Frog had a smooth pole set in the ground, and with it he had devised a means of killing off all the birds. A race would be run up this pole, and whoever got to the top first would cut off the other one's head. The pole leaned a little; and Frog would get on the upper side, and make the opponent get on the under side. Thus Frog continued to win races for a long time, and managed to kill off many birds.
Coyote was in this camp. He became afraid that Frog was going to kill off all the birds. So Coyote gave a big feast, and invited every one to attend. He wanted the people to work out a plan to get the best of Frog; but every one was afraid to run him a race. After a scheme had been devised, Bluejay (kuyeskuyes) undertook the job; and Coyote made a speech, calling everybody to the pole, and announcing that there was to be a race between Frog and Bluejay.
Now, little Frog became uneasy, and feared that Bluejay was going to win and then kill her. So when they were half way to the top, Frog tried to kick Bluejay off the pole. When they were nearly to the top, Bluejay used his wings and flew the rest of the way. He got to the top first. When Frog got to the top, Bluejay kicked her, and she fell to the ground and was killed. Ever since that race there have been no feathers on the side of Bluejay's face, because Frog had torn them all off when she tried to knock Bluejay from the pole.
After the race was over, Coyote made a speech, saying, "Hereafter there will be frogs on the earth, but they will never hurt any one. People will hear the frogs singing, and then they will know that warm weather is coming."
Beaver (taxapul) had a plan to kill off all animals that could dive. This plan was to have a test of staying under water till one or the other was dead. Just after daylight Otter and Beaver had a diving-test. The rest of the people sat on the bank and watched. When it was almost evening, Otter floated up dead. After this, Beaver came up alive. So Beaver kept up these tests, and killed off different animals. Soon all were afraid of Beaver, and none would dive with him.
Coyote called the people together, and asked them to make up a plan to kill Beaver at his own game. The Mud-Hen (múitex) said, "Let us try once more!" Now, Mud-Hen had made a plan with Mountain-Woodpecker (weqinqiunux). This plan was as follows: Mountain-Woodpecker was to bore a hole in the bottom of a canoe that was on the river, and Mud-Hen was to stick her head out of this hole where no one could see her.
So Beaver and Mud-Hen dove, and Mountain-Woodpecker sat over the hole in the canoe and pulled out the plug. Mud-Hen put her head out through this hole and went to sleep. Just before dark there was a stream of bubbles, and then Beaver came up dead. Pretty soon Mountain-Woodpecker woke up Mud-Hen, and said, "Beaver has come up dead: now you would better dive down and come up in the middle of the river." So Mud-Hen dove down, and came up again some distance from the canoe.
The Sun had two wives, Frog and another woman. Then the Sun moved across the sky so very hot, that the people were nearly killed by the heat. They did not like this state of affairs. For that reason Coyote called a council of all the people; and he knew Sun did not love Frog, and would not invite her to come, so he begged her to come to the council and obey what Sun told her to do.
So she went and stood at the door, and said, "My husband, where am I to sit?" and he told her, "Here, on my eye." Then she advanced a few steps and jumped up to his eye; and the people tried to pull her off, but could not. And Coyote told the Sun, "You are acting badly for a chief;" and Coyote decided that Sun should become the night sun (Moon), and that the Moon should become the Sun. So the irregular one is now the Moon, and the frog is seen over his eye.
There was a large village of animals, and in this village there was an old Wildcat.4 He had the itch, and was scratching himself all the time. He had a walking-stick that he used in scratching his back. Now, there was a girl in the same lodge as Wildcat, and now and then she would pick up his cane and scratch herself with it. He told her not to do this; and when she still did it, she found that she was pregnant. Soon she gave birth to a child.
Coyote then made a speech concerning this girl and her baby, advising the people to move camp and abandon old-man Wildcat, the girl, and the baby. So the people abandoned them, and moved to another place.
1 RBAE 59 : 297 (note 1).
2 Shuswap JE 2 : 653; Thompson MAFLS 6 : 91, JE 8 : 229, 330.
3 See BBAE 59 : 287; RBAE 31 : 784.
4 Kaha'pyeye. The sord kahap means "wildcat," and the ending yeye means "chief," or leader of the tribe. This form is used in many names of animals, etc., in Nez Percé myths.
