Coyote and the Rolling Rock - Blackfoot

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 quarreled and quarreled, and
fought and
fought, Until finally they killed each other.

From Blue Panther Keeper of Stories.