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THE SKUNKS AND THE BEAVERS. 467 
and said: ‘‘Young Beaver, what are you crying about.’’ It said: ‘‘The 
Skunks invited our medicine-men to doctor their young one, and the 
doctors never returned.” The bird said: ‘‘Come with me.” The bird 
placed the young Beaver near the water, and said: ‘‘ Jump into the water 
here.”” The young Beaver jumped into the water and came to the lodge 
of the other Beavers that had been killed. Then one of the Beavers came 
out and said to the bird: ‘‘We thank you for bringing our young one 
here. Tell the Skunks that they shall never be our friends; that we are 
their enemies, though we are glad that they placed us in the water. Here 
we shall make our home for all time.”’ 
Ever since, the Beavers have lived in the water, and when the people 
in olden times killed the Beavers they were careful not to lose any of the 
Beavers’ bones. They would throw the bones all into the water, believing 
that the bones would again turn into Beavers. 
144, HOW WILD-CAT KILLED THE BEAR.’ 
In the thick timber lived Wild-Cat with her young ones. One day she 
went off hunting. While she was gone a Bear came to her den and ate all 
her young ones. When the Wild-Cat came back her young ones were gone. 
She cried and followed the Bear’s trail. As she went along she sang. 
After a while the Bear heard the Cat singing, and he went to meet her. 
When the Cat saw the Bear she called him names. The Bear became 
angry, but before he knew it the Wild-Cat had jumped on him; and as 
she was small she clung to his belly, and clawed it until she cut it open. 
She took out her young ones and carried them back home; then she went 
back to the place where she left the Bear and there she found Coyote. 
Coyote said: ‘‘My sister, I watched over the Bear while you were gone, 
so that nobody else would come to eat him up. Take what meat you 
want and leave the rest for me.’”’ The Cat then said: ‘‘My brother, you 
may have the Bear. I am glad I killed him, for he ate up my young 
ones, but I donot want the meat.’’ Coyote took the Bear off to his young 
ones and gave them the meat, and told them that he had killed the Bear. 
He said: “‘I ama great warrior; I not only can fight in battles, but I can 
fight animals and kill them.’’ Just then an old Bear came, and Coyote 
told the young ones to run, for he had to fight the Bear. When he saw 
that the young Coyotes were gone, he turned and ran in another direc- 
tion. Coyote kept on running until he ran himself to death. 
1Told by White-Eagle, Skidi. The story is told to the children to teach them 
that although the bear isa fierce animal, a little animal like the wild-cat could kill 
it if it slew its young. 
