The Frog and the Coyote made a wager as to which of them would gain in a foot-race.  They were to run along a ridge, and return to a point close by the starting-point.  The Coyote lost, because the Frog jumped directly over to the finishing-point.  This happened twice, and the Coyote wanted to kill the Frog, but the Frog dived into a water-hole, where the Coyote could not catch him.

The Bears, whose skin is of the same color as the Tarahumares, are called “grandfathers,” amuli, and are so to speak their forebears.  In ancient times they danced on top of the mountains, where they have roads yet.

Often the bears are sorcerers, who, after death, assumed the shape of these animals.  In fact, there are two kinds of bears, one that is real, and another one that is a dead Tarahumare.  The people do not know which is which.  Only the shamans can make the distinction, and it is useless to try and kill the man-bear, because he has a very hard skin, and arrows cannot pierce it.  He is the very devil.

The following curious incident happened near Nararachic a few years ago:  A bear had done much damage to a Tarahumare’s corn-field.  Some forty Indians with over fifty dogs gathered together to kill the bear.  In order to make the dogs ferocious, the Indians set them to fight among each other, by way of preparing them for the hunt.  The Indians now divided themselves into several parties, and presently one lot encountered the bear.  They asked the shaman who was with them whether the creature was a bear or something else, and he replied, “Let the dogs on and see.”  As the dogs had never seen a bear, they were timid, and did not bark or attack the beast; therefore the shaman said:  “This is not a bear.  All is lost.  The dogs do not know him, and the bear does not see the dogs with his eyes.  He is from hell, and he is a devil, who came here in the shape of a bear, because he wants to eat us.  Let him alone and let us all go away.”  And they all retreated.

The mountain lion is a good animal and watches over the people.  When he sees an animal such as the bear or the coyote approach a man, he roars to warn the man; and if the man pays no attention, the lion attacks the animal to save the man; therefore strips of his skin are worn around the ankles and the neck as a protection.

The grey fox is considered an astute animal and is feared.  If he passes by a house in which there is a sick person, and calls three times, the patient will die.  One of my Indian men related the following story:  One night he and another man were sleeping in a house when he heard the grey fox whistle.  At first he did not know what it was, and he said to his companion,