Coyote and Holxolī’p

Holxolī’p was in the habit of amusing himself with his eyes by throwing them up in the air and letting them fall back again into their orbits. When doing this, he called out, “Turn around, stick fast!” (Xa’lxalé’k, xêqxê’qa!). Coyote came along, and, seeing him do this, he thought he would do the same. Taking out his eyes and throwing them up, he called out the same words; but his eyes would not fall back into their orbits properly. He tried many times; but, even when they did happen to fall back into their proper places, they would fall out again. Meanwhile Raven came along, and, seeing Coyote throwing up his eyes, he seized them and made off with them. Coyote was now completely blind, and said to himself, “What a fool I was to attempt doing a thing I knew nothing about! If I could only get some bearberries, I could make very good eyes of them.” He crawled about on the ground, feeling for bearberries, but he could find none. Finally he found some rose-bushes, and, taking two rose-berries, he put them in his orbits, and was then able to see; but his eyes were now large and red, and he could not see as well as formerly.