5. Coyote and the Cold.
(cont.)When Coyote was washing for the third time, he said to himself, I will make that fellow come out;" so he made two salmon appear in the river close to the shore. Then, on entering the sweat-house for the fourth time, he said to the man, "There are two salmon in the river where I was washing." The man said, "I do not believe you. There are no salmon in the river, and none in this country." Coyote said, "I do not lie. Come and see for yourself." So the man went outside, and saw the salmon close to the shore, swimming slowly upstream. Coyote told him to take his blanket and catch them. He waded into the stream and tried to catch them with the blanket; but Coyote made them swim outstream, so that they were always a little beyond his reach, and the man followed them. At last he got beyond his depth, and, the current catching him, he was swept away downstream. Then Coyote went back to the sweat-house and stole the man's clothes, which he put on, and also his head-band, which was covered with dentalia. He also took his decorated quiver, and the four blankets which covered the sweat-house, which were the doors of the "house of the cold."1
Coyote continued his journey; but the man got ashore before very long, and, finding that Coyote had stolen his property, he caused a violent wind to blow. Coyote held on to the blankets; but one after another was blown away from him as the wind increased in violence. Coyote was in danger of being blown away himself, so he caught hold of trees; but each tree in turn was blown down with the strength of the wind. Only when the head-band, quiver, and all the clothes, had been blown off Coyote's body, the wind ceased, and Coyote went on his way naked.
6. Coyote and Wood-Tick.2
At last he came to a house, which was inhabited by Wood-Tick (Kitse'in).3 He entered and the latter gave him some fat to eat. Coyote said, "I am hungry and naked, and would like to stay with you as your servant." Wood-Tick agreed to this, and, pointing to a large heap of deer-skins, told him to tan them. So Coyote staid with Wood-Tick, and tanned many doe-skins for him, and made soft robes and clothes for himself.
After a time Wood-Tick trusted him, and sent him to get deer-meat. He gave him his staff, and told him to go up to a steep cliff overlooking the house, and to strike the rock once with the staff. He cautioned him particularly never to strike it more than once. Coyote did as directed, and, as soon as he struck the rock, a dead deer appeared at his feet. He skinned it, cut it up, and carried it home.
1 The house of the cold (where the cold weather was kept) is said to have had four doors, each of which comsisted of a blanket Each entrance was covered with a blanket, like many of the entrances in Indian Lodges at the present day.
2 Compare story No. 2, p. 206 of this publication.
3 A Kitse'in, generally called wood-tick by the whites. A tick which is found on deer, horses, etc., generally in the winter-time, and is said to come out of fir or other brush. In the early spring they are often found sticking on horses in great numbers, and swelled out to a large size with blood. I think they may be Neotoma.