When this world was finished, the eagle, the humming-bird, and Coyote were standing on the top of Pico Blanco. When the water rose to their feet, the eagle, carrying the humming-bird and Coyote, flew to the Sierra de Gabilan. There they stood until the water went down. Then the eagle sent Coyote down the mountain to see if the world were dry. Coyote came back and said: "The whole world is dry." The eagle said to him: "Go and look in the river. See what there is there." Coyote came back and said: "There is a beautiful girl." The eagle said: "She will be your wife in order that people may be raised again." He gave Coyote a digging implement of abalone shell and a digging stick. Coyote asked: "How will my children be raised'?" The eagle would not say. He wanted to sec if Coyote was wise enough to know. Coyote asked him again how these new people were to be raised from the girl. Then he said: "Well, I will make them right here in the knee." The eagle said: "No, that is not good." Then Coyote said: "Well then, here in the elbow." "No, that is not good" "In the eyebrow." "No, that is not good." "In the back of the neck." "No, that is not good either. None of these will be good." Then the humming-bird cried: "Yes, my brother, they are not good. This place will be good, here in the belly.- Then Coyote was angry. He wanted to kill him. The eagle raised his wings and the humming-bird flew in his armpit. Coyote, looked for him in vain. Then the girl said: "What shall I do? How will I make my children?" The eagle said to Coyote: "Go and marry her. She will be your wife." Then Coyote went off with this girl. He said to her: "Louse me." Then the girl found a woodtick on him. She was afraid and threw it away. Then Coyote seized her. He said: "Look for it, look for it! Take it! Eat it! Eat my louse!" Then the girl put it in her mouth. "'Swallow
[1. Partially based on a Rumsien text.]
{p. 200}
it, swallow it!" he said. Then she swallowed it and became pregnant. Then she was afraid. She ran away. She ran through thorns. Coyote ran after her. He called to her: "Do not run through that brush." He made a good road for her. But she said: "I do not like this road." Then Coyote made a road with flowers on each side. Perhaps the girl would stop to take a flower. She said. "I am not used to going between flowers." Then Coyote said: "There is no help for it. I cannot stop her." So she ran to the ocean. Coyote was close to her. Just as he was going to take hold of her, she threw herself into the water and the waves came up between them as she turned to a sand flea (or shrimp: camaron). Coyote, diving after her, struck only the sand. He said: "I wanted to clasp my wife but took hold of the sand. My wife is gone."