COYOTE DANCES WITH THE STARS

  Because the Great Mystery Power had given Coyote much of his
medicine,
  Coyote himself grew very powerful and conceited. There was nothing,
he
  believed, that he couldn't do. He even thought he was more powerful
than the
  Great Mystery, for Coyote was sometimes wise but also a fool. One
day long
  ago, it came into his mind to dance with a star. "I really feel like
doing
  this," he said. He saw a bright star coming up from behind a
mountain, and
  called out: "Hoh, you star, wait and come down! I want to dance with
you."

  The star descended until Coyote could get hold of him, and then
soared up
  into the sky, with Coyote hanging on for dear life. Round and round
the sky
  went the star. Coyote became very tired, and the arm that was
holding onto
  the star grew numb, as if it were coming out of its socket! "Star,"
he said,
  "I believe I've done enough dancing for now. I'll let go and be
getting back
  home." "No, wait; we're too high up," said the star. "Wait until I
come
  lower over the mountain where I picked you up."

  Coyote looked down at the earth. He thought it seemed quite
near. "I'm
  tired, star; I think I'll leave now; we're low enough," he said, and
let go.

  Coyote had made a bad mistake. He dropped down, down, down. He fell
for a
  full ten winters. He plopped through the earth clouds at last, and
when he
  finally hit ground, he was flattened out like a tanned, stretched
deerskin.
  So he died right there.

  Now, the Great Mystery Power had amused himself by giving Coyote
several
  lives. It took Coyote quite a few winters, however, to puff himself
up again
  into his old shape. He had grown quite a bit older in all that time,
but he
  had not grown less foolish. He boasted: "Who besides me could dance
with
  stars, and fall out of the sky for ten long winters, and be
flattened out
  like a deer hide,and live to tell the tale? I am Coyote. I am
powerful. I can do anything!"
  Coyote was sitting in front of his lodge one night, when from behind
the
  mountain rose a strange kind of star, a very fast one, trailing a
long,
  shining tail. Coyote said to himself: "Look at that fast star; what
fun to dance with him!" He called out: "Hoh, strange star with the
long tail! Wait for me; come down; let's dance!"

  The strange, fast star shot down, and Coyote grabbed hold. The star
whirled
  off into the vastness of the universe. Again Coyote had made a bad
mistake.
  Looking up from his lodge into the sky, he had had no idea of that
star's real speed. It was the fastest thing in the universe.
  Coyote fell back down to earth in little pieces, a bit here and a
bit there.
  But soon the pieces started looking for each other, slowly coming
together, forming up into Coyote again.

It took a long time; several winters. At last Coyote was whole again
except
  for his right hand, which was still whirling around in space with
the star.
  Coyote called out: "Great Mystery! I was wrong.!! I'm not as
powerful as you. I'n not as powerful as I thought, Have pity on me!"

  Then the Great Mystery Power spoke: "Friend Coyote. I have given you
four lives. Two you have already wasted foolishly. Better watch
out!" "Have pity on me," wailed Coyote. "Give me back my right
hand." "That's up to the star with the long tail, my friend. You must
have patience. Wait until the star appears to you, rising from behind
the mountain again. Then maybe he will
  shake your hand off." "How often does this star come over the
mountain?"
  "Once in a hundred lifetimes," said the Great Mystery.