148 THE 8IA. 



cried the hare, "j'our mouth is so close you are blowiug the fire on to 

 me, aud I will soon die ; " aud the coyote put his mouth still closer to 

 the fire and thought the hare must die; he blew with all his strength, 

 drawing nearer in his eagerness to destroy the hare, until his foce was 

 very close to him, when the hare threw the boiling gum into the face 

 of the coyote and escaped. The coyote's thoughts were now directed to 

 the removal of the hot gum from his eyes and face. It was a long time 

 before he could see anything, and his eyes were jjainfal. When he real- 

 ized the hare had again escaped him he cried, "I am very, very stupid ;" 

 and lie started oft' disgusted with himself, and was A'ery sad. After 

 traveling a long distance and crossing a mountain he came to a man 

 (lynx) sleeping. The coyote was pleased to see the man, and thought, 

 "Here is a companion. I guess the fellow has either woi'ked hard all 

 night or traveled much, for he .sleeps soundly." And after thinking 

 quite a while, the coyote procured a slender round stick and thrust it 

 into his stomach aud twisted it very carefully to gather fat. The lynx 

 still slejit soundly. "I will tell my companion when he awakes," said 

 the coyote, "that I have the fat of the deer on my stick," and he laid 

 it to one side and began thinking. "Ah, I have a thought. In the old 

 days my companion's mouth was not so large; it was small; I will make 

 it as it was. His ears were not so large; I will make them as they were. 

 His tail was not so long; I will shorten it. His legs and arms and body 

 were longer; I will lengthen them ;" and he worked and pressed about 

 the mouth until it was reduced in size, and so he labored over the ears 

 until they were small, and pressed the tail until it grew shorter, and 

 then pidled the legs and arms and body until they were the proper 

 length. After his work was completed the coyote thought, "This is 

 well." Still the lynx slept, and the coyote called, "Companion!" but 

 no answer; the second time, "(Jompanion!" and no answer; none coming 

 to the third call, the coyote thought, " Why is it my companion sleeps 

 so soundly? he must have traveled hard or worked hard all night," 

 and again he called, "Companion!" and the lynx opened his eyes aud 

 looked about as one does when he has just awakened, but did not 

 speak. 



When he discovered that he was unlike his former self he said 

 nothing, but thought, "That coyote man has done this work." The 

 coyote then bringing the stick, with the fat upon it, said, 'Companion, 

 I wish much to talk with you; you have slept very soundly; I have 

 brought you some fat from the deer; eat it; j'ou will like it. I killed 

 a deer the other day, and this is the reason I can bring you some fat;" 

 and the lynx, thinking the coyote spoke the truth, ate the fat with 

 much relish. When the fat had been consumed the coyote said, "Well, 

 companion, what do you think of the deer fat?" but before the lynx 

 made any reply the coyote added, "I lied to you; it is your own fat 

 which I took from your stomach while you slept." The lynx at once 

 became very sick aud begau vomiting. " I did not eat it," cried the 



