English Translation
16. Coyote Holds Up the Sky
Sam Kenoi
Then he again went out on the very same road.
As he was going along a little further on, he came to a Rock Lizard lying upon a dead tree that was standing there.
He looked up at him.
"I eat only fat in order to live."he said to him.
"Come down! I'm going to eat you right away."he said to him.
"Say, old man, don't be foolish! I am holding this [tree] which holds up the sky. If I let go of this, the sky will fall down on us."
"Old man, I am very tired. You, you hold it. Don't let go of it! If you let it go, if the tree falls over, the sky will fall on us. Hold it with all your strength!"he said to Coyote.
Then [Coyote] threw himself onto the tree.
The Rock Lizard spoke thus to him:
"Wait! I'll let those [people] who are sitting about over there know. They will hold it on one side for us."he said to him.
"All right."said Coyote.
Then the Rock Lizard ran away from him,
Coyote lay upon the tree for a long time.
He became very tired.
He looked up at the tree.
The clouds were moving.
It continually seemed to him as if the tree was about to fall.
"Oh...!"he said from time to time.
He was very tired.
He looked constantly in all directions.
"Where [is] the nearest arroyo?"he thought as he looked for an arroyo.
Nearby, he saw a small arroyo.
He let go of the tree.
He ran in a zigzag course to the arroyo.
He threw himself into the arroyo.
Panting and frightened, he looked upward.
He looked at the moving clouds [and], being frightened, he said:
"Oh. .. !"
He ran to one hollow after another for a long time.
He became very tired.