>>9031779Then the mother determined to have revenge. She suspected who had done it, as they had seen Coyote tracks nearby. She said to her husband, “Do you remember the high cliff by the river? We will hide behind some bushes and scare him as he comes along the edge of the cliff.”
As Coyote was going along the trail, he was singing his war-chant. All at once there was a roar that scared him. He gave a jump and fell over the cliff. He knew that he was in danger of death; quickly, he turned himself into a basket which floated lightly on the water below. It drifted down with the current.
At that time there were two sisters who lived by the river. Nearby was a solid rock dam, which they guarded
18with jealous care. No one was allowed to come near. Silver-salmon were kept within the dam as their food.
Coyote knew of these salmon, and made up his mind to release them. He waited until morning. The younger sister, Killdeer (stinícxn) , went down to get a salmon for breakfast. She saw the basket-dish floating on the water. She landed it, and took it to her tent. The elder sister, Robin (’is ’a) , said, “No, sister, do not keep the dish. Throw it into the river. It may bring us misfortune.” The younger one would not give it up. She ate out of it. Each day after her meal she left some salmon in it when she put it away.