Page:Kutenai Tales.djvu/310

Rh 12. (2 versions: Nos. 6 and 47). First Version.—Coyote finds the skull of a buffalo bull. He kicks it. After a while he hears a noise and sees Buffalo coming in pursuit. His manitous hide him in the stump of a burnt tree, which the Buffalo shatters; next in a stone, which he also shatters; in a pond, which Buffalo drinks; in a rose bush, which Buffalo can not tear to pieces. Coyote asks for peace and offers to smoke with Buffalo. Buffalo says that he lights his pipe by holding it up to the sun. Buffalo's wife had been taken away by other Buffaloes, and he had been killed. Coyote sharpens Buffalo's horns, and the two set out to recover Buffalo's wives. They overcome the other Buffaloes, and Coyote receives the larger Buffalo Cow, which is to be his wife. He sends her ahead, and tries to shoot her in a valley. The arrow does not enter her body. Finally he kills her. After butchering her, he sits on a stone. Wolf comes and eats the Buffalo, and Coyote is unable to get up until the meat has been eaten. He pounds the bones and tries to extract the marrow. A bird tells him that he must not pound them, that Badger is to do so. While Badger is pounding, Coyote is asked to take hold of Badger's tail.

The marrow is put into a bladder. Badger runs away, eats it, and throws back the empty bladder. Coyote intends to break the remaining bones, and is told by a bird that the bird will do it. Coyote is sent away and told to return when he sees smoke. When he returns, the birds have flown away with what remains of the Buffalo.

Second Version.—Coyote finds the head of a Buffalo Bull, passes it three times, and breaks it with a stone. He covers a flat rock with his blanket, and lies down singing. He hears Buffalo coming in pursuit. He runs away. When he is tired, he calls on his manitous. The first one has the form of a stump, in which Coyote hides. Buffalo breaks it in two. The next one is a stone, which Buffalo also breaks in two. The third one is a bush, which Buffalo can not tear. They make peace and smoke together. Coyote institutes the peace pipe. Buffalo tells Coyote that other Buffaloes took away his two wives and killed him. Coyote sharpens Buffalo's horns, and they overcome the other Buffaloes and take back the two wives. Buffalo gives to Coyote one of his wives, which Coyote selects because she is not as strong as the other one. Coyote sends his Buffalo wife ahead and kills her. He sits down on a stone and cries for the wife whom he has killed. Wolves come and eat the Cow, while Coyote is unable to get up. After the Wolves have disappeared, the stone lets him go. He is about to break the bones to extract the marrow, when Badger forbids him to break the bones, and offers to break them himself. Coyote holds on to Badger's tail while Badger is pounding the bones. Badger puts the marrow into the bladder and runs away with the marrow, eating it. He throws back the bladder. Coyote intends to pound the remaining bones. Two birds forbid him to do so, and tell him that they themselves will pound them. Coyote is sent to make a spoon. When he comes back, the birds fly away with the chopped bone.

13. (No. 17).—Coyote hears Butterfly singing. (The story is unintelligible.)

14. (No. 8).—While Grouse and husband are away. Coyote enters the tent, puts their children into a bag, and carries them away. The children break the bag and escape.