Coyote had a son. He lived with him up on Snake River. The son had two wives. One was called Hu'ikuix (a kind of duck); the other, Tcalxtcalx (a kind of beetle). Old-Coyote was in love with the Duck wife of his son. One day he said to him, "Let us hunt chickens in the mountains!" So they started out. Coyote shot a chicken, but by magical means he made it stay up in the tree. The son then prepared to climb the tree in order to get it. He took all his clothes off, and started up naked. He told his father not to look at him while he climbed. In spite of the request, Old-Coyote persisted in looking up. Every time he did so, the son was removed farther from the ground, until he was up so high that he could not get back. Old-Coyote then took his son's clothes and put them on. He left his own on the ground, and then went home, pretending to cry for his father.
He came to the house, and went to Duck's tent, for he wanted her for his own. When Beetle saw him, she was suspicious: she did not believe that he was her husband.
After some time the son succeeded in getting down. He started for home, and on his way met Beetle. She had a child on her back. "Let me have my child!" he called to her from behind. She looked back, and recognized her husband. She told him that Duck was living with Old-Coyote. As they approached the lodges, the people saw them, and shouted, "Coyote's son is coming back!" Everybody heard it. Duck jumped into the river and swam downstream. She was ashamed. That is the end.
Old-Coyote and his son, who was a great chief, were living together.
Mallard-Duck and Beetle were the young man's wives. When the women were seated by the fire, Coyote saw their private parts. Those of Beetle were black; those of Mallard-Duck, white. Then he resolved to take possession of Mallard. He told his son that he had seen some young eagles at a certain place, and asked him to go along to get their feathers. They started out; and when they reached the place, Coyote told his son to take off all his clothes, even his ear-rings and moccasins, and to climb the tree. The youth climbed until he was out of sight. Then the old man took off his own clothes, put on those of his son, and returned to the camp.As he approached, he began to cry, saying, "My father has gone up to the sky, and has taken all his power with him." Then he went to his son's tent. He said to Mallard, "My father told me not to leave you, but to stay with you after this." Old-Coyote danced every night, trying to get back his power.
As a matter of fact, Coyote's son did not care much for his Mallard wife, but preferred Beetle. With her he had a son. She became suspicious, and after a while recognized Coyote. She mourned for her husband; and when they moved camp, she followed behind.Three days after Young Coyote had disappeared, he came back. He overtook Beetle, who told him that his father was living with Duck. That night they announced that Young-Coyote had returned, but Old Coyote was still dancing, and said the people were lying. Finally some one stood up and announced in a loud tone Young Coyote's return. Then the Duck wife became ashamed and went into the water. She turned into a duck. Old-Coyote ran to his son and tried to give him his clothes, but his son would not take them.
On the following morning, as usual, they started on a hunt. Young Coyote killed a deer, left the carcass where he had killed it, and returned home. He sent four young men - Wolf, Panther, and two others with Old Coyote for the meat. He instructed the young men to leave Old Coyote, and on their way back to make marks with a flint across the ground every little way. When they arrived at the place where the deer was, the youths left Old-Coyote. He called to them, but they would not listen. They went right on, and at short intervals made gulches with their flints, as they had been instructed. Old-Coyote followed them. When he came to the first gulch, he saw a river below. He left his meat, and climbed down to take a swim before going on. He swam down to a riffle, went over it, and swam on, over riffle and riffle, until he came to Lewiston. He had forgotten all about his son and the meat he had left.
Coyote knew of five girls who prevented the salmon from coming up the river. He went in that direction, and sat down to think out how he might obtain the salmon. He said to himself, "I will turn into an infant and float down on a bed of reeds. The women will take care of me and raise me until I know their customs." He proceeded to carry out his plan. When the girls saw the infant drifting on the water, they rescued it. The oldest girl said, "He shall be my son." She kept him; and when he grew up and came to be a young man, he saw that the salmon were kept in a pound. He cut a ditch and made a channel, which enabled the salmon to go up the river. He showed his mother how he had broken the dam. The women tried to kill him, but he escaped and came back home. Then he went down and freed all the people who were held captive in the form of fishes.
Old-Coyote was hungry.2 He went down to the bank of the river and called to a fish to come out of the water. The fish did so, and Coyote killed it and cooked it. When it was almost done, he went to sleep.3 People came, and, seeing Coyote asleep, took the salmon and ate it. They left the fat for Coyote.
1 BBAE 59 : 301 (note 1); JAFL 21 : 15; this volume, pp. 6, 67, 70, 101.
2 RBAE 31 : 674; this volume, pp. 68, 70,102, 141, 143.
3 See pp. 5, 142.
