COYOTE AND THE ROLLING STONE. 447 
At last Coyote came to a place where the Bull-Bats stayed. Coyote 
said: ‘‘Grandchildren, there is a person running after me.’”’ The Bull- 
Bats then said: ‘‘Enter our lodge and remain there.’? When the stone 
came rolling up it said: ‘‘Where is that person who came here?’ The 
Bull-Bats did not reply and the stone became angry. Then the Bull- 
Bats said: ‘‘ He is here and we are going to protect him.’’ The Bull-Bats 
flew up and then down, and they expelled flatus on the stone. Every 
time they did this a piece broke off from the stone. The largest Bull-Bat 
came down and expelled flatus right on the center and broke the stone 
into pieces. Then the Coyote was told to come out and go on his way. 
Coyote started off, and when he got over the hills he turned around and 
yelled at the Bull-Bats and said: ‘‘All you big-nosed, funny things, how 
you did behave to that stone.”’ The Bull-Bats heard it and did not pay any 
attention, but he kept on making fun of them. Then the Bull-Bats flew 
up in a group, and came down, and with their wings they got the stones 
together again and started it to rolling, and said: ‘‘Go and kill that fellow.” 
The stone then ran after Coyote and Coyote tried to get away, but he 
could not. At last he gave out. He jumped over a steep bank and the 
stone was right behind him. As Coyote struck the bottom, the stone fell 
on him and killed him. This is why we used to find dead coyotes in the 
hills and valleys. 
127. COYOTE AND THE ROLLING SKULL.’ 
Coyote was going along, and he became very hungry. He came toa 
wide prairie covered with tall buffalo-grass. He stopped and sang: 
What a fine place this is; 
I wish I could run the buffalo around; 
Thus I might get something to eat. 
Close by where Coyote was singing a voice spoke and said: “‘Stop 
singing and dancing around my place.’’ Then the skull began to sing: 
Here my skull rests, 
Here my skull rests, 
Surrounded by a path. 
Here my skull rests. 
1Told by White-Sun, Kitkehahki. This story was originally told by his grand- 
father, one of the leading medicine-men of the Kitkehahki. It is told to teach the 
children that when they find skulls upon the prairie they must not call them 
names nor kick them around. The children are taught by the story that skulls have 
supernatural power. 
