Alamat ng Bulkang Taal

ni Antonio, Emilio Martinez

          Ayon sa sali’t-saling sabi ng matatanda, ang mga bayan at lalawigan sa Gitnang Luson, ay nahahati ng mga ilog at magubat na kabundukan. Bawa’t bayan naman ay pinamumunuan ng isang makapangyarihang lalaki na iginagalang at sinusunod ng lahat nasasakupan.
          Sa bayan ng Tagaytay ay may makapangyarihang matanda, na kung tawagin ng lahat ay si Lakan-Taal. Ang matandang ito ay siyang sinusunod ng mga tao, palibhasa’y mabuti at matalino ang kaniyang pamamahala.
          Ang mamamayan sa Tagaytay ay hindi lamang minsang nagkaroon ng pagpipista dahil sa tinatamasa nilang masaganang kabuhayan. Lagging umaani sila ng saganang kape, abukado at iba’t-iba pang mga bungang kahoy.
          Isang araw ay pinulong ni Lakan Taal ang lahat ng kaniyang kabig sa lilim ng isang malagong punongkahoy sa kaparangan.
-      Mga minamahal na nasasakupan ko, - malakas na pahayag ng
Makapangyarihan Lakan, - pinulong ko kayo ngayon upang sabihin sa inyo na mula sa araw na ito, ay ipinagbabawal ko sa kaninuman ang pag-akyat sa ituktok ng bundok na iyo., - at itinuro nito ang luntiang bundok na hindi kalayuan sa kanilang pinagpupulungan.
          Napatingin ang lahat sa itaas ng magandang bundok.
-      Tandaan niyong mabuti ang aking pagbabawal na ito, - pagwawakas
pa ng makapangyarihang Lakan.
          Buong pagkakaisang sumang ayon naman ang madla at nagsipanumpang tatalimahin nila ang utos ng kanilang puno.
          Walang anu-ano ay bigla na lamang naglaho ang matandang puno, kaya’t nagtataka at nagsipanggilalas ang lahat.
          Mahigit na isang taon ang lumipas, nguni’t ang makapanyarihan si Lakan Taal ay hindi na nila nakita. Gayon man, sa loob ng panahong iyon, ang madla ay nabuhay nang mapayapa at masagana na gaya rin nang dati.
          Sa kasabikan ng marami na malaman kung ano ang hiwaga ng bundok na yaon, ay napagkaisahan nilang akyatin ang taluktok ng nasabing bundok.
          Gayon na lamang ang kanilang pagkamangha nang Makita nilang sa itaas pala ng bundok na yon ay may malaking guwang na punong-puno ng mahahalagang perlas, Esmeralda, brilyante at mga ginto.
-      Naku! Kaya pala ayaw ipaakyat sa atin ang itaas ng bundok na ito, -
Anang isa sa kanila, - ay narito ang katakut-takot na kayamanan!
-      Oo nga, ano! – tugon ng isa pa. – Ang mabuti’y hakutin nating lahat
Ang kayamanang iyan upang iuwi sa ating bayan
-      Subali’t nang anyong kukunin na nila ang mga kayamanang iyon ay
Bigla na lamang nilang narinig ang malakas at makapangyarihang tinig ni Lakan-Taal na anya:
-      Sinuway ninyo ang aking utos! Nawa’y magkaroon ng lindol, ng
kidlat, ng kulog at malakas na unos!... At
          Halos hindi pa natatapos ang pangungusap ng Lakan, ay biglang kumidlat sa kumulog! Bigla ring lumindol hanggang sa ang bundok ay magbuga ng tipak-tipak na apoy na ikinasawi ng mga masuwaying tauhan ni Lakan-Taal.
          Magbuhat noon, ang gayong pangyayari ay nagkasalin-salin sa bibg ng madla, hanggang mabuo ang paniniwala ng marami, na ang bundok na yaon na naging bulkan ay ari ni Lakan-Taal. Ngayon ay tinatawag ito na Bulkan ng Taal.

Bulanawan and Aguio

_Bukidnon_ (_Mindanao_)

Langgona and his wife had twin boys named Bulanawan and Aguio. One

day, when they were about two years old, the mother took Bulanawan to

the field with her when she went to pick cotton. She spread the fiber

she had gathered the day before on the ground to dry near the child,

and while she was getting more a great wind suddenly arose which

wound the cotton around the baby and carried him away. Far away to

a distant land the wind took Bulanawan, and in that place he grew

up. When he was a man, he became a great warrior. [121]

One day while Bulanawan and his wife were walking along the seashore,

they sat down to rest on a large, flat rock, and Bulanawan fell

asleep. Now Aguio, the twin brother of Bulanawan, had become a great

warrior also, and he went on a journey to this distant land, not

knowing that his brother was there. It happened that he was walking

along the seashore in his war-dress  [122] on this same day, and when

he saw the woman sitting on the large, flat rock, he thought her very

beautiful, and he determined to steal her.

As he drew near he asked her to give him some of her husband's

betel-nut to chew, and when she refused he went forward to fight her

husband, not knowing they were brothers. As soon as his wife awakened

him Bulanawan sprang up, seized her, put her in the cuff of his sleeve,

[123] and came forth ready to fight. Aguio grew very angry at this, and

they fought until their weapons were broken, and the earth trembled.

Now the two brothers of the rivals felt the earth tremble although they

were far away, and each feared that his brother was in trouble. One

was in the mountains and he started at once for the sea; the other was

in a far land, but he set out in a boat for the scene of the trouble.

They arrived at the same time at the place of battle, and they

immediately joined in it. Then the trembling of the earth increased

so much that Langgona, the father of Aguio and Bulanawan, sought out

the spot and tried to make peace. But he only seemed to make matters

worse, and they all began fighting him. So great did the disturbance

become that the earth was in danger of falling to pieces.

Then it was that the father of Langgona came and settled the trouble,

and when all were at peace again they discovered that Aguio and

Bulanawan were brothers and the grandsons of the peacemaker.

How Children Became Monkeys

_Bukidnon_ (_Mindanao_)

One day a mother took her two children with her when she went to

color cloth. Not far from her home was a mud hole [119] where the

carabao liked to wallow, and to this hole she carried her cloth,

some dye pots, and two shell spoons.

After she had put the cloth into the mud to let it take up the dark

color, she built a fire and put over it a pot containing water and

the leaves used for dyeing. Then she sat down to wait for the water

to boil, while the children played near by.

By and by when she went to stir the leaves with a shell spoon, some

of the water splashed up and burned her hand, so that she jumped and

cried out. This amused the children and their laughter changed them

into monkeys, and the spoons became their tails. [120]

The nails of the monkeys are still black, because while they were

children they had helped their mother dye the cloth.

Magbangal

_Bukidnon_ (_Mindanao_)

Magbangal was a good hunter, and he often went to a certain hill

where he killed wild pigs for food. One night as it was nearing the

planting season, he sat in his house thinking, and after a long time

he called to his wife. She came to him, and he said:

"Tomorrow I shall go to the hill and clear the land for our planting,

but I wish you to stay here."

"Oh, let me go with you," begged his wife, "for you have no other

companion."

"No," said Magbangal, "I wish to go alone, and you must stay at home."

So finally his wife agreed, and in the morning she arose early to

prepare food for him. When the rice was cooked and the fish ready

she called him to come and eat, but he said:

"No, I do not want to eat now, but I will return this afternoon and

you must have it ready for me."

Then he gathered up his ten hatchets and bolos, [118] a sharpening

stone, and a bamboo tube for water, and started for the hill. Upon

reaching his land he cut some small trees to make a bench. When it

was finished, he sat down on it and said to the bolos, "You bolos must

sharpen yourselves on the stone." And the bolos went to the stone and

were sharpened. Then to the hatchets he said, "You hatchets must be

sharpened," and they also sharpened themselves.

When all were ready, he said: "Now you bolos cut all the small brush

under the trees, and you hatchets must cut the large trees." So the

bolos and the hatchets went to work, and from his place on the bench

Magbangal could see the land being cleared.

Magbangal's wife was at work in their house weaving a skirt, but

when she heard the trees continually falling she stopped to listen

and thought to herself, "My husband must have found many people to

help him clear our land. When he left here, he was alone, but surely

he cannot cut down the trees so fast. I will see who is helping him."

She left the house and walked rapidly toward the field, but as she

drew nearer she proceeded more slowly, and finally stopped behind

a tree. From her hiding-place, she could see her husband asleep on

the bench, and she could also see that the bolos and hatchets were

cutting the trees with no hands to guide them.

"Oh," said she, "Magbangal is very powerful. Never before have I

seen bolos and hatchets working without hands, and he never told me

of his power."

Suddenly she saw her husband jump up, and, seizing a bolo, he cut

off one of his own arms. He awoke and sat up and said:

"Someone must be looking at me, for one of my arms is cut off."

When he saw his wife he knew that she was the cause of his losing

his arm, and as they went home together, he exclaimed:

"Now I am going away. It is better for me to go to the sky where I

can give the sign to the people when it is time to plant; and you

must go to the water and become a fish."

Soon after he went to the sky and became the constellation Magbangal;

and ever since, when the people see these stars appear in the sky,

they know that it is time to plant their rice.

The Flood Story

_Bukidnon_ (_Mindanao_)

A long time ago there was a very big crab [115] which crawled into

the sea. And when he went in he crowded the water out so that it ran

all over the earth and covered all the land.

Now about one moon before this happened, a wise man had told the people

that they must build a large raft. [116] They did as he commanded and

cut many large trees, until they had enough to make three layers. These

they bound tightly together, and when it was done they fastened the

raft with a long rattan cord to a big pole in the earth.

Soon after this the floods came. White water poured out of the hills,

and the sea rose and covered even the highest mountains. The people

and animals on the raft were safe, but all the others drowned.

When the waters went down and the raft was again on the ground,

it was near their old home, for the rattan cord had held.

But these were the only people left on the whole earth.

How the Moon and the Stars Came to Be

_Bukidnon_ (_Mindanao_)

One day in the times when the sky was close to the ground a spinster

went out to pound rice. [113] Before she began her work, she took

off the beads from around her neck and the comb from her hair, and

hung them on the sky, which at that time looked like coral rock.

Then she began working, and each time that she raised her pestle into

the air it struck the sky. For some time she pounded the rice, and

then she raised the pestle so high that it struck the sky very hard.

Immediately the sky began to rise, [114] and it went up so far that

she lost her ornaments. Never did they come down, for the comb became

the moon and the beads are the stars that are scattered about.

Tilin, The Rice Bird

_Igorot_

One day when a mother was pounding out rice to cook for supper,

her little girl ran up to her and cried:

"Oh, Mother, give me some of the raw rice to eat."

"No," said the mother, "it is not good for you to eat until it is

cooked. Wait for supper."

But the little girl persisted until the mother, out of patience, cried:

"Be still. It is not good for you to talk so much!"

When she had finished pounding the rice, the woman poured it into a

rice winnower and tossed it many times into the air. As soon as the

chaff was removed she emptied the rice into her basket and covered it

with the winnower. Then she took the jar upon her head, and started

for the spring to get water.

Now the little girl was fond of going to the spring with her mother,

for she loved to play in the cool water while her mother filled the

jars. But this time she did not go, and as soon as the woman was

out of sight, she ran to the basket of rice. She reached down to

take a handful of the grain. The cover slipped so that she fell,

and was covered up in the basket.

When the mother returned to the house, she heard a bird crying,

"King, king, nik! nik! nik!" She listened carefully, and as the

sound seemed to come from the basket, she removed the cover. To her

surprise, out hopped a little brown rice bird, and as it flew away

it kept calling back:

"Goodbye, Mother; goodbye, Mother. You would not give me any rice

to eat."

The Tattooed Men

_Igorot_

Once there were two young men, very good friends, who were unhappy

because neither of them had been tattooed. [110] They felt that they

were not as beautiful as their friends.

One day they agreed to tattoo each other. One marked the breast and

back of the other, his arms and legs, and even his face. And when he

had finished, he took soot off the bottom of a cooking-pot and rubbed

it into all the marks; and he was tattooed beautifully.

The one who had done the work said to the other:

"Now, my friend, you are very beautiful, and you must tattoo me."

Then the tattooed one scraped a great pile of black soot off the

cooking-pots, and before the other knew what he was about, he had

rubbed it all over him from the top of his head to the bottom of his

feet; and he was very black and greasy. The one who was covered with

soot became very angry and cried:

"Why do you treat me so when I tattooed you so carefully?"

They began to fight, but suddenly the beautifully tattooed one became

a great lizard which ran away and hid in the tall grass, while the

sooty one became a crow and flew away over the village.

How the First Head was Taken

_Igorot_

One day the Moon, who was a woman named Kabigat, sat out in the yard

making a large copper pot. The copper was still soft and pliable like

clay, and the woman squatted on the ground with the heavy pot against

her knees while she patted and shaped it. [106]

Now while she was working a son of Chal-chal, the Sun, came by and

stopped to watch her mould the form. Against the inside of the jar she

pressed a stone, while on the outside with a wooden paddle dripping

with water she pounded and slapped until she had worked down the

bulges and formed a smooth surface.

The boy was greatly interested in seeing the jar grow larger, more

beautiful, and smoother with each stroke, and he stood still for some

time. Suddenly the Moon looked up and saw him watching her. Instantly

she struck him with her paddle, cutting off his head.

Now the Sun was not near, but he knew as soon as the Moon had cut off

his son's head. And hurrying to the spot, he put the boy's head back

on, and he was alive again.

Then the Sun said to the Moon, "You cut off my son's head, and because

you did this ever after on the earth people will cut off each other's

heads."

Lumawig on Earth

_Igorot_

One day when Lumawig, [100] the Great Spirit, looked down from his

place in the sky he saw two sisters gathering beans. And he decided

to go down to visit them. When he arrived at the place he asked them

what they were doing. The younger, whose name was Fukan, answered:

"We are gathering beans, but it takes a long time to get enough,

for my sister wants to go bathing all the time."

Then Lumawig said to the older sister:

"Hand me a single pod of the beans."

And when she had given it to him, he shelled it into the basket and

immediately the basket was full. [101] The younger sister laughed at

this, and Lumawig said to her:

"Give me another pod and another basket."

She did so, and when he had shelled the pod, that basket was full

also. Then he said to the younger sister:

"Go home and get three more baskets."

She went home, but when she asked for three more baskets her mother

said that the beans were few and she could not need so many. Then

Fukan told her of the young man who could fill a basket from one pod

of beans, and the father, who heard her story, said:

"Go bring the young man here, for I think he must be a god."

So Fukan took the three baskets back to Lumawig, and when he had

filled them as he did the other two, he helped the girls carry them

to the house. As they reached their home, he stopped outside to cool

himself, but the father called to him and he went up into the house

and asked for some water. The father brought him a cocoanut shell full,

and before drinking Lumawig looked at it and said:

"If I stay here with you, I shall become very strong."

The next morning Lumawig asked to see their chickens, and when they

opened the chicken-coop out came a hen and many little chicks. "Are

these all of your chickens?" asked Lumawig; and the father assured

him that they were all. He then bade them bring rice meal that he

might feed them, and as the chickens ate they all grew rapidly till

they were cocks and hens.

Next Lumawig asked how many pigs they had, and the father replied

that they had one with some little ones. Then Lumawig bade them fill

a pail with sweet potato leaves and he fed the pigs. And as they ate

they also grew to full size.

The father was so pleased with all these things that he offered his

elder daughter to Lumawig for a wife. But the Great Spirit said he

preferred to marry the younger; so that was arranged. Now when his

brother-in-law learned that Lumawig desired a feast at his wedding,

he was very angry and said:

"Where would you get food for your wedding feast? There is no rice,

nor beef, nor pork, nor chicken,"

But Lumawig only answered, "I shall provide our wedding feast."

In the morning they all set out for Lanao, for Lumawig did not care

to stay any longer in the house with his brother-in-law. As soon as

they arrived he sent out for some tree trunks, but the trees that

the people brought in were so small that Lumawig himself went to the

forest and cut two large pine trees which he hurled to Lanao.

When the people had built a fire of the trees he commanded them to

bring ten kettles filled with water. Soon the water was boiling hot

and the brother-in-law laughed and said:

"Where is your rice? You have the boiling water, but you do not seem

to think of the rice."

In answer to this Lumawig took a small basket of rice and passed

it over five kettles and they were full. Then he called "Yishtjau,"

and some deer came running out of the forest. These were not what he

wanted, however, so he called again and some pigs came. He told the

people that they were each to catch one and for his brother-in-law

he selected the largest and best.

They all set out in pursuit of the pigs and the others quickly caught

theirs, but though the brother-in-law chased his until he was very

tired and hot he could not catch it Lumawig laughed at him and said:

"You chase that pig until he is thin and still you cannot catch it,

though all the others have theirs."

Thereupon he grasped the hind legs of the pig and lifted it. All the

people laughed and the brother-in-law said:

"Of course you can catch it, because I chased it until it was tired."

Lumawig then handed it to him and said, "Here, you carry it." But no

sooner had the brother-in-law put it over his shoulder than it cut

loose and ran away.

"Why did you let it go?" asked Lumawig. "Do you care nothing for it,

even after I caught it for you? Catch it again and bring it here."

So the brother-in-law started out again, and he chased it up stream

and down, but he could not catch it. Finally Lumawig reached down

and picked up the pig and carried it to the place where the others

were cooking.

After they had all eaten and drunk and made their offerings to the

spirits, Lumawig said:

"Come, let us go to the mountain to consult the omen concerning the

northern tribes."

So they consulted the omen, but it was not favorable, and they were

starting home when the brother-in-law asked Lumawig to create some

water, as the people were hot and thirsty.

"Why do you not create water, Lumawig?" he repeated as Lumawig paid

no attention to him. "You care nothing that the people are thirsty

and in need of drink."

Then they quarreled and were very angry and Lumawig

said to the people, "Let us sit down and rest."

While they rested, Lumawig struck the rock with his spear and water

came out. [102] The brother-in-law jumped up to get a drink first, but

Lumawig held him back and said he must be the last to drink. So they

all drank, and when they had finished, the brother-in-law stepped up,

but Lumawig gave him a push which sent him into the rock and water

came from his body.

"You must stay there," said Lumawig, "because you have troubled me

a great deal." And they went home, leaving him in the rock.

Some time after this Lumawig decided to go back to the sky to live,

but before he went he took care that his wife should have a home. He

made a coffin of wood [103] and placed her in it with a dog at her

feet and a cock at her head. And as he set it floating on the water,

[104] he told it not to stop until it reached Tinglayen. Then, if

the foot end struck first, the dog should bark; and if the head end

was the first to strike, the cock should crow. So it floated away,

and on and on, until it came to Tinglayen.

Now a widower was sharpening his ax on the bank of the river, and when

he saw the coffin stop, he went to fish it out of the water. On shore

he started to open it, but Fugan cried out, "Do not drive a wedge,

for I am here," So the widower opened it carefully and took Fugan up

to the town, and then as he had no wife of his own, he married her.

The Creation

_Igorot_

In the beginning there were no people on the earth. Lumawig, [93]

the Great Spirit, came down from the sky and cut many reeds. [94] He

divided these into pairs which he placed in different parts of the

world, and then he said to them, "You must speak." Immediately the

reeds became people, and in each place was a man and a woman who could

talk, but the language of each couple differed from that of the others.

Then Lumawig commanded each man and woman to marry, which they did. By

and by there were many children, all speaking the same language as

their parents. These, in turn, married and had many children. In this

way there came to be many people on the earth.

Now Lumawig saw that there were several things which the people on

the earth needed to use, so he set to work to supply them. He created

salt, and told the inhabitants of one place to boil it down and sell

it to their neighbors. But these people could not understand the

directions of the Great Spirit, and the next time he visited them,

they had not touched the salt.

Then he took it away from them and gave it to the people of a place

called Mayinit. [95] These did as he directed, and because of this

he told them that they should always be owners of the salt, and that

the other peoples must buy of them.

Then Lumawig went to the people of Bontoc and told them to get clay

and make pots. They got the clay, but they did not understand the

moulding, and the jars were not well shaped. Because of their failure,

Lumawig told them that they would always have to buy their jars,

and he removed the pottery to Samoki. [96] When he told the people

there what to do, they did just as he said, and their jars were well

shaped and beautiful. Then the Great Spirit saw that they were fit

owners of the pottery, and he told them that they should always make

many jars to sell.

In this way Lumawig taught the people and brought to them all the

things which they now have.

The Man with the Cocoanuts

_Tinguian_

One day a man who had been to gather his cocoanuts loaded his horse

heavily with the fruit. On the way home he _met_ a boy whom he asked

how long it would take to reach the house.

"If you go slowly," said the boy, looking at the load on the horse,

"you will arrive very soon; but if you go fast, it will take you

all day."

The man could not believe this strange speech, so he hurried his

horse. But the cocoanuts fell off and he had to stop to pick them

up. Then he hurried his horse all the more to make up for lost time,

but the cocoanuts fell off again. Many times he did this, and it was

night when he reached home.

The Boy who Became a Stone

_Tinguian_

One day a little boy named Elonen sat out in the yard making a bird

snare, and as he worked, a little bird called to him: "Tik-tik-lo-den"

(come and catch me).

"I am making a snare for you," said the boy; but the bird continued

to call until the snare was finished.

Then Elonen ran and threw the snare over the bird and caught it, and he

put it in a jar in his house while he went with the other boys to swim.

While he was away, his grandmother grew hungry, so she ate the bird,

and when Elonen returned and found that his bird was gone, he was so

sad that he wished he might go away and never come back. He went out

into the forest and walked a long distance, until finally he came to

a big stone and said: "Stone, open your mouth and eat me." And the

stone opened its mouth and swallowed the boy.

When his grandmother missed the boy, she went out and looked

everywhere, hoping to find him. Finally she passed near the stone

and it cried out, "Here he is." Then the old woman tried to open the

stone but she could not, so she called the horses to come and help

her. They came and kicked it, but it would not break. Then she called

the carabao and they hooked it, but they only broke their horns. She

called the chickens, which pecked it, and the thunder, which shook it,

but nothing could open it, and she had to go home without the boy.

The Mistaken Gifts

_Tinguian_

When Siagon was about eight years old his parents began looking for

a girl who would make a suitable wife. At last when they had decided

on a beautiful maiden, who lived some distance from them, they sent

a man to her parents to ask if they would like Siagon for a son-in-law.

Now when the man arrived at the girl's house the people were all

sitting on the floor eating periwinkle, and as they sucked the meat

out of the shell, they nodded their heads. The man, looking in at

the door, saw them nod, and he thought they were nodding at him. So

he did not tell them his errand, but returned quickly to the boy's

parents and told them that all the people at the girl's house were

favorable to the union.

Siagon's parents were very much pleased that their proposal had been

so kindly received, and immediately prepared to go to the girl's

house to arrange for the wedding.

Finally all was ready and they started for her house, carrying with

them as presents for her parents two carabao, two horses, two cows,

four iron kettles, sixteen jars of basi, two blankets, and two

little pigs.

The surprise of the girl's people knew no bounds when they saw all

this coming to their house, for they had not even thought of Siagon

marrying their daughter.

Sogsogot

_Tinguian_

One day, a long time ago, some men went to the mountains to hunt deer

and wild pig, and among them was one named Sogsogot.

They all went into the thick forest to look for game, but after a

while Sogsogot called his dog and withdrew to an open spot near by,

where he waited for the deer to come out.

While he stood there eagerly watching, a big bird [85] swooped down,

caught him in its claws, and carried him away. Far off over the

mountains the bird soared, until finally it came to a big tree where

it had its nest, and here it left the man and flew away.

Sogsogot's first thought was to make his escape, but he found that

the tree was so tall that he could not get down, and after a time he

ceased his attempts to get away and began to look over his companions

in the nest--two young birds and three little pigs.

By and by he became hungry, so he cut up the three little pigs, and

after he had eaten all he wished he fed the two birds. When this meat

was gone the mother bird brought more pigs and deer, and the man had

all he could eat. Then he fed the little birds, which grew very fast

and soon were able to fly. One day when they were standing on the

edge of the nest Sogsogot caught hold of the birds' legs, and they

fluttered down and carried him safely to the ground.

He hastened home as fast as he could go and told the people of his

wonderful trip. They made a ceremony for the spirits, and all the

people rejoiced that the lost man had returned.

Some time after this Sogsogot went to a hostile town to fight, and

while he was gone his wife died. On the way back to his town he met

the spirit of his wife driving a cow and two pigs, and not knowing

that she was a spirit he asked her where she was going.

"I am not a person any more," she answered him; "I am dead." And when

he wanted to touch her hand, she gave him only her shortest finger. He

begged to go with her so she said, "Go first to our home and get a

white chicken; then follow the footmarks of the cow and pigs."

He did as she commanded him, and after a while he came to a place

where she was bathing in the river. She said to him:

"Now you may come with me to our spirit town. [86] I shall hide you

in the rice-bin and shall bring food to you every day. But at night

the people in the town will want to eat you, and when they come to

the bin you must take some of the feathers of the white chicken and

throw at them."

The man went with her, and when they arrived at the spirit town she

hid him in the rice-bin. At night the people came to eat him, as she

had said they would; but when he threw the chicken feathers at them

they were frightened away.

For two weeks Sogsogot lived in this place, but when the feathers

were nearly gone he was afraid to stay any longer, for every night

the spirits came to eat him. He begged his wife to allow him to go,

and finally she showed him the way home, giving him rice to eat on

his journey.

As soon as the man arrived home and inquired for his wife, the

people told him that she had died and they had buried her under the

house. Then he knew that it was her spirit that had taken him to the

strange town.

Man and the Alan

Tinguian

A Tinguian was once walking along a trail in the wood when he heard a strange sound in a large tree near him, and looking up he was startled to see that it was the home of the Alan--spirits who live in the wood.

He stopped and gazed for a moment at the horrible creatures, large as people, hanging from the limbs of the tree with their heads down like bats. They had wings to fly, and their toes were at the back of their feet, while their long fingers, which pointed backward, were fastened at the wrist.

"Surely," thought the man, "these terrible beings will eat me if they can catch me. I will run away as fast as I can while they are asleep." He tried to run but he was too frightened, and after a few steps he fell face down on the ground.

At this the Alan began to wail loudly, for they saw him fall and believed him dead And they came down out of the tree with gold and beads which they laid on him.

After a while the man gathered courage and, jumping up, he cried as loudly as he could, "Go away!"

The Alan did not move, but they looked at him and said: "Give us the one bead _nagaba_ [a peculiar bead of double effect], and you may have the rest." When the man refused to do this, they were angry and turned away, crying, "Then we are going to burn your house, for you are a bad man."

Thereupon the man went home as fast as he could go, but very soon after that his house burned, for the Alan kept their word.

The Alan and the Hunters

_Tinguian_

Two men once went to hunt wild pig in the mountains, and after some

time they speared and killed one, but they had no fire over which to

singe it.

One man climbed a tree to see if there was a fire near by, and

discovering smoke at some distance, he started toward it. When he

reached the place, he found that the fire was in the house of an Alan,

[82] and he was very much afraid; but creeping up into the house,

he found that the Alan and her baby were fast asleep.

He stepped on tip-toe, but nevertheless the Alan was awakened and

called out:

"Epogow, [83] what do you want?"

"I should like to get some fire," said the man, "for we have killed

a wild pig."

The Alan gave him the fire, and then taking her basket she went with

him to the place where the pig was.

After they had singed the animal, the Alan cut it up with her long

nails and handed the liver to the man, telling him to take it to her

house to feed the baby.

The man started, and on the way he ate the liver. When he reached

the Alan's house he did not know what to do. For some time he looked

around, and then seeing a large caldron of hot water on the fire,

he threw the baby into it and went back.

"Did the baby eat well?" asked the Alan.

"Very well," said the man.

Then she put most of the meat into her basket and started home. As

soon as she had gone, the man told his companion what he had done,

and they were so frightened that they ran to hide.

When the Alan reached home and found the baby dead in the hot water,

she was very angry and started back immediately to find the men, who,

in the meantime, had climbed a high tree that stood near the water.

The Alan looked down into the water, and seeing the reflection of

the men, she reached in her long hand with the fingers that pointed

backward, but when she could not touch them, she looked up and saw

them in the tall tree.

"How did you get up there?" she cried angrily.

"We climbed up feet first," called down the men.

The Alan, determined to get them, caught hold of a vine and started

up the tree feet first, but before she quite reached them, they cut

the vine and she fell to the ground and was killed. [84]

Then the men came down and went to the Alan's house, where they found

a jar full of beads and another of gold, and these they brought with

them when they returned home.

The Striped Blanket

_Tinguian_

Three Tinguian once went to the mountains to hunt deer. They took

their blankets with them, for they expected to be gone several days,

and the nights in the mountains are cold.

The blankets of two of the men were of the blue-and-white designs

such as are commonly worn by the Tinguian, but that of the third was

covered with red and yellow stripes like the back of a little wild pig.

At night the men rolled up in their blankets and lay down under a

tree to sleep; but while the one in the striped blanket was still

awake two spirits came near and saw him.

"Oh," he heard one spirit say to the other, "here we have something

to eat, for here is a little wild pig."

Then the man quickly took the blanket off one of his sleeping

companions and put his own in its place. Very soon the spirits came

and ate the man under the striped blanket.

Since that time the Tinguian never sleep under that kind of a blanket

if they are where the spirits can get them.

The Tree with the Agate Beads

_Tinguian_

More than a hundred seasons ago, a Tinguian went one day to the

mountains to hunt. Accompanied by his faithful dog, he made his way

steadily up the mountain side, only halting where it was necessary

to cut a path through the jungle. And the dog ran here and there

searching in the thick underbrush.

On and on he went without seeing any game, and then, when he was

almost at the top of the highest peak, the dog gave a sharp yelp,

and out of the brush leaped a fine deer. Zip! went the man's spear,

and it pierced the animal's side. For an instant he waited, but the

deer did not fall. On it ran with unslackened speed, and a moment

later it plunged into a hole in the ground with the man and dog in

close pursuit.

A short distance from the entrance the cave opened out into large,

spacious rooms, and before he realized it the man was hopelessly

lost In the distance he could hear the baying of the dog, and with

no other guide he hurried on through the darkness.

Following the sound, he went for a long time from one unfamiliar room

to another, stumbling in the darkness and striking against the stone

walls, and then suddenly his outstretched hands grasped a small tree

on which berries grew.

Astonished at finding anything growing in this dark place, he broke

off a branch, and as he did so the shrub began to talk in a strange

language. Terrified, the man ran in the direction he had last heard

the dog, and a moment later he found himself in the open air on the

banks of the Abra River, with the dead deer at his feet.

When he examined the twig which he still held in his hand, he saw

to his great surprise that the berries were agate beads of great

value. [81] And packing the deer on his back, he hastened home where

he told his wonderful story.

The sight of the beautiful beads convinced the people that he told

the truth, and a number of men at once returned with him to secure

the tree.

Their quest, however, was unsuccessful, for ere they reached the spot

the evil spirit had taken the tree away and on the walls of the cave

it had made strange carvings which even to this day can be seen.

Magsawi

_Tinguian_

A great many years ago some Tinguian left their little village in the

valley early one morning and made their way toward the mountains. They

were off on a deer hunt, [77] and each carried his spear and head-ax,

while one held in leash a string of lean dogs eager for the chase.

Part way up the mountainside the dogs were freed, and the men

separated, going different ways in search of game. But ere long the

sharp barking of a dog called all in his direction, for they believed

that he had a deer at bay. As they approached the spot, however,

the object did not look like a deer, and as they drew nearer they

were surprised to find that it was a large jar. [78]

Filled with curiosity they pressed on, but the jar evaded them. Faster

and faster they ran, but the object, disappearing at times and then

coming into view again, always escaped them. On and on they went

until at last, tired out, they sat down on a wooded hill to rest and

to refresh themselves with betel-nut which they took from brass boxes

attached to their belts.

As they slowly cut the nuts and wrapped them in the lime and leaf

ready for chewing, they talked of nothing but the wonderful jar and

the mysterious power it possessed. Then just as they were about to

put the tempting morsels into their mouths they stopped, startled by

a strange soft voice which seemed to be near them. They turned and

listened, but could see no person.

"Find a pig which has no young," said the voice, "and take its blood,

for then you will be able to catch the jar which your dog pursued."

The men knew then that the mysterious jar belonged to a spirit, so

they hastened to do as the voice commanded, and when they had secured

the blood the dog again brought the jar to bay. The hunters tried to

seize it, but it entered a hole in the ground and disappeared. They

followed, and found themselves in a dark cave [79] where it was easy

to catch the jar, for there was no outlet save by the hole through

which they had entered.

Though that was many years ago, the jar still lives, and its name

is Magsawi. Even now it talks; but some years ago a crack appeared

in its side, and since then its language has not been understood by

the Tinguian. [80]

Sometimes Magsawi goes on long journeys alone when he visits his wife,

a jar in Ilocos Norte, or his child, a small jar in San Quintin;

but he always returns to Domayco on the hillside near the cave.