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378 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY NUMBER 23
"Hell, I'd like to have a contest. You'd see!" Me, I
have wings. I'll race, hell, until I leave you behind,"
said that Mosquito.
"Oh, God, how could you do it?" said [Deer].
"Let's try it out then!" said [Mosquito]. Let's try
it. You'll see!" Sonofabitch, those mosquitoes
swarmed on his ear.
"Now, Mosquito!" said that Deer. [Mosquito] was
whining there. He was whining there on [Deer's]
ear. Whining on his ear, sitting on his ear. He never
flew. He was bu—zzing there. "Now, Mosquito!"
said that fucking Deer.
"Eeee!" they went, sitting on his ear.
So that Mosquito won, too. But he was sitting on
[Deer's] ear. He scarcely flew! After that, then I
think Rabbit came. I think they raced. He and
Rabbit. Let's have a contest!" said that Rabbit.
"Eh, who knows," said [Deer].
"But, okay, but forget it since I haven't any shoes
anymore, myself," said [Rabbit].
"Well, let's try it out, then," said [Deer].
But it was that Deer who succeeded. Deer did
better, because his legs were longer. It was that poor
Rabbit who was left behind. So he was left behind.
Rabbit didn't ever win again. It was Deer now who
won. That's all I've heard.
"Karajo, sk'an ko7on jpastik preva avile, vo7one
7o jxik' chi7anilaj ka7rajo 7asta ke chakom ta be
ku7un," xi la taj xenen 7une.
"7Aj, di7o7s, bu lata Ie7e?" xi la 7un.
"Jpastik preva che7e!" xi la. "Jpastik preva avil!"
xi la. Puta, te la svotzan sbaik taj xenen chchikin
7une.
7A li "7Ora, sankudo!" xi la taj te7tikil chij 7une.
Te la x7i7et, te la x7i7i7et ta xchikin, x7i7et ta
xchikin nochol ta xchikin muk' bu ta xvil, te la
x7i7i7e—t 7un. "7Ora, sankudo!" xi la taj jkobel
te7tikil chij 7une.
Te xa "71—7!" xi la. Te xa nochajtik ta xchikin.
Va7i, ja7 la 7ispas kanal taj xenen noxtok 7une,
pero te nochol ta xchikin 7un yu7 van chvil 7un, 7ilaj
taj 7une ja7 xa chka7i tal li t'ul chka7i 7anilajik
chka7i 7un chi7uk i t'ul 7une. 7A li "Jpastik preva!"
xi taj t'ul 7une.
"Je, na7tik," xi la 7un.
"Pero bweno pero te k'alal 7un, komo ch'abal
jsapato xa li vo7one," xi la 7un.
"Bweno, jpastik preva che7e!" xi la 7un.
Bu, ja7 la 7itojob taj te7tikil chij 7une, ja7 ja7 mas
7ikuch yu7un li te7tikil chij 7une, porke mas natik
yok, ja7 7ikom la taj povre t'ul 7une, ja7 xa 7ikom 7o
yech 7un, mu xa buy 7ispas kanal yech li li t'ul 7une,
ja7 xa 7ispas i te7tikil chij, ja7 xa nox yech ka7yoj
chak taj 7une.
When Zinacantecs Rode Home on Horseback
T160
There is [a war story] like that about the elders of
long ago.
They would go as soldiers. They kept going to
war, but it was always like that. We . . . the elders,
it seems, just carried burdens, carried bullets. [The
Mexican soldiers] never asked [what you wanted to
do]. It was always just burdens—as if [you were] a
mule, an animal, as we say.
The [Mexicans'] soldiers were killed, it seems,
where that war was. They were killed.
Then [the Zinacantecs] spoke to that chief, the
leader of the soldiers, as we say. They spoke to him.
"Well, I guess we'll get into it," they said. "We'll see
if we're killed. Who cares?" said those elders of long
ago. Since they had chosen from among themselves.
There was Thunderbolt. There was Fog. There was
Whirlwind. They chose the few elders who always
worked, it seems.
"Well, if you can do something, then, do [us] the
favor," said the leader of the [Mexican] soldiers, as
we say. The war [chief], as we say.
7A taj 7ak'-k'ok' 7une 7a li, 7o la yech taj vo7ne
moletik 7une.
Va7 7un, ta la xbatik ta soltero 7un bat ta
7ak'-k'ok' ta j-mek pero yu7 la k'ex yech yu7n
vo7tikotik moletik ya7ele naka la kuch-7ikatzil
kuch-bala ma7uk tzjak'ulan ja7 nox ti yu7n naka
7ikatzil k'u cha7al j-kot ka7 j-kot 7animal xkaltik.
Va7 7un, 7a li laj la taj yajsolterotak ya7el taj, 7a
taj buy taj 7ak'-k'ok' 7une, laj la 7un.
7Ora, yalbe la taj 7ajvalil yech 7ajvalil yu7un
soltero xkaltik 7une, yalbeik la li vo7otikotik 7une.
"Beno, chi7ochotik6tik kik," xi la 7un. "7Aver mi
lilajotikotike te k'alal," xi la taj vo7ne moletik 7une.
Komo st'ujoj sbaik 7oy chauk, 7oy 7oy lumal tok,
7oy sutum 7ik' 7une, st'ujoj sbaik ti jay-vo7 moletik
7onox ch7abtejik 7onox ya7el 7une.
"Bweno mi 7o k'u xana7ik che7e, pasik pavor," xi
la ti totil yu7un soltero xkaltik 7une, skwenta
7ak'-k'ok' xkaltik 7une.