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Grizzly Bear laughed. He said it was ridiculous for any one to have such a
voice as Lion, because when he roared he frightened away the very prey for
which he was searching. But he said man should have very great strength;
that he should move silently, but very swiftly; and he should be able to
seize his prey without noise.
Buck said man would look foolish without antlers. And a terrible voice was
absurd, but man should have ears like a spider's web, and eyes like fire.
Mountain Sheep said the branching antlers would bother man if he got
caught in a thicket. If man had horns rolled up, so that they were like a
stone on each side of his head, it would give his head weight enough to
butt very hard.
When it came Coyote's turn, he said the other animals were foolish because
they each wanted man to be just like themselves. Coyote was sure he could
make a man who would look better than Coyote himself, or any other animal.
Of course he would have to have four legs, with five fingers. Man should
have a strong voice, but he need not roar all the time with it.
And he should have feet nearly like Grizzly Bear's, because he could then
stand erect when he needed to. Grizzly Bear had no tail, and man should
not have any. The eyes and ears of Buck were good, and perhaps man should
have those.
Then there was Fish, which had no hair, and hair was a burden much of the
year. So Coyote thought man should not wear fur. And his claws should be
as long as the Eagle's, so that he could hold things in them. But no
animal was as cunning and crafty as Coyote, so man should have the wit of
Coyote.
Then Beaver talked. Beaver said man would have to have a tail, but it
should be broad and flat, so he could haul mud and sand on it. Not a furry
tail, because they were troublesome on account of fleas.
Owl said man would be useless without wings.
But Mole said wings would be folly. Man would be sure to bump against the
sky. Besides, if he had wings and eyes both, he would get his eyes burned
out by flying too near the sun. But without eyes, he could burrow in the
soft, cool earth where he could be happy.
Mouse said man needed eyes so he could see what he was eating. And nobody
wanted to burrow in the damp earth. So the council broke up in a quarrel.
Then every animal set to work to make a man according to his own ideas.
Each one took a lump of earth and modeled it just like himself. All but
Coyote, for Coyote began to make the kind of man he had talked of in the
council.
It was late when the animals stopped work and fell asleep. All but Coyote,
for Coyote was the cunningest of all the animals, and he stayed awake
until he had finished his model. He worked hard all night. When the other
animals were fast asleep he threw water on the lumps of earth, and so
spoiled the models of the other animals. But in the morning he finished
his own, and gave it life long before the others could finish theirs. Thus
man was made by Coyote.
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