38. Coyote is Disobeyed by Turkey

Coyote came where there was a flock of turkeys. He said to one of them, "Go to my home and they will eat you. Tell them that they must save the hind quarter that has a black mark on it for me." Turkey went to Coyote's home and said to his family, "Coyote says that you should eat the smallest child, but that you shall mark a hind quarter and save it for him. That was what your father told me when he sent me to you." Coyote's wife struck the youngest child on the side of his head and killed him and then they ate him up.

Turkey went back to the people. When Coyote came back he said, "Where is that man I sent you to eat?" "When he came to us, he said, 'Your father sent me here to tell you that you should kill the smallest child and eat him, saving the right hind quarter marked with a coal for me., Because of that we killed the smallest child and ate him. The right hind quarter we marked with a coal and put away for you," they told Coyote. "May he die! He lied. I sent him to you that you should eat him."

Coyote started away again and cattle to the turkeys. They flew away from him and alighted in a pine tree. Coyote started to chop down the tree. When it was about to fall, they flew off to another tree which Coyote also commenced to chop. As it was about to fall they flew again into still another tree. This Coyote also cut down. Before it fell, the turkeys flew, alighting in still another tree. Coyote commenced chopping this also. Before it fell, the turkeys flew away alighting in another tree. Coyote tired out, gave up the task. ³

Footnotes

233:2 The Wichita story has Coyote first make Turkey declare he is an honest man, Dorsey, (b), p. 289.

233:3 Ed. Ladd added that Coyote shot his arrows into the under side of the limb on which the turkeys were sitting in a row, cut the tree down and recovered his arrows. He repeated this four times.