böcek ve kır kurdu — the coyote and the beetle

Native Indian Stories (Zuñi Folk Tales)

THE COYOTE kır kurdu AND THE BEETLE

In remote uzak times, after our ancients ata were settled at Middle Ant Hill, a little thing occurred which will explain a great deal. My children, you have doubtless seen Tip-beetles.They run around on smooth, hard patches parça of ground in spring time and early summer, kicking their heels into the air and thrusting sokmak their heads into any crack çatlak or hole they find.

Well, in ancient times, on the pathway leading around to Fat Mountain, there was one of these Beetles running about in all directions in the sunshine, when a Coyote came trotting hızlı yürümek along. He prick up dikmek his ears, lowered his nose,arched kabarmak his neck, and stuck out uzatmak his paw toward the Beetle.

Ha! said he,I shall bite you!

The Beetle immediately stuck yapışmak his head down close to the ground, and, lifting one of his antenna deprecatingly karşı koyan, exclaimed :

Hold on! Hold on, friend! Wait a bit, for the love of mercy merhamet! I hear something very strange down below here!

Humph!hım replied the Coyote.What do you hear?

Hush!hişt hush! cried the Beetle, with his head still to the ground.Listen!

So the Coyote drew back çekilmek and listened most attentively dikkatlice.By and by zamanla Beetle lifted himself with a long sigh iç çekiş of relief.

Okwe! exclaimed the Coyote.What was going on?

The Good Soul save us!" exclaimed the Beetle,with a shake of his head.I heard them saying down there that tomorrow they would chase away and thoroughly chastise cezalandırmak (dayakla) everybody who defiled bozma the public trails patika of this country, and they are making ready as fast as they can!

Souls of my ancestors! cried the Coyote.I have been loitering aylakça dolaşmak along this trail this very morning, and have defiled it repeatedly. I'll cut! And away he ran as fast as he could go.

The Beetle, in pure exuberance coşku of spirits, turned somersaults takla and stuck his head in the sand until it was quite turned.

Thus did the Beetle in the days of the ancients save himself from being bitten. Consequently the Tip-beetle has that strange habit of kicking his heels into the air and sticking his head in the sand.

Thus shortens my story.