(8)COYOTE AND BUFFALO.
(Continued)He spread out the skin, and thought what a fine robe it would make. He felt like defecating, and went off some little distance. He tried, but could not do so. He tried hard, and thought he would burst, but nothing came. He felt of himself, and noticed that his anus was swollen. He was seized with violent pains, and could not stand up. Then Magpie came, and alighted on the carcass of the buffalo-cow. Coyote called magpie bad names, but he paid no attention. Then Eagle, Buzzard, and Raven came, and all the other birds that eat meat. Wolf came, and all the animals that eat meat, and they ate the buffalo-cow. Coyote could not defend himself. He only called them nasty names. The birds and animals picked the bones clean, and scattered them. Then Wolverene came, stuck his head into the pelvic bones, and ran away with them. Now, Coyote defecated dung about one-third the length of a finger. He was angry at his excrement, put it on a rock, and beat it flat with a stick.1 He said, "You have done this. You have made me lose all the fine meat." He looked for the skin and scraps, but not a bit was left. He looked for bones, but none were there. He followed the animals' tracks, and found some bones. Then he made a fire, and cooked and broke the bones. He had found his wife's bladder, and put the marrow into it. There was just enough to fill it. He tied it up, and set it aside to cool off. He lay down, and said, "I will watch it; and when it has cooled off, I will eat it." Three or four times he got up and looked at it, but it had not cooled off yet. He said, "I will put it into water." He took it to a small lake, and put it into the water, but it would not stiffen. He saw a muskrat swimming about. He said to it, "take hold of the mouth of this bladder, and swim with it to deep water, so that it cools, and the fat sets." He put his foot down suddenly, and scared Muskrat, who ducked his head under water. He thought this was great fun, and said, "When he comes back, I will have some more fun." When Muskrat returned, he stamped his foot again. Muskrat ducked his head suddenly, and tore the bladder. All the marrow ran out. Coyote ran into the water to catch the marrow with his hands and eat it, but he caught only water. He became angry, took a stick, and jumped into the water to punish Muskrat; but the latter ran into his house, and Coyote could not catch him. The foolish Coyote had lost both his wife and his meat. Had he been wise, and carried his wife home, there would now be buffaloes all over the Okanagon country, and probably throughout the Thompson and Shuswap countries as well.
Buffaloes do not go farther west than the place where Coyote killed his wife. When the Western Indians wanted buffalo, they had to go east and hunt them. Otherwise they had to buy robes. Buffaloes were plentiful in the Salish country, but hardly ever went as far west as the country of the Coeur d'Alene and Kalispel. Since the marrow was spilled on the water, some lakes have on their surface oil, or something that appears like oil.
This is the same story as the one related by the Thompson Indians: Old-One and Coyote meet each other, and have a contest trying to move a mountain.
Coyote lived with his children. His eldest son said, "Father, I am going to see the daughter of Grizzly-Bear." He made arrows and started. When he arrived, the Bear said, "Have you arrived, son- in-law?" He told his daughter to go to dig roots. His daughter left, and went to a hill. Then the Bear went out and stepped on the arrow-points of the son-in-law.4 He said, "Come, son-in-law, shoot for me that bear, that I may eat it!" Coyote's son started; and the Bear said to him, "Stand below the bear and shoot it." Coyote's son went and shot at the bear, which pursued him and killed him. Coyote's second son found out what had happened. He said, "I am going to make arrows." After he had done so, he went to marry the Grizzly-Bear's daughter, and he was killed in the same way as his elder brother. Finally the youngest son went. He made two arrows with stone points. He said, "Father, I shall go to find out what happened to my brothers." He started. When he arrived, the Bear said, "Have you arrival, son-in-law?" Then the Bear said to his daughter, "Go and dig roots." The Bear's daughter went to a hill. Then the Bear went out and stepped on the weapons of his son-in-law. He said, "Come, son-in-law, shoot that bear for me, that I may eat it!" The boy went out, took his arrows, and sat down in his canoe. He crossed the river, and took his two arrows. The Bear Said, "Stand below the bear and shoot it." The boy climbed the hill and stood above the bear. He went down towards the bear and shot it. He shot it again, and the bear rolled down. He ran after it and cut off its head. Then he sat down in his canoe and went down the river to his father's tent. He threw the head into the tent. When the Bear came, he heard the people laughing. The Bear entered, and saw a stone on the floor. He was going to bite it, but said, " No, my teeth will break." Then he went out again.
1 There is an incident in a Thompson story where Coyote gets angry with his excrements, puts them on a stone, and beats them flat.
2 RBAE 31 : 617 (No. 3).
3 Collected by Franz Boas.-- JAI 41 : 150.
4 Compare RBAF 742.
