54. Coyote and Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢka·m
(a) Coyote and the Fat[1]
Coyote went along with Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢka·m. Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢka·m said, | he said to Coyote: "Fat is hanging there. | They bite that fat once." Then they got there. | Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢka·m bit off a piece. Then he started. Coyote arrived || and bit off once. Then he went on. Then 5 he swallowed. | It tasted good, and he wanted more. He did not tell | Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢka·m. Coyote turned back. He came back to where | the fat was hanging. Then he ate of it. The fat fell down. | It was steep where the fat was hanging. When it fell, || it began to roll. Then 10 Coyote ran after it. He bit a piece off | and swallowed it. He saw that the fat was about to roll into the water | where it was deep. Then he ran after it and bit off another piece. He put it down with his mouth, | ran after it, and bit off another piece, and he put it down with his mouth. Then | the fat fell into the water and sank. Coyote re- mained there: ||He thought he would go back and eat | what he had 15 bitten off. Then Coyote started back. He arrived|| where he had put down the fat with his mouth. There was no fat. It had become | a white stone. Then Coyote stood there. | He wanted to swallow the fat which was in the water. He thought: || "Let me heat stones." 20 Then he did so. When they were red-hot, | he took them with sticks to where the fat was in the water. |
Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢka·m was going along. He looked back, and he saw there was no I Coyote. He thought Coyote was not acting right. Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢka·m went back. | He came to where the fat had been hanging. There was no || fat. It was steep there. He saw the | tracks of Coyote 25 going down, and also the fat | and the tracks going along with it. Then he started down. Way below he saw | a fire. He saw Coyote, who was there. | He went down. He saw him carrying the stones with sticks || to the place where the fat was in the water. A piece of 30 the fat came up to the top of the water. | Coyote took a mouthful of the fat. I When Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢka·m arrived, Coyote did not see him. Ya.u- Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢka·m saw | his friend suffering. He said to him: | "Why did you do that?" Coyote was scared. || He said it tasted good. He was 35 told: "I told you | they take just one bite." Then Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢka·m took I a pole. He fastened a knife to it. He speared | the fat. Then the fat was broken up. | The fat came to the top of the water. Then
Coyote was told: || "Now eat all." Then Coyote took | the fat ashore.
- ↑ See p. 48.
