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Coyote vs. Duck
Coyote became disturbed because he had a sick daughter. He thought Duck had
done something against his children in order to make them sick. So Coyote
determined to bring harm to Duck. He met Duck at a certain place and ordered
that Duck should run to a point with his eyes closed. This Duck did. When he
opened them again, he found himself in the hole of a big rock, a little cave
high on the face of a cliff. There was no way out for Duck.
Coyote took Duck's wife and children, whom he treated badly. In time, Coyote
had more children from this woman, and these he took good care of.
Duck tried constantly to get out of the cave, without success. At last Bat
camped nearby, and every day, when he went to hunt rabbits, his children could
hear someone crying. They told Bat, and he flew upward to look. On his way he
killed rabbits and hung them on his belt. Finally he found Duck, who was very
weak from lack of food.
"Who is there?" asked Bat. "I am Duck." Bat asked, "How did you come up here?"
Duck said, "Coyote caused me to lose my way with my eyes closed. He got rid of
me in order to steal my wife." Then Bat said "Throw yourself down." Duck was
afraid to try. So Bat told him, "Throw down a small rock." This Duck did and
Bat caught it on his back. He said, "That is exactly the way I will catch you.
You will not be hurt."
Duck still feared that Bat would not catch him. Bat continued to urge him to
let himself fall. Several times Duck almost let himself go, but drew back. At
least he thought, "Suppose I am killed; I shall die here anyway; I am as good
as dead now."
Duck closed his eyes as Bat commanded, and let himself fall. Bat caught him
gently and put Duck safely on the ground. Bat then took Duck to his home and
said, "Do not use the fire-sticks that are near my fireplace, but use those
stuck behind the tent poles, at the sides of the tent."
Then he entered, and Duck saw the sticks at the sides of the tent, but only
thought them to be fine canes, too handsome for stirring the fire. He saw a
number of sticks laying around that were charred on the ends. He took one of
these and stirred the embers. Oh, how the sticks cried. All the other sticks
called out, "Duck has burned our younger brother."
These sticks were Bat's children, and they all ran away. Duck became frightened
at what he had done, and went out and hid in the brush. Bat came and called to
him, "Come back! You have done no harm."
For a long time Duck seemed afraid that Bat would punish him. Then he thought,
"I've already been as good as dead, so I have nothing more to fear, even if
they should kill me." Duck went back into the tent. But Bat did not hurt him
and gave him plenty of rabbit meat to eat. Soon Duck was strong again.
Duck said to Bat, "Coyote took my wife and children; I think I shall go and
look for them." Believing him to be strong enough, Bat encouraged him to go.
Duck went to his old camp, but he found it deserted. He followed tracks leading
from it, and after a while found some tracks other than his own children's.
"I think Coyote has got children from my wife," he thought, and he became very
angry. Coyote came along with Duck's wife. She was carrying a very large
basket. Inside were Coyote's children, well kept; but Duck's children sat on
the outer edge of the basket. Nearly falling off. These were dirty and
miserable.
Duck caught the basket with a finger and pulled it back. "What are you doing,
children?" the woman said. "Don't do that; you must not catch hold of something
and hold me back." Duck continued to pull at the basket. At last she turned to
look at the children and saw Duck. He said to her, "Why do you take care of
Coyote's children, while my children are dirty and uncared for? Why do you not
treat my children properly?"
The woman was ashamed and did not answer. Then he asked her, "Where will you
camp now?" When she told him, he said to her, "Go to the place where Coyote
told you to camp, but when you put up the shelter, make the grass very thin on
one side and very thick on the side on which you are, so I can reach Coyote."
The woman arrived at the camping place. Coyote asked, "To whom have you been
talking now?" She replied, "I have not met nor talked with anyone. Why do you
always ask me that?" She then put up the shelter as Duck had directed her.
Immediately Duck began to blow. He blew softly, but again, again, and again,
until he made it freezing cold.
Coyote could not sleep. He thrust his spear through the sides of the shelter in
all directions and nearly speared the Duck. Coyote said to his wife, "I knew
that you met someone. It must have been Duck, who is making it so cold." Duck
continued to blow and blow. At last Coyote burrowed himself down into the
fireplace ashes, hoping to warm himself there. But it was of no use. Coyote
froze to death before morning.
Duck let all of Coyote's children go free where they wished. Then he took his
wife and his children back to their old home, where they had lived before all
of the disruption began.
It appears to be a law that you cannot have a deep sympathy with both man and nature.
~Henry David Thoreau
The 1st buffalo ever born in captivity was born at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo in 1884.
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