“Up spoke Mr. Fox and he winked at his neighbor on the right and he winked at his neighbor on the left.  ’That is a very good idea of Neighbor Coyote’s,’ said he, ’a very good idea indeed, and I suggest that Mr. Coyote be selected for the honor of being the first one to fight Big-Horn.’  Mr. Fox grinned in a sly way, and everybody else grinned, for everybody knew that Old Man Coyote never was known to fight when there was a chance to run away.  So with one accord everybody agreed with Mr. Fox, and Old Man Coyote was selected as the first one to face Big-Horn.  To everybody’s surprise, Old Man Coyote made no objections.  Instead he expressed himself as highly honored, and said that he hoped to do so well that there would be no need for others to fight Big-Horn.  So it was arranged that Big-Horn should be invited to fight Old Man Coyote the very next day.

“You may be sure that everybody was on hand the next day to see that fight.  No one expected Old Man Coyote to appear.  But he did.  Yes, Sir, he did.  He was right on hand at the appointed time.  Big-Horn hadn’t been told whom he was to fight, and when he found that it was Old Man Coyote, he was disappointed.  You see, there was no anger in Big-Horn’s fighting; he fought just for the love of using his great strength and big horns.  Fighting was fun to him, and he wanted some one who would stand up to him.  As soon as it was explained to him that when he had disposed of Old Man Coyote there would be some one else for him to fight (Mr. Deer had offered to be the next), he felt better.  Mr. Deer had horns and was somewhere near his size.

“Old Man Coyote slipped around until he had his back to a great rock.  ‘I’m ready any time,’ said he.

“Big-Horn, who had been stamping with impatience, lowered his head so that his horns pointed straight at Old Man Coyote.  He grinned as he did it, for he saw that with that great rock behind him, Old Man Coyote would have no chance to run away as he always had done in the past.  Everybody else saw the same thing, and wondered what could have happened to make Old Man Coyote so stupid as to do such a thing as that, he who always had been accounted so clever.  But they had hardly time to think of this, for with a snort Big-Horn bounded forward.  All the others held their breath as they saw those great horns driving straight at Old Man Coyote, who was crouched with his back to the great rock.  Then everybody closed their eyes for a second, for nobody wanted to see Old Man Coyote killed, and everybody knew that that was what was going to happen.

“Then there was a crash, and everybody’s eyes flew open.  There lay Big-Horn on the ground, looking mighty puzzled, as if he wasn’t quite sure what had happened.  And there sat Old Man Coyote, grinning at him!  They were still staring at Old Man Coyote as if they couldn’t believe their own eyes when some one cried, ‘Look at the horns of Big-Horn!’

“Instead of being long and straight, those great horns were curved over and round into almost a circle, and there was no longer danger from their sharp points.  What had happened?  Why, at just the right instant Old Man Coyote had leaped over Big-Horn, and Big-Horn had butted into that great rock with all his might.  He had hit so hard, biff! bang! that he had bent his horns, just as crafty, clever Old Man Coyote had hoped he would.