A Man Who Got Cornered by a Skunk by Laura Rockroads1 naa na'ėstse náto'sėhósėhósémo -hósėhósémo hóhta'heo'o tsé'tóhe I'm gonna tell another story, this  éxhe'aná'o'haesesto xaóne hetane. móhméhaenonónėhéhe. skunk (obv.) cornered a man. He was fishing. móhvésėho'ȧhéhenotóhe nomá'ne. He wanted fish. nėhe'še tósa'e móstaametóxenȯhtsé'ȯhéhe e'néhove-o'hé'e tsésto'senonónėse. Then he went along the bank of a river looking for a place to fish.  móhno'ėhnėhéhe henonónóó'e naá tséto'sėho'enȯhovȧse hová'éhe. He had his fishng pole and whatever he was going to use for bait.  móstaosáaneée'ametóxeohtsėhéhe. He went along the bank. nėhe'še éstsėšemáme-ta'se-vóhke'sevótsénėse. Then there was a big bend in the river.  éstamáme-ta'se-sé'tšėše-novoeóesėstse hoohtsėstse móssé'eava'ȯhéhe. A tree was going across fallen part way over the water, it had fallen into the  mósta'háahpetȧhéhe néhe. éstȧxaepėhéva'étsénėse tȧháóhe nȧhtatsėhetsēhne creek. It was very large. It looked good. "I'll go over there,"  móxhešėtanȯhéhe. ho'óxe nȧháóhe ha'tohe komááhe háá'ėše nȧháóhe  he thought. It's further out to where  tséhné'ma'é'sévo nėhéóhe nȧhtanonónóne. nátȧxaevá'neameóo'hamoo'o nomá'ne there is an eddy, that's where I'll fish. I'll just catch the fish one right after the other,"  móxhešėtanȯhéhe. he thought. móstaéetšėšėsé'-ta'se-onéstanae'ovȯhevóhe hotȧhtse  He went out there testing his weight on that log. Here,  móxhe'konetsėhestȧhevóhe. móstaosáane­ móstaosáaneasėsé'ėhnėhéhe  it was sturdy. He started towards the middle,  -ameanȯhetotáxėhnėhéhe nėhéóhe néhe hoóhtseto tséstsėhešėšenatsėse ho'oxe  he walked on that log where it was sticking out over the water. He went clear hákó'e nėhéóhe móstȧho'ėhnėhéhe. nėhe'še mó'osáanepėhévanȯhéhe henonónóó'e  to the end. Then he got his fishing pole ready.  móstaosáanėsé'onea'hasenėhéhe. Then he threw out his line. naá móhmóneénėsétovoésėhanetséhe2. nėhe'še ta'se  It was right after noon. Then, like  móstšėšea'kónoehéhe, móstšėšetávee'ke'koehéhe naá tséhešetoeno henonónóó'e.  he was squatting down, he was not in a very stable position and you know he was  móstaohkenėšėšéešeóo'hamȯhevóhe. naá móhno'ėhnėhéhe kȧhámáxe nėhéóhe  holding his fishing pole. He caught some (fish). He had a stick where  móstaohkėséno'e'o'hohevóhe. nėhe'še móstaoóó'hamȯhevóhe nomá'ne. he would string the fish he caught. Then he caught (more) fish. nėhe'še tséstšėšenáhe'kėhósėsé'onóó'ėse -nonónee'ėse ta'se  Then when he was sitting facing the creek -fishing, like  éstamatóotsé'tovósesto xaóne. hévámóhe móhnėxho'eohtsėhéhe xao'o. naá nėhéóhe  he smelled a skunk. Apparently a skunk had come. And he (the man) had  héne (?) móxho'sanėhéhe heéstse'heno hová'éhe nėhéóhe mó'é'enanȯhéhe. hotȧhtse  his stuff there, his coat and other things there, he had put them down. Here,  móhnėxxaetšėšėsé'eame­ -sé'eameto'sė­ -hého'eohé'toehevóhe néhe xaóne.  the skunk came right straight toward him.  nonó'hónó'e ta'se móxho'nótaéšėhoe'tóó'ȯtse  (The smell became stronger), like he had not even turned around yet facing the skunk  "but" móstanonó'hónó'e-ta'se-háeméa'xėhevóhe. mó'oseema'xėháoméa'háhanetséhe. but the smell became stronger. It was really strong smelling. nėhe'še hó'ótóvá móhne'éšeasėsé'eohehehéhe néhe xao'o -to'sėsé'néhe'ovȯhevóhe  Then that skunk started toward (him), (it) was gonna follow  néhe tséššé'ėšenatsėse néhe hoóhtseto tsé'tóhe móstméhaehoe'tóeotsėhéhe  that log (tree) where it went out. When this (man) turned around and looked  -nȯhtsevóeotsé'tovȯhevóhe néhe tsénéseméa'xetsese hotȧhtse nėhéóhe a'e  -to see this one who smelled awful, here, the skunk was right close  éhnėhnéehoo'o néhe xao'o. éstȧxaenėšėhe'ketó'omóeotse­  to him. He (the man) just froze- (and)  -tó'omehe-néhe-vé'hoomóhoono. éssáa'évatónėšėhósemomó'otséhehoo'o tsé'tóhe hetane.  -stared at him. This man couldn't move anymore.  hó'tao'setšėšėhósemomó'otsėse hó'tao'setšėšėhósease­  When he tried to move, when he again tried to-, he (skunk)  é'ȯhketo'seamaesesto é'ȯhketo'setšėhešeé'ėšé'ėsesto tséxhoo'ėse (LAUGHTER).  was gonna spray/shoot at him, he was gonna swing his rump toward him, where he  éstae'šévaenósesto. éxxaehe'ketó'omoesėstse. éssáatónėšeévamomó'otséhesėstse. waó sitting. He (man) got scared of him. He just sat there (LAUGHTER) paralyzed. naá he'tohe henonónóó'e é'éšėhóseno'ma'xetsėheta'hátsénėse  And his fishing line was moving wildly,  móstaéšėhósevé'pȧhoeotsėhevóhe na'ėstse nomá'ne. naá tsé'tóhe  one more fish must have gotten caught. But this (man)  móhtȧhohomėhehpee'ėšévaenȯhevóhe xaóne. éhvone'ėševé'hoeóe'toesesto.  was more scared of the skunk. It stood there and stared at him for quite some  time.  éxxaehe'kevé'hoeóe'toesesto. éxxaevá'nema'xėhe'kevé'hoomaesesto. It just kept staring at him. It just kept looking at him.  hó'tao'sevá'netšėške'momó'ótsėstse é'ȯhkėxaeto'senėšenéme'šé'ėšesėstse  When he made a slight movement, the skunk would start to turn its rump  néhe xao'o. towards him. nėhe'še vétséóhe móstaéšemȧhoveotsėhéhe tsé'tóhe, Then he got weary.  nȧhtanėšemȧsó'sé'á'o, móstaéšėhešėtanȯhéhe. tȧháóhe o'xe " I'll just jump in," he thought. "I'll just  nȧhtatšėhešėhóxovetó'honaoohe ma'tȧsáavé'eévaaseohéestse,  swim across to the other side if it doesn't leave,"  móxhešėtanȯhéhe. móstaéšemȧhoveotsėhéhe. he thought. He became weary. nėhe'še móstaosáane­ vétséóhe éstaévȧhe'keaséhoo'o néhe xao'o.  Then at that point the skunk slowly left.  éstaévȧhe'keamenéma'o'ėhnéhoo'o. éstaéva­ éstaohkėhósevé'hoomóhoono.  It slowly turned around. (The man) would slowly turn around and look at it.  éhne'ȯhkenéesėstse hápó'e éhne'ȯhkėhóe'tóemaesesto.  It would stop and look at him too. (The man) couldn't just quickly turn  éssáatónėšenėševe-vé'hoomóhesesto. móxhehpee'hohevóhe, around to look at it. He was more scared of it, tséohkėhešenésȯhomevȯse   ma'éxánėstse, naá  since they zero in on both of (your) eyes, and móho'nó'ȯhkeéveévanȧháxevóosenénove you don't see for quite some time  ȯhtavé'nėhešenésȯhomévosėstse ma'éxánėstse naá mato  whenever they zero in on your eyes, and since  tsé'ȯhkėhešeoseehoháeméa'xevȯse. they (also) smell terrible. éxhe'ana'o'haesesto néhe xaóne. éssáaxaetóne'oesanéhesėstse This skunk cornered him (got the best of him). There was nothing he could do, ohá mámáhta   éxxáetšėšema'xėhe'ketó'omoesėstse. only he just sat motionless. tsé'tóhe énėhetóséše hóhta'heo'o. This is how this story is told. naá éstaéva-hápó'e-má'seasesėstse éstaévata'eahtsesėstse hákó'e And he then left (and) went out of sight, néhe   xao'o. naá tsé'tóhe éssáa'éva'é'ho'ee'heohesėstse3 nėhéóhe. that skunk. And this (man) came there.  sé'ea'e éstama'xeasehohpo'anenéhoo'o. Quickly he gathered up all his stuff. éhnėhma'xeévaasenonótovėhóo'ȯhtsesėstse. He hurried home. móstaéšemáxeó'oesėhaehevóhe néhe xaóne. He had enough of that skunk. naá énėhe'ėstóséše. And that's how (the story) is. ----------- Footnotes: 1 This story was recorded in the Spring of 1975. Mrs. Rockroads also recorded an English version of this story. 2 The Cheyenne checker preferred a pure II verb here to the one in the recording, which appears to use an AI final, -oése, with II suffixation. A suggested alternative to the word in the recording was móhmóneénėsétovoestȧhanetséhe 'it was right after noon'. Either verb literally refers to hanging in the middle, that is, the position of the sun when it is in the middle of the sky, at noon.  3 The Cheyenne checker preferred é'ȯsáaneévȧho'ee'heohesėstse 'he then came up' to the word in the recording.