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Source: Frank Russell, Myths of the
Jicarilla Apaches, 1898
As Fox was going along he met a Porcupine, Tson, which he overheard
saying, "I shall search for pêc'-ti, a stone knife, with which to cut up
this meat."
"What are you saying_" asked Fox, springing out of the
bushes.
"I said that I must hunt for pêc'-ti for arrow-heads,"
replied Porcupine.
"That is not what you said."
"It was," insisted Porcupine.
"Where is that meat_" asked Fox, and then
Porcupine admitted that he had killed a Buffalo.
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Porcupine had commanded a Buffalo to carry him across a
river.
"Don't shake your head with me, or I shall fall," said he, as he
sat between the animal's horns.
The Buffalo told him that, if he was afraid there, he had
better crawl into his anus. In that safe retreat Porcupine was carried
across the river.
He repaid the service by gnawing the vitals of the Buffalo
until it fell dead near where the Fox had come upon him. Fox was not
disposed to allow Porcupine to retain possession of the Buffalo.
"Come," said he, " whoever can jump over the Buffalo can
have it. You try first."
Porcupine jumped, but only landed on the top of the
carcass, over which Fox, of course, leaped with ease. "Now the Buffalo
is mine. You can sit over there and see me cut it up."
After cutting up the meat, Fox hastened away to summon all
the foxes to a feast. Porcupine carried the meat piece by piece into a
treetop, so that the foxes, when they came dancing in joyful
anticipation, found nothing.
From a safe position in the tree Porcupine told the foxes
that he would throw them down some meat if they would lie down, close
their eyes, and cover themselves with their blankets.
They were hungry, so they obeyed the instructions of the
Porcupine, who, as soon as their eyes were closed, killed them by
throwing down the sharpened ribs of the Buffalo.
One little fox at the end of the line had a ragged old
blanket, through which he peeped in time to see and to dodge the rib
hurled at him. This fox survived the massacre, and begged Porcupine to
give him some meat.
The Porcupine gave him some small pieces at first, and then
invited him to come up and eat his fill. The Fox accepted, and, when he
could eat no more, asked where he could go to relieve himself.
The Porcupine directed him to the end of a branch, whence
he easily shook the Fox, which fell to the ground and was killed, but
sprang up alive again at the moment when the first tuft of hair was
blown from the putrefying carcass by the wind.
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