Tall Tail Contest Submission...Lemme tells ya bout Coyote Charlie.

[DelSnavely]

I'us a youngun round 13 I guess. We'us headin' out west, da folks an me. I's thinkin' it were bout '46 er '47 I guess. We'us gonna be da firs ta head fer good ground where pa could fill a grain sack wit ever swipe a da plaw. Well we'us on our way throu Dakota teritory it was, an outa nowhar come a bunch a injuns a hollerin' and a squallin' like nothin' I ever heard. Pa throwd me da Hawkin, grabbed da shotgun an ma jumped under da waggin wit da loadin' gear, but bout da time I catched da Hawkin, I seed pa get hit wit a arra right in da chest, an by dat time dem injuns was all round us. I shot one ofm right in da haed an throwd da Hawkin ta ma fer reloadn, an afor I cud git ta pa an git da shotgun dem injuns jus runned off in all directions. I coun't figger out how com dey run oft like at. Ma was a screamin' an she got real quiet all of a sudn like an pointed at a feller a comin' cross da plains all wrapped in coyote skins an nothin' es. He jus looked crazy da way he were all haunched over like an a growlin' an a houlin' an such. When he got to us I almos shot im. He told us his name was Charlie an he said it were a good thin he comed round when he did, er we'da beend scalped. Dem injuns thinks he's crazy an won't has nothin ta do wit him cause they thinks it's bad luck ta kill a crazy man. Ma told him we thout he was crazy too an he almos got shot anyways.

Well after we burried pa, we got on ar way ta da ol man's sod hut. He was as sane as any man I nowd, but his hole place was covered wit coyote hides. Everthin' he had seems was made a coyote hides an bones. We ate good dat night an I was a wonderin' if we wasn't eatin' coyote stew, but I wern't gonna ask. We tol im we was gonna be on our way come firs lite an he tol us he'd be headin' out wit us fer a ways ta make sure we was outa Sioux country. I talked wit him a lot dat night an he tol me dat ifn we was ta make stake round whar da Lil' Missouri n da Yellerstone splits, we'd be in some o da best plowin' country thar was, an thar is plenty o game ta be had. Sides we'd be right in tween forts, so's we cud trade an sell ar grain an hides either direction. So come mornin' we headed fer da Yellerstone.

Ma an me found a place on da Lil' Missouri side an ol Charlie stayed wit us fer a while an helped us build a small sod house. Den afor he left, he hung coyote hides all round da house so da injuns wud leave us alone fer a while. He said he'd be comin round ever so ofn ta see we'us awrite an if we needed anythin'. We got along perdy good, an jerked plenty a venison fer da winter an traded some hides fer staples fer Winter. Ol Charlie came round jus afor da firs snow an stayed fer a few days an heped out a bit. Once he seed we was set fer Winter he headed back ta his own place.

Winter wasn't too aweful bad dat firs year an we was able ta get by good nuf. We made a good home there an evn made friends wit some a da injuns. Ol Charlie came by about once a month till Winter each year. He always stopped by ta hep us get set fer Winter, den we wuldn't see him agin till Spring. A few years went by, an everthin' was fine. Till one Spring a couple fellers come by an said dey runned inta a sod hut a ways back dat jus made em twichy. Said dey was a crazy ol man runnin' round howlin' an coyotes all round da place. Said soon as dey got close dem dam coyotes took out after em like dey was hungry er somthin'. Said dey musta been a hunnerd ofm er more.

Bout a week after dem fellers com by, I took out ta see ol Charlie. When I got ta his place, it were like I stepped inta some nightmare an I got chilled all over. Charlie was no whar ta be found an we never did see him agin. Coyotes was everwhar round his place an wouldn't let a man git closern a rock throw away from da place. We never did find out what happened ta ol Charlie, but der's been what mus be a hundred er more coyotes took over his place, an once in a while we has da bigges coyote you ever did see comes prowlin round our place, but never gits to close.

Story has it now dat ol Coyote Charlie was kilt by dem two fellers what stopped by our place, beheaded an his head throwed down da well. Da coyotes was said ta had showed up soon as he died, eaten all dat was left of him an never left his place. Dem fellers was found a few miles from our place dead an half ett by coyotes. Ain't nobody yet gone past ol Charlie's place what ain't seed a hunderd coyotes er been able ta git closer n a stones throw from da hut. Dey say Coyote Charlie still lives thar, he jus got paws now.

Del Snavely 1866