English Translation
15. Coyote and Beetle
Sam Kenoi
Then he again went on.
At a place further on, he came to a Beetle standing on his head right in the middle of the road.
Then Coyote spoke thus:
"I eat only fat in order to live."he said to him.
"I'm going to eat you right away."he said to him as he stood next to him.
Then the Beetle spoke thus to him:
"Wait, old man, don't say anything! I am listening to what some [people] are saying [down] there under the ground."
Then Coyote spoke thus to him:
"Hurry! Tell me what they are saying! When you have told me, then I'll eat you."he said to him.
Then the Beetle spoke thus to him:
"Right now they are going to look for someone who has defecated on a rock over there. It sounds [as if] they are saying [that] they are going to kill him."
Then Coyote spoke thus to him:
"Well, wait. Wait right here for me! I'm going back over there for something which I left there."
Just as he had been coming there, he had defecated on a rock.
That is what he was speaking to him [about].
At the place to which he returned, he licked it off.
He returned to the place where he had said
"Wait for me."
No one was there.
[Beetle] had run away from him.
Then he cursed himself.
"Child of a Coyote! He has long ago left the place where he should have been eaten!"he said.