Dogedog

_Tinguian_

Dogedog had always been very lazy, and now that his father and mother

were dead and he had no one to care for him, he lived very poorly. He

had little to eat. His house was old and small and so poor that it

had not even a floor. Still he would rather sit all day and idle away

his time than to work and have more things.

One day, however, when the rainy season was near at hand, Dogedog

began thinking how cold he would be when the storms came, and he felt

so sorry for himself that he decided to make a floor in his house.

Wrapping some rice in a banana leaf for his dinner, he took his long

knife and went to the forest to cut some bamboo. He hung the bundle

of rice in a tree until he should need it; but while he was working

a cat came and ate it. When the hungry man came for his dinner, there

was none left. Dogedog went back to his miserable little house which

looked forlorn to him even, now that he had decided to have a floor.

The next day he went again to the forest and hung his rice in the

tree as he did before, but again the cat came and ate it. So the man

had to go home without any dinner.

The third day he took the rice, but this time he fixed a trap in the

tree, and when the cat came it was caught.

"Now I have you!" cried the man when he found the cat; "and I shall

kill you for stealing my rice."

"Oh, do not kill me," pleaded the cat, "and I will be of some use

to you."

So Dogedog decided to spare the cat's life, and he took it home and

tied it near the door to guard the house.

Some time later when he went to look at it, he was very much surprised

to find that it had become a cock.

"Now I can go to the cock-fight at Magsingal," cried the man. And he

was very happy, for he had much rather do that than work.

Thinking no more of getting wood for his floor, he started out at

once for Magsingal with the cock under his arm. As he was crossing

a river he met an alligator which called out to him:

"Where are you going, Dogedog?"

"To the cock-fight at Magsingal," replied the man as he fondly stroked

the rooster.

"Wait, and I will go with you," said the alligator; and he drew

himself out of the water.

The two walking along together soon entered a forest where they met

a deer and it asked:

"Where are you going, Dogedog?"

"To the cock-fight at Magsingal," said the man.

"Wait and I will go with you," said the deer; and he also joined them.

By and by they met a mound of earth that had been raised by the ants,

and they would have passed without noticing it had it not inquired:

"Where are you going, Dogedog?"

"To the cock-fight at Magsingal," said the man once more; and the

mound of earth joined them.

The company then hurried on, and just as they were leaving the forest,

they passed a big tree in which was a monkey.

"Where are you going, Dogedog?" shrieked the monkey. And without

waiting for an answer he scrambled down the tree and followed them.

As the party walked along they talked together, and the alligator

said to Dogedog:

"If any man wants to dive into the water, I can stay under longer

than he."

Then the deer, not to be outdone, said:

"If any man wants to run, I can run faster."

The mound of earth, anxious to show its strength, said:

"If any man wants to wrestle, I can beat him."

And the monkey said:

"If any man wants to climb, I can go higher."

They reached Magsingal in good time and the people were ready for the

fight to begin. When Dogedog put his rooster, which had been a cat,

into the pit, it killed the other cock at once, for it used its claws

like a cat.

The people brought more roosters and wagered much money, but Dogedog's

cock killed all the others until there was not one left in Magsingal,

and Dogedog won much money. Then they went outside the town and

brought all the cocks they could find, but not one could win over

that of Dogedog.

When the cocks were all dead, the people wanted some other sport,

so they brought a man who could stay under water for a long time,

and Dogedog made him compete with the alligator. But after a while

the man had to come up first Then they brought a swift runner and he

raced with the deer, but the man was left far behind. Next they looked

around until they found a very large man who was willing to contend

with the mound of earth, but after a hard struggle the man was thrown.

Finally they brought a man who could climb higher than anyone else,

but the monkey went far above him, and he had to give up.

All these contests had brought much money to Dogedog, and now he had

to buy two horses to carry his sacks of silver. As soon as he reached

home, he bought the house of a very rich man and went to live in

it. And he was very happy, for he did not have to work 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.

The Carabao and the Shell

_Tinguian_

One very hot day, when a carabao went into the river to bathe, he

met a shell and they began talking together.

"You are very slow," said the carabao to the shell.

"Oh, no," replied the shell. "I can beat you in a race."

"Then let us try and see," said the carabao.

So they went out on the bank and started to run.

After the carabao had gone a long distance he stopped and called,

"Shell!"

And another shell lying by the river answered, "Here I am!"

Then the carabao, thinking that it was the same shell with which he

was racing, ran on.

By and by he stopped again and called, "Shell!"

Again another shell answered, "Here I am!"

The carabao was surprised that the shell could keep up with him. But

he ran on and on, and every time he stopped to call, another shell

answered him. But he was determined that the shell should not beat him,

so he ran until he dropped dead.

The Turtle and the Lizard

_Tinguian_

A turtle and a big lizard once went to the field of Gotgotapa to steal

ginger, [88] When they reached the place the turtle said to the lizard:

"We must be very still or the man will hear us and come out."

But as soon as the lizard tasted the ginger he was so pleased that

he said:

"The ginger of Gotgotapa is very good."

"Be still," said the turtle; but the lizard paid no attention to the

warning, and called louder than ever:

"The ginger of Gotgotapa is very good."

Again and again he cried out, until finally the man heard him and

came out of the house to catch the robbers.

The turtle could not run fast, so he lay very still, and the man did

not see him. But the lizard ran and the man chased him. When they

were out of sight, the turtle went into the house and hid under a

cocoanut shell upon which the man used to sit. [89]

The man ran after the lizard for a long distance, but he could not

catch him. After a while he came back to the house and sat down on

the shell.

By and by, the turtle called, "Kook." The man jumped up and looked all

around. Unable to tell where the noise came from, he sat down again,

A second time the turtle called, and this time the man looked

everywhere in the house except under the shell, but could not find

the turtle. Again and again the turtle called, and finally the man,

realizing that all his attempts were unsuccessful, grew so excited

that he died.

Then the turtle ran out of the house, and he had not gone far before

he met the lizard again. They walked along together until they saw

some honey in a tree, and the turtle said:

"I will go first and get some of the honey."

The lizard would not wait, but ran ahead, and when he seized the honey,

the bees came out and stung him. So he ran back to the turtle for help.

After a while they came to a bird snare, and the turtle said:

"That is the silver wire that my grandfather wore about his neck."

Then the lizard ran fast to get it first, but he was caught in the

snare and was held until the man came and killed him. Then the wise

turtle went on alone.

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.