98 TRADITIONS OF THE CADDO. 
the other side was a big lake, and on the surface several white Geese 
were playing. He sat down behind some brush to watch them. They 
were trying to see which was the strongest. One would get on the back 
of another and fly, trying to see which could fly the farthest. Coyote 
decided not to enter into their play, but to try to catch them and take 
them home to his family. The Geese had seen Coyote coming, for they 
have power to see a long distance, but they pretended that they had not 
seen him and did not know that he was hiding behind the brush. 
Coyote watched them for a long time, trying to think of some plan 
whereby he could catch all of them. Finally he began to grin to him- 
self, for he had thought of a plan that he thought would work splen- 
didly. He limped out from the bushes, pretending that he had been 
hurt and was almost dead. The Geese, hearing him crying, turned and 
saw him come limping toward them, and they all began to swim out 
into the water. When they were out far enough for safety one turned 
and asked Coyote what was the matter with him. He answered: ‘‘I 
am going to be killed if I do not get across the water. I must get 
across, not so much on my own account as others, for if I am killed all 
the rivers and lakes will dry up and there will be no water for any one. 
I should hate to die and cause all of this to happen.’’ 
The Geese thought for a while, and then decided to take Coyote and 
throw him into a deep hole ; for the Geese were very smart people in 
those days and they knew that Coyote was lying to them. One old 
Goose, who was very strong, went to the bank and told Coyote to get 
on his back if he wanted to go across the water. Coyote said that he 
was too heavy for one to take him across ; that he would not trust him- 
self toone. The Goose told him to get on if he wanted to go across the 
water ; that they did not have much time to fool away with him. There 
was nothing else to do, so Coyote got on the old Goose’s back. The 
Goose flew up in the air so quickly that Coyote did not know what had 
happened until he was away upin the air. All the other Geese flew up, 
and they all took turns in carrying him. They flew over a timbered 
country back from the lake, and when they were directly over a large 
hollow trunk of a tree they dropped Coyote. He fell into the hollow 
trunk and could not get out. He began to pray for power, and asked 
everything all around for help, for he was frightened almost to death 
and thought he would never get out. A Fly flew into the hollow tree, 
and he prayed to him to give him any power that he had which would 
help him out of the tree. The Fly said that his power was too weak 
to help Coyote, but that he would go to a friend of his and bring him 
to help Coyote. The Fly flew away and soon returned, saying that his 
friend was coming. Finally he heard a bird on a tree near by, and he 
