Coyote Wisdom Page: 9

                                
The Little Animals of Mexico

She looked down and there stood El Coyote looking up at
her with a grin too pleasant to be friendly.
"Hola. Good day, Friend Dove. C6mo le va? How
are you?"
The Dove, very innocent, felt no fear, for El Coyote
was too far down to harm her. He could not jump up 'to
the branch that supported her nest, and he had no wings.
"What beautiful children you have," said the Coyote,
not giving the Dove time to answer. " How many do you
have?"
"They are three," said the Dove.
"Three," repeated the coyote, shaking his head slowly.
"That is too many for you. Give me one."
"No," said the dove.
"Give me only the one who is most ugly in the face,"
said the Coyote, raising his eyebrows and moving his hand
in a circle in front of his face.
"There is not one of the three who is not beautiful in
the face," said the mother Dove.
"Give me one," said the Coyote, dropping the smile
from his face and music from his voice, "or I will knock
down this tree and eat all three of your children."
Now, indeed, was the Dove frightened, for she realized
that the Coyote was an animal very devilish who could
do many things that seemed impossible.
So, rather than see all her children be eaten up by the
Coyote, she, much against her will, took one of the little
doves out of the nest and dropped it over the side. The
Coyote below caught it in his mouth and made a quick
sound.
"Klopt -klopt. Muy bueno," he said. "Very good. Many
thanks. Give me another!"
"I will not," cried the Dove. "I should never have given
you that one, poor little thing," and the mother Dove
began to weep.