blue as the sky. In the midst of his new pleasure the swaying
motion ceased. Iktomi had reached his dwelling place. The coyote
felt drowsy no longer, for in the next instant he was slipping out
of Iktomi's hands. He was falling, falling through space, and then he
struck the ground with such a bump he did not wish to breathe for a
while. He wondered what Iktomi would do, thus he lay still where he
fell. Humming a dance-song, one from his bundle of mystery songs, Iktomi
hopped and darted about at an imaginary dance and feast. He gathered dry
willow sticks and broke them in two against his knee. He built a large
fire out of doors. The flames leaped up high in red and yellow streaks.
Now Iktomi returned to the coyote who had been looking on through his
eyelashes.

Taking him again by his paws and hind feet, he swung him to and fro.
Then as the wolf swung toward the red flames, Iktomi let him go. Once
again the coyote fell through space. Hot air smote his nostrils. He saw
red dancing fire, and now he struck a bed of cracking embers. With a
quick turn he leaped out of the flames. From his heels were scattered a
shower of red coals upon Iktomi's bare arms and shoulders. Dumbfounded,
Iktomi thought he saw a spirit walk out of his fire. His jaws fell
apart. He thrust a palm to his face, hard over his mouth! He could
scarce keep from shrieking.

Rolling over and over on the grass and rubbing the sides of his head
against the ground, the coyote soon put out the fire on his fur.
Iktomi's eyes were almost ready to jump out of his head as he stood
cooling a burn on his brown arm with his breath.

Sitting on his haunches, on the opposite side of the fire from where
Iktomi stood, the coyote began to laugh at him.

"Another day, my friend, do not take too much for granted. Make sure the
enemy is stone dead before you make a fire!"

Then off he ran so swiftly that his long bushy tail hung out in a
straight line with his back.

IKTOMI AND THE FAWN

IN one of his wanderings through the wooded lands, Iktomi saw a rare
bird sitting high in a tree-top. Its long fan-like tail feathers
had caught all the beautiful colors of the rainbow. Handsome in the
glistening summer sun sat the bird of rainbow plumage. Iktomi hurried
hither with his eyes fast on the bird.

He stood beneath the tree looking long and wistfully at the peacock's
bright feathers. At length he heaved a sigh and began: "Oh, I wish I had
such pretty feathers! How