Coyote lived with his family. He had several daughters. One had married the Deer, one the Elk, and one the Fish-Hawk. One day Coyote said to his son, "Let us visit your sister, Deer's wife!" When they arrived there, Deer said to his wife, "Build a fire and heat stones." She did as bidden and boiled the water. Then Deer took his knife and cut a piece from her dress, cut it to pieces, and threw it into the water. As soon as he had cut it, it grew right down again. Coyote said to himself, "I am not going to eat an old dirty dress like that!" Soon it boiled and turned into fat deer-meat. Deer's wife took it out and set it before her father. Coyote invited his daughter and her husband Deer to come and see him the next day. Then he and his boy left.
Next day Coyote's daughter and her husband came. Coyote said to his wife, "Build a fire and heat stones." -- "What for?" said his wife. "You know," Coyote replied. When the water boiled, Coyote cut pieces from his wife's dress and threw them into the water. The pieces, however, remained buckskin, nor did the dress grow out again. So Deer said to his wife, "Let us do it for them and go home!" They did so and went home.
Next day Coyote said to his son, "Let us go and visit your sister, Elk's wife!" They did so. Elk said to his wife, "Cut me a green stick." She did so. Elk bent it over, tied it together, and covered it with ashes. Soon Elk asked for a basket, took a stick, and extracted dung from his own body. Coyote asked, "Am I to eat that stick and my son-in-law's excrements?" They continued cooking the dung, which turned into canvas-back duck. When they took the stick out, it proved to be an intestine filled with meat, so they ate it. Coyote said, "Come and visit us tomorrow!"
When they arrived on the following day, Coyote said to his wife, "Build a fire." She did so. Then Coyote said, "Cut me a green stick." -- "What for?" she asked. "You know," he answered, "we have often done it." She went out to cut the stick. Coyote found it very difficult to bend it, but finally succeeded. Then he called for a pail, and extracted two mice which he had hidden. Then he struck the wood. The wood burned and sprang apart, scattering sparks over Coyote's wife, and setting fire to her. She ran out. Then Elk and his wife prepared the food and went home in disgust. Coyote ate the food himself.
Next morning Coyote asked his son to go with him to see his brother-in-law, Fish-Hawk. Soon after they arrived there, Fish Hawk's wife built a fire. Then Fish-Hawk told her to get a few switches. She did as told. Fish Hawk perched on a tree that grew up through a hole in the ice. He called and then dived. When he came up again, he had several strings of fish. His wife cooked them for her guests. Coyote said, "Come and visit me tomorrow!"
The following day they came. Coyote had an old tree in the ice. He cut a hole, as his son-in-law had done. Then he told his wife to go and get some sticks. When he started to climb the tree, his boy cried, "See my father climb the tree! What is he going to do?" -- "Oh, he is just a fool," said his mother. "Oh, see him make motions!" the boy cried. Then Coyote jumped. The boy yelled, "Oh, see my father jump! He has missed the hole and has killed himself!" Then Fish-Hawk's wife said, "Go and get fish for them." So Fish Hawk did so, and then he and his wife left them. Coyote lay unconscious on the ice. Soon he recovered, and told his wife to cook the fish for him, for he had nearly lost his life getting them.
Coyote had a wife and a small son. He told the boy, "I am going to visit your sisters." He went to her tent and found the woman and her husband Kingfisher (saxsax) in. The man told his wife to give Coyote food. It was winter-time, and the river was covered with ice. There were just two water-holes in the ice. Kingfisher flew up into a tree, carrying five switches. He whistled, and jumped down through the hole in the ice. Before long he came out of the water with a trout on each stick. They cooked the fish and gave it to Coyote. After he had eaten, Kingfisher caught some more, and gave them to Coyote to take home. Coyote went home with fish enough for two days. Before leaving, he invited Kingfisher to come and see him.
After a few days Kingfisher went to see him, in spite of the objections of his wife, who told him that Coyote had nothing to eat in his tent. Coyote had made holes in the ice.
1 BBAE 31 : 694; BBAE 59 : 294 (note 8); this volume, pp. 6, 181.
