Coyote

It is long-furred, shaggy, bushy, woolly; bushy-tailed, pointed-eared; large-muzzled, a rather slender, blackish, soft one; spindle-legged; curved of claw. Very black are its claws. It is cunning, astute. It hunts in this way: it is a stalker, an ambusher. It creeps; it crouches on the ground; It crouches spying; it hides its feet [and] its ears; it looks with caution; it looks from one side to another. As a stalker it is quite as astute as a man. And first it hisses, whether at birds, whether at sheep. Whatsoever it wishes to catch it terrifies. And it is in every way diabolical. If I take from it, if I make it drop its catch, it will take vengeance, it will repay me in kind. It also goes to take my animals, which I raise. And if I [should have] no animals, it will await me on the road, confront me, bark at me as if it wished to eat me, to menace me. And it will engage two [or] three of its companions to mangle me, perhaps by night, perhaps by day. But also this animal is grateful and appreciative. A short time ago, in our time, a man came upon a coyote sitting on the grassy plain; the warrior was going along his way. And the coyote then beckoned to him with its paw. And the warrior was much frightened and took it as an omen. He went toward it, and when he came to reach it, he saw a serpent which was coiled around [the coyote]. The serpent protruded from its neck, from under its front legs. [The serpent,] called a cincoatl, was thus well coiled. And the warrior said within himself, “Which shall I help?” Then the warrior went up, taking a stick, a club, a green branch. Then he repeatedly beat the serpent with them; for the serpent abhorred the stick. Then the serpent fell to the ground; whereupon the coyote staggered off. And when it had revived, then it ran off. In perhaps a couple of hours, farther on in the maize field, the coyote went to look for the warrior who had rescued it. It brought him two turkey cocks, went on to throw them down, proceeded to push them on with its muzzle almost as if to say to him, “Take them.” Once again the coyote went. When the warrior was going to his house, once more he met the coyote on the road. It gave him another one, a turkey hen. And when the warrior had gone to his house, again, a little later, it came to throw down another turkey cock in his courtyard. The foods of this coyote are meat, raw meat, ripe maize ears, green maize ears, green maize stalks, tomatoes, tunas, American cherries, tamales, tortillas, honey. And thus is the coyote hunted: it is snared, snares are set for its feet, [other] traps are set, it is forced into a pitfall, it is shot with arrows. At its place of drinking raw maguey syrup, there it is noosed, it is caught with a wild chicle bait.

a friend to all

love whenever i see one! i consider our paths crossed a fortunate one