In the Reign of Coyote/Why the Mosquito hates Smoke
WHY THE MOSQUITO HATES SMOKE
HAT same day the children were passing the saddler's shop, where Klayukat sat on a whalebone by the door braiding a lariat. As he answered their greeting, he raised his hand to kill
a mosquito on his forehead. "You vile mosquito!" he exclaimed; "I wish I could treat you as Coyote did your ancestor."
The children stopped short. "How was that? What did Coyote do to the mosquito?" asked Antonio.
"Tecla told us about the cougar and the mosquito," interjected Juanita, "but not about the coyote. Please tell us about it, Klayukat."
"Huh! Tecla! That woman does not know about Coyote. I don't know what they have in her country. You ask Wantasson if Coyote is not the most cunning of the animals."
"Wantasson has told us so. But he did not tell us about Coyote and the mosquito. Please tell us that, Klayukat," and Antonio's voice dropped into its most pleading tones.
"Wait until I get some more leather, and then as I braid the lariat I will tell you the story."
The children seated themselves near his doorway. Soon he returned and sat down on his whalebone. Then he commenced his work and his story at the same time.
In the long, long ago Mosquito was larger than any man now alive. His bill was five feet long, and it ended in a strong sharp point. He lived in a narrow canyon near a spring.
When any animal came for water, Mosquito would rush out singing, "Now I 'll suck you, suck, suck." He would stick his bill through the animal and drink every drop of blood in its body. So many did he kill that there was weeping in each animal home, and every family begged Coyote to find them relief.
Coyote thought long and deep. Then he took his stone knife and five twigs,—one of hazel, one of elder, one of crab apple, one of pine, and one of oak. With these he started to the canyon where lived Mosquito.
As he approached the door, Mosquito buzzed out in a very annoying manner: "Where are you going? This is my road. I don't allow any one to pass."
Before he could get his bill out of his house, Coyote answered in his polite way: "My friend, I see that you are very cold and have no fire in your house. Let me make you a fire so that you can warm yourself."
Mosquito was feeling a little sluggish, and the ground looked damp, so he replied, "Well, make a little fire, but don't be too long about it or I might get hungry."
Coyote took the hazel twig and broke it in two. He twirled the pieces together and twirled them again, but no blaze came. "Bah!" he exclaimed, "do you send all your heat into your nuts, foolish wood?" and he threw the hazel aside.
Next he took the elder twig and broke it in two. He twirled the pieces together long and rapidly and yet no spark was emitted. "Bah!" he cried, "do you send all your heat to your berries, foolish wood?" and he cast the elder aside.
Then he took the twig of crab apple and broke it in two. He twirled and twirled these pieces together, but they showed no sign of fire. "Bah!" he sneered, "do you send all your heat to your fruit, foolish wood?" and he threw the crab apple aside.
Then he took the pine and the oak and twirled them together. In a short time a tiny flame burst forth, and soon Coyote had a big fire blazing right in front of Mosquito's door.
Mosquito spread out his hands to warm himself and shut his eyes in enjoyment. Coyote threw an armful of rotten wood on the fire in order to smother the blaze with smoke. Then Coyote turned the smoke drift into Mosquito's face. Mosquito could not catch his breath and lay down on the ground.
Coyote jumped on his head and cried: "You shall not kill any more. You have been a terror to everybody, but now your power is gone. I am going to split your head open. From it shall come a tiny race. They may fly about people's faces, and annoy them, and take a little blood, but never may they kill."
With one tremendous stroke of his stone knife, Coyote cleft the giant's head. Out poured myriads of tiny buzzing creatures. They still exist to-day, always near some water. They still remember their great ancestor. They buzz around trying to threaten as he did; they suck blood from every animal; and recollecting how he met his death, they flee before a smoke.
The children's attention to the story had been interrupted by the visitation of several mosquitoes.
"These are bad enough," exclaimed Antonio. "What must such a big mosquito have been like!"
"But, Klayukat, there is no water here. So why are there mosquitoes here?" asked Juanita.
"Here at your Señor Padre's house there is no water, but over the hill is there not the lagunita? There the mosquitoes breed, and from there they come over the hill to bother us sinful mortals. Ugh! They are sent by the devil to try our souls"; and Klayukat slapped his head with his two hands.
"Are they all afraid of smoke, Klayukat?" inquired Juanita.
"Every one of them will flee before smoke. They are all afraid of it," answered the old man.
"Then why don't we have a big fire and lots of smoke, and keep them away all the time?" asked Antonio.
"That, young Antonio, is for you to ask your Señor Padre."
"Let 's go to him now," cried Juanita. "Hurry, I hear these mosquitoes singing, 'I 'll suck your blood, suck, suck!' Don't you hear them, Tonio? Oh, Tonio, let 's run"; and she led the race.