58 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. V. 



and dug out the roasted meat. "Say, partner, don't eat them all !" said 

 jNih'a^ga'^. But Coyote ate them all and ran away. Nih'a°ga°, after he 

 had freed himself, trailed Coyote arid found him asleep in the grass, 

 pretty well glutted with beaver meat. Nih'a"(;aP went to the windward 

 side of Coyote and built a fire so close to him that it burned the hair 

 off his legs and wakened him. "You -will have yellow fur around 

 your legs hereafter," said Nih'a"Qa" to Coyote, running off. 



This is the reason there is a yellow color on the coyote's legs. 

 The limbs represented two persons fighting — one came along to part 

 them.— D. 



Told by Found. The Osage have a similar tale. 



25. NlH'A'^gA'^ AND THE BeaVERS.' 



Nih'a"<;a*^, going down stream, came to a beaver dam. All about it 

 lay willows and other trees with their bark eaten off. There were 

 many beavers, but the stream had almost gone dry. Then Nih^a'^ga" 

 called out : "All you beavers come out. Listen to what I have to say 

 to you. I am a good man. I have come to you to tell you what is best 

 for you." Then all the beavers came out, both old and young, and 

 sat all the way across the dam. "What is it, Nih'a^ga"^?" they asked 

 him. ''Listen," he said. "Over the hill I can see the tops of cotton- 

 wood trees ; at the foot oi the trees is a large stre.am which never runs 

 dry even in the hot weather ; willows and other trees stand there — they 

 are juicy and good to eat. Leave your dam and come with me ; you 

 can follow me over the prairie to that place." The chief beaver said 

 to the others : "It is true that where our dam now is we live with 

 difficulty ; we have tO' go far to get bark to eat, and our children are 

 almost starving. We had best do as he tells us." Then they started 

 up hill, over the prairie. Niha'^ga" went behind' the beavers, carrying 

 a stick. A little beaver had fallen behind. "Here is your punishment, 

 little one," he said to it, motioning to strike it with the stick. "Nih'a'^ga" 

 says to me : 'Here is your punishment,' " said the little beaver. "Oh, 

 no. I mean, 'Here is your food,' " said Nili'a"ga". Then the mother 

 of the young beaver said : "He means that there are many trees over 

 the hill." Niha'^ga'^ continued to motion with his club towards the 

 little beaver. Finally he went to the center of the herd and quickly 

 struck all the beavers that he could. Those that ran most rapidly 

 escaped, but most of them he killed. "How lucky T am to get all this 



■ From informants J . 



