by Alan Nafzger & Lilly Tabbytite (Comanche)
There was a large village on the shore of a lake that was constantly under attack by its enemies. There were two old men who were blind among the residents. The villagers were afraid that the old men would be killed one day, so they packed a canoe with food, a large cooking kettle, and some blankets and took the two old men to the other side of the lake.
On the other hand, people set up a tipi in a pine grove a little way back from the water. The people tied a string to the door of their tipi and tied the other end to a post that stood up in the lake so that the blind men could always find the water. The visitors then left, promising to return.
Following that, the two elderly men began to learn how to care for themselves. One would cook one day while the other went to the lake for water and firewood. They would switch jobs the next day.
They divided the meal equally each evening, but they ate from the same bowl because it was the only one they had.
They were happy living like this for a few years.
Then Coyote appeared one day. He was searching for crayfish along the lake's shore when he came across the line that ran from the old men's tipi to the post in the water. Coyote had never seen a cord in this location before and was curious about what it was. He followed it right up to the tipi.
The coyote approached cautiously and peered through the door. He noticed the two elderly men sleeping with their heads at the door and their feet near the warm coals of the fire. Coyote sniffed and smelt something delicious. But he didn't want to wake the old men, so he went off into the bushes to figure out what to do.
Coyote overheard the old men talking shortly after they awoke.
"I'm hungry, my brother." Let's get some food ready."
"All right," the other replied, "you go down to the lake and get some water while I start the fire."
Coyote dashed to the water's edge, untied the cord, and tucked it between some bushes. When the old man came to the end of the string to get his water, he dipped his kettle into the bushes. He was unable to locate any water. "Brother, we will surely die because the lake has dried up," he returned to the tipi. Where we used to get water, brush has grown up. "What are we going to do?"
"This can't be," his friend said. "We haven't been sleeping long enough for the lake bed to grow brush." "Allow me to leave."
Coyote reattached the string to the post in the water before the second man arrived.
The second old man went into the lake, filled his kettle, and went back to his tipi.
"My friend," he said as he entered, "what you told me was false." There was plenty of water. The kettle is full. Feel here. " The other person was perplexed, and he wondered what had caused the deception.
While dinner was being prepared, A coyote crept into the tipi. When it was done, one old man placed eight pieces of meat in the dinner bowl, and they sat down to talk and have fun.
Coyote quietly removed four pieces of meat and began to enjoy the feast as well.
"You must be very hungry, my friend," one of them said, reaching into the bowl and finding only two pieces of meat left. "I've only had one piece, and there are only two pieces left."
"I didn't take them," his friend admitted. "I believe you've already eaten them." They became enraged with each other when the other denied this. Coyote then reached over and tapped each of them on the cheek. The old men began to fight, each believing the other had hit him, rolling around the tipi, upsetting the dinner bowl and scattering the fire all around. Coyote grabbed the last two pieces of meat and laughed his way out the door.
The old men knew what had happened when they heard his laugh and stopped fighting.
"I have played a good trick on you," Coyote said from outside. You should not be so quick to criticize one another. "
The Coyote walked away, continuing his crayfish hunt along the shore. Those two old men were embarrassed. They didn't say anything when their relatives arrived.