------------Native American Lore
Blackfeet/Piegan/Sioux
.
One spring day Coyote and Fox were out
for a walk, and when they came to a big
smooth rock, Coyote threw his blanket
over it and they sat down to rest. After
a while the Sun became very hot, and
Coyote decided he no longer needed the
blanket.
"Here, brother," he said to the rock,
"I give you my blanket because you are
poor and have let me rest on you.
Always keep it."
Then Coyote and Fox went on their way.
They had not gone far when a heavy
cloud covered the sky. Lightning
flashed and thunder rumbled and rain
began to fall. The only shelter they
could find was in a coulee, and
Coyote said to Fox, "Run back to that
rock, and ask him to lend us the
blanket I gave him. We can cover
ourselves with it and keep dry."
So Fox ran back to the rock, and
said, "Coyote wants his blanket."
"No," replied the rock. "He gave it
to me as a present. I shall keep it.
Tell him he cannot have it."
Fox returned to Coyote and told him
what the rock had said.
"Well," said Coyote, "that certainly
is an ungrateful rock. I only wanted
the use of the blanket for a little
while until the rain stops." He grew
very angry and went back to the rock
and snatched the blanket off.
"I need this to keep me dry," he said.
"You don't need a blanket. You have
been out in the rain and snow all
your life, and it won't hurt you to
live so always."
Coyote and Fox kept dry under the
blanket until the rain stopped and
the sun came out again. Then they left
the coulee and resumed their walk
toward the river. After a while they
heard a loud noise behind them coming
from the other side of the hill.
"Fox, little brother," said Coyote,
"go back and see what is making that
noise."
Fox went to the top of the hill, and
then came hurrying back as fast as he
could. "Run! run!" he shouted, "that
big rock is coming."
Coyote looked back and saw the rock
roll over the top of the hill and
start rushing down upon them.
Fox jumped into a badger hole, but the
rock mashed the tip of his tail, and
that is why Fox's tail is white to
this day.
Meanwhile Coyote had raced down the
hill and jumped into the river. He
swam across to the other side where
he was sure that he was safe because
he knew that rocks sink in water. But
when the rock splashed into the river
it began swimming, and Coyote fled
toward the nearest woods. As soon as he
was deep in the timber, he lay down to
rest, but he had scarcely stretched
himself out when he heard trees crashing.
Knowing that the rock was still pursuing
him, Coyote jumped up and ran out on
the open prairie.
Some bears were crossing there, and
Coyote called upon them for help.
"We'll save you," the bears shouted,
but the rock came rolling upon them
and crushed the bears.
About this time Coyote saw several bull
buffalo. "Oh, my brothers," he called
to them, "help me, help me. Stop that
rock." The buffalo put their heads
down and rushed upon the rock, but it
broke their skulls and kept rolling.
Then a nest of rattlesnakes came to
help Coyote by forming themselves
into a lariat, but when they tried to
catch the rock, the rattlesnakes at
the noose end were all cut to pieces.
Coyote kept running along a pathway,
but the rock was now very close to him,
so close that it began to knock
against his heels.
Just as he was about to give up, he
saw two witches standing on opposite
sides of the path. They had stone
hatchets in their hands.
"We'll save you," they called out.
He ran between them, with the rock
following close behind. Coyote heard
the witches strike the rock with their
hatchets, and when he turned to look
he saw it lying on the ground all
shattered into tiny pieces.
Then Coyote noticed that the path had
led him into a large camp. When he
sat down to catch his breath, he
overheard one of the witches say to
the other: "He looks nice and fat.
We'll have something good for dinner
now. Let's eat him right away."
Coyote Pretended he had heard
nothing, but he watched the witches
through one of his half-closed eyes
until they went into their lodge and
began rattling their cooking utensils.
Then he jumped up and emptied all
their water pails.
As soon as they came outside again,
he said, "I am very thirsty. I wish
you would give me a good drink of
water."
"There is plenty of water here," one
of the witches replied. "You may have
a drink from one of these pails."
But when she looked in the pails she
found that every one was empty.
"That creek down there has water in
it," Coyote said. "I'll go and get
some water for you."
He took the pails and started off,
but as soon as he was out of sight
he ran away as fast as his legs
could carry him.
Afterwards he heard that when the old
witches discovered that he had
tricked them, they began blaming each
other for letting him escape. They
quarrelled and quarrelled, and fought
and fought, Until finally they killed
each other.
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