106 TRADITIONS OF THE CADDO. 
plan to steal the meat. After a while the old woman took the pot off 
of the fire and sat down to eat, but first she called, ‘‘All ready for 
dinner. Orphan, I was only talking to myself.’’ Wild-Cat sprang up 
ready to run, for he thought that she saw him and was talking to him. 
When she did not say anything more, but began to eat, he forgot his 
fright and slipped over and began to eat, too. He ate very quietly, 
being careful not to crack any bones or to make any noise in chewing 
or swallowing. He ate until there was only a little left in the pot ; 
then he slipped quietly out. After that he came there every day and 
ate so much that he grew slick and fat. 
One day Coyote met Wild-Cat and said: ‘‘ You always seem to have 
plenty to eat, and yet I never see you kill any game. Where do you 
get so much to eat?’’ Wild-Cat told Coyote how he went to the old 
woman’s home and ate from her pot every day. Coyote wanted to go 
along, and so Wild-Cat agreed to take him, but first he made him 
promise to keep very quiet and to do only what he was told. Coyote 
promised, and so they started to the old woman’s place. When they 
came near Coyote smelled the cooking meat and started to run on ahead, 
but Wild-Cat pulled him back. They slipped inside and sat near the 
door while the meat was cooking. When the old woman took the pot 
off of the fire and called, ‘‘Alil ready for dinner,’’ Coyote jumped up, 
and it was all Wild-Cat could do to hold him back. When the old 
woman began to eat, Wild-Cat and Coyote slipped up and quietly stole 
meat out of the pot. Coyote put a big piece in his mouth and began 
to chew so hard that he forgot all about keeping quiet. His jawcame 
down on a bone and it cracked so loud that the old woman jumped up. 
Wild-Cat saw his jaw coming down on the bone and was out of the 
house by the time the old woman jumped up. She ran to the door 
and closed it, and then took a long spear that stood in the corner and 
began to poke around in the room. Coyote slipped about for some 
time, but finally the spear pierced him and he cried out with pain. 
Then the old woman knew for sure that some one was in the house, and 
so she kept on poking until she killed him. Wild-Cat came back next 
day and found Coyote dead. He was sorry, not because he cared for 
Coyote, but because he was afraid to go in the old woman’s house 
again to eat, for fear she would kill him. 
69. COYOTE CHALLENGES THE SNAKE.* 
One time while Coyote was out hunting something to eat he decided 
to go where Snake lived. Hestarted in the direction he thought Snake 
lived and went to many places, but he could not find him. He went 
* Told by Annie Wilson. 
