No one expected Old Man Coyote to appear. But he did. Yes, Sir,
he did. He was right on hand at the appointed time. Big-Horn hadn't been
told whom he was to fight, and when he found that it was Old Man Coyote,
he was disappointed. You see, there was no anger in Big-Horn's fighting;
he fought just for the love of using his great strength and big horns.
Fighting was fun to him, and he wanted some one who would stand up to
him. As soon as it was explained to him that when he had disposed of Old
Man Coyote there would be some one else for him to fight (Mr. Deer had
offered to be the next), he felt better. Mr. Deer had horns and was
somewhere near his size.

"Old Man Coyote slipped around until he had his back to a great rock.
'I'm ready any time,' said he.

"Big-Horn, who had been stamping with impatience, lowered his head so
that his horns pointed straight at Old Man Coyote. He grinned as he did
it, for he saw that with that great rock behind him, Old Man Coyote
would have no chance to run away as he always had done in the past.
Everybody else saw the same thing, and wondered what could have happened
to make Old Man Coyote so stupid as to do such a thing as that, he who
always had been accounted so clever. But they had hardly time to think
of this, for with a snort Big-Horn bounded forward. All the others held
their breath as they saw those great horns driving straight at Old Man
Coyote, who was crouched with his back to the great rock. Then everybody
closed their eyes for a second, for nobody wanted to see Old Man Coyote
killed, and everybody _knew_ that that was what was going to happen.

"Then there was a crash, and everybody's eyes flew open. There lay
Big-Horn on the ground, looking mighty puzzled, as if he wasn't quite
sure what had happened. And there sat Old Man Coyote, grinning at him!
They were still staring at Old Man Coyote as if they couldn't believe
their own eyes when some one cried, 'Look at the horns of Big-Horn!'

"Instead of being long and straight, those great horns were curved over
and round into almost a circle, and there was no longer danger from
their sharp points. What had happened? Why, at just the right instant
Old Man Coyote had leaped over Big-Horn, and Big-Horn had butted into
that great rock with all his might. He had hit so hard, biff! bang! that
he had bent his horns, just as crafty, clever Old Man Coyote had hoped
he would.

"When Old Mother Nature heard of the affair and saw those be