American Indian Trickster Tales (Myths and Legends) by Richard Erdoes Page A

and bring Coyote to me, together with whatever he has made.”
    The sister-in-law brought Coyote. “Let me see it,” said the chief’s daughter, “the thing I think you have fashioned last night.” Then Coyote showed it to her. It was an iron kettle for making soup. No one had ever seen the like of it. The chief’s daughter had never seen anything made of iron. It was so much better than cooking in a buffalo’s paunch.
    “What do you want for this?” the chief’s daughter asked.
    “Oh, well, nothing much. I just want to fondle one of your breasts. Only once and quickly.”
    “Sister-in-law, what do you think?” the chief’s daughter whispered.
    “Why, what harm can there be in it? This man is foolish to give such things away for almost nothing.”
    “All right,” the chief’s daughter told Coyote, “you may do this once, but be quick about it!”
    So Coyote fondled her breast a little and went off. “I think this was a very good bargain,” said the sister-in-law.
    “I think so, too,” said the chief’s daughter.
    That night there was a lot of noise in Coyote’s tipi again. “Sister-in-law, quick,” said the chief’s daughter in the morning, “bring this man over here with whatever he has made.”
    The sister-in-law did this. “Well, what is it this time?” asked the chief’s daughter. “I want it already, though I have not yet seen it.”
    Coyote showed it to her. It was a bright red wool blanket with black, white, and blue stripes. The chief’s daughter had never seen anything so beautiful or useful. She felt the blanket and marveled at how warm and soft it was. “Well, all right, fondle my other breast and be quick about it,” she told Coyote.
    “No,” he said, “what I want for this blanket is to feel one of your buttocks.”
    “Sister-in-law, what do you think?”
    “Why, what is the harm in that? He already got a kiss. He already fondled a breast. What does a buttock matter?”
    “Well, all right, you can do it. Just once. Do it quickly.” Coyote fondled her buttock quickly, thanked her, and went away.
    “It wasn’t too much to ask for this blanket,” said the chief’s daughter.
    The following night Coyote made a greater noise than in all the previous nights put together.
    “Quick, quick,” the chief’s daughter said in the morning, “get Coyote. I am sure he has made something really wonderful this time.”
    Coyote came. “Show it to me at once, whatever you have made this time,” the chief’s daughter said. Coyote showed it to her. It was a miloglas, mirror. The chief’s daughter beheld her own face for the first time reflected in a White Man’s miloglas. “This is truly wonderful,” she said, turning her head this way and that, admiring herself. “What do you want for this?”
    “Oh, not much, really. Just to look between your legs. Only once.”
    “Sister-in-law,” whispered the chief’s daughter, “what do you think?”
    “Why, what harm can there be in just a look?”
    “All right,” said the chief’s daughter, “you may look, once.” The chief’s daughter spread her legs. “There, be quick, just a glance.”
    Coyote looked. He shook his head. “Oh, my, oh, my, too bad, too bad!”
    “What is too bad?” asked the chief’s daughter.
    “Your winyan-shan is upside down. It has to be remade. It can’t stay like it is. What a pity!”
    Coyote thanked the chief’s daughter and went off someplace.
    The chief’s daughter wept. “What is the matter?” the sister-in-law asked.
    “This man has said that my winyan-shan is upside down. It has to be redone. Who is there who can do this job?”
    “Why, the man who made the bead choker, and the kettle, and the blanket, and the wonderful miloglas, of course. Who else?”
    “Sister-in-law, you are right. Get Coyote, quickly.”

PART FOUR
    THE TROUBLE WITH ROSE HIPS

COYOTE, SKUNK, AND THE BEAVERS
    {Wichita }

    Coyote was roaming, searching for what he could get. He surprised Skunk, waddling