Page:Kutenai Tales.djvu/132

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Boas]
Kutenai Tales
117

Coyote." Coyote sat on the bird's back. He sat on the back of the other one, and he also flew up. | Then he shouted again, and he flew back down to the ground. The two friends, Coyote (and Ya.uk'e' ka m) were glad. He said to the (Thunderbird): | “Don't be angry with the people. You may scare whoever lies about you." 130 That was Ya.uk'e',ka'm's prayer. | Then there were no more thunder- birds. That is the reason | why they do not kill any one now. The thunderbirds only make a noise. |

(d) The Animals Make the Sun

The friends went along. The way the friends Coyote (and Ya.uk'e',kam) were going along | they heard that the sun was being made. Then they started. He was to be the sun. Perhaps the 135 one who was to be taken | would be the sun. Therefore the two went on together. Some one was to be the sun. The one who was good was to be taken. | He was to be the sun. Then they arrived at that town. They were told: "To-morrow you will start." || They meant 140 Ya.uk'e',ka'm. Then night came. Early in the morning Ya.uk'e',- ka'm started. | They waited for him, and he went up. | The sun was red. Because Ya.uk'e'¡ka'm | always painted his clothing with ochre, therefore his shadow was bright red. It was not hot. It was good. When he came back, he was told: "You are good. There is 145 only one thing, everything | is entirely red. Your red paint has done it." | Ya.uk'e',ka'm could not do it because he was | bright red. | Then Coyote was told: "To-morrow you shall go." Then they 150 slept. Early in the morning Coyote started. Then | he went on. At once it was hot. | At noon it was very hot. Shade was made, but | it was always hot. The children were put into the water of the river, but the water burned them. The water was entirely hot. Even cold water was hot. Then the Sun always talked. | When 155 Coyote saw a child crying, | he said: "Put it into cold water;" and when he saw the people eating, he said: "You will give me some- thing to eat, something must be left for me. | I shall eat in the evening when I return." Then the Suntold everything that was 160 being done. Then the chief was angry. Coyote said: "Somebody stole a woman, also the man and the woman catch each other." Then it was evening; and when the sun had almost gone down, it remained | always hot. At night Coyote came back. Then he went to | where they were eating. He went there to eat | what was left. 165 He said it should be left for him. |