The Hawk and the Hen

_Visayan_

A hawk flying about in the sky one day decided that he would like to

marry a hen whom he often saw on earth. He flew down and searched

until he found her, and then asked her to become his wife. She at

once gave her consent on the condition that he would wait until she

could grow wings like his, so that she might also fly high. The hawk

agreed to this and flew away, after giving her a ring as an engagement

present and telling her to take good care of it.

The hen was very proud of the ring and placed it around her neck. The

next day, however, she met the cock who looked at her in astonishment

and said:

"Where did you get that ring? Do you not know that you promised to

be my wife? You must not wear the ring of anyone else. Throw it away."

And the hen threw away the beautiful ring.

Not long after this the hawk came down bringing beautiful feathers

to dress the hen. When she saw him coming she was frightened and ran

to hide behind the door, but the hawk called to her to come and see

the beautiful dress he had brought her.

The hen came out, and the hawk at once saw that the ring was gone.

"Where is the ring I gave you?" he asked. "Why do you not wear it?"

The hen was frightened and ashamed to tell the truth so she answered:

"Oh, sir, yesterday when I was walking in the garden, I met a large

snake and he frightened me so that I ran as fast as I could to the

house. Then I missed the ring and I searched everywhere but could

not find it."

The hawk looked sharply at the hen, and he knew that she was deceiving

him. Then he said to her:

"I did not believe that you could behave so badly. When you have

found the ring I will come down again and make you my wife. But as

a punishment for breaking your promise, you must always scratch the

ground to look for the ring. And every chicken of yours that I find,

I shall snatch away."

Then he flew away, and ever since all the hens throughout the world

have been scratching to find the hawk's ring.

The First Monkey

_Visayan_

Many years ago at the foot of a forest-covered hill was a small town,

and just above the town on the hillside was a little house in which

lived an old woman and her grandson.

The old woman, who was very industrious, earned their living by

removing the seeds from cotton, and she always had near at hand

a basket in which were cotton and a long stick that she used for

a spindle. The boy was lazy and would not do anything to help his

grandmother, but every day went down to the town and gambled.

One day, when he had been losing money, the boy went home and was

cross because his supper was not ready.

"I am hurrying to get the seeds out of this cotton," said the

grandmother, "and as soon as I sell it, I will buy us some food."

At this the boy fell into a rage, and he picked up some cocoanut

shells and threw them at his grandmother. Then she became angry and

began to whip him with her spindle, when suddenly he was changed into

an ugly animal, and the cotton became hair which covered his body,

while the stick itself became his tail.

As soon as the boy found that he had become an ugly creature he ran

down into the town and began whipping his companions, the gamblers,

with his tail, and immediately they were turned into animals like

himself.

Then the people would no longer have them in the town, but drove

them out. They went to the forest where they lived in the trees,

and ever since they have been known as monkeys.

The Adventures of Juan

_Tagalog_

Juan was always getting into trouble. He was a lazy boy, and more

than that, he did not have good sense. When he tried to do things,

he made such dreadful mistakes that he might better not have tried.

His family grew very impatient with him, scolding and beating him

whenever he did anything wrong. One day his mother, who was almost

discouraged with him, gave him a bolo [157] and sent him to the forest,

for she thought he could at least cut firewood. Juan walked leisurely

along, contemplating some means of escape. At last he came to a tree

that seemed easy to cut, and then he drew his long knife and prepared

to work.

Now it happened that this was a magic tree and it said to Juan:

"If you do not cut me I will give you a goat that shakes silver from

its whiskers."

This pleased Juan wonderfully, both because he was curious to see

the goat, and because he would not have to chop the wood. He agreed

at once to spare the tree, whereupon the bark separated and a goat

stepped out. Juan commanded it to shake its whiskers, and when the

money began to drop he was so delighted that he took the animal and

started home to show his treasure to his mother.

On the way he met a friend who was more cunning than Juan, and when

he heard of the boy's rich goat he decided to rob him. Knowing Juan's

fondness for tuba [158], he persuaded him to drink, and while he was

drunk, the friend substituted another goat for the magic one. As soon

as he was sober again, Juan hastened home with the goat and told his

people of the wonderful tree, but when he commanded the animal to

shake its whiskers, no money fell out. The family, believing it to

be another of Juan's tricks, beat and scolded the poor boy.

He went back to the tree and threatened to cut it down for lying to

him, but the tree said:

"No, do not cut me down and I will give you a net which you may cast on

dry ground, or even in the tree tops, and it will return full of fish."

So Juan spared the tree and started home with his precious net, but

on the way he met the same friend who again persuaded him to drink

tuba. While he was drunk, the friend replaced the magic net with

a common one, so that when Juan reached home and tried to show his

power, he was again the subject of ridicule.

Once more Juan went to his tree, this time determined to cut it

down. But the offer of a magic pot, always full of rice and spoons

which provided whatever he wished to eat with his rice, dissuaded him,

and he started home happier than ever. Before reaching home, however,

he met with the same fate as before, and his folks, who were becoming

tired of his pranks, beat him harder than ever.

Thoroughly angered, Juan sought the tree a fourth time and was

on the point of cutting it down when once more it arrested his

attention. After some discussion, he consented to accept a stick to

which he had only to say, "Boombye, Boomba," and it would beat and

kill anything he wished.

When he met his friend on this trip, he was asked what he had and

he replied:

"Oh, it is only a stick, but if I say 'Boombye, Boomba' it will beat

you to death."

At the sound of the magic words the stick leaped from his hands and

began beating his friend until he cried:

"Oh, stop it and I will give back everything that I stole from

you." Juan ordered the stick to stop, and then he compelled the man to

lead the goat and to carry the net and the jar and spoons to his home.

There Juan commanded the goat, and it shook its whiskers until his

mother and brothers had all the silver they could carry. Then they

ate from the magic jar and spoons until they were filled. And this

time Juan was not scolded. After they had finished Juan said:

"You have beaten me and scolded me all my life, and now you are glad

to accept my good things. I am going to show you something else:

'Boombye, Boomba'." Immediately the stick leaped out and beat them

all until they begged for mercy and promised that Juan should ever

after be head of the house.

From that time Juan was rich and powerful, but he never went anywhere

without his stick. One night, when some thieves came to his house,

he would have been robbed and killed had it not been for the magic

words "Boombye, Boomba," which caused the death of all the robbers.

Some time after this he married a beautiful princess, and because of

the kindness of the magic tree they always lived happily. 

The Story of Bantugan

_Moro_

Before the Spaniards occupied the island of Mindanao,  there lived

in the valley of the Rio Grande a very strong man, Bantugan, whose

father was the brother of the earthquake and thunder. [146]

Now the Sultan of the Island [147] had a beautiful daughter whom

Bantugan wished to marry, but the home of the Sultan was far off,

and whoever went to carry Bantugan's proposal would have a long and

hazardous journey. All the head men consulted together regarding who

should be sent, and at last it was decided that Bantugan's own son,

Balatama, was the one to go. Balatama was young but he was strong and

brave, and when the arms of his father were given him to wear on the

long journey his heart swelled with pride. More than once on the way,

however, his courage was tried, and only the thought of his brave

father gave him strength to proceed.

Once he came to a wooden fence which surrounded a stone in the form of

a man, and as it was directly in his path he drew his fighting knife

to cut down the fence. Immediately the air became as black as night

and stones rained down as large as houses. This made Balatama cry, but

he protected himself with his father's shield and prayed, calling on

the winds from the homeland until they came and cleared the air again.

Thereupon Balatama encountered a great snake [148] in the road,

and it inquired his errand. When told, the snake said:

"You cannot go on, for I am guard of this road and no one can pass."

The animal made a move to seize him, but with one stroke of his

fighting knife the boy cut the snake into two pieces, one of which

he threw into the sea and the other into the mountains.

After many days the weary lad came to a high rock in the road,

which glistened in the sunlight. From the top he could look down

into the city for which he was bound. It was a splendid place with

ten harbors. Standing out from the other houses was one of crystal

and another of pure gold. Encouraged by this sight he went on, but

though it seemed but a short distance, it was some time before he at

last stood at the gate of the town.

It was not long after this, however, before Balatama had made known his

errand to the Sultan, and that monarch, turning to his courtiers, said:

"You, my friends, decide whether or not I shall give the hand of my

daughter to Bantugan in marriage."

The courtiers slowly shook their heads and began to offer objections.

Said one, "I do not see how Bantugan can marry the Sultan's daughter

because the first gift must be a figure of a man or woman in pure

gold."

"Well," said the son of Bantugan, "I am here to learn what you want

and to say whether or not it can be given."

Then a second man spoke: "You must give a great yard with a floor of

gold, which must be three feet thick."

"All this can be given," answered the boy.

And the sister of the Princess said: "The gifts must be as many as

the blades of grass in our city."

"It shall be granted," said Balatama.

"You must give a bridge built of stone to cross the great river,"

said one.

And another: "A ship of stone you must give, and you must change into

gold all the cocoanuts and leaves in the Sultan's grove."

"All this can be done," said Balatama. "My uncles will give all save

the statue of gold, and that I shall give myself. But first I must

go to my father's town to secure it."

At this they were angry and declared that he had made sport of them

and unless he produced the statue at once they would kill him.

"If I give you the statue now," said he, "there will come dreadful

storms, rain, and darkness."

But they only laughed at him and insisted on having the statue,

so he reached in his helmet and drew it forth.

Immediately the earth began to quake. A great storm arose, and stones

as large as houses rained until the Sultan called to Balatama to put

back the statue lest they all be killed.

"You would not believe what I told you," said the boy; "and now I am

going to let the storm continue."

But the Sultan begged him and promised that Bantugan might marry his

daughter with no other gifts at all save the statue of gold. Balatama

put back the statue into his helmet, and the air became calm again

to the great relief of the Sultan and his courtiers. Then Balatama

prepared to return home, promising that Bantugan would come in three

months for the wedding.

All went well with the boy on the way home until he came to the fence

surrounding the stone in the form of a man, and there he was detained

and compelled to remain four months.

Now about this time a Spanish general heard that Bantugan was preparing

to marry the Sultan's daughter, whom he determined to wed himself. A

great expedition was prepared, and he with all his brothers embarked on

his large warship which was followed by ten thousand other ships. They

went to the Sultan's city, and their number was so great that they

filled the harbor, frightening the people greatly.

Then the General's brother disembarked and came to the house of the

Sultan. He demanded the Princess for the General, saying that if the

request were refused, the fleet would destroy the city and all its

people. The Sultan and his courtiers were so frightened that they

decided to give his daughter to the General, the next full moon being

the date set for the wedding.

In the meantime Bantugan had been preparing everything for the

marriage which he expected to take place at the appointed time. But

as the days went by and Balatama did not return, they became alarmed,

fearing he was dead. After three months had passed, Bantugan prepared

a great expedition to go in search of his son, and the great warship

was decorated with flags of gold.

As they came in sight of the Sultan's city, they saw the Spanish

fleet in the harbor, and one of his brothers advised Bantugan not

to enter until the Spaniards left They then brought their ship to

anchor. But all were disappointed that they could not go farther, and

one said, "Why do we not go on? Even if the blades of grass turn into

Spaniards we need not fear." Another said: "Why do we fear? Even if

the cannon-balls come like rain, we can always fight." Finally some

wanted to return to their homes and Bantugan said: "No, let us seek

my son. Even though we must enter the harbor where the Spaniards are,

let us continue our search." So at his command the anchors were lifted,

and they sailed into the harbor where the Spanish fleet lay.

Now at this very time the Spanish general and his brother were with

the Sultan, intending to call upon the Princess. As the brother talked

with one of the sisters of the Princess they moved toward the window,

and looking down they saw Bantugan's ships entering the harbor. They

could not tell whose flags the ships bore. Neither could the Sultan

when he was called. Then he sent his brother to bring his father who

was a very old man, to see if he could tell. The father was kept in

a little dark room by himself that he might not get hurt, and the

Sultan said to his brother:

"If he is so bent with age that he cannot see, talk, or walk, tickle

him in the ribs and that will make him young again; and, my Brother,

carry him here yourself lest one of the slaves should let him fall

and he should hurt himself."

So the old man was brought, and when he looked out upon the ships

he saw that the flags were those of the father of Bantugan who had

been a great friend of his in his youth. And he told them that he and

Bantugan's father years ago had made a contract that their children

and children's children should intermarry, and now since the Sultan

had promised his daughter to two people, he foresaw that great trouble

would come to the land. Then the Sultan said to the General:

"Here are two claimants to my daughter's hand. Go aboard your ships

and you and Bantugan make war on each other, and the victor shall

have my daughter."

So the Spaniards opened fire upon Bantugan, and for three days the

earth was so covered with smoke from the battle that neither could

see his enemy. Then the Spanish general said:

"I cannot see Bantugan or the fleet anywhere, so let us go and claim

the Princess."

But the Sultan said: "We must wait until the smoke rises to make sure

that Bantugan is gone."

When the smoke rose, the ships of Bantugan were apparently unharmed

and the Sultan said:

"Bantugan has surely won, for his fleet is uninjured while yours is

badly damaged. You have lost."

"No," said the General, "we will fight it out on dry land."

So they both landed their troops and their cannon, and a great fight

took place, and soon the ground was covered with dead bodies. And the

Sultan commanded them to stop, as the women and children in the city

were being killed by the cannon-balls, but the General said:

"If you give your daughter to Bantugan we shall fight forever or

until we die."

Then the Sultan sent for Bantugan and said:

"We must deceive the Spaniard in order to get him to go away. Let us

tell him that neither of you will marry my daughter, and then after

he has gone, we shall have the wedding."

Bantugan agreed to this, and word was sent to the Spaniards that the

fighting must cease since many women and children were being killed. So

it was agreed between the Spaniard and Bantugan that neither of them

should marry the Princess. Then they both sailed away to their homes.

Bantugan soon returned, however, and married the Princess, and

on the way back to his home they found his son and took him with

them. For about a week the Spanish general sailed toward his home

and then he, too, turned about to go back, planning to take the

Princess by force. When he found that she had already been carried

away by Bantugan, his wrath knew no bounds. He destroyed the Sultan,

his city, and all its people. And then he sailed away to prepare a

great expedition with which he should utterly destroy Bantugan and

his country as well.

One morning Bantugan looked out and saw at the mouth of the Rio Grande

the enormous fleet of the Spaniards whose numbers were so great that

in no direction could the horizon be seen. His heart sank within him,

for he knew that he and his country were doomed.

Though he could not hope to win in a fight against such great numbers,

he called his headmen together and said:

"My Brothers, the Christian dogs have come to destroy the land. We

cannot successfully oppose them, but in the defense of the fatherland

we can die."

So the great warship was again prepared, and all the soldiers of

Islam embarked, and then with Bantugan standing at the bow they sailed

forth to meet their fate.

The fighting was fast and furious, but soon the great warship of

Bantugan filled with water until at last it sank, drawing with it

hundreds of the Spanish ships. And then a strange thing happened. At

the very spot where Bantugan's warship sank, there arose from the sea a

great island which you can see today not far from the mouth of the Rio

Grande. It is covered with bongo palms, and deep within its mountains

live Bantugan and his warriors. A Moro sailboat passing this island

is always scanned by Bantugan's watchers, and if it contains women

such as he admires, they are snatched from their seats and carried

deep into the heart of the mountain. For this reason Moro women fear

even to sail near the island of Bongos.

When the wife of Bantugan saw that her husband was no more and that

his warship had been destroyed, she gathered together the remaining

warriors and set forth herself to avenge him. In a few hours her

ship was also sunk, and in the place where it sank there arose the

mountain of Timaco.

On this thickly wooded island are found white monkeys, the servants

of the Princess, who still lives in the center of the mountain. On

a quiet day high up on the mountain side one can hear the chanting

and singing of the waiting-girls of the wife of Bantugan.

The Serpent Eagle

_Igorot_

Once there lived two boys whose mother sent them every day to the

forest to get wood [108] for her fires. Each morning, as they started

out, she gave them some food for their trip, but it was always poor

and there was little of it, and she would say:

"The wood that you brought yesterday was so poor that I cannot give

you much to eat today."

The boys tried very hard to please her, but if they brought nice pine

wood she scolded them, and if they brought large dry reeds she said:

"These are no good for my fire, for they leave too much ashes in

the house."

Try as they would, they failed to satisfy her; and their bodies grew

very thin from working hard all day and from want of enough to eat.

One morning when they left for the mountains the mother gave them a

bit of dog meat to eat, and the boys were very sad. When they reached

the forest one of them said:

"You wait here while I climb the tree and cut off some branches."

He went up the tree and soon called down, "Here is some wood," and

the bones of his arm dropped to the ground.

"Oh," cried his brother, "it is your arm!"

"Here is some more wood," cried the other, and the bones of the other

arm dropped to the ground.

Then he called again, and the bones of his leg fell, then those of his

other leg, and so on till all the bones of his body lay on the ground.

"Take these home," he said, "and tell the woman that here is her wood;

she only wanted my bones."

The younger boy was very sad, for he was alone, and there was no one

to go down the mountain with him. He gathered up the bundle of wood,

wondering meanwhile what he should do, but just as he finished a

serpent eagle called down from the tree tops:

"I will go with you, Brother."

So the boy put the bundle of wood on his shoulder, and as he was

going down the mountain, his brother, who was now a serpent eagle,

flew over his head. When he reached the house, he put down the bundle

and said to his mother:

"Here is your wood."

When she looked at it she was very much frightened and ran out of

the house.

Then the serpent eagle circled round and round above her head and

called:

"Quiukok! quiukok! quiukok! I do not need your food any more."

The Alligator's Fruit

_Tinguian_

Two women went to gather some wild fruit from a vine which belonged

to the alligator.

"You must be careful not to throw the rind with your teeth marks

on it where the alligator can see it," said one of the women to the

other as they sat eating the fruit.

But the other woman paid no attention and threw the rind showing

teeth marks into the river, where the alligator saw it.

Thus he knew at once who had taken his fruit, and he was very angry. He

went to the house of the woman and called to the people:

"Bring out the woman that I may eat her, for she has eaten my fruit"

"Very well," answered the people. "But sit down and wait a little

while."

Then they put the iron soil-turner into the fire, and when it was

red hot, they took it to the door and said to the alligator:

"Here, eat this first."

He opened his mouth, and they pushed the red hot iron down his throat,

and he died.

Aponibolinayen and the Sun

_Tinguian_

One day Aponibolinayen and her sister-in-law went out to gather

greens. They walked to the woods to the place where the siksiklat grew,

for the tender leaves of this vine are very good to eat. Suddenly while

searching about in the underbrush, Aponibolinayen cried out with joy,

for she had found the vine, and she started to pick the leaves. Pull

as hard as she would, however, the leaves did not come loose, and all

at once the vine wound itself around her body and began carrying her

upward. [1]

Far up through the air she went until she reached the sky, and there

the vine set her down under a tree. Aponibolinayen was so surprised

to find herself in the sky that for some time she just sat and looked

around, and then, hearing a rooster crow, she arose to see if she

could find it. Not far from where she had sat was a beautiful spring

surrounded by tall betel-nut trees whose tops were pure gold. Rare

beads were the sands of the spring, and the place where the women set

their jars when they came to dip water was a large golden plate. As

Aponibolinayen stood admiring the beauties of this spring, she beheld

a small house nearby, and she was filled with fear lest the owner

should find her there. She looked about for some means of escape and

finally climbed to the top of a betel-nut tree and hid.

Now the owner of this house was Ini-init, [2] the Sun, but he was

never at home in the daylight, for it was his duty to shine in the

sky and give light to all the world. At the close of the day when

the Big Star took his place in the sky to shine through the night,

Ini-init returned to his house, but early the next morning he was

always off again.

From her place in the top of the betel-nut tree, Aponibolinayen saw

the Sun when he came home at evening time, and again the next morning

she saw him leave. When she was sure that he was out of sight she

climbed down and entered his dwelling, for she was very hungry. She

cooked rice, and into a pot of boiling water she dropped a stick

which immediately became fish, [3] so that she had all she wished to

eat. When she was no longer hungry, she lay down on the bed to sleep.

Now late in the afternoon Ini-init returned from his work and went

to fish in the river near his house, and he caught a big fish. While

he sat on the bank cleaning his catch, he happened to look up toward

his house and was startled to see that it appeared to be on fire. [4]

He hurried home, but when he reached the house he saw that it was

not burning at all, and he entered. On his bed he beheld what looked

like a flame of fire, but upon going closer he found that it was a

beautiful woman fast asleep.

Ini-init stood for some time wondering what he should do, and then

he decided to cook some food and invite this lovely creature to eat

with him. He put rice over the fire to boil and cut into pieces the

fish he had caught. The noise of this awakened Aponibolinayen, and

she slipped out of the house and back to the top of the betel-nut

tree. The Sun did not see her leave, and when the food was prepared

he called her, but the bed was empty and he had to eat alone. That

night Ini-init could not sleep well, for all the time he wondered who

the beautiful woman could be. The next morning, however, he rose as

usual and set forth to shine in the sky, for that was his work.

That day Aponibolinayen stole again to the house of the Sun and cooked

food, and when she returned to the betel-nut tree she left rice and

fish ready for the Sun when he came home. Late in the afternoon

Ini-init went into his home, and when he found pots of hot rice

and fish over the fire he was greatly troubled. After he had eaten

he walked a long time in the fresh air. "Perhaps it is done by the

lovely woman who looks like a flame of fire," he said. "If she comes

again I will try to catch her."

The next day the Sun shone in the sky as before, and when the afternoon

grew late he called to the Big Star to hurry to take his place, for he

was impatient to reach home. As he drew near the house he saw that it

again looked as if it was on fire. He crept quietly up the ladder, and

when he had reached the top he sprang in and shut the door behind him.

Aponibolinayen, who was cooking rice over the fire, was surprised and

angry that she had been caught; but the Sun gave her betel-nut [5]

which was covered with gold, and they chewed together and told each

other their names. Then Aponibolinayen took up the rice and fish,

and as they ate they talked together and became acquainted.

After some time Aponibolinayen and the Sun were married, and every

morning the Sun went to shine in the sky, and upon his return at night

he found his supper ready for him. He began to be troubled, however,

to know where the food came from, for though he brought home a fine

fish every night, Aponibolinayen always refused to cook it.

One night he watched her prepare their meal, and he saw that, instead

of using the nice fish he had brought, she only dropped a stick into

the pot of boiling water.

"Why do you try to cook a stick?" asked Ini-init in surprise.

"So that we can have fish to eat," answered his wife.

"If you cook that stick for a month, it will not be soft," said

Ini-init. "Take this fish that I caught in the net, for it will

be good."

But Aponibolinayen only laughed at him, and when they were ready to

eat she took the cover off the pot and there was plenty of nice soft

fish. The next night and the next, Aponibolinayen cooked the stick,

and Ini-init became greatly troubled for he saw that though the stick

always supplied them with fish, it never grew smaller.

Finally he asked Aponibolinayen again why it was that she cooked the

stick instead of the fish he brought, and she said:

"Do you not know of the woman on earth who has magical power and can

change things?"

"Yes," answered the Sun, "and now I know that you have great power."

"Well, then," said his wife, "do not ask again why I cook the stick."

And they ate their supper of rice and the fish which the stick made.

One night not long after this Aponibolinayen told her husband that

she wanted to go with him the next day when he made light in the sky.

"Oh, no, you cannot," said the Sun, "for it is very hot up there,

[6] and you cannot stand the heat."

"We will take many blankets and pillows," said the woman, "and when

the heat becomes very great, I will hide under them."

Again and again Ini-init begged her not to go, but as often she

insisted on accompanying him, and early in the morning they set out,

carrying with them many blankets and pillows.

First, they went to the East, and as soon as they arrived the Sun began

to shine, and Aponibolinayen was with him. They traveled toward the

West, but when morning had passed into noontime and they had reached

the middle of the sky Aponibolinayen was so hot that she melted and

became oil. Then Ini-init put her into a bottle and wrapped her in

the blankets and pillows and dropped her down to earth.

Now one of the women of Aponibolinayen's town was at the spring dipping

water when she heard something fall near her. Turning to look, she

beheld a bundle of beautiful blankets and pillows which she began to

unroll, and inside she found the most beautiful woman she had ever

seen. Frightened at her discovery, the woman ran as fast as she could

to the town, where she called the people together and told them to

come at once to the spring. They all hastened to the spot and there

they found Aponibolinayen for whom they had been searching everywhere.

"Where have you been?" asked her father; "we have searched all over

the world and we could not find you.'

"I have come from Pindayan," answered Aponibolinayen. "Enemies of

our people kept me there till I made my escape while they were asleep

at night"

All were filled with joy that the lost one had returned, and they

decided that at the next moon [7] they would perform a ceremony for

the spirits [8] and invite all the relatives who were mourning for

Aponibolinayen.

So they began to prepare for the ceremony, and while they were

pounding rice, Aponibolinayen asked her mother to prick her little

finger where it itched, and as she did so a beautiful baby boy popped

out. The people were very much surprised at this, and they noticed

that every time he was bathed the baby grew very fast so that, in

a short time, he was able to walk. Then they were anxious to know

who was the husband of Aponibolinayen, but she would not tell them,

and they decided to invite everyone in the world to the ceremony that

they might not overlook him.

They sent for the betel-nuts that were covered with gold, [9] and

when they had oiled them they commanded them to go to all the towns

and compel the people to come to the ceremony.

"If anyone refuses to come, grow on his knee," said the people,

and the betel-nuts departed to do as they were bidden.

As the guests began to arrive, the people watched carefully for one

who might be the husband of Aponibolinayen, but none appeared and they

were greatly troubled. Finally they went to the old woman, Alokotan,

who was able to talk with the spirits, and begged her to find what town

had not been visited by the betel-nuts which had been sent to invite

the people. After she had consulted the spirits the old woman said:

"You have invited all the people except Ini-init who lives up

above. Now you must send a betel-nut to summon him. It may be that

he is the husband of Aponibolinayen, for the siksiklat vine carried

her up when she went to gather greens."

So a betel-nut was called and bidden to summon Ini-init.

The betel-nut went up to the Sun, who was in his house, and said:

"Good morning, Sun. I have come to summon you to a ceremony which the

father and mother of Aponibolinayen are making for the spirits. If

you do not want to go, I will grow on your head." [10]

"Grow on my head," said the Sun. "I do not wish to go."

So the betel-nut jumped upon his head and grew until it became so

tall that the Sun was not able to carry it, and he was in great pain.

"Oh, grow on my pig," begged the Sun. So the betel-nut jumped upon

the pig's head and grew, but it was so heavy that the pig could not

carry it and squealed all the time. At last the Sun saw that he would

have to obey the summons, and he said to the betel-nut:

"Get off my pig and I will go."

So Ini-init came to the ceremony, and as soon as Aponibolinayen and the

baby saw him, they were very happy and ran to meet him. Then the people

knew that this was the husband of Aponibolinayen, and they waited

eagerly for him to come up to them. As he drew near, however, they saw

that he did not walk, for he was round; and then they perceived that

he was not a man but a large stone. All her relatives were very angry

to find that Aponibolinayen had married a stone; and they compelled

her to take off her beads [11] and her good clothes, for, they said,

she must now dress in old clothes and go again to live with the stone.

So Aponibolinayen put on the rags that they brought her and at once

set out with the stone for his home. No sooner had they arrived there,

however, than he became a handsome man, and they were very happy.

"In one moon," said the Sun, "we will make a ceremony for the spirits,

and I will pay your father and mother the marriage price [12] for you."

This pleased Aponibolinayen very much, and they used magic so that

they had many neighbors who came to pound rice [13] for them and to

build a large spirit house. [14]

Then they sent oiled betel-nuts to summon their relatives to the

ceremony. The father of Aponibolinayen did not want to go, but

the betel-nut threatened to grow on his knee if he did not. So he

commanded all the people in the town to wash their hair and their

clothes, and when all was ready they set out.

When they reached the town they were greatly surprised to find that

the stone had become a man, and they chewed the magic betel-nuts to

see who he might be. It was discovered that he was the son of a couple

in Aponibolinayen's own town, and the people all rejoiced that this

couple had found the son whom they had thought lost. They named him

Aponitolau, and his parents paid the marriage price for his wife--the

spirit house nine times full of valuable jars. [15]

After that all danced and made merry for one moon, and when the people

departed for their homes Ini-init and his wife went with them to live

on the earth.

The Adventures of Juan

Juan was lazy, Juan was a fool, and his mother never tired of scolding

him and emphasizing her words by a beating. When Juan went to school

he made more noise at his study than anybody else, but his reading

was only gibberish.

His mother sent him to town to buy meat to eat with the boiled rice,

and he bought a live crab which he set down in the road and told to

go to his mother and be cooked for dinner. The crab promised, but as

soon as Juan's back was turned ran in the other direction.

Juan went home after a while and asked for the crab, but there was

none, and they ate their rice without ulam. [12] His mother then

went herself and left Juan to care for the baby. The baby cried and

Juan examined it to find the cause, and found the soft spot on its

head. "Aha! It has a boil. No wonder it cries!" And he stuck a knife

into the soft spot, and the baby stopped crying. When his mother came

back, Juan told her about the boil and that the baby was now asleep,

but the mother said it was dead, and she beat Juan again.

Then she told Juan that if he could do nothing else he could at least

cut firewood, so she gave him a bolo and sent him to the woods.

He found what looked to him like a good tree and prepared to cut it,

but the tree was a magic tree and said to Juan, "Do not cut me and I

will give you a goat that shakes silver money from its whiskers." Juan

agreed, and the bark of the tree opened and the goat came out, and

when Juan told him to shake his whiskers, money dropped out. Juan was

very glad, for at last he had something he would not be beaten for. On

his way home he met a friend, and told him of his good fortune. The

man made him dead drunk and substituted another goat which had not

the ability to shake money from its whiskers, and when the new goat

was tried at home poor Juan was beaten and scolded.

Back he went to the tree, which he threatened to cut down for lying

to him, but the tree said, "No, do not kill me and I will give you

a magic net which you may cast even on dry ground or into a tree-top

and it will return full of fish," and the tree did even so.

Again he met the friend, again he drank tuba [13] until he was dead

drunk, and again a worthless thing was substituted, and on reaching

home he was beaten and scolded.

Once more Juan went to the magic tree, and this time he received a

magic pot, always full of rice; and spoons always full of whatever

ulam might be wished, and these went the way of the other gifts,

to the false friend.

The fourth time he asked of the tree he was given a magic stick

that would without hands beat and kill anything that the owner

wished. "Only say to it 'Boombye, boomba,' and it will obey your word,"

said the tree.

When Juan met the false friend again, the false friend asked him what

gift he had this time. "It is only a stick that if I say, 'Boombye,

boomba,' will beat you to death," said Juan, and with that the stick

leaped from his hand and began to belabor the wicked man. "Lintic na

cahoy ito ay! [14] Stop it and I will give you everything I stole from

you." Juan ordered the stick to stop, but made the man, bruised and

sore, carry the net, the pot, and the spoons, and lead the goat to

Juan's home. There the goat shook silver from his beard till Juan's

three brothers and his mother had all they could carry, and they dined

from the pot and the magic spoons until they were full to their mouths.

"Now," said Juan, "you have beaten me and called me a fool all my life,

but you are not ashamed to take good things when I get them. I will

show you something else. Boombye, boomba!" and the stick began to

beat them all. Quickly they agreed that Juan was head of the house,

and he ordered the beating to stop.

Juan now became rich and respected, but he never trusted himself

far from his stick day or night. One night a hundred robbers came

to break into the house, to take all his goods, and kill him, but

he said to the stick, "Boombye, boomba!" and with the swiftness of

lightning the stick flew around, and all those struck fell dead till

there was not one left. Juan was never troubled again by robbers,

and in the end married a princess and lived happily ever after.

The Aderna Bird (Ang Ibong Adarna)

There was once a king who greatly desired to obtain an aderna bird,

which is possessed of magical powers, has a wonderful song, and talks

like men. This king had a beautiful daughter, and he promised her to

any one who would bring him an aderna bird. Now the quest for the

aderna bird is very dangerous, because, if the heart is not pure,

the man who touches the bird becomes stone, and the bird escapes.

There were in that country three brothers, Juan, Diego, and Pedro,

and they all agreed to set out together to catch the aderna bird. Afar

in the mountains they saw him, and Diego, being the eldest, had first

chance, and he caught the aderna bird, but being of impure life he

became a stone, and the bird flew away over the mountains.

Juan and Pedro pursued it over the rocky way till at last they saw

it again, and Pedro, being the next eldest, essayed to catch it. He,

too, being a bad man, was turned into stone and the aderna bird flew

over another mountain, and Juan, undaunted, followed alone.

When at last he saw the aderna bird he made a trap with a mirror with

a snare in front and soon caught the bird. He made a cage for it and

started on his homeward journey. When he reached the stone which was

his brother Pedro, he begged the bird to undo its work and make him

a man again, and the bird did so. Then the two went on to where Diego

was, and again Juan entreated the bird to set the other brother free,

and the bird did so.

But Pedro and Diego, far from being grateful for what Juan had done

for them, bound him, choked him, beat him, and left him for dead far

from any road or any habitation, and went on their way to the king

with the aderna bird, expecting for one the hand of the princess and

for the other a rich reward.

But the aderna bird would not sing. Said the king, "O Aderna Bird,

why do you not sing?" The bird replied, "O Mighty King, I sing only

for him who caught me." "Did these men catch you?" "No, O King, Juan

caught me, and these men have beaten him and stolen me from him." So

the king had them punished, and waited for the coming of Juan.

Juan meanwhile had freed himself from his bonds, and wandered sore

and hungry and lame through the forest. At last he met an old man

who said to him, "Juan, why do you not go to the king's house, for

there they want you very much?" "Alas," said Juan, "I am not able

to walk so far from weakness, and I fear I shall die here in the

forest." "Do not fear," said the old man, "I have here a wonderful

hat that, should you but whisper to it where you wish to go, in a

moment you are transported there through the air."

So the old man gave him the hat, and Juan put it on and said, "Hat,

if this be thy nature, carry me across the mountains to the king's

palace." And the hat carried him immediately into the presence of

the king. Then the aderna bird began to sing, and after a time Juan

married the princess, and all went well for the rest of their lives.

Juan Pusong

The Visayans tell many stories which have as their hero Juan Pusong, or Tricky John. As the name implies, he is represented as being deceitful and dishonest, sometimes very cunning, and, in some of the stories told of him, endowed with miraculous power. The stories are very simple and of not very great excellence. The few which follow will serve as samples of the narratives told of this popular hero.

I. 

Juan Pusong was a lazy boy. Neither punishment nor the offer of a reward could induce him to go to school, but in school-time he was always to be found on the plaza, playing with the other boys.

His mother, however, believed him to be in school, and each day prepared some dainty for him to eat upon his return home. Juan was not satisfied with deceiving his mother in this way, but used to play tricks on her.

"Mother," he said, one day, "I have already learned to be a seer and to discover what is hidden. This afternoon when I come home from school I will foretell what you have prepared for me."

"Will you?" said his mother joyfully, for she believed all he said, "I will try to prepare something new and you will not be able to guess it."

"I shall, mother, I shall, let it be whatever it may," answered Juan. When it was time to go to school, Juan pretended to set out, but instead he climbed a tree which stood near the kitchen, and hiding himself among the leaves, watched through the window all that his mother did.

His mother baked a bibingca, or cake made of rice and sweet potato, and hid it in a jar. "I will bet anything," she said, "that my son will not guess what it is." Juan laughed at his mother's self-conceit. When it was time for school to close he got down, and with a book in his hand, as though he had really come from school, appeared before his mother and said: "Mother, I know what you are keeping for me."

"What is it?" asked his mother.

"The prophecy that I have just learned at school says that there is a bibingca hidden in the olla." The mother became motionless with surprise. "Is it possible?" she asked herself, "my son is indeed a seer. I am going to spread it abroad. My son is a seer."

The news was spread far and wide and many people came to make trial of Pusong's powers. In these he was always successful, thanks to his ability to cheat.

II. 

One day a ship was anchored in the harbor. She had come from a distant island. Her captain had heard of Pusong's power and wished to try him. The trial consisted in foretelling how many seeds the oranges with which his vessel was loaded contained. He promised to give Juan a great quantity of money if he could do this.

Pusong asked for a day's time. That night he swam out to the vessel, and, hidden in the water under the ship's stern, listened to the conversation of the crew. Luckily they were talking about this very matter of the oranges, and one of them inquired of the captain what kind of oranges he had.

"My friend," said the captain, "these oranges are different from any in this country, for each contains but one seed."

Pusong had learned all that he needed to know, so he swam back to the shore, and the next morning announced that he was ready for the trial.

Many people had assembled to hear the great seer. Pusong continued to read in his book, as though it was the source of his information. The hour agreed upon struck, and the captain of the vessel handed an orange to Juan and said: "Mr. Pusong, you may tell us how many seeds this orange contains."

Pusong took the orange and smelled it. Then he opened his book and after a while said: "This orange you have presented me with contains but one seed."

The orange was cut and but the one seed found in it, so Pusong was paid the money. Of course he obtained a great reputation throughout the country, and became very rich.

III. 

Juan Pusong's father drove his cows out one day to pasture. Juan slipped secretly from the house, and going to the pasture, took the cows into the forest and tied them there. When his father was going for the cows he met Juan and asked: "Where did you come from?" The boy replied: "I have just come from school. What are you looking for?"

"I am looking for our cows," said his father.

"Why did n't you tell me that before," asked Juan. "Wait a minute," and he took his little book from his pocket and, looking into it, said: "Our cows are in such a place in the forest, tied together. Go and get them." So his father went to the place where Juan said the cows were and found them. Afterwards it was discovered that Juan could not read even his own name, so his father beat him for the trick he had played.

IV. 

Pusong and Tabloc-laui. Pusong had transgressed the law, and was for this reason put into a cage to be in a short time submerged with

it into the sea.

Tabloc-laui, a friend of Pusong's, passed by and saw him in the cage. "What are you there for?" Tabloc-laui asked.

"Oh!" answered Pusong, "I am a prisoner here, as you see, because the chief wants me to marry his daughter and I don't want to do it. I am to stay here until I consent."

"What a fool you are!" said Tabloc-laui. "The chief's daughter is pretty, and I am surprised that you are not willing to marry her."

"Hear me, Tabloc-laui!" said the prisoner. "If you want to marry the chief's daughter, let me out and get in here in my place; for tomorrow they will come and ask you if you will consent. Then you will be married at once."

"I am willing!" exclaimed Tabloc-laui. "Get out and I will take your place!"

Next morning the chief ordered his soldiers to take the cage with the prisoner to the sea and submerge it in the water.

Tabloc-laui, on seeing the soldiers coming toward him, thought they would make inquiries of him as Pusong had said.

"I am ready now," he said, "I am ready to be the princess's husband."

"Is this crazy fellow raving?" asked the soldiers. "We are ordered to take you and submerge you in the sea."

"But," objected Tabloc-laui, "I am ready now to marry the chief's daughter."

He was carried to the sea and plunged into the water, in spite of his crying, "I am not Pusong! I am Tabloc-laui!"

The next week the chief was in his boat, going from one fish-trap to another, to inspect them. Pusong swam out to the boat.

The chief, on seeing him, wondered, for he believed that Pusong was dead. "How is this?" he asked. "Did you not drown last week?"

"By no means. I sank to the bottom, but I found that there was no water there. There is another world where the dead live again. I saw your father and he charged me to bid you go to him, and afterwards you will be able to come back here, if you wish to do so." "Is that really true, Pusong?" asked the chief. "Yes, it is really true," was the reply.

"Well, I will go there. I will have a cage made and go through the way you did."

So the next morning the chief was submerged in the water, with the hope of coming back. When a considerable time had elapsed without seeing his return, his servants searched for Pusong, in order to punish him, but he had escaped to the mountains.

V. 

The Enchanted Prince. There was once a king who had three young and beautiful daughters named Isabel, Catalina, and Maria.

In the capital city of the kingdom lived a young man known by the name of Juan Pusong. He had as friends an ape, named Amo-Mongo, and a wildcat, whose name was Singalong. The three friends were passing one day in front of the palace, and, seeing the three young ladies, were greatly charmed by their beauty.

Pusong, who posed as a young aristocrat of considerable learning, determined to go before the king and declare his love for the Princess Isabel. The king received him favorably, and offered him a seat; but Juan refused to sit down until he should know the result of his request.

The king was astonished at his manner, and asked him what he wanted. Juan replied that he had presumptuously allowed himself to be charmed by the beauty of the Princess Isabel, and humbly requested the king's consent to their marriage. The king had the princess summoned before him, and in the presence of Pusong asked her if she would accept this man as her husband. She dutifully expressed her willingness to do whatever her father wished, so the king granted the request of Pusong, who was immediately married to Isabel.

When Amo-Mongo saw how successful Pusong had been, he presented himself before the king, as his friend had done, and requested the hand of the Princess Catalina. The king, somewhat unwillingly, gave his consent, and these two were also married.

When Singalong saw to what high positions his friends had attained, he became desirous of like fortune, so he went to the king and obtained his consent to his marriage with the Princess Maria.

All three of the king's sons-in-law lived with their wives at the palace, at the king's expense. The latter seeing that his daughters' husbands were lazy fellows, determined to make them useful, so he sent Pusong and Amo-Mongo out to take charge of his estates in the country, while to Singalong he gave the oversight of the servants who worked in the kitchen of the palace.

Pusong and Amo-Mongo went out to the hacienda with the intention of doing something, but when they arrived there, they found so much to do that they concluded that it would be impossible to attend to everything and so decided to do nothing.

The latter, after merely looking over the estate, entered the forest, in order to visit his relatives there. His fellow monkeys, who knew of his marriage with the princess, believed him to be of some importance, and begged him to save them from the famine which was devastating the forest. This Amo-Mongo, with much boasting of his wealth, promised to do, declaring that at the time of harvest he would give them plenty of rice.

When Pusong and his companion returned to the palace they were asked by the king how many acres they had cleared. They replied that they had cleared and planted about one thousand acres. The king was satisfied with their answer, and, at Amo-Mongo's request, gave orders for a large quantity of rice to be carried from the storehouse to the spot in the forest where his son-in-law had promised the monkeys that they should find it.

On the other hand, Singalong during the day did nothing, and as the king never saw him at work he disliked his third son-in-law very much. Yet every morning there were great piles of fish and vegetables in the palace kitchen. Amo-Mongo, knowing that his brother-in-law usually went out at night in order to bring something home, contrived to get up early and see what there was in the kitchen, so as to present it to the king as the result of his own labors. In this way, Amo-Mongo became each day dearer and dearer to the king, while Singalong became more and more disliked. Maria knew that her husband procured their food in some way, for every morning he said to her: "All that you see here I have brought." However, the king knew nothing of all this.

When the early harvest time came, the king commanded Amo-Mongo to bring rice to make pilipig. (Rice pounded into flakes and toasted, a dish of which Filipinos are very fond.) Amo-Mongo did not know where he could find it, but set out in the direction from which he had seen Singalong coming each morning, and soon came to an extensive rice-field bearing an abundant crop. He took a goodly portion of it and, returning to the palace, had the pilipig prepared and set before the king and his household. Every one ate of it, except Singalong, who was the real owner, and his wife, who had been secretly notified by him of the truth of the matter.

Maria was greatly perplexed by what her husband had told her, so she determined one night to watch him. She discovered that, as soon as the other people were asleep, her husband became transformed into a handsome prince and left the palace, leaving behind him his cat's dress. As soon as he had gone, Maria took the cast-off clothing of her husband and cast it into the fire. Singalong smelt it burning and returned to the palace, where he found his wife and begged her to return to him his cat's dress. This she was unable to do, since it was entirely consumed. As a result, Singalong was obliged to retain the form of a prince, but he was afraid to appear before the king in this guise, and so hid himself.

In the morning, Maria went to the king and told him the truth about her husband. Her father, however, thought that she was crazy, and when she insisted, invited her to accompany him to Amo-Mongo's farm, in order to convince her of her error. Many people went with them, and Amo-Mongo led them to the farm, which was really Singalong's, but told them that it belonged to himself. Besides other things, Singalong had planted many fruits, among them atimon and candol.

Amo-Mongo, seeing the diversity of fruits, began to eat all he could, until he became unable to move a step. Whenever his wife urged him to come away, he would take an atimon under his arm and a candol or so in his hands, until at last his wife, angry at his greediness, gave him a push which caused him to fall headlong, striking his head against a stone and being instantly killed.

Then Singalong, who had secretly followed the crowd from the palace, showed himself to the king in his proper form. After making suitable explanations, he led them to a fine palace in the middle of the hacienda. There they all lived together, but Pusong and his wife, who in former times had treated Singalong very harshly, giving him only the bones and scraps from the table, were now obliged to act as servants in the kitchen of the king's new palace.

How Jackyo Became Rich

A long time ago there was a young man whose name was Jackyo. He was

very poor, and by his daily labor could earn barely enough for his

food and nothing at all for his clothes. He had a little farm at some

distance from the village in which he lived, and on it raised a few

poor crops.

One pleasant afternoon Jackyo started off to visit his farm. It was

late when he reached it, and after he had finished inspecting his

crops, he turned back homewards. But the bright day had gone and the

sun had set. Night came on quickly, and the way was dark and lonely.

At last he could no longer see the road. Not a star was to be seen,

and the only sounds he heard were the sad twitterings of the birds

and soft rustling of the leaves as they were moved by the wind.

At last he entered a thick forest where the trees were very big. "What

if I should meet some wild beast," thought Jackyo; but he added half

aloud, "I must learn to be brave and face every danger."

It was not long before he was very sure that he could hear a deep

roar. His heart beat fast, but he walked steadily forward, and soon

the roar was repeated, this time nearer and more distinctly, and he

saw in the dim light a great wild ox coming towards him.

He found a large hole in the trunk of a huge tree. "I will pass the

night here in this tree," he said to himself.

In a little while an old man appeared. His body was covered with coarse

hair and he was very ugly. He looked fiercely at Jackyo from head to

foot and said: "What are you thinking of to come in here? Do you not

know that this is the royal castle of the king of evil spirits?"

Jackyo became more frightened than before and for a long time he

could not speak, but at last he stammered: "Excuse me, sir, but I

cannot go home on account of the dark night. I pray you to let me

rest here for a short time."

"I cannot let you stay here, because our king is not willing to help

any one who does not belong to his kingdom. If he did so, his kingdom

would be lost. But what is your name? Do you know how to sing?" said

the old man.

"My name is Jackyo, and I know a little bit about singing," replied

Jackyo.

"Well," said the old man, "if you know any song, sing for me." Now

Jackyo knew but one song, and that was about the names of the days of

the week except Sunday. He did not like to sing it, but the old man

urged him, saying: "If you do not sing, I will cut your head off." So

Jackyo began to sing.

It happened that the king [5] of the evil spirits, whose name was

Mensaya, heard Jackyo's song and was very much interested in it. He

called a servant, named Macquil, and said: "Macquil, go downstairs and

see who is singing down there, and when you find him, bring him to me."

Jackyo went before the king, bowed to the floor, touching the carpet

with his forehead, and stood humbly before the king.

"Let me hear your song," said the king. So Jackyo, with great respect,

sang the only song he knew. Here it is:

    Mon-day, Tues-day, Wednesday, Thurs-day, Fri-day, Sat-ur-day.

While he was singing, all the evil spirits in the cave gathered around

him to hear his song, and Mensaya asked him to sing it over and over

again. They were all so pleased with it that Mensaya ordered Macquil

to give Jackyo a large quantity of gold and silver as a reward for

his beautiful song.

When the morning came Jackyo returned home, full of joy, and became

known as the richest man in the village.