The Coyote went down and skinned the Buffalo and cut him up. He then took the meat to a place where there was a creek, and there he put up a small lodge for himself. He made a fire and roasted some meat. Then he went out to see if he could see any one. He saw a Fox coming along. He waited for the Fox. When the Fox came up, the Coyote said, “My friend, I want you to come to my lodge and pack water for me.” The Fox said, “I will go with you and pack water for you.” So they went together and entered the lodge. The Coyote fixed the buffalo pouch for a bucket, and said, “Fox, you go after water with this pouch.” The Fox obeyed. Before he got to the creek he had eaten up the pouch. Four times the Coyote gave the Fox a pouch to bring water, and every time the Fox would say, “Coyote, as I dipped water, something came and took away my pouch.” The Coyote was mad, and he took some coals and threw them into the Fox’s face, so that the Fox cried and ran off. The Fox told his story to every animal he met. All the living animals got together, and when the Coyote was fast asleep they went in and ate all he had in his lodge. When he woke up he found all his meat gone, and he went away crying.
When you have plenty, do not trust your friends, or they will get all you have.
FOOTNOTES:
[55] Told by New-Man.
55. THE COYOTE AND THE DANCING CORN.[56]
Two Coyotes were going along, and as they became hungry one of them said: “Let us go where the people have left their village. We will find some pounded corn.” As they came to the village they separated, one going through many lodges, while the other went another way. The leader came to a lodge, and there he saw pounded corn, in lumps, running into the mortar. The Coyote ran into the lodge and begged the lumps of pounded corn to come out, saying that he was an old man who sang for people in their sacred ceremonies. The Coyote walked around the fireplace and began to sing. The lumps of pounded corn came out and danced. The lumps began to dance with the Coyote. “Close your eyes,” said the Coyote. The lumps had danced so hard that they had raised a dust, and the Coyote thought it was time to act. So he ran to the mortar, stuck his head into the bowl, and became fast. After a time the brother of the Coyote came, and said, “Wa, what are you doing?” The captive Coyote said: “I am fast, but I have lots to eat in this bowl. Take an axe and cut the bowl open.” The other Coyote took the axe and chopped the mortar open, cutting the other Coyote on the head so that he died. There was nothing in the mortar. The Coyote went away crying, for he had killed his brother.
FOOTNOTES:
[56] Told by Little-Crow.