232 TALES OF READY-TO-GIVE. 
and scolded him and was about to hook him, when others said: “‘Let 
the poor Coyote alone. He is nearly dead. Can you not see the matter 
on each side of his neck?”’ So the bull let Coyote alone. The ring rolled 
close to Coyote and Coyote opened his mouth as though he were gaping, 
but he spoke to the girl and said: ‘‘I am here, granddaughter. Rollup 
close to me the next time.’’ The next time the Buffalo rolled the ring it 
went straight to Coyote. There was an uproar. The Buffalo all grunted 
and ran after Coyote. Coyote gave the ring to the Rabbit, who ran with 
it, while Coyote went into a hole. The Rabbit ran on until it came to 
its hole, then gave the ring to Fox, who was there. The Foxran on with 
the ring, and when he came to his hole he gave the ring to the Prairie- 
Chicken, who flew on. When the Prairie-Chicken became tired, it flew 
to a muddy pond and lit on a tree. Many Buffalo ran into the muddy 
pond and could not get out on account of the mud. TheCrow took the 
ring, the Buffalo still following. The Crow became tired and gave the 
ring to the Blackbird, who flew right over the Buffalo. The Blackbird 
became tired, then gave the ring to the Magpie, who flew on. The Mag- 
pie became tired and gave the ring to the Hawk, who flew on. The 
Buffalo still followed. The Hawk became tired, then gave the ring to 
the Eagle, who took the ring and flew up into the heavens. The Buffalo 
saw this, and said: ‘‘Let us now scatter all over the land, so that we 
will be killed by the people.’’ Sothe Buffalo scattered out over the land. 
The Coyote never went back to the village. The girl was taken back to 
the tipi and she was told to go to her people. She went to her people 
and here she told them that they must select a girl every year to be holy 
and then the Buffalo would come to the people. 
71. WOOD-RAT-WOMAN WHO WISHED TO BE MARRIED. 
(See Abstracts.) 
_[Told_ by Coyote-Standing-in-Water, the wife of a Skidi priest. This is the 
Skidi variant of No. 45. This tale is told to children to teach them that when they 
grow up they should marry the girls of their choice; especially that they should not 
marry old women and thus not be able to rear a family.] 
72. THE WITCH-WOMAN WHO WISHED TO BE MARRIED. 
(See Abstracts.) 
[Told by Thief, Kitkehahki. This is a variant of No. 71.] 
