Coyote as a Hunter - Sia

Coyote traveled a long distance and in the middle of the day it was
very
hot. He sat down and rested, and thought, as he looked up to
Tinia, "How I
wish the Cloud People would freshen my path and make it cool."

In just a little while the Cloud People gathered over the trail
Coyote was
following and he was glad that his path was to be cool and shady.

After he traveled some distance further, he sat down again and
looking
upward said, "I wish the Cloud People would send rain. My road would
be
cooler and fresher." In a little while a shower came and Coyote was
contented.

But in a short time he again sat down and wished that the road could
be very
moist, that it would be fresh to his feet, and almost immediately
the trail
was as wet as though a river had passed over it. Again Coyote was
contented.

But after a while he took his seat again. He said to himself, "I
guess I
will talk again to the Cloud People." Then he looked up and said to
them, "I
wish for water over my road-water to my elbows, that I may travel on
my
hands and feet in the cool waters; then I shall be refreshed and
happy."

In a short time his road was covered with water, and he moved on.
But again
he wished for something more, and said to the Cloud People, "I wish
much for
water to my shoulders. Then I will be happy and contented."

In a moment the waters arose as he wished, yet after a while he
looked up
and said, "If you will only give me water so high that my eyes,
nose, mouth
and ears are above it, I will be happy. Then indeed my road will be
cool."

But even this did not satisfy him, and after traveling a while
longer he
implored the Cloud People to give him a river that he might float
over the
trail, and immediately a river appeared and Coyote floated down
stream. Now
be had been high in the mountains and wished to go to Hare Land.

After floating a long distance, he at last came to Hare Land and saw
many
Hares a little distance off, on both sides of the river. Coyote lay
down in
the mud as though he were dead and listened. Soon a woman ka-wate
(mephitis)
came along with a vase and a gourd for water. She said, "Here is a
dead
coyote. Where did he come from? I guess from the mountains above. I
guess he
fell into the water and died."

Coyote looked up and said, "Come here, woman." She said, "What do
you want?"
Coyote said, "I know the Hares and other small animals well. In a
little
while they will come here and think I am dead and be happy. What do
you
think about it?"
Ka-wate said, "I have no thoughts at all."

So Coyote explained his plan. . . .So Coyote lay as dead, and all
the Hares
and small animals saw him lying in the river, and rejoiced that he
was dead.
The Hares decided to go in a body and see the dead Coyote. Rejoicing
over
his death, they struck him with their hands and kicked him. There
were
crowds of Hares and they decided to have a great dance. Now and then
a
dancing Hare would stamp upon Coyote who lay as if dead. During the
dance
the Hares clapped their hands over their mouth and gave a whoop like
a
war-whoop.

Then Coyote rose quickly and took two clubs which the ka-wate had
given him,
and together they killed all of the Hares. There was a great number
and they
were piled up like stones.

Coyote said, "Where shall I find fire to cook the hares? Ah," he
said,
pointing across to a high rock, "that rock gives good shade and it
is cool.
I will find fire and cook my meat in the shade of that rock."

So they carried all the hares to that point and Coyote made a large
fire and
threw them into it. When he had done this he was very warm and
tired. He lay
down close to the rock in the shade. After a while he said to Ka-
wate, "We
will run a race. The one who wins will have all the hares."

She said, "How could I beat you? Your feet are so much larger than
mine."

Coyote said, "I will allow you the start of me." He made a torch of
the
inner shreds of cedar bark and wrapped it with yucca thread and
lighted it.
Then he tied this torch to the end of his tail. He did this to see
that the
ka-wate did not escape him.

Ka-wate started first, but when out of sight of Coyote, she slipped
into the
house of Badger. Then Coyote started with the fire attached to his
tail.
Wherever he touched the grass, he set fire to it. But Ka-wate
hurried back
to the rock, carried all the hares on top except four tiny ones, and
then
climbed up on the rock.

Coyote was surprised not to overtake her. He said, "She must be very
quick.
How could she run so fast?" Then he returned to the rock, but did
not see
her.

He was tired and sat down in the shade of the rock. "Why doesn't she
come?"
he said. "Perhaps she will not come before night, her feet are so
small."

Ka-wate sat on the rock above and heard all he said. She watched him
take a
stick and look into the mound for the hares. He pulled out a small
one which
he threw away. But the second was smaller than the first. Then a
third and a
fourth, each tiny, and all he threw away. "I do not care for the
smaller
ones," he said. "There are so many here, I will not eat the little
ones."
But he hunted and hunted in the mound of ashes for the hares. All
were gone.

He said, "That woman has robbed me." Then he picked up the four
little ones
and ate them. He looked about for Ka-wate but did not see her
because he did
not look up. Then as he was tired and lay down to rest, he looked up
and saw
her, with the cooked hares piled beside her.

Coyote was hungry. He begged her to throw one down. She threw a very
small
one. Then Coyote became angry. And he was still more angry because
he could
not climb the rock. She had gone where he could not go.

(New Mexico) Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest
Compiled
and Edited by Katharine Berry Judson, 1912

From Blue Panther Keeper of Stories.