One day Coyote went out hunting and had good luck. In the morning he shot a squirrel.
At midday he caught only a mouse. But in the
afternoon he shot a fine plump rabbit for his dinner. He had been hungry for days, and so, as he trotted home through the woods with the
rabbit slung on his back. Coyote was pleased with himself.
Suddenly, where the path led out from under the trees and into the tall grass he spied a frog hopping along ahead of him.
"Ho!" cried Coyote, and he pounced, pinning poor Frog to the ground.
"What luck!" said Coyote. "Here is a nice juicy morsel to do me until I reach home and roast my dinner."
But as Coyote's teeth came close. Frog cried out in a great bullfrog voice. "Hold, Brother Coyote!"
Coyote stared at the little green fellow under his foot. "Why should I?" said he.
"Hai!" Frog thought quickly. "I meant to say, 'Don't eat me today." For then you would miss tomorrow's race."
"Race?" Coyote's ears pricked up, for he loved races. "What race? I have heard of no race."
"That is because I did not think of it before," said Frog. "You and I shall run a race. Brother Coyote, and if you win, you shall eat me on
the spot."
"Agreed!" said Coyote, who could never turn down a dare or pass up a bet. For of course he would win, and Frog would taste as good-or
better-tomorrow.
When it was agreed where and when they should meet. Coyote went on his way. Frog hopped down to the stream in the meadow to find
his friends.
"I must run a race with Coyote tomorrow," said he to his friends. "At noon we will run from the spring to the alder tree at the bottom of
the meadow and back. And if Coyote wins, he will eat me."
The other frogs threw up their hand? and laughed at his foolishness. "Hai, Coyote will win! How can he lose?"
Frog grinned a wide grin. "He will not win if I have the help of my friends," said he. "Not if one of you goes early to hide by the alder
tree. Not if--when the others signal that Coyote is coming through the tall grass you give three jumps to make him think that I have been
ahead of him from the start. I will hide near the spring, and when I see him coming I will jump over the finish line just before him."
Frog's friends agreed.
Late the next morning when Coyote arrived at the spring. Frog was there before him, hopping up and down as if he were eager to race.
When the noonday sun was overhead, they started. Coyote dashed off as fast as he could go. Frog made three hops into the deep grass
and sat down to wait.
Coyote raced on, but seeing no Frog at his heels or ahead, was sure he had left him far behind. Then, as he spied the alder tree before
him, to his great surprise he saw the frog making his first hop into the turn around the tree.
"Now this is very strange," thought Coyote, and he ran faster still. "I did not see him pass me." On the frog's third hop Coyote shot past
and called over his shoulder, "Fast, but not fast enough! I will wait for you at the finish line."
Coyote ran as fast as ever he had, but when he came in sight of the finish line there was Frog, making his last three hops.
"Fast, but not fast enough," said Frog as Coyote came panting up.
Coyote went home in disgust.
