Big Long Man's Cornpatch
As soon as Big Long Man got back from the
mountains he went to his garden to admire his
corn and melons. He had planted a big crop for
the coming winter. When he saw that half of the
corn stalks had been shucked and the ears
stolen, and that the biggest melons were gone
off of the melon vines, he was very angry.
"Who stole my corn and melons?" he muttered
to himself. "I'll catch the thief, whoever he is."
He began to scheme. The next day he built a
fence around the garden. But the fence did no
good. Each morning Big Long Man found more
corn stalks stripped.
At last he thought up a scheme to catch the
thief. He gathered a great ball of pine pitch and
molded it into the shape of a man. He set the
figure up in the corn field and then went to his
hogan.
That night Skunk came along to get a bit of
corn for his dinner. He had heard from Badger
that Big Long Man was away in the mountains.
He squeezed his body under the fence and
waddled up to a clump of corn. He was just
about to shuck a fat ear when he noticed a man
standing by the fence. Skunk let go of the ear of
corn in fright. He could see in the moonlight
that the man was not Big Long Man. He waddled
over to the fence and spoke to the figure.
"Who are you, in Big Long Man's corn patch?''
asked Skunk.
The figure did not answer.
"Who are you?" said Skunk again, moving
closer.
The figure did not answer.
"Speak!" said Skunk boldly, "or I will punch your
face."
The figure did not say a word. It did not move
an inch.
"Tell me who you are," said Skunk a fourth
time, raising his fist, "or I will punch your face."
The figure said not a word. It was very quiet in
the moonlit corn field. Even the wind had gone
away.
Plup went Skunk's fist into the pine gum face. It
sunk into the soft pitch, which is as sticky as
glue, and there it stuck. Skunk pulled and
pulled.
"If you don't let go my hand," he shouted, "I will
hit you harder with my left hand."
But the pine pitch held tight.
Plup went Skunk's left hand. Now both hands
stuck fast.
"Let go my hands, or I will kick you," cried
Skunk, who was by this time getting mad.
The pine gum man did not let go.
Plup, Skunk gave a mighty kick with his right
foot. The foot stuck too, just like the hands.
"I will kick you harder," said Skunk and Plup he
kicked with all of his strength with his left foot.
Pine gum man held that foot too. Skunk
struggled but he could not get loose. Now he
was in a fine plight. Every limb was held tight.
He had only one more weapon, his teeth.
"I will bite your throat," he shouted and he dug
his teeth into the pine gum throat.
"Ugh!" he gurgled for he could no longer say a
word. His tongue and teeth were held fast in
the pine pitch.
The next morning Big Long Man came to his
corn patch and there was Skunk stuck onto the
pine gum man. Only his tail was free, waving
behind him.
"Ah!" said Big Long Man. "So it's you, Skunk,
who has been stealing my corn."
"Ugh," replied Skunk. His mouth full of pine
pitch.
Big Long Man pulled him away from the gum
figure, tied a rope around his neck and led him
to his hogan. He put a great pot of water on the
stove to boil, then he took the rope off of
Skunk's neck.
"Now, Skunk," he said, "go fetch wood."
Skunk went out into the back yard. Just then
Fox happened to pass by. He was on his way to
Big Long Man's corn patch. Skunk began to cry
loudly. Fox stopped running, and pricked up his
sharp ears.
"Who is crying?" he said.
"I am crying," said Skunk.
"Why?" said Fox.
"Because I have to carry wood for Big Long
Man. He gives me all of the corn I want to eat,
but I do not want to carry wood."
Fox was hungry. He knew that if he stole corn
he was liable to get caught. "What an easy way
to get corn," he thought. "I would not mind
carrying wood."
Out loud he said, "Cousin, let us change places.
You go home and I will carry wood for Big Long
Man. I like the job. Besides, I was just on my
way to steal an ear of corn down at the field."
"All right," said Skunk. "But don't eat too much
corn. I have a stomach ache." He felt his fat
stomach and groaned. Then he waddled happily
away. Fox gathered up an armful of piņon wood.
He hurried into Big Long Man's hogan. Big Long
Man looked at him in surprise.
"Well, well, Skunk, you changed into a fox, did
you? That's funny."
Fox did not say a word. He was afraid he might
say the wrong thing and not get any corn to eat.
Big Long Man took the rope which had been
around Skunk's neck and tied it around Fox's
neck.
Fox sat down and waited patiently. Soon the
water in the big pot began to bubble and steam.
At last Fox said, "Isn't the corn cooked yet, Big
Long Man?"
"Corn?" asked Big Long Man. "What corn?"
"Why the corn you are cooking for me," said
Fox. "Skunk said you would feed me all of the
corn I could eat if I carried wood for you."
"The rascal," said Big Long Man. "He tricked
you and he tricked me. Well, Fox, you will have
to pay for this." So saying he picked up Fox by
the ears and set him down in the boiling water.
It was so hot that it took off every hair on his
body. Big Long Man left him in the pot for a
minute and then he pulled him out by the ears
and set him free out of doors.
"Don't be thinking you will ever get any of my
corn by tricks," said Big Long Man.
Fox ran yelping toward his den. He was sore all
over. Half way home he passed Red Monument.
Red Monument is a tall slab of red sand stone
that stands alone in a valley. On top of the rock
sat Raven eating corn that he had stolen from
the corn patch. At the bottom was Coyote
holding on to the rock with his paws. He was
watching for Raven to drop a few kernels. He
glanced behind him when Fox appeared. He did
not let go of the rock, however, because he
thought Fox might get his place. He was
surprised at Fox's appearance.
"Where is your fur, Fox?" he asked over his
shoulder.
"I ate too much corn," said Fox sadly. "Don't
ever eat too much corn, Coyote. It is very
painful." Fox held his stomach and groaned.
"Corn is very bad for one's fur. It ruined mine."
"But where did you get so much corn, cousin?"
asked Coyote, still holding on to the rock.
"Didn't you hear?" asked Fox. "Why, Big Long
Man is giving corn to all the animals who carry
wood for him. He will give you all you can eat
and more too. Just gather an armful of piņon
sticks and walk right into his hogan."
Coyote thought a moment. He was greedy. He
decided to go to Big Long Man's hogan but he
did not want Fox to go with him. He wanted
everything for himself.
"Cousin," he said, "will you do me a favor? Will
you hold this rock while I go and get a bite of
corn from Big Long Man? I am very hungry and I
do not dare leave this rock. It will fall and kill
somebody."
"All right," said Fox, smiling to himself. "I will
hold the rock. But do not eat too much." He
placed his paws on the back side of the rock
and Coyote let go. The next minute Coyote was
running away as fast as he could toward Big
Long Man's hogan. Fox laughed to himself, but
after a bit he became tired of holding the rock.
He decided to let it fall.
"Look out, Cousin Raven," he shouted. "The
rock is going to fall." Fox let go, and jumped far
away. Then he ran and did not look behind. He
was afraid the rock would hit his tail. If Fox had
looked behind him he would have seen the rock
standing as steady as a mountain.
Presently, along came Coyote, back from Big
Long Man's hogan. He was running at top speed
and yowling fearfully. There was not a hair left
on his body. When he came to Red Monument he
saw Raven still sitting on his high perch
nibbling kernels of corn.
"Where has Fox gone?" howled Coyote who was
in a rage.
Raven looked down at Coyote. "Fox?" he said.
"Why, Fox went home, I suppose. What did you
do with your hair, Coyote?"
Coyote didn't answer. He just sat down by the
foot of the rock and with his snout up in the air
waited for Raven to drop a few kernels of corn.
"I'll get Fox some other day," he muttered to
himself.