Page:Kutenai Tales.djvu/172

Rh ing they started. Fox was to paddle, || Young Coyote was to spear 265 (the fish), and the boy was to carry the torch. | Coyote was to remain (in the tent). Coyote was told: | "Don't sleep. Look at the | fire. If you should fall asleep, they will kill you." Then they paddled away. | Fox paddled. Young Coyote was the one to spear || the salmon, and 270 the boy was to hold the torch. | Coyote remained (in the tent) for some time. | Coyote looked out. Coyote was told: | "If you should see a small fire, then come out. Then | we are about to kill one an- other. For that reason the fire will be thus." || It was not long before 275 he looked out again. Then he saw that the fire | in the canoe was small. Then he knew that they were about to kill | one another. There on each side of the doorway stood an old person. | They were holding a hammer each, ready to strike with it | if any one should want to go there. Then they would strike from each side. When he saw the Ught in the canoe getting smaller, || he intended to go out. 280 It was not long before | the boy came running in, and said: | "The manitous have killed us ! " Coyote thought: | "I shall certainly die. That hammer is terrible. Although only an old woman | is holding it, nevertheless the hammer is made of stone, and she will || kill me 285 with it." Coyote jumped there. He thought: | "I'll fool them!" When that old woman saw that he | was about to go out, then the old people lifted their hammers | to hit him. They both stood with legs apart, ready to strike Coyote. | They were about to knock him down. Then Coyote jumped there. || He stopped quickly. The 200 old people thought | he would jump through between them, and they struck; | but since Coyote stopped quickly, the old people | struck each other right on their heads. They | hit each other and killed each other. Then || Coyote started to go to the place where they 295 had landed. He went there | and got there. Then Fox and Young Coyote paddled ashore. | Theywere just telling each other: "Certainly the old woman has knocked down | Coyote, therefore he has not come to the shore." | Then Coyote talked, and said: "I am here. The old people have not killed me. || I have made trouble for them." Then 300 he laughed aloud. [ He laughed thus: "So, so, so!" Fox knew now | that he had killed the old people, and that he laughed for this reason. He said to him : | " Hurry up ! Come aboard ! Those who | make war on us are coming." ||

Then Fox saw a youth coming out — the same one | whom he had seen 305 the day before when he arrived and entered the tent. | The youth went down to the river. Then I he transformed himself into a salmon.