FOOTNOTES:
[58] Told by Cut-Arm.
58. THE COYOTE AND THE ROLLING STONE.[59]
The Coyote was once going along, and he became hungry. He heard a noise in the distance which sounded like dancing. He went to the place from where the noise came and there were some men dancing around the fire. When he came close to the place he saw that these men were Jack-Rabbits and that they had taken out intestines from the fire. One took them out, and they began to eat them. The Coyote asked them where they got the intestines. The Rabbit men told the Coyote that they would not tell him. The Coyote was very hungry, and he wanted very much to find out. He made all kinds of promises to the Rabbits, if they would only tell him, and if they demanded pay he promised that he would pay them. The leader of the Rabbit men said, “If you will pay us a good price we will teach you how the big intestines are made.” The Coyote was willing to pay them. He stood up, and said: “Grandchildren, I have been very far away, on the war-path. You can see that I am a warrior by this headdress that I have on; but, to know the secret of making these intestines I am willing to part with this eagle war-bonnet.” The Rabbits told the Coyote to go and get some red willows. The Coyote went and brought a few red willows, and these the Rabbits threw into the fire. Then they began to sing a song, and all the Rabbits stood up and danced around the fire. As the willows burned they turned slowly into large buffalo intestines. When these were roasted on the coals the Rabbits told the Coyote to take the intestines off from the coals and eat them. The Coyote took the long intestines, and they were so good that he asked the Rabbits to do the same thing again, for he was still hungry. The Rabbits told the Coyote to get a good armful of willows. When they were brought and placed upon the fire all the Rabbits stood up, and the Coyote was among them. They danced around, and as the willows burned they turned into large intestines. As each intestine was roasted the Coyote went and pulled it off the fire. The Rabbits had been eating these things, so they did not care for any. The Coyote ate them all, and was filled.
The Coyote then began to look around to see how he might get back his war-bonnet; for he thought he now knew the secret of making these long intestines on the coals. He said to the Rabbits: “Let me take this war-bonnet, and let me show you how it must set upon the head; let me show you how I wear it.” The leader of the Rabbits said: “We are afraid of you; you are tricky, and you might get away with it.” The Coyote said: “I will not get away with it. All that I want is to show you the way it must be worn.” “Well,” said the leader, “you may have it, and show us how you wear the bonnet.” As the Coyote put the war-bonnet upon his head he made a long jump sidewise, and got away from the Rabbits. The Rabbits got after the Coyote, but he was too swift for them. The Rabbits said: “You can go; you will not be able to do the trick four times.” The Coyote turned around and laughed at the Rabbits.
The Coyote ran far away, and as he was becoming hungry he made a fire, gathered some red willows, threw them into the fire, and danced around the fire all alone. He succeeded in making the buffalo intestines. He did it again, but the third time it began to fail. The fourth time the red willows burned up into ashes. They did not turn into intestines for him. The Coyote began to cry, for he knew that now he must go hungry. He went along, and after a while he began to have the stomach ache. Deinde ventrem facere volebat, et, loco idoneo reperto, insedit. Dum defæcabat leporem circumcursantem vidit, undeque esset miratus est. Quo magis defæcavit, eo plures lepores vidit. Tum se lepores emittere repperit. Paulum cunctatus, dixit: “Cogitem quo modo hos lepores prehendere possim.” Nam lepores occidere volebat. Itaque pulchrum pallium quod armis trahebat sibi humi sedenti circumposuit. Hoc saxis gravibus onerato, iterum defæcare incipit. Usque ad vesperum defæcabat; tandemque exortus locum pallio operuit, eique saxum imposuit. Deinde ingentem stipitem nactus, lepores quos sub pallio esse putabat occidit. Pallio autem remoto, nihil nisi excrementum repperit. Quod cum vidisset, se dixit stultissimum esse.
The Coyote did not know what to do with the robe. He got hold of the robe and dragged it along until he came to a big Stone. He said to the Stone: “I am going to make you a present of this robe.” The Stone was pleased with the robe. The Coyote went away. When the Coyote was a little way off he saw a big hail-storm coming. He had nothing to cover himself with. He turned and went back to the place where the robe was. When he got to the robe it was clean, and it smelled good. The Coyote said to the Stone: “O, you have made the robe nice and clean. I came after it.” The Stone never said a word, and the Coyote stepped over and took his robe again. He went on. The storm never came near the Coyote. Soon he heard something coming behind him. He did not pay any attention to what he heard. By and by he looked back and saw the great, big Stone coming toward him. The Stone spoke to him, and said, “You, Coyote, stop!” This scared the Coyote very badly, for he knew that he would be killed for taking the robe back. The Stone chased the Coyote all the evening, and the Coyote became very tired and was about to give out, when he saw two Bull-Bats flying around in the air. He called to them, and said, “My brothers, this big Stone is after me and wants to kill me.” The Bull-Bats asked the Coyote why the Stone was chasing him. The Stone then spoke up and told the Bull-Bats not to believe anything that the Coyote might tell them. The Coyote begged the Bull-Bats, and said that the Stone had said something bad about the Bull-Bats; that the Stone was afraid that he would tell the Bull-Bats about it; and that was why the Stone was mad and ran after him and was trying to kill him; that he wanted them to help him by destroying the Stone. He said: “If you will stop the Stone I will change the color on your wings and tail.” The Bull-Bats said: “We will destroy the Stone, but you must first tell us what the Stone said about us, and what names he called us.” The Coyote said: “The Stone said that you were the ugliest-looking birds that he ever saw, because you have short beaks and big mouths, short legs, and are very dirty.” The Bull-Bats and the Coyote were talking on the top of a hill, and the Stone was trying to climb the hill, but could not get to the top.
After the Bull-Bats had accepted the Coyote’s word, one flew up, and when he came down, he expelled flatus upon the Stone and it burst in two. Another Bull-Bat split the Stone again, and soon they had it all broken up. (It is claimed by the people that there was no stone in the world except this big stone; and when the Bull-Bats broke the stone it scattered all over the world.) The Coyote was saved. He got some white clay and put it on the top of the Bull-Bats’ heads and bodies. The Coyote went on his way, happy.