Native American Legends
The Coyote and the Beetle
A Zuni Legend
In remote times, after our ancients 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 of ground in spring time and early summer,
kicking their heels into the air and thrusting their heads into
any crack 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 along. He pricked up his
ears, lowered his nose, arched his neck, and stuck out his paw toward
the Beetle.
"Ha!" said he, "I shall bite you!"
The Beetle immediately stuck his head down close to the ground,
and, lifting one of his antenna deprecatingly, exclaimed: "Hold
on! Hold on, friend! Wait a bit, for the love of mercy! I hear something
very strange down below here!"
"Humph!" replied the Coyote. "What do you hear?"
"Hush! hush!" cried the Beetle, with his head still to
the ground. "Listen!"
So the Coyote drew back and listened most attentively. By-and-by
the Beetle lifted himself with a long sigh 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 everybody who defiled
the public trails of this country, and they are making ready as
fast as they can!"
"Souls of my ancestors!" cried the Coyote. "I have
been loitering 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 of spirits, turned somersaults 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.
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