Post by Okwes on Mar 22, 2007 14:58:35 GMT -5
Coyote Rides the Sun
www.janelouisecurry.com/work9.htm
One day at sunset, back in the Beforetime, Coyote lay in the doorway to his house, and felt sorry for himself. "It is not fair,' said he aloud to the clouds and sky. "What animal is as clever as I? Who has helped his people as much as I? Who has done more great deeds? The animal people should make me their chief, but they do not. Some even hide in their houses when they see me coming. How am I to show them how great I am?"
Just then. Sun rolled out of sight on his way down through the hole at the west end of the sky. Coyote, seeing this, sat up. He grinned. "Hai, I have it! I shall ride the Sun across the sky! Everyone in the world will see me, and I shall be famous indeed. "But-" He frowned. "Where can I climb up to Sun's road? Perhaps Prairie Falcon will know."
Early the next morning Coyote went to Prairie Falcon's house. "Friend Falcon," said he. "Tell me how to get to Sun's road from here." "Oh, that is easy," Prairie Falcon replied. "It is only a short hop from the top of the Easternmost
Mountain. You cannot miss it from there." And he showed him the road.
Coyote set off at a trot. But at midmorning, just as he reached the foot of the Easternmost Mountain, Sun looked over the mountaintop, and soon was hurrying westward across the sky.
"Stop!" called Coyote as he turned back toward the plain. "Stop, Sun, and hear me!"
But Sun rolled on without a word.
Coyote followed, shouting up to the Sun, but he got no answer. At last, as the afternoon shadows grew long, he found himself back where he started. Tired as he was, he went straight to Prairie Falcon's house, and told him what had happened.
"I am not so swift as you, friend Falcon," said Coyote. "When must I leave my house to reach the mountaintop on time?"
"Oh, that is easy," Prairie Falcon replied. "You must leave in the hour before dawn." And he showed him a shorter road to the mountain. After his evening meal, Coyote went early to bed and sang to himself, Awake in the hour before dawn, awake in the hour before dawn. As he slipped into sleep, the song sang itself in his dream. Awake in the hour before dawn.
And he did. In the hour before dawn he took up his bow and his quiver of arrows and set out toward the east and the Easternmost Mountain. When he came to the mountaintop, he saw the Sun's road overhead. Looking out toward the eastern edge of the World, Coyote saw the Sun climb up into the sky.
"Hai!" said Coyote. "I will catch him this time."
He crouched low to leap up onto the sky-road.
And landed in a heap on the ground.
"Hai! It is higher than it looks," said he to himself. "But I can reach it easily before Sun comes."
On his second try Coyote drew back a little distance and took a running jump . . . and again fell back to earth with a bump.
Coyote growled. "A short hop." Falcon had called it. But then Falcon had wings.
As the Sun drew nearer and nearer. Coyote gathered himself for one last leap. He hunkered down on his haunches and sprang up with all of his strength. But he fell, as before, back onto the mountaintop.
And Sun passed overhead, rolling away to the west.
"Stop!" howled Coyote as he scrambled down the mountainside. "Stop, Sun, and hear me!"
But Sun rolled on without a sign that he had heard.
Coyote followed, calling after him, but once more by late afternoon he found himself back where he started. If ever he was to catch the Sun, he saw, he must go all the way to the East Hole in the Sky at the eastern edge of the World. But how was he to find it? "I will ask Prairie Falcon." Coyote decided. "He will know."
And so, tired as he was. Coyote went to Prairie Falcon's house and told him all that had happened.
"Friend Falcon," said he, "how can I find the East Hole in the Sky?"
"Oh, that is easy," Prairie Falcon replied, and he told him of the road on the far side of the mountains that led through the desert to that very place.
At dusk Coyote did not go hunting for his evening meal. Instead he went early to bed so that he could rise at middle-night for the journey to the hole in the sky. But he could not sleep. He saw him- self astride the Sun, riding above the plains while all the animal people stared in wonder. He saw himself as chief, in Eagle's house. He saw Badger bringing him sacks of squirrels. Wolf coming with a pack full of pine nuts. He saw Bear come, bearing a big haunch of deer meat, and birds flocking to him with pele seeds and a fine feather cloak. The excitement was too much to bear. Coyote jumped up from his blankets, took up his bow and quiver of arrows, and raced off to the east by starlight. Better by far to be early than late!
Coyote ran all night, and came before dawn to the hole in the sky at the eastern edge of the World.
There he sat himself down at the very edge, his back to the hole, so that Sun could not come out.
And he waited.
Before very long Sun came along. From below the earth he looked up and saw Coyote sitting there.
"Hai!" cried Sun. "Out of my way! Move out of my way so the day may dawn."
But Coyote did not move, and said not a word.
"Ho!" called the Sun. "Move away. I must not be late!"
But Coyote sat still, and made no sign that he had heard.
So the Sun shone fiercely up at Coyote, and Coyote grew hotter and hotter. He curled his tail up under him, but the tip stuck out and Sun singed it with his heat. Sun shone angrily on Coyote's back. As he grew hotter and hotter. Coyote spat on his paws and reached back to dampen down his coat.
"Hai!" exclaimed Sun at last. "Why do you sit in my way to make me late. Coyote?"
"I wish," said Coyote quickly-for he feared he would soon be roasted-"to ride you across the sky."
"Silly fellow!" said Sun. "No, never."
"Then I will not move," said Coyote. And he sat tight, though he could smell the hair on his back and the tip of his tail as Sun singed it.
"I am late! I am late!" Sun fretted. And at last he agreed, and Coyote jumped upon his back. He closed his eyes against Sun's brightness, taking a look only now and again as Sun climbed up the trail to the sky. The first part was steep and had steps like a ladder, but as the trail grew easier, Sun hurried to make up the time he had lost. As he hurried, he grew hotter and hotter.
And so did Coyote.
"Ho, I am thirsty!" croaked he. "Give me a drink of water."
"Tso!" snorted the Sun, but he slowed and gave him an acorn-cup full.
Coyote grew hotter and still more hot. His coat began to smoke. He saw the clear blue of Clear Lake below and longed to jump down from the sky, but the Sun was too high. By midday the light was almost brighter than Coyote could bear, and he cried out to Sun to shine more gently.
"I cannot," declared Sun.
In a little while Coyote opened his eyes to see how far they had traveled, then shut them quickly again. A little later he took another quick look. And another. And this he kept up all afternoon to see how much closer they had come to earth. When at last Sun passed over the western mountains, Coyote jumped into the branches of a tall redwood tree, and clambered down into the cool forest shade.
"Never again! No, never!" said he.
And that is why Coyote's back and the tip of his tail are dark, and why he does not come out at noonday, but hunts at dawn and dusk.
www.janelouisecurry.com/work9.htm
One day at sunset, back in the Beforetime, Coyote lay in the doorway to his house, and felt sorry for himself. "It is not fair,' said he aloud to the clouds and sky. "What animal is as clever as I? Who has helped his people as much as I? Who has done more great deeds? The animal people should make me their chief, but they do not. Some even hide in their houses when they see me coming. How am I to show them how great I am?"
Just then. Sun rolled out of sight on his way down through the hole at the west end of the sky. Coyote, seeing this, sat up. He grinned. "Hai, I have it! I shall ride the Sun across the sky! Everyone in the world will see me, and I shall be famous indeed. "But-" He frowned. "Where can I climb up to Sun's road? Perhaps Prairie Falcon will know."
Early the next morning Coyote went to Prairie Falcon's house. "Friend Falcon," said he. "Tell me how to get to Sun's road from here." "Oh, that is easy," Prairie Falcon replied. "It is only a short hop from the top of the Easternmost
Mountain. You cannot miss it from there." And he showed him the road.
Coyote set off at a trot. But at midmorning, just as he reached the foot of the Easternmost Mountain, Sun looked over the mountaintop, and soon was hurrying westward across the sky.
"Stop!" called Coyote as he turned back toward the plain. "Stop, Sun, and hear me!"
But Sun rolled on without a word.
Coyote followed, shouting up to the Sun, but he got no answer. At last, as the afternoon shadows grew long, he found himself back where he started. Tired as he was, he went straight to Prairie Falcon's house, and told him what had happened.
"I am not so swift as you, friend Falcon," said Coyote. "When must I leave my house to reach the mountaintop on time?"
"Oh, that is easy," Prairie Falcon replied. "You must leave in the hour before dawn." And he showed him a shorter road to the mountain. After his evening meal, Coyote went early to bed and sang to himself, Awake in the hour before dawn, awake in the hour before dawn. As he slipped into sleep, the song sang itself in his dream. Awake in the hour before dawn.
And he did. In the hour before dawn he took up his bow and his quiver of arrows and set out toward the east and the Easternmost Mountain. When he came to the mountaintop, he saw the Sun's road overhead. Looking out toward the eastern edge of the World, Coyote saw the Sun climb up into the sky.
"Hai!" said Coyote. "I will catch him this time."
He crouched low to leap up onto the sky-road.
And landed in a heap on the ground.
"Hai! It is higher than it looks," said he to himself. "But I can reach it easily before Sun comes."
On his second try Coyote drew back a little distance and took a running jump . . . and again fell back to earth with a bump.
Coyote growled. "A short hop." Falcon had called it. But then Falcon had wings.
As the Sun drew nearer and nearer. Coyote gathered himself for one last leap. He hunkered down on his haunches and sprang up with all of his strength. But he fell, as before, back onto the mountaintop.
And Sun passed overhead, rolling away to the west.
"Stop!" howled Coyote as he scrambled down the mountainside. "Stop, Sun, and hear me!"
But Sun rolled on without a sign that he had heard.
Coyote followed, calling after him, but once more by late afternoon he found himself back where he started. If ever he was to catch the Sun, he saw, he must go all the way to the East Hole in the Sky at the eastern edge of the World. But how was he to find it? "I will ask Prairie Falcon." Coyote decided. "He will know."
And so, tired as he was. Coyote went to Prairie Falcon's house and told him all that had happened.
"Friend Falcon," said he, "how can I find the East Hole in the Sky?"
"Oh, that is easy," Prairie Falcon replied, and he told him of the road on the far side of the mountains that led through the desert to that very place.
At dusk Coyote did not go hunting for his evening meal. Instead he went early to bed so that he could rise at middle-night for the journey to the hole in the sky. But he could not sleep. He saw him- self astride the Sun, riding above the plains while all the animal people stared in wonder. He saw himself as chief, in Eagle's house. He saw Badger bringing him sacks of squirrels. Wolf coming with a pack full of pine nuts. He saw Bear come, bearing a big haunch of deer meat, and birds flocking to him with pele seeds and a fine feather cloak. The excitement was too much to bear. Coyote jumped up from his blankets, took up his bow and quiver of arrows, and raced off to the east by starlight. Better by far to be early than late!
Coyote ran all night, and came before dawn to the hole in the sky at the eastern edge of the World.
There he sat himself down at the very edge, his back to the hole, so that Sun could not come out.
And he waited.
Before very long Sun came along. From below the earth he looked up and saw Coyote sitting there.
"Hai!" cried Sun. "Out of my way! Move out of my way so the day may dawn."
But Coyote did not move, and said not a word.
"Ho!" called the Sun. "Move away. I must not be late!"
But Coyote sat still, and made no sign that he had heard.
So the Sun shone fiercely up at Coyote, and Coyote grew hotter and hotter. He curled his tail up under him, but the tip stuck out and Sun singed it with his heat. Sun shone angrily on Coyote's back. As he grew hotter and hotter. Coyote spat on his paws and reached back to dampen down his coat.
"Hai!" exclaimed Sun at last. "Why do you sit in my way to make me late. Coyote?"
"I wish," said Coyote quickly-for he feared he would soon be roasted-"to ride you across the sky."
"Silly fellow!" said Sun. "No, never."
"Then I will not move," said Coyote. And he sat tight, though he could smell the hair on his back and the tip of his tail as Sun singed it.
"I am late! I am late!" Sun fretted. And at last he agreed, and Coyote jumped upon his back. He closed his eyes against Sun's brightness, taking a look only now and again as Sun climbed up the trail to the sky. The first part was steep and had steps like a ladder, but as the trail grew easier, Sun hurried to make up the time he had lost. As he hurried, he grew hotter and hotter.
And so did Coyote.
"Ho, I am thirsty!" croaked he. "Give me a drink of water."
"Tso!" snorted the Sun, but he slowed and gave him an acorn-cup full.
Coyote grew hotter and still more hot. His coat began to smoke. He saw the clear blue of Clear Lake below and longed to jump down from the sky, but the Sun was too high. By midday the light was almost brighter than Coyote could bear, and he cried out to Sun to shine more gently.
"I cannot," declared Sun.
In a little while Coyote opened his eyes to see how far they had traveled, then shut them quickly again. A little later he took another quick look. And another. And this he kept up all afternoon to see how much closer they had come to earth. When at last Sun passed over the western mountains, Coyote jumped into the branches of a tall redwood tree, and clambered down into the cool forest shade.
"Never again! No, never!" said he.
And that is why Coyote's back and the tip of his tail are dark, and why he does not come out at noonday, but hunts at dawn and dusk.