THERE WAS A MAN whose leg was pointed, so he could run and jump and stick himself in the side of a tree. By saying, “Leg come out” he brought himself back to the ground. On a hot day he would put himself high up in a tree where there was shade and a good breeze. But he could not do this trick more than four times in one day.
Once, while he was doing this trick, Coyote came along.
“Hey, my Brother, what is this you are doing?”
“I am getting up in the shade of this tree, out of the heat.”
“Sharpen my leg. Then I can do that too,” said Coyote.
Coyote stood up on a log while the man sharpened his leg with an ax. It hurt and the tears were coming down Coyote’s face.
When he was through the man told Coyote to only do this trick four times a day. He told him to keep count so he would not do it more than four times.
Coyote said he would and went off toward the river, singing one of his songs. When he got there he threw himself up in a large cottonwood tree and stuck in the bark. Then he called himself back to the ground. “I was only testing this trick,” said Coyote to himself. “Now I will start counting.” He ran at a tree and jumped and stuck himself in the side of it and counted “One!”
The next time he jumped he shouted “Two!”
The next time he counted “Three!” and stuck way up in the branches of a pine tree.
By this time there were many animals standing around watching what Coyote did. They asked him to teach them this trick. “Where did you learn that?” they asked. Coyote walked around very proud. He wouldn’t say.
Finally a fifth time he ran at a tree, jumped up as high as he could and stuck his leg in up to the thigh. Everyone looked at each other. This was very powerful, what Coyote was doing. Then Coyote yelled, “Leg come out!” to get back to the ground, but nothing happened. He called out again, “Leg come out!” but he was stuck. He told the animals who were watching to go find the man who had taught him this trick and bring him back, but they just walked away. They knew now it was just Coyote. He stayed stuck in that tree until he starved to death.