COYOTE CAME INTO A group of camps. The men were all sitting around. They knew Coyote was always telling lies.
The men called Coyote over. “Coyote,” they said, “you are the biggest liar we’ve ever known.”
“How do you know I lie?”
“Oh, you always make trouble and then you lie. You get away with things like that. You are very good at it. Why don’t you teach us how to lie so we can lie successfully too?”
“Well,” said Coyote, “I had to pay a big price for that power. I learned it from my enemy.”
“What did you pay?”
“One horse. But it was my best buffalo horse, with a fine bridle.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
They did not think that was much, for in those days there were plenty of horses. One man brought out a fine white buffalo horse, his best.
“Yes,” said Coyote. “This is a good-looking horse. This is the kind I mean. It was with a horse like this that I paid for my power.”
Then Coyote said, “Let me try the horse. If he doesn’t buck, I’ll explain my power.”
They agreed and Coyote got up on the horse. Coyote had never been on a horse before and he dug in with his claws to hold on. The horse began to buck.
“Oh! This horse needs a blanket, that is the trouble,” said Coyote.
They put a blanket on the horse.
But Coyote’s claws were sharp and they went through the blanket and the horse jumped again.
“Oh! He wants something more over his back. He wants a good saddle on.”
So they got a good saddle and helped Coyote put it on the horse. Coyote got on again and then turned his head as though he were listening for something.
“That is my power speaking,” he said. “That voice tells me he wants a whip too.”
They gave him one.
He said, “I’m going around now and try this horse to see if he still bucks. I’ll come right back and tell you about it.”
He rode off a little way and then turned around and shouted back, “This is the way I lie. I get people to give me horses and blankets and saddles and other fine things.” Then he rode away.
The people couldn’t do anything about it. Coyote went home and showed his wife what he had.
“Look at this fine horse,” he said. “I took it away from an enemy out on the plains. It was some fight.”
But Coyote did not know how to take care of the horse. When he got off, the horse walked away, back to its owner.