THE COYOTE WHO LOST HIS POWERS. 253 
groaning of ‘human beings. On his moccasins were to be seen human 
eyes, which were looking at the warriors. As he stood by the fire it 
was seen that he had plenty of dogwood with him, the same as the 
other men. The Coyote wondered what they were going to do with 
the dogwood sticks. Then, one at a time, the men began to use the 
sticks to count how many times they had killed their enemies, and each 
stick counted one enemy. The number of sticks used by a man showed 
how many men he had killed. But the stranger could count beyond 
any of the others. Then the trouble began with the Coyote’s party. 
Whenever a man had told all his war-tales the stranger would kill him. 
This continued throughout the entire night. The Coyote wanted to be 
the last to enter into the contest. There were a good many in the war- 
party, but none of them could recount so many enemies killed as did the 
stranger. ‘She men became fewer and fewer. The Coyote was watching 
for daylight to come, for he had an idea that if daylight should come 
before it was his turn he would have a chance to escape the danger. 
There were a good many men lying dead around the camp-fire. The 
Coyote was beginning to learn why the people at the west village cried. 
The men became very few about daylight, but they kept on telling war- 
stories. Finally it was daylight, and the Coyote asked to be excused for 
a little while. As soon as he had got out he began to travel very fast, 
in order that he might report at the west village what was happening 
to the war-party. As he went further he met a man by the name of 
Little-Man (Thasikitse), one that existed in those times and are sup- 
posed to exist to-day, whom he asked to save him. Little-Man told the 
Coyote that he would receive him, and for him not to be troubled, for 
he himself had great powers and was not afraid of the strange man, 
although the strange man had blinded him so that he could not find his 
trail; that he was completely out of patience with his meanness; that 
he was going to give the Coyote power to kill the strange man. 
Little-Man gave the Coyote a bow and some arrows and told him that 
when he got to the west village he should ask for a dress to be made 
after the same fashion as that worn by the strange man, though buffalo 
hair might be used in imitation of the human hair; and that his mocca- 
sins should have eyes like those of the strange man’s. Little-Man also 
told the Coyote that when he should get ahead of the strange man in 
telling war stories, he (the Coyote) should tell him that he was going 
to kill him right there; that the strange man would then say: “Well, 
you have beaten me in this, but we are yet to contest in a foot-race ;” 
that when he should be asked by the strange man whether he preferred 
to race under the ground or above the ground he should reply unmis- 
