142 TRADITIONS OF THE ARIKARA. 
the Coyote said, “My friend, I want you to come to my lodge and pack 
water for me.” The Fox said, “I will go with you and pack water for 
you.” So they went together and entered the lodge. The Coyote fixed 
the buffalo pouch for a bucket, and said, “Fox, you go after water with 
this pouch.” The Fox obeyed. Before he got to the creek he had 
eaten up the pouch. Four times the Coyote gave the Fox a pouch to 
bring water, and every time the Fox would say, “Coyote, as I dipped 
water, something came and took away my pouch.” ‘The Coyote was 
mad, and he took some coals and threw them into the Fox’s face, so 
that the Fox cried and ran off. The Fox told his story to every 
animal he met. All the living animals got together, and when the 
Coyote was fast asleep they went in and ate all he had in his lodge. 
When the woke up he found all his meat gone, and he went away crying. 
When you have plenty, do not trust your friends, or they will get 
all you have. 
55. THE COYOTE AND THE DANCING CORN.* 
Two Coyotes were going along, and as they became hungry one 
of them said: “Let us go where the people have left their village. We 
will find some pounded corn.” As they came to the village they sep- 
arated, one going through many lodges, while the other went another 
way. ‘The leader came to a lodge, and there he saw pounded corn, in 
lumps, running into the mortar. The Coyote ran into the lodge and 
begged the lumps of pounded corn to come out, saying that he was 
an old man who sang for people in their sacred ceremonies. The 
Coyote walked around the fireplace and began to sing. The lumps 
of pounded corn came out and danced. The lumps began to dance 
with the Coyote. ‘Close your eyes,” said the Coyote. The lumps had 
danced so hard that they had raised a dust, and the Coyote thought 
it was time to act. So he ran to the mortar, stuck his head into the 
bowl, and became fast. After a time the brother of the Coyote came, and 
said, “Wa, what are you doing?” The captive Coyote said: “I am fast, 
but I have lots to eat in this bowl. Take an axe and cut the bowl open.” 
The other Coyote took the axe and chopped the mortar open, cutting 
the other Coyote on the head so that he died. There was nothing in 
the mortar. The Coyote went away crying, for he had killed his brother. 
*Told by Little-Crow. 
