5. COYOTE AND FOX RUN RACES.
(cont.)Coyote said to the victors, "You are fine runners, and have beaten us fairly. Just let me get a drink of water, and then you may cut off my head." So they told him to get a drink and come back. Now, down at the creek there were some children playing, and they saw Coyote take off his clothes and crawl into the water and under a root. A boy cried out, "Here is Coyote! Come on! He is crawling under the root!" They all pulled him out and took him where Fox was, and then they beheaded both. It did Coyote no good to hide after he had lost.
Now, there were several persons suffering from swellings of the body,1 and they sent for Fox to treat them and make the swelling go away. When these persons were nearly well, Coyote asked Fox for permission to help in the curing. So Fox let Coyote act as shaman, and the patients grew worse again. This happened several times. Fox would make them better, and Coyote would turn round and make them worse. By and by the sick ones ordered Fox to tell Coyote not to help, because he was not a good medicine-man.2
Moon4 had a son who used to sit on the point of a hill and watch the up-river trail that passed near their camp. The son used to kill people and take the bodies home to his father, who cooked and ate them; but the private parts he ate first, and without cooking. This happened for many years, and Coyote learned of it. And Coyote came towards that place; and, behold! there was that one far off on the hill, watching for people. And Coyote kept out of sight, and made himself a hat of grass. Whenever the Moon-Youth5 turned his head, Coyote would creep closer, and then lie flat on his belly and be very still. In that manner he went very close to him; and right by his side he took off the hat and spoke to Moon-Youth, saying, "Halloo, nephew! this is the wrong place for you to sit and watch;" and the Moon-Youth jumped with fright, thinking, "I wonder whence he came towards me!" And Coyote said, "Your father and mine used to keep watch over there, where that little pile of stones is, whenever it was cold. Many they killed, and nobody ever took them unawares." And, sure enough, the pile of stones was there, and they built a fire. Then Moon-Youth did not know what to think. And again Coyote spoke: "We are thirsty, but yonder is a spring of very good water; let us get a drink!" They went there, and, sure enough, Moon-Youth found the spring. Coyote said, "Now, drink!" but Moon-Youth had his club in his hand: so Coyote said, "Let me hold it for you!" and he gave the club to Coyote, and leaned over to drink from the spring. Then Coyote struck Moon-Youth with the club and killed him. He exchanged clothes with that one, and carried the body up to the house. The old Moon heard the falling load, and cried out, "Son, bring him in!" And then Moon took out his knife and cut off the private parts and ate them. And he noticed a difference; and he said, "This meat is almost too strong," but he cooked the rest of the body, and offered some of the flesh to Coyote, who pretended to be ill, and ate nothing.
Then it came evening, and they lay down to sleep. Coyote collected his belongings, and stole away from the old man. He travelled till it was nearly morning, and then said to himself, "It is getting daylight; I will go to sleep, or else I shall be too sleepy for the day." Then Moon arose from his bed, and saw him sleeping there just by the doorway of the house. "How is this?" he said to him, "you must have had a nightmare during the night." And it surprised Coyote. "I thought I had travelled a great distance," he said to himself.
And again it was growing dark, and again Coyote set out, and assured himself that he had indeed travelled a long way; but he was only just outside the doorway of the house. And again Moon arose, and found him sleeping right there, but did not recognize him as Coyote rather than his son. Thus it was for three times; and then Coyote decided to kill Moon, for fear the latter would soon see the difference. So Coyote killed him, and said, "After this you will kill no longer, but will give light for travel at night-time; and now and then men of importance will know Coyote's moon."6 And thus it happened.
There was a widow, Frog (wexwext), who was maltreated and became angry. So she went up the river to the source, and sat over the fountain-head, so that the entire river went dry. There was no water except in some deep holes. Now, the people had not missed her; but Coyote (itseyeye) thought something like this must have happened to make the river go dry. He went upstream, because he knew the place where the water had been stopped. As he travelled up the dry bed, he made five rafts, and placed them about five bends of the river apart.
1 Puxstenei, swelling sickness, a common ailment.
2 This story illustrates the custom of dismissing medicine-men who could not effect cures.
3 See p. 173.
4 The sun and moon have the same name except for a classifier: the former is halzpamayaiye hisemtuks ("day sun"), and the latter is tsikepamayaiye hisemtuks ("night sun").
5 Miots hisemtuks ("child moon").
6 It was considered a good omen of future greatness to obtain the "moon faith" as a dream revelation.
7 See RBAE 31 : 651.
