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KUTENAI TALES
65

Then I will eat her. I am hungry.” The | Cow arrived. As she walked along, Coyote shot her. | He killed her. There she lay. A little ways off there was a flat stone. | He sat down on the flat stone. He sat there and || began to cry. He cried for his wife whom he had killed.

After a little while | many wolves arrived. They ate at once | what he had killed. Coyote thought he would stand up, but he stuck (to the stone). | He tried to get up, but he couldn’t get off. | Then the wolves ate the Cow. They ate it all. || Nothing was left. Coyote just got up. He arose. His backside came off from the stone. | Coyote said: “Let me stick on, | let me stick on!”

He went there, and there were only bones. | He thought: “Well, I will break the bones.” He piled | the bones together, and he was about to break them. He was told: “Nephew, || I do not allow you to break bones.” He said: “That is so.” | He looked, and there was Badger. He was told: “I’ll break the bones.” | He was told: “You shall hold my tail." | Then he held (Badger’s) tail. He was told: “Don’t hold on too tightly, | you will badger my tail.” He did so. He did not hold the tail tightly. || Badger Woman took the bladder and put | the marrow into it. It was a big, round piece of marrow. Coyote was told: | “I shall eat that much,” and (Badger) passed her hands close to her mouth. | Coyote also said: “I'll eat that much.” Then Badger | ran away quickly, carrying the marrow. Coyote pursued her. || He ran after her. Badger was eating all the time. When she had finished, | she threw back the bladder. Coyote was told: | “I suppose you want that.” Badger went off. Coyote took | his bladder. He licked it. It was greasy. |

Coyote was standing there. There were only the remains of broken bones. || He thought: “I will pile them together. I will pound them to pieces.” He | sat down. Coyote began to pound. He was told: “Nephew, I won’t | allow you to break bones.” He saw two women. They were | two birds.[1] He was told: “We will pound it. | Meanwhile go and get something that you may || use for a spoon. When you see that there is a fire, | come back.” Coyote started. He took a root out of the ground, | pounded it, and dried it. Coyote staid there. | Then he saw a large fire. He went back, and | when he got back, nothing was left. He looked up the tree, || and there was one of the birds. The other one was on another tree. | One carried the grease; the other one, | the chopped bone. He had nothing to eat of the game he had killed. Enough. |


  1. Species unknown.
85543°—Bull. 59—18——5