Before the Human race appeared on the earth, so the Nez Perce legends say, Coyote lived happily with his wife. But the woman died before him, and he was very lonely. The death spirit, pale and indistinct, came to Coyote and offered to take to his wife. "But," the spirit warned, "you must do everything exactly as I say." Coyote agreed, and they set off.

As they went, Coyote did all that the ghost did, repeating the words the phantom spoke and imitating his movements. At last the spirit told Coyote that they had come to a very long lodge and that his wife was inside. The ghost lifted the door flap and entered, and Coyote did the same, although he saw only the open prairie.

Then the spirit explained, "You will see that things here are different; when darkness falls in the land of the living, dawn comes here, and when it grows dark here, you have your dawn." And as night descended, Coyote heard whispers all around and saw that he was in a vast lodge, with many fires burning. He saw the door by which he had entered. Among the shadowy forms around him, he recognized many friends and his own dear wife.

All night long, Coyote greeted old companions. Toward dawn, the ghost warned Coyote that in daylight, the shadow world would fade away. "But stay here through you day, and in the evening you will see these people again." All day Coyote waited, hot and thirsty, on the prairie, until at sunset he was again in the long lodge and enjoyed himself all night.

Several days and nights went by in this way, until the death spirit told Coyote, "Tomorrow you will start for home, taking your wife with you. You must be very careful. You will travel for five days and cross five mountains. You may talk to your wife as you go, but do not touch her until you have crossed the last mountain. "

Coyote left in the morning, dimly sensing his wife's presence like a shadow behind him. For four days they walked, crossing one mountain each day and camping at its base in the evening, and each day Coyote could see his wife more clearly. On the fourth night, with one more mountain to cross, Coyote was suddenly overcome by the joy of seeing his beloved and stretched out his arms to her. Mindful of the ghost's warning, she cried, "Do not embrace me!" But Coyote rushed to her, and with his touch, she vanished.

Immediately the death spirit appeared, rebuking Coyote. "You have spoiled everything," he said. "If you had carried out this task, you would have fixed the practice of returning from death. Soon the human race is coming and because you failed, they will know death."

And though Coyote went back the way he had gone with the ghost, doing all they had done, and found the spot in the prairie where the long house had been, he never saw the lodge, the ghost, his wife or any of the shadow people again.

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