2. COYOTE LIBERATES THE SALMON.
(Continued)When he awoke and found all his fish gone, he determined to be revenged. He ate the remnant that was left, and then started to follow the thieves. He found them asleep. They had been cooking eggs. He ate most of them, leaving but a few. Then he took the yolks of some of the eggs and painted the thieves, -- Fox, Wolf, Raccoon, and others. When he had finished, he went up the hill, lay down in the shade, and watched to see what would happen.1
It was not long before the people jumped up and went to get their eggs. Not only did they discover that they had been taken, but they failed to recognize each other. Then they spied Coyote, who was laughing, and gave chase. Fox caught him; but Coyote struck him in the chest, saying, "Step aside!" Then he sat down and told Fox that he would always retain the marks that he had made.
Coyote went on eastward to free other people that were being held captive.He went down to the river to drink. He drank all he could hold, and still did not feel refreshed. So he stripped and swam way out in the river. Below this point there were a number of rapids. He swam all the way down the Snake River without once turning around. Finally he came to a dam. Five Swallow girls were living there, who owned the dam and a fish-trap. He turned into a little boy drifting down on a raft made of reeds and buffalo-skin. The girls were swimming above the dam, and saw it coming. They wondered what it might be. Coyote was lying there crying lustily. The girls had always wanted a child, but did not know where to get one. So they swam a race to see who should get this one. He winked his eye at the oldest one, who drew ahead and won.
They took him out, and were delighted to have him. "It is a boy!" they cried as they untied him. They had had him but two days when he began to eat. In three days he began to creep about and to talk. The woman slept with the child by her side. He felt of her head, and asked, "What is that?" - "My head," she said. He felt of her hair, and asked, "What is that?" She told him it was her hair. "My mother's hair," he repeated. So he kept repeating the names of the parts of her body - "my mother's breasts, my mother's belly," and so on-until he came to her privates. "That," she told him, "is for men." He cried out after her, "This is my mother's for men." So they continued down to her feet.3
The youngest of the girls knew that the baby was Coyote. Every time she said so, he began to cry. Five days elapsed in this manner. On the sixth day they planned to go and dig roots. They decided to take the baby along. They took along water and food for him. After passing two terraces, they came to a place where they rested. They took out the water and food and gave it to Coyote. He ate everything, and drank all the water. Then he began to cry. "What is the matter with him?" they asked. He kept on crying for water. They went and brought him more. He quickly drank that and cried for more. The youngest then said, "Tell him to go and get it himself." They did so, and he crawled down the hill. When he reached the first terrace, however, he got up and ran. When he came in sight again, he got down on his knees and crawled; but after passing the second terrace, he jumped up and ran on once more. Soon he arrived at the house. There were stores of dried fish there. He ate all the food in the house. Then he tore down the dam in the river, digging around it. Soon the water began to come through. Then he immediately sat down, and called out to the girls, "Come down, the dam is broken!" The youngest one said, " I know that is Coyote's work." The fish were running up in shoals. Coyote had made a spoon just the size of his head. This he tied on; and when his mother hit him on the head, he did not feel it, and just laughed. He had some black paint, which he carried in bags.4 He untied one of these, and immediately it became dark, so that they could not see him. Then he went up a hill, and called down to them to take care of his children, if he should have any. "The youngest one knew me," he said, "so perhaps she will not have a baby." Nevertheless he gave them all names.Then Coyote led the salmon to the mouth of Snake River. His blanket was made of twisted reeds. He wanted some fish: so he went down to the river and called to the salmon, "I made you, therefore swim out to me." At once a salmon jumped ashore. He wrapped it in his blanket, but it jumped through and got away. Then he was puzzled, and did not know what to do. He arose and hit his hip.5 Dung dropped out and turned into boys, who began to fight. He called to them, "Look out! Don't hit one another's eyes! Come here and tell me how to catch salmon!" The youngest said to him, "Go to 'Tushe' (on Snake River) and get a club." He did as he was told, and came back towards evening. He went down to the river, and shouted, "I made you, come out!" Out jumped a salmon, which he clubbed on the head.6 Then he went to the shade and cooked it. When he had finished, he went down to the river and defecated. His dung turned into a large rock, which is there still. When he returned, he felt sleepy and lay down to rest.
1 BBAE 59 : 296 (note 4).
2 Continuation of the story "Coyote and his Son," p. 135. See also p. 65.
3 Kathlamet (Boas, BBAE 26 : 135).
4 Kutenai (Boas, BBAE 59 : 145); this volume, pp. 142, 157.
5 BBAE 59 : 294 (note 5).
6 See pp. 68, 70, 102, 139, 143.
