American Indian Trickster Tales (Myths and Legends) (11 page)

That big meatball was rolling here along the road. Coyote again was lying here in front of it. The big meatball said to him: “Are you lying there?”

“Yes,” said Coyote, “I am about to die of hunger.”

Meatball said to him: “Take a big bite from me, once.”

Coyote, along there, took a big bite of it. Coyote said: “I am going.”

Meatball said: “Along here it is this way, one after another.” Big meatball was rolling off again at this place. Coyote stopped and lay down here in front of it again. Big meatball said to him: “Are you lying there?”

Coyote said: “Yes, I am lying here. I am about to die of hunger.”

Big meatball said: “You must take a big bite from me.”

Coyote, along here, took a big bite of it. Coyote ran.

Meatball said: “Along this road, it is this way, one after another.”

Here again Coyote stopped and lay down in front of it. As he lay down here, big meatball came, rolling toward him. Meatball said to him: “Are you lying here?”

“Yes,” said Coyote, “I am about to die of hunger.” He was about to take a big bite of it. When he opened his mouth wide, big meatball saw it, Coyote had meat between his teeth.

Big meatball said to him: “Oh, you are the same one, moving along, cheating me.” At this place, when meatball recognized him, Coyote ran.

 

Coyote was roaming. He encountered Pitch. Coyote greeted him: “How are you, uncle?” Pitch did not answer. Coyote said: “Did you not hear me?” Pitch remained silent. Coyote was annoyed: “Hey, I am speaking to you. Why don’t you answer?” Pitch said nothing.

Now Coyote was really angry: “You rude, impolite fellow, don’t you hear me? Are you deaf?” There was still no answer. Coyote was furious. “I’ll teach you a lesson!” he cried. Coyote struck Pitch with his right fist. It got stuck.

Coyote growled: “Let me go or I’ll kick you.” Pitch did not move.

Coyote kicked him with his right foot, which got stuck. Coyote tried to balance himself on one leg.

He shook his left fist into Pitch’s face and threatened: “You evil, no-good fellow, I’ll knock you senseless!” He gave Pitch a good whack, but now his left hand was stuck.

Coyote got more and more frustrated. “I’ll knock you with my other foot,” he shouted. He got no reaction. He kicked with all his might and his left foot was stuck.

Coyote shouted: “You nasty lump! I shall whip you with my tail!” He struck Pitch with his tail, but it, too, got stuck.

Finally Coyote threatened Pitch: “My teeth are sharp. I will bite you to death!” Pitch still did not react. Coyote sank his teeth deep into Pitch and, of course, his mouth got stuck. He was helpless, glued to Pitch, unable to move. He could hardly breathe. He croaked: “Oh, my aunt! Help me!”

Coyote’s aunt was powerful. She came running to his aid. “Set fire to him! Set fire to him!” Coyote cried. Aunt took a burning stick and plunged it into Pitch’s side. As soon as the flame touched Pitch, he grew soft. He began to melt. Then Coyote could extricate himself. Coyote told his defeated opponent: “You will be nothing but pitch. People will call you pitch. Now you are no longer a person, you are just a gooey, sticky, unpleasant lump.” Then Coyote and his aunt went off to attend to some matter.

One day Coyote was out walking. He was walking in the forest. He saw Rabbit. He started to chase Rabbit. Rabbit ran in a hole. Coyote said: “I’ll get you out of that hole. Let me think.” Coyote sat down to think. “Now I know. I’ll get you out. I’ll get weeds. I’ll put them in the hole. I’ll set fire to them. Then you will come out,” said Coyote.

Rabbit laughed. “No, I will not come out, my cousin. I like weeds. I’ll eat the weeds.”

“Do you eat milkweeds?” asked Coyote. “I’ll get milkweeds.”

“Yes, I like milkweeds. I’ll eat milkweeds,” said Rabbit.

“Do you eat foxtail grass?” asked Coyote. “I’ll get foxtail grass.”

“Yes. I like foxtail grass. I’ll eat foxtail grass.”

“Do you eat rabbit brush?” asked Coyote. “I’ll get rabbit brush.”

“Rabbit brush? I like rabbit brush best of all. I’ll eat rabbit brush, too,” said Rabbit.

“I know,” said Coyote. “Piñon pitch.”

Rabbit looked sad. “You will kill me. I do not eat piñon pitch,” said Rabbit.

Coyote was happy. He ran from piñon tree to piñon tree. He gathered piñon pitch. He put the piñon pitch in the hole. He set the piñon pitch on fire. He bent low. He blew on the fire.

“Come closer,” said Rabbit, “blow harder.” Coyote came closer. He blew harder. “I’m nearly dead,” said Rabbit, “come closer. Blow a little harder.”

Rabbit turned. He kicked hard. The fire flew in Coyote’s face. Rabbit ran away. He was laughing very hard.

Coyote was walking along and met four men and every part of their bodies was made of fat, grease, and all kinds of berries, fruits, etc. Before the four men saw him, he transformed his body into that of a poor dog, and he got in front of them, when they came nearer, so they would have pity on him, and they patted his head while he licked them to get the grease of which they were made. They passed and went on their way and Old Man Coyote went over the hill and got in front of them again. This time he had transformed himself into a larger dog than the previous one, and he licked them again and occasionally bit small pieces off them. Again they passed on and he met them again, a still larger dog, and bit larger pieces. The fourth time, he met them and bit still larger pieces, and then they discovered it to be Old Man Coyote; so they began to run. Old Man Coyote took a young sapling and knocked them down in an old lake bed, and they all melted into a soup.

As Old Man Coyote started to drink up the soup, he called to his partner to come, and when his partner came, he said, “Now you go after my spoon” (which was the tail of the lynx). His partner started for the spoon and shortly returned, claiming that his moccasins were worn out on the bottom. So Old Man Coyote fitted him out in rawhide moccasins, but his partner, after going but a short distance, took a sharp piece of rock and made holes in the soles, returned again, and again complained of his moccasins. Again he was fitted out, this time with stone-sole moccasins. These he smashed on the rocks and again returned and complained. Old Man Coyote said: “You stay here—you know nothing—and when I reach the top of the hill, you dip your hand in the soup and lick it for me.” When Old Man Coyote went over the first hill for his spoon, his partner drank a lot of the soup, and when the last hill was reached by Old Man Coyote, the partner had drunk the last of the soup and then ran away. When Old Man Coyote came back with the spoon, the lake of soup was cleaned.

Coyote tracked his partner by following the grease spots and found him asleep under a big shade tree with his rectum protruding. Old Man Coyote took a sharp pointed stick and pushed it through his partner’s rectum into the ground. Then he took some sticks and built a prairie fire to the windward of his sleeping partner. Old Man Coyote shouted that the prairie was on fire and the sleeping partner was quickly aroused, and dashed away to avoid being destroyed by the fire. As he ran, his intestines became unraveled and stretched out across the country. Old Man Coyote took the end of the rectum which was pinned to the ground and began to suck out the soup. He kept on sucking until all the soup had been taken, but he insisted that there must be more of it, and continued sucking, which caused Old Man Coyote to vomit all the soup.

Shunka Manitou, Coyote, came walking along, scrounging, as usual. He met Mastincala, Rabbit, who was carrying a leather pouch on his back.
“Hau, kola,”
Coyote said,
“toniktuka hwo?
How are you?”

“Middling well,” said Mastincala.

Coyote wanted to know what was in the pouch. He guessed: “Oh, you have
chanshasha
[tobacco] in that pouch on your back. I sure would like something to smoke. Give me some. You’ve got more than you need for your size. You are small, I am big.”

Rabbit did not answer. “Come on, you greedy, no good
Hlete,
don’t be stingy.” Rabbit walked on.

“Hey, you long-eared fellow, let me see what you got there on your back!”

“Nothing you would want,” Rabbit finally answered.

“Well, let me see that nothing.”

“No, you would be sorry. You would be angry with me.”

Coyote was dying with curiosity. “If it’s not tobacco, what, then?” he insisted.

“I said already that you would not want what is in this pouch,” said Rabbit.

Then, in a big rage, Coyote tore the pouch from Rabbit’s back and opened it. The pouch was full of fleas, so many nobody could count them. They all went on Coyote. He ran off in a frenzy, scratching himself, howling.

Rabbit yelled after him: “I told you so!” Ever since that time you can hear Coyotes howling all over the place. They howl because the fleas are biting and make them itch. That’s why they howl.