# In the Reign of Coyote/Why there is only One Southwest Wind

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WHY THERE IS ONLY ONE SOUTHWEST WIND
NE afternoon the southwest wind was careering over the ranch, breaking trees, harassing cattle, and making things generally uncomfortable. Antonio and Juanita could not take their ride, and their book and music lessons were over. Tecla was cross and
would not speak to them. She had neuralgia and went around with her head tied up in cascara leaves. After a while the children wandered over to the saddler's shop, where they found the door closed. They heard a low crooning inside. They knocked and received a welcoming "Come in, children."
"How do you like to have the wind blow this way, Klayukat"; asked Antonio, as Juanita arranged her mantilla over her head.
"Oh, very well, children, very well. The adobe is solid and the door shuts close. I remember ​that once there were five southwest winds, and I am glad that now there is but one. Who can tell if the roof could withstand five such winds as this?"
"Were there once five southwest winds, Klayukat? What became of the others?" and Antonio leaned against the old man's knee.
"Is there only one wind making all this noise?" shivered Juanita.
"Only one southwest wind, Ninita. If there were five now, you could not walk over to old Klayukat's shop, Chiquita. Would you like to hear why there is only one southwest wind now?"
The children's enthusiastic answers were all the inspiration old Klayukat needed. He waxed his thread and started into the story.
In the early days of the earth there were five southwest winds. They were very active fellows, and so there was seldom an hour when one of them was not bustling around the world. The animals were storm tossed so much that their sides were all bruised. They complained often and bitterly, but the southwest winds only roared louder and knocked them about more frequently.
One day Blue Jay said: "Let us make war on these southwest winds. Something must be done, ​or they will blow us to death. We might as well die fighting them."
"But how shall we reach them?" asked the other animals. "They slip off to the sky when we try to grasp them."
"That will be easy," answered Blue Jay. "We will go up to heaven to them. Let all the birds sing their sweetest songs. Then the sky will bend its ear to listen, and we will fasten it to the earth and climb up on it."
The birds began to sing,—Wren, Robin, Lark, Thrush, and all the others. They poured forth so blithe a chorus that the sky leaned down to listen. Then Nightingale burst into a silencing solo, and the sky dipped down so low that its edge touched the earth. The animals hastened to tie it to the earth with a rope of reeds. Then they scrambled up on it and climbed up, up, up, until they came near the home of the southwest winds. There they paused to plan their attack.
Blue Jay suddenly called out: "Skate, you would better go back to earth. You are so broad that you will surely be hit with an arrow."
"Do you think I am a coward?" retorted Skate. "I' m not afraid of the winds, nor of you either, you bragging Blue Jay. Come out now, boaster, and I 'll fight you a duel"; and Skate raised his bow.
​"I 'll soon settle you," returned Blue Jay, and he shot an arrow. Skate turned his narrow side and Blue Jay's arrow flew past him to the earth. Then Skate shot an arrow. As Blue Jay saw it coming, he jumped, but he did not rise quite high enough. The arrow struck his foot, and to this day he is not a swift runner.
"Stop your quarreling, you foolish things," called the other animals. "Come and plan how to fight the southwest winds. We are so cold out here that if we do not do something soon, we shall freeze to death."
"I 'll see if I can get a brand for a camp fire," said Beaver; and he started out towards the home of the southwest winds. He was creeping along the ditch behind their house, when they saw him. Before he could escape, they rushed out and caught him. After they had killed Beaver, they took him into the house and laid him in front of the fire to singe. When Beaver felt the warmth, he came to life again and crept out of the door with some of the fire hidden under his fur. Then he raced to the animals' camp and made them a fire.
As they were warming their toes, they said: "Some one must find a hole in the house of the southwest winds. You go, Skunk, and find us a hole that we can crawl through."
"Skunk ran straight down to the earth, without telling the other animals"
​"All right," answered Skunk; and he crept away. When he reached the yard of the southwest winds, they saw him. One said: "There is Skunk. He has no right to be here. Let us catch him and kill him."
Skunk heard the words. He was so frightened that he turned and fled. He ran straight down to the earth, without telling the other animals that he was going.
The animals became tired of waiting for Skunk. After a time they said, "O Robin, you go find us a hole in the house of the southwest winds,—a hole that we can crawl through."
"All right," answered Robin; and she hopped away. She found a little hole near the chimney corner and crept inside to see what the house was like. It was very warm and comfortable there. The southwest winds were sleeping, so she sat down by the fire to warm her breast and forgot to go back to her waiting brothers.
After a time the animals again wearied of waiting. They cried, "O Mouse and Rat, you two go and find a hole in the house of the southwest winds,—one that we can crawl through."
"Very well," answered Mouse and Rat; and they started off. They found the little hole by the chimney corner, and crept inside as Robin ​had done. The southwest winds were still sleeping. Mouse and Rat stole over to the aprons of the winds and gnawed off their bands. They crawled up the walls to the bows of the southwest winds and gnawed the strings in two. Then they stole out again and called the other animals to the hole.
The animals came pouring in with a rush. The southwest winds woke up and stretched out their hands for their aprons. They tried to tie them on, but the bands were gone. Then they reached up for their bows and tried to shoot, but the cords were cut. While they paused in surprise, the animals grappled with them.
Eagle seized one, Owl a second, Loon a third, Turkey a fourth, and Chicken Hawk the fifth. All the other animals joined around the outside, and each shot an arrow into a wind whenever he got a chance. The southwest wind in the Eagle's grasp was soon killed, and so were all the others excepting the one with whom Chicken Hawk wrestled. This fifth wind struggled desperately and finally slipped out of Chicken Hawk's grasp. Then with a loud noise he rushed out the door and across the sky.
The animals pursued him until Blue Jay called out: "We 'd better turn back to earth. The wind might come back this way and cut the sky loose."
​The animals turned at once and began sliding down the sky to the earth. Blue Jay could not go very fast because of his lame foot, and a number of animals got ahead of him. This made him so angry that when he reached the earth he cut the reed rope, and the sky flew up again before all the animals were down. Those that were left in the sky changed into stars. That is why to-day we see the Great Bear, and the Dog Star, and all the other animal stars.
The animals never caught the fifth southwest wind. Even to-day he wanders bustling around the world. But he has to rest sometimes, and so the animals get more peace than when his four brothers were alive to help blow them about.
"Did n't the other animals do anything to Blue Jay for cutting the reed rope so soon?" inquired Juanita.
"I never heard that they did. It is well that the rope was cut, for now we have the Great Bear to look at on dark nights."
"Yes; but perhaps those animals don't like to live in the sky. Perhaps—"
But Antonio interrupted with: "I wish they 'd had a stronger bird to fight with the fifth southwest wind. Why did n't they take a buzzard? I think—"
​"There is the dinner call. I think you must tackle this southwest wind yourself, young Antonio"; and Klayukat "shooed" them out of his shop and limped over to the kitchen.