Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/616

 268 y our na I of American Folk-Lore.

on him as he lay there, and made it appear as if he had not been out of the camp for a long time. He meant to deny everything that the two little birds had said, and claim to have been sick for a long while.

The Bears on their part had made plans also. Said one, " I will go in after him, while you stay by the smoke-hole outside, and catch him if he tries to escape by that way." They both carried sharp- pointed digging-sticks. The first Bear went into the hut, and found the Coyote lying by the fireplace, groaning. The Bear asked him what the trouble was, and the Coyote replied, " Oh, I 'm sick." To this the Bear said, " I don't believe you. You have been down at my camp, and made trouble there." " No, I have n't," said the Coyote, " I 've been sick up here for a long time." " But the birds said that you had been down at the camp, and had marked their heads with red, and eaten up all the food," replied the Bear. The Coyote, however, stoutly denied that he had been to the Bears' camp, and repeated the statement that he had been lying sick in his hut for a longtime. "I've been here sick," he said, "and have heard the children playing round outside, but no one has come in to see how I was." At this moment the Bear made a thrust at the Coyote with the sharp stick. The Coyote dodged, crying, as he did so, " Whee." The Bear struck again, but this time the Coyote jumped up through the smoke-hole, and escaped. The other Bear, who was stationed at the smoke-hole, struck at the Coyote as he passed, but missed him.

As soon as he was clear of the hut, the Coyote ran to a big log, where he had hidden his bow and arrows. The Bears followed as fast as they could, crying, " Hurry up, there, hurry up ! We '11 catch him, and make a quiver out of his skin." The Coyote jumped over the log to where his bow was, and got it and his arrows all ready. He waited for the Bears to jump up on the log. The one that had been at the smoke-hole reached the log first, jumped up on it, and was shot by the Coyote at once. The other Bear came next, and was likewise shot by the Coyote. When he had killed both the Bears, he came out from behind the log, and said, " All people can call me Coyote."

COYOTE AND THE FLEAS.

The Coyote was walking along a road one day, and came to where a Mole was working. He stood and watched the Mole for a while, then stuck his foot down in front of the Mole, and kicked him out of the ground, saying "Hello, Cousin." The Mole had a little sack that he was carrying, and the Coyote, thinking that it contained tobacco, said, " Here, give me a smoke." The Mole replied, " No,

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