In the Reign of Coyote/Why the Tick is now Small
WHY THE TICK IS NOW SMALL
NCE, when Antonio was out with the herders, a wood tick got on his arm. It burrowed its head into his flesh and had to be cut out. When he returned home, Juanita was much interested in his experience. Under her sympathy Antonio felt himself a man. They walked over to the saddlery talking of it.
"Just look at Tonio's arm, Klayukat. He had a tick in it, and it had to be cut out," boasted the little sister.
"A tick? Let me see. Huh! Yes. It is well for you the tick is not so large as it was before Coyote conquered it, else you would not be here to show your arm."
The arm was forgotten. Another story? They pleaded for it at once, and soon they were seated on the hides, and Klayukat was reciting the story as he stitched on his saddlebags.
In the ancient days Tick was a great monster. He lived on the sheltered side of a mountain and kept large herds of deer, elk, mountain sheep, and other animals that are good for food. No matter how hungry the people in the valley might be, Tick could always satisfy himself by going out among his herds and killing a fat animal.
One parching summer Coyote was nearly starving. He thought to himself: "Tick has plenty to eat, and he does no good to the animals. I will go to his house and kill him and take his herds."
He toiled up the mountain and found Tick just out of the sweat-house and ready for a plunge into the lake.
"Good morning," said Coyote. "I am tired and dusty. May I have a sweat and a bath to refresh me for the rest of my journey?"
"You may," replied Tick, "if you will heat the rocks yourself. I have to take my bath."
"Thank you; that I will do," answered Coyote, as he began to pile the stones on the smoldering fire. When the rocks were heated, he placed them in the sweat-house. Then he went in and closed the door tight.
"What a strange sweat-house this is!" he remarked to himself. "It looks like the body of a big deer." And that is just what it was.
As the heat radiated from the stones, the fat on the ribs of the deer melted and dripped down. Coyote held up his mouth and caught the delicious drops. As his hunger was satisfied, he grew stronger, and he began to make his plans for killing Tick. When he was well sweated, he ran out of the deer house and plunged into the lake. The cool bath made him feel like a new person.
In his strength he rushed to where Tick was lying in the sun. He seized him and began to choke him. Tick lay so still that soon Coyote thought he was dead and loosened his hold.
Immediately Tick jumped up and called to all his herds to flee with him. The great deer that had formed the sweat-house shook itself and started to run to the valley. As it fled, Tick clung to its hair and was being carried away.
He laughed as he saw Coyote's look of surprise. "Aha! You thought to kill me by squeezing me. You ought to have had more sense. Why did you not put me on a rock and crush me with a stone? I 'll still revel in the blood of your animals. Aha!"
The taunting laugh maddened Coyote, and he cursed Tick. "You will never more kill any of my 
"He plunged into the lake"
animals. You shall be little and feeble. As you now cling to the deer's hair, so all the rest of your days you shall crawl around on the hair of animals. You shall suck blood, yes, but it will be in such tiny drops that you will never again grow fat. And at any time my animals may kill you with a stone."
So since that day Tick has been a little flat crawling creature that lives by sucking blood. The animals are no longer obedient to him, for at any time they can crush him to death by sudden violence.
"Oh, Tonio, I' m so glad Coyote conquered him. Just think, if the big tick had taken hold of you!" and Juanita gave her brother's arm a squeeze.
"But it did n't," said Antonio, pulling his arm loose. "Klayukat, the herders say that rabbits have ticks all over them. Is that so?"
"Who can tell? Who can tell? Ticks will go anywhere they can. As for rabbits, well, rabbits have not the best sense. Did I ever tell you the story of the jack rabbit's fight with the sun?"
"No, we 've never heard it. Will you tell it to us now?"
"Not now. I must take this awl to the smithy. You come around some other time, when you have nothing to do."