shall now go towards the southwest, where I shall always stay. When the wind comes you must know that I am the Whirlwind. I will listen to the prayers of our people. When I am coming do not let my people be afraid of me, for I shall always hear their prayers and shall always heed them. I shall not destroy them, but will always comfort them.” The young man became a famous warrior, and finally became a chief.

FOOTNOTES:

[49] Told by Many-Fox.

49. THE COYOTE AND THE MICE SUN DANCE.[50]

While the Coyote was wandering in the evening he heard dancing, but he could not see the dance anywhere. He went on walking around and hunting for the dance. He was about to give up, when he found that the noise of the dancing came from an elk skull in the bushes.

The Mice ran away as soon as the Coyote came up, but the Coyote begged to see them dance. He addressed them thus, “Uncles, I want to see you dance.” The Mice said: “We are afraid of you, for you may eat us. We would like to see you, but you are very tricky, and you might eat us.” The Coyote begged so hard, saying he had not seen his uncles for many months, and he wanted to see them; so the Mice agreed to let him into the dance. They let the Coyote peep into the back part of the skull, so that he could see the dance. As soon as the Coyote had run his head through the skull the Mice ran away, and the Coyote was held fast with his head in the skull. The Coyote begged the Mice to take the skull off, but the Mice would not listen to him. They told him to go away. So the Coyote went on his way, with the skull on his head.

The Coyote could not see very well, on account of the skull being over his eyes. He heard some noises at a distance. He went straight to a camp. He came to the edge of some water. The people saw the animal coming on the other side of the water, and some of them hallooed, “A wonderful animal coming on the other side of the water!” When the Coyote saw that the people were scared he commenced to make funny noises. Some of the people said, “Make way, so that we may be spared and live.” The Coyote said, “Give me the chief’s daughter and you shall all live.” The people gave him the chief’s daughter. The Coyote swam across the water and the people made a tipi for him. The girl took the Coyote by the horns and led him to the tipi. The Coyote stayed with the girl all night. In the morning the Coyote and the girl were sent for to come and eat. The Coyote was still close to the girl, and some boy saw that it was a Coyote. The boy yelled, “This being that is in the tipi with the girl is nothing but a Coyote!” The people rushed there and the Coyote was forced out beyond the tipi. As he could not see very well he ran into people and dogs. The people struck the skull until they broke it to pieces. They caught the Coyote and brought him home. They tied his legs with strings, drove some pegs into the ground, and tied him fast to the pegs. As the people went out they would go to the Coyote and urinate and defecate on him. One old woman went out to defecate on the Coyote, and as she lifted her dress she wanted to know how she was to do it. The Coyote told the woman that the first thing to be done was to pull the pegs, then pull up her dress, then defecate on him. The Coyote took a long stick, and as the woman lifted her dress and tried to defecate on him he ran the stick into her rectum, then stuck the stick in the ground. He then ran away and defecated as he went. For this reason the Coyote defecates easily and is always running from the people.

FOOTNOTES:

[50] Told by Joe Reed.

50. THE COYOTE BECOMES A BUFFALO.[51]

The Coyote was going along when he saw an old bull sitting down on the side of a hill. The Coyote went up to him, and said, “Well, my grandfather, are you sitting here sunning yourself?” The bull said, “Yes.” The Coyote said that he was hungry; that he would like the Buffalo to give him something to eat. The Buffalo said, “Why are you not like myself, a big Buffalo, eating grass.” The Coyote said, “Well, grandfather, I wish that you would make a Buffalo out of me.” So the Buffalo said: “All right. You will then have to break up your bow and arrows, for you will need them no more.” So the Buffalo placed the Coyote, and said, “Now you must keep a strong heart; do not get scared.” The Buffalo rushed at the Coyote, and just as he was about to hook the Coyote, the Coyote jumped sidewise. Then the Buffalo said: “Why did you get scared? Now stay right at this place, and I will come and make a Buffalo out of you.” But every time the Buffalo ran toward him the Coyote would jump away. The last time the Coyote stayed, and as the Buffalo went up against him there were two Buffalo bulls. They locked horns, then the Buffalo told the Coyote-Buffalo to eat grass. The Coyote-Buffalo obeyed and ate until he was filled. Then the Buffalo said, “We must go to the Buffalo herd, for there is one bull there who has control of all the female Buffalo, and we will fight him, and when we have killed him we can have all the female Buffalo.” So they went to the Buffalo herd. The Buffalo bull was going around among the Buffalo. They were waiting to fight him when it should come time. They fought, and they killed the Buffalo bull.

Now each bull took many cows to look after. When they all came together they lay down in a hollow for the night. The next night the Buffalo all jumped and traveled toward the western country. When the Coyote-Buffalo got up he saw that he had been left behind, all alone. He arose, but did not follow the other people. The Coyote-Buffalo came across a Coyote, and said: “Why are you not as I am? I was a Coyote once, but now I am a Buffalo.” The Coyote-Buffalo told the Coyote to throw his bow and arrows away, for he was going to make him into a Buffalo. He set the Coyote in a certain place and made a rush at him. The Coyote jumped sidewise. Three times did the Coyote-Buffalo try to run into the Coyote, but every time the Coyote jumped sidewise. The last time, the Coyote-Buffalo said, “Now you must close your eyes and let me run over you.” The Coyote obeyed and the Coyote-Buffalo ran into him, and there were two Coyotes instead of the Coyote-Buffalo and the Coyote. So the Coyote-Buffalo turned back into a Coyote.

FOOTNOTES:

[51] Told by Antelope.

51. THE COYOTE AND THE ARTICHOKE.[52]

The Coyote was going along through thick timber. He saw an Artichoke plant, which he dug up. He asked it its name. The Artichoke said, “Cososit,” meaning artichoke. The Coyote wanted to know if he had any other name. The Artichoke said, “Take-a-Bite.” When it said that, the Coyote took a bite. The Artichoke repeated this name four times, and every time it repeated it the Coyote took a bite of the Artichoke. Finally, the Coyote had eaten the Artichoke.

The Coyote went on, and again and again he expelled flatus, moving his feet each time. Every time he expelled flatus he seemed to grow worse. Once it threw him up in the air. Now, before expelling flatus, he got hold of a tree, and he said, “Now let me expel flatus.” The flatus threw him up in the air, tree and all. Again he went on, and he came to a stone, and when he knew he was to expel flatus, he said, “Now let me expel flatus.” This he did, and the stone went up with the Coyote. The stone fell on the Coyote and killed him. This is the reason we find coyotes lying beside stones.

FOOTNOTES:

[52] Told by Cut-Arm.

52. THE COYOTE RIDES THE BEAR.[53]

The Coyote was going along through the timber, and he met a Bear. The Coyote made all kinds of threats against the Bear, and finally got on his back and rode him. All at once the Coyote jumped off and said, “You can go your way, and I will go mine!” The Coyote went up on the top of a hill, to see if the Bear was still going, but he did not see him. Then the Coyote yelled, and said, “You Bear, you claim to be a fierce animal, and here I have ridden upon your back!” The Bear, hearing this, became mad. He turned around, and said: “I will kill that being, whoever he is. No matter where he goes, I will follow him.” So the Bear ran up the hill, and when the Coyote saw the Bear coming he ran. The Bear caught up with the Coyote on the next hill, and killed the Coyote and tore him up.

FOOTNOTES:

[53] Told by Antelope.

53. THE COYOTE RIDES THE BUFFALO.[54]

There was a village, and in the village lived one young girl who was very pretty. All the young men courted her, but she did not care to marry. A Buffalo came who wanted to marry her. Once in a while he would turn into a young man, nicely dressed and smelling very fine. The girl became very much attached to the Buffalo.

The Coyote came to visit the girl, and he talked to her. The girl said she did not care to talk to anybody now, because she had a young man, and that young man was the Buffalo. The Coyote said: “Why, that Buffalo is my horse. I ride him.” The girl said, “If you will ride that Buffalo here I will marry you.” The Coyote went home, took a club and hit himself very hard on the knee, so as to make it sore. The Buffalo came to the girl to talk with her. The girl told the Buffalo what the Coyote had said. The Buffalo was mad, and said, “I am going to bring the Coyote here and kill him.” The Buffalo pawed the ground and threw up the dirt. The Coyote saw the Buffalo coming. The Buffalo called to the Coyote to come out. He said: “I want you to go with me to the girl’s tipi; I am to kill you.” The Coyote said, “I am a cripple, I can not go.” “It is not true,” said the Buffalo. “Come out, uncle, can’t you? Come on.” Said the Coyote, “If you want me to go, and can carry me to the girl’s tipi, I will go.” The Buffalo agreed to carry the Coyote. The Buffalo got down on his knees and the Coyote got on top of him and sat upon him. The Coyote had a cane that he was to hit the Buffalo with.

The Coyote jumped up and ran back to the village and married the girl. The Buffalo was so ashamed that he never came back to the village. For this reason, the descendants of the Coyote are bad and tricky. By foul means, they marry.

FOOTNOTES:

[54] Told by Cut-Arm.

54. THE COYOTE AND THE BUFFALO RUN A RACE.[55]

Once when a Coyote was sauntering along he looked up and saw a Buffalo a long distance off. The Coyote ran, and nearly caught up with the Buffalo. The Coyote saw the Buffalo drop chips. He went and ate some of them. The Buffalo looked around and saw the Coyote eating the chips. The Buffalo turned back and asked the Coyote what he was doing. The Coyote said: “O, you shaggy-looking thing; why do you not go on your way and not bother a poor fellow like me? I am eating some pemmican that some fellow must have dropped.” After a while, the Coyote said, “Say, grandfather, can you run?” “Yes,” said the Buffalo, “I can run fast.” “But,” said the Coyote, “I do not see how you can run with such big feet. Then there is danger of your breaking your legs. Ah, grandfather,” said the Coyote, “I think I can beat you. I am a man who has fought in battles, and have killed many people on account of my swiftness. If you are willing to run with me, do not stand there and laugh at me. I can beat you.” So the Buffalo said, “If you want to run a race, I will run with you, and I will show you that my legs can carry me a long way and beat you.” “All right,” said the Coyote, “I will go and measure the ground, and we will run.” So the Coyote went away and selected a place. The place selected was a tableland, and there was a steep bank at the other end. The Coyote set landmarks near the steep bank and winked to himself, and said, “Now I will have a whole buffalo to eat,” for at the bottom of this steep place there was a rock. The Coyote went where the Buffalo stood, and said: “Now we will run. As soon as we get to the two landmarks I have made we will run fast. At this place we will close our eyes. When we have gone a short distance we will open our eyes and see who is in the lead.” The Buffalo agreed. They began the race, and as they came to the landmarks, the Coyote said, “Now run your best and close your eyes.” The Coyote, being on the right side of the Buffalo, closed his left eye. The Buffalo ran with his eyes closed and jumped over the steep bank. The Coyote stopped, looked, and saw the Buffalo lying dead at the bottom of the steep bank.

The Coyote went down and skinned the Buffalo and cut him up. He then took the meat to a place where there was a creek, and there he put up a small lodge for himself. He made a fire and roasted some meat. Then he went out to see if he could see any one. He saw a Fox coming along. He waited for the Fox. When the Fox came up, the Coyote said, “My friend, I want you to come to my lodge and pack water for me.” The Fox said, “I will go with you and pack water for you.” So they went together and entered the lodge. The Coyote fixed the buffalo pouch for a bucket, and said, “Fox, you go after water with this pouch.” The Fox obeyed. Before he got to the creek he had eaten up the pouch. Four times the Coyote gave the Fox a pouch to bring water, and every time the Fox would say, “Coyote, as I dipped water, something came and took away my pouch.” The Coyote was mad, and he took some coals and threw them into the Fox’s face, so that the Fox cried and ran off. The Fox told his story to every animal he met. All the living animals got together, and when the Coyote was fast asleep they went in and ate all he had in his lodge. When he woke up he found all his meat gone, and he went away crying.

When you have plenty, do not trust your friends, or they will get all you have.

FOOTNOTES:

[55] Told by New-Man.

55. THE COYOTE AND THE DANCING CORN.[56]

Two Coyotes were going along, and as they became hungry one of them said: “Let us go where the people have left their village. We will find some pounded corn.” As they came to the village they separated, one going through many lodges, while the other went another way. The leader came to a lodge, and there he saw pounded corn, in lumps, running into the mortar. The Coyote ran into the lodge and begged the lumps of pounded corn to come out, saying that he was an old man who sang for people in their sacred ceremonies. The Coyote walked around the fireplace and began to sing. The lumps of pounded corn came out and danced. The lumps began to dance with the Coyote. “Close your eyes,” said the Coyote. The lumps had danced so hard that they had raised a dust, and the Coyote thought it was time to act. So he ran to the mortar, stuck his head into the bowl, and became fast. After a time the brother of the Coyote came, and said, “Wa, what are you doing?” The captive Coyote said: “I am fast, but I have lots to eat in this bowl. Take an axe and cut the bowl open.” The other Coyote took the axe and chopped the mortar open, cutting the other Coyote on the head so that he died. There was nothing in the mortar. The Coyote went away crying, for he had killed his brother.

FOOTNOTES:

[56] Told by Little-Crow.

56. THE COYOTE AND THE TURTLE RUN A RACE.[57]

One time a Coyote met a Turtle. The Coyote began to boast of his swiftness, and the Turtle said, “Why, I can beat you running!” So the Coyote said, “We will run a race to-morrow.” That night they parted, and went to their homes, so that they could get ready for the race the next morning. After the Turtle reached home he began to worry, and he could not get to sleep, for he knew that the Coyote could run fast. But the Turtle said to himself: “I will take him up there and go to the other Turtles, and ask them to assist me.” So the Turtle went to the other Turtles, and said: “I am about to run a race with the Coyote. I want you to help me.” He told them the place where they were to run, and the distance they were to run. So several Turtles volunteered to go and help the Turtle to beat the Coyote.

All the Turtles went to the place. They placed one Turtle at the end of the course; then they placed another one at a certain distance back of him; then another back of this one, and so on, and finally the Turtle himself took his stand. Each Turtle carried a long pole, and hid in the ground.

The next morning the Turtle met the Coyote. The Coyote began to run around and was happy, for he thought that he was going to beat the Turtle. The Turtle and the Coyote got ready to start. The Turtle gave the command to start. The Coyote ran and the Turtle crawled into his hole. When he got over a little ridge the Coyote saw the Turtle going ahead of him. Coyote ran and caught up with the Turtle. The Turtle threw his pole away and crawled into the ground. When the Coyote got to another knoll, there was the Turtle ahead of him again. The Coyote caught up with him. The Turtle crawled into the ground. The Coyote ran, and when he got up to another hill, there was the Turtle going ahead. The Coyote caught up with and passed him. At the end, the Turtle was at the goal, and the Coyote got up, and said, “You have beaten me.” This fine stretch of running killed the Coyote.

FOOTNOTES:

[57] Told by Standing-Bull.

57. THE COYOTE AND THE STONE RUN A RACE.[58]

The Coyote went up on a high hill, and there he saw a stone. The Coyote asked of the stone its name. The Stone said, “Run-Fast.” “A good name,” said the Coyote, “but I can beat you running.” The stone said, “You will spoil my rest, but if you want to race I will run with you.” The Coyote said, “All right, I want to race with you.” So the Stone told the Coyote to carry him to the top of the hill. The Coyote placed the Stone upon the hill and started him rolling down the hill. For a time the Coyote ran along side of him, then passed him. The Stone ran down the hill and caught up with the Coyote, and rolled upon his back. The Coyote then tried to shake off the Stone, telling him that he had beaten him and begging him to get off his back. But the Stone stayed upon the Coyote’s back. As the Coyote walked along the Stone grew heavier. It was now towards evening, and as the Coyote walked along he saw the Bull-Bats fly overhead. He told them to fly lower; that he had something to tell them. The Bull-Bats flew down. The Coyote told them that the Stone had been calling them names. He said: “When I told the Stone that I would tell you he jumped up on my back so that I could not tell you.” The Bull-Bats said, “We will take the Stone off.” So the Bull-Bats flew up high in the air, then came down with a swoop, making a peculiar noise upon the stone and cracking the Stone. The Bull-Bats kept on flying towards the Stone, until the Stone split in two.

After the Stone had fallen from the Coyote, the Coyote ran along making fun of the Bull-Bats, calling them names. He said, “You spoiled my hair by scattering some of these stones upon my back.” The Bull-Bats told the Coyote to go his way and they would go theirs. They separated.

FOOTNOTES:

[58] Told by Cut-Arm.

58. THE COYOTE AND THE ROLLING STONE.[59]

The Coyote was once going along, and he became hungry. He heard a noise in the distance which sounded like dancing. He went to the place from where the noise came and there were some men dancing around the fire. When he came close to the place he saw that these men were Jack-Rabbits and that they had taken out intestines from the fire. One took them out, and they began to eat them. The Coyote asked them where they got the intestines. The Rabbit men told the Coyote that they would not tell him. The Coyote was very hungry, and he wanted very much to find out. He made all kinds of promises to the Rabbits, if they would only tell him, and if they demanded pay he promised that he would pay them. The leader of the Rabbit men said, “If you will pay us a good price we will teach you how the big intestines are made.” The Coyote was willing to pay them. He stood up, and said: “Grandchildren, I have been very far away, on the war-path. You can see that I am a warrior by this headdress that I have on; but, to know the secret of making these intestines I am willing to part with this eagle war-bonnet.” The Rabbits told the Coyote to go and get some red willows. The Coyote went and brought a few red willows, and these the Rabbits threw into the fire. Then they began to sing a song, and all the Rabbits stood up and danced around the fire. As the willows burned they turned slowly into large buffalo intestines. When these were roasted on the coals the Rabbits told the Coyote to take the intestines off from the coals and eat them. The Coyote took the long intestines, and they were so good that he asked the Rabbits to do the same thing again, for he was still hungry. The Rabbits told the Coyote to get a good armful of willows. When they were brought and placed upon the fire all the Rabbits stood up, and the Coyote was among them. They danced around, and as the willows burned they turned into large intestines. As each intestine was roasted the Coyote went and pulled it off the fire. The Rabbits had been eating these things, so they did not care for any. The Coyote ate them all, and was filled.

The Coyote then began to look around to see how he might get back his war-bonnet; for he thought he now knew the secret of making these long intestines on the coals. He said to the Rabbits: “Let me take this war-bonnet, and let me show you how it must set upon the head; let me show you how I wear it.” The leader of the Rabbits said: “We are afraid of you; you are tricky, and you might get away with it.” The Coyote said: “I will not get away with it. All that I want is to show you the way it must be worn.” “Well,” said the leader, “you may have it, and show us how you wear the bonnet.” As the Coyote put the war-bonnet upon his head he made a long jump sidewise, and got away from the Rabbits. The Rabbits got after the Coyote, but he was too swift for them. The Rabbits said: “You can go; you will not be able to do the trick four times.” The Coyote turned around and laughed at the Rabbits.

The Coyote ran far away, and as he was becoming hungry he made a fire, gathered some red willows, threw them into the fire, and danced around the fire all alone. He succeeded in making the buffalo intestines. He did it again, but the third time it began to fail. The fourth time the red willows burned up into ashes. They did not turn into intestines for him. The Coyote began to cry, for he knew that now he must go hungry. He went along, and after a while he began to have the stomach ache. Deinde ventrem facere volebat, et, loco idoneo reperto, insedit. Dum defæcabat leporem circumcursantem vidit, undeque esset miratus est. Quo magis defæcavit, eo plures lepores vidit. Tum se lepores emittere repperit. Paulum cunctatus, dixit: “Cogitem quo modo hos lepores prehendere possim.” Nam lepores occidere volebat. Itaque pulchrum pallium quod armis trahebat sibi humi sedenti circumposuit. Hoc saxis gravibus onerato, iterum defæcare incipit. Usque ad vesperum defæcabat; tandemque exortus locum pallio operuit, eique saxum imposuit. Deinde ingentem stipitem nactus, lepores quos sub pallio esse putabat occidit. Pallio autem remoto, nihil nisi excrementum repperit. Quod cum vidisset, se dixit stultissimum esse.

The Coyote did not know what to do with the robe. He got hold of the robe and dragged it along until he came to a big Stone. He said to the Stone: “I am going to make you a present of this robe.” The Stone was pleased with the robe. The Coyote went away. When the Coyote was a little way off he saw a big hail-storm coming. He had nothing to cover himself with. He turned and went back to the place where the robe was. When he got to the robe it was clean, and it smelled good. The Coyote said to the Stone: “O, you have made the robe nice and clean. I came after it.” The Stone never said a word, and the Coyote stepped over and took his robe again. He went on. The storm never came near the Coyote. Soon he heard something coming behind him. He did not pay any attention to what he heard. By and by he looked back and saw the great, big Stone coming toward him. The Stone spoke to him, and said, “You, Coyote, stop!” This scared the Coyote very badly, for he knew that he would be killed for taking the robe back. The Stone chased the Coyote all the evening, and the Coyote became very tired and was about to give out, when he saw two Bull-Bats flying around in the air. He called to them, and said, “My brothers, this big Stone is after me and wants to kill me.” The Bull-Bats asked the Coyote why the Stone was chasing him. The Stone then spoke up and told the Bull-Bats not to believe anything that the Coyote might tell them. The Coyote begged the Bull-Bats, and said that the Stone had said something bad about the Bull-Bats; that the Stone was afraid that he would tell the Bull-Bats about it; and that was why the Stone was mad and ran after him and was trying to kill him; that he wanted them to help him by destroying the Stone. He said: “If you will stop the Stone I will change the color on your wings and tail.” The Bull-Bats said: “We will destroy the Stone, but you must first tell us what the Stone said about us, and what names he called us.” The Coyote said: “The Stone said that you were the ugliest-looking birds that he ever saw, because you have short beaks and big mouths, short legs, and are very dirty.” The Bull-Bats and the Coyote were talking on the top of a hill, and the Stone was trying to climb the hill, but could not get to the top.

After the Bull-Bats had accepted the Coyote’s word, one flew up, and when he came down, he expelled flatus upon the Stone and it burst in two. Another Bull-Bat split the Stone again, and soon they had it all broken up. (It is claimed by the people that there was no stone in the world except this big stone; and when the Bull-Bats broke the stone it scattered all over the world.) The Coyote was saved. He got some white clay and put it on the top of the Bull-Bats’ heads and bodies. The Coyote went on his way, happy.

FOOTNOTES:

[59] Told by Two-Hawks.

59. THE COYOTE AND THE ROLLING STONE.[60]

One time when the Coyote was going along he met a Rabbit. The Coyote said to the Rabbit: “Let us gamble to-night. Let us gather dry limbs and make a big fire, that we may look at one another, and the one who goes to sleep first is to be covered by the other.” The Rabbit agreed to this. So the Coyote and the Rabbit gathered a lot of dried limbs and made a big fire. The Coyote sat on one side and the Rabbit on the other side of the fire, so that they both looked at one another. The Rabbit went to sleep, but he had his eyes wide open. Every time the Coyote looked at the Rabbit he saw that his eyes were wide open, but all this time the Rabbit was asleep. By morning the Coyote went to sleep. The Rabbit went over and covered him and then went his way.

The Coyote woke up and was very mad. Profectus, ventrem facere volebat. Dum defæcavit, multos lepores parvos emisit, qui autem extemplo evanuerunt. Idcirco viatus est. Itaque pallium suum deposuit, ut, cum defæcavisset, eo lepores prehendere posset. Cum igitur in pallio defæcavisset, se lepores eo prehendisse arbitratus, pallium stipite iterum atque iterum feriebat. Cum autem pallium aperuisset, nihil nisi excrementum repperit. He dragged the robe along and gave it to a Stone that was lying near by. When the Coyote turned around to look at the robe that he had given to the Stone, he saw that it was clean and white. So he went and took the robe, and as he dragged it away from the Stone he found that it was as before. Again he gave the robe to the Stone, and said: “It is yours; I did not mean to take it.” The Coyote started off again, but he looked back and he saw that the robe was all painted in colors and was very beautiful. He went and pulled on it to take it away, and again it was as at first. Four times the Coyote gave the robe back to the Stone, and four times he took it away from the Stone.

At last the Stone moved, for it was angry, and the Stone ran after the Coyote. The Coyote ran down a hill, crying: “Father and mother Bull-Bats, this Stone that is running after me called you names! I told him that I would tell you Bull-Bats, and now he is trying to kill me!” The Bull-Bats told the Coyote to climb up a tree, where the young Bull-Bats were. The Bull-Bats expelled flatus on the Stone and broke it all to pieces. The Bull-Bats, as soon as the Stone was broken to pieces, flew up high in the sky, and when they were gone the Coyote saw the young ones in their nest and ate them up; then he came down from the tree. The Bull-Bats missed their young ones and they knew that it must have been the Coyote who had eaten them, for they heard the young ones crying in the Coyote’s belly. They were mad, and they expelled flatus on the Coyote and killed him.

Because the Coyote is up to all kinds of mischief he is often killed, and this is why we so often find a dead Coyote on the prairies.

FOOTNOTES:

[60] Told by Cut-Arm.

60. HOW THE SCALPED-MAN LOST HIS WIFE.[61]

One time the women went into the timber to gather some grapes. One of the girls went far. She saw some grapes away up in a tree, so she climbed the tree to get them. While she was up there, a Scalped-Man found her. The woman cried for help, but the other women had already gone home. The woman came down from the tree and went with the Scalped-Man to his den. But before getting to the den, they had to cross a creek. Before they crossed the creek, the girl said, “Now, if you will just go in and swim and wash your head, then I will be your wife and will not be afraid of you.” The girl made the Scalped-Man dive many times, and while he was diving she ran away and came to a grapevine, and crawled under it.

When the Scalped-Man came out from the water the girl was missing. He followed her tracks to the grapevine, and he said, “You are to come out from there!” But the girl said nothing. After a while he went on. He kept going through the timber back and forth, until at last he gave up. The woman got out from the place, and ran home. She told her people about the Scalped-Man.

FOOTNOTES:

[61] Told by Many-Fox.

61. THE GENEROUS SCALPED-MAN AND HIS BETRAYER.[62]

There was a man from an Arikara village who went hunting, going west from the village. He saw some antelope in a valley. He crawled up to them, and just as he was about to shoot he saw one antelope hold its head up, so that the man knew that it must have seen something. A mysterious being jumped up by the antelope, and before the antelope had time to jump the being had struck it and killed it. This being, who was a Scalped-Man, walked around the antelope, then took it by the legs, swung it upon his back and carried it off towards the Bad Lands. The hunter followed. The Scalped-Man came to a steep bank. He entered the bank and disappeared. The man kept his eye on the place where the Scalped-Man had disappeared. He came to the bank, looked in, and saw that there was a door, made of willows sewed together with sinew. Mud had been put over it and there was a root sticking out for a handle. By catching hold of the root the door was opened. The man went in and closed the door. Then he went in further, where the cave was, and there he saw the Scalped-Man sitting down by the fireplace. The antelope was lying by the entrance and the Scalped-Man was sitting down waiting, for he knew that the man was coming. The man spoke to the Scalped-Man, and said: “Why do you hold your head down? Speak! I am here. I am not afraid of you.” The man kept talking to the Scalped-Man until the Scalped-Man became friendly, then the man sat down. The Scalped-Man began to cut the meat. The man stayed with the Scalped-Man four days and nights.

The Scalped-Man told the man that he knew the country all around, and that he took long journeys into the enemy’s country and had killed many enemies; that if he would keep his secret of his living in the Bad Lands he would help him to become a great man like himself. The man promised, so the Scalped-Man told the man to remain in his cave while he should go off to the enemy’s country. The Scalped-Man went off, and was gone for several days. When he came back he took the man out of his den and told him that he had brought several ponies for him. The ponies were in a valley. The man thanked the Scalped-Man. He took the ponies home. The people were surprised to see the man coming with the ponies, for he had not been on the war-path, but had been out hunting, as they thought. The man stayed in the village several days, then he went out again.

The man went to the Scalped-Man’s cave. The Scalped-Man asked him what he wanted. The man told him that he wanted many ponies. The Scalped-Man told him to remain in his cave; that he himself was going out into the enemy’s country. The Scalped-Man disappeared and in a few days returned. He gave the man all the ponies he had brought from the enemy’s country. The man now thanked the Scalped-Man and drove the ponies to the village. The people knew that the man had gone off alone on the war-path, and now they were glad to see him bring many ponies. The people did not know that the Scalped-Man had helped this man.

When the man had been home with the ponies for several days he again started on the war-path. He went to the home of the Scalped-Man and told him that he wanted scalps. The man stayed right in the Scalped-Man’s cave when he received the scalps. He fixed them on sticks. The man now returned to his village, singing war songs. The people heard the songs and knew that he must have killed the enemy. When they went out to meet him, sure enough, he had several scalps hung upon poles. There were dances all through the village on account of the scalps.

In a few days the man went out again. He told the Scalped-Man that he wanted some more scalps. The man remained in the cave while the Scalped-Man went off into the enemy’s country. In a few days the Scalped-Man came back with the scalps. The man received the scalps. He stayed in the cave while he fixed them on poles. At this time the man told the Scalped-Man that several men wanted to join him on the war-path. The Scalped-Man said: “Very well, come with them and stop near this place. Leave them in a hollow and come into my cave, and we will go together. I shall be glad to scout for your people.” When the man went home there was again rejoicing in the village and scalp dances were had in the village.

In a few days the man made it known to the people that he was about to go on the war-path. The old men flocked to him, for they knew that he was very lucky capturing ponies and bringing scalps. When the war-party started out the man who was in the lead led them to the cave of the Scalped-Man. He told the warriors to remain in a valley, while he went a short distance to look for some deer. The man went to the Bad Lands to the cave of the Scalped-Man. He entered the cave. He found the Scalped-Man sitting there. They started on their journey, but the Scalped-Man would not join their party, but he went on ahead. The Scalped-Man led them to the village, helped to kill the enemy and capture ponies. The war-party returned with scalps and many ponies.