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 Story of Juan del Mundo de Austria and the Princess Maria.

There was once a king who had three very beautiful daughters, Princess

Clara, Princess Catalina, and Princess Maria.

This king was sick for a long time with a dreadful disease, and

although he spent much money on medicines and doctors he was only

worse instead of better.

At last he sent word to all his people proclaiming that whoever would

cure him might have one of the princesses to marry.

After several days one of the heralds returned, saying he had met

a snake who inquired if the king would give his daughter to a snake

to wife if he were cured. The king called his daughters and asked if

they would be willing to marry a snake.

Said Princess Clara, "I will be stung by a snake till I am dead before

I give my virginity to a snake." Said Princess Catalina, "I may be

beaten to death with sticks, but I will not give my virginity to a

snake." Said Princess Maria, "Father, so you be but well, I care

not what becomes of me. If a snake can cure you, I am willing to

marry him."

So the king's message was carried to the snake, and the king was made

well. The snake and the princess were married, and set off through

the forest together. After a long journey they came to a house in the

forest, and there the snake and the beautiful Maria lived together

many days. But the snake, being very wise, saw that the princess ate

little and cried very much, and asked her why it was so. She told

him that it was hard for her to live with a snake. "Very well," said

the snake, and went into a house near by; after a little there came

out a handsome man with silken clothes, and rings on his fingers,

who told her that he was her husband, that he was known among men as

Don Juan del Mundo de Austria, and that he was king of all the beasts,

being able to take the form of any of them at will.

They passed many happy days together till the time came for the great

feast at the court of Princess Maria's father. Don Juan told her that

she might go, but that she must on no account tell his name or rank,

otherwise when she came to their trysting-place by the seashore she

would not find him. He gave her a magic ring by means of which she

might obtain anything she wanted, and left her close to her own city.

When she arrived at home her sisters were greatly surprised to see

her looking well, happy, and much more finely dressed than when she

went away, but her father was very glad to see her. The elder sisters

often asked her the secret of her husband's identity, but her answer

was always the same, "Did you not both see that I married a snake? Who

else could it be." The wicked women then determined to make her tell,

whether she wished or not, and so they asked her to walk with them

in a secluded garden.

Then they took sticks and set upon her, beating her and telling her

that she must tell who her husband was. The poor little princess

defended herself a long time, saying that if she told she would never

see him again, but finally, when she was nearly dead from beating,

she told them that her husband was Don Juan de Austria. Then she was

beaten for not telling the truth, but her tormentors finally desisted

and she went to her father and told him all.

He did not wish her to return to the forest and begged her to remain

with him, but she insisted.

When she arrived at the trysting-place, Don Juan was not there, but

she set out bravely, asking of her ring whatever she needed for food,

drink, and clothing. Wherever she went she inquired of the beasts

and birds the whereabouts of her husband, Don Juan de Austria, and,

when they knew who she was, they worshipped her and did all that

was required.

After many days of wandering she came to a place where there was a

giant, who was about to eat her, but when he knew her for Don Juan's

wife he worshipped her and sent her on her way. Soon she was found by

a young giantess who, too, was about to eat her, but when she learned

that Maria was the wife of Don Juan she carried her to her own house

and hid her, saying that she must be cared for a while until her

parents should return, for they might eat her without asking who she

was. When the old giant and his wife came back, they told her that

she must stay with them for a while, until they could find out about

the whereabouts of Don Juan, when they would help her further.

They were very good to her, for, said they, "Don Juan is not only

king of the animals but of the giants and monsters of every kind."

Then the giants took her to Don Juan's city and found her a place in

the house of an old childless couple, and there she made her home. But

Don Juan had taken another wife, the Lady Loriana, and the new wife saw

the old and desired her for a servant. So the Princess Maria became

a servant of her rival, and often sat in old rags under the stairs

at her work, while her faithless husband passed her without seeing her.

The poor girl was torn with jealousy and spent much time thinking

about how she might win her husband again. So she asked the ring for

a toy in the form of a beautiful little chick, just from the egg.

The Lady Loriana saw the pretty toy and begged for it. "No," said

Maria, "unless you grant me a little favor, that I may sleep on the

floor to-night in your room." So Loriana, suspecting no deceit, agreed.

That night Maria wished on her ring that Loriana might be overcome with

sleep, and again that her own rags might be transformed into royal

raiment and that her tiara should glitter on her forehead. Then she

went to the head of the bed and called Don Juan. At first he would

not answer, then, without turning to look at the speaker, he bade

her go away, as his wife would be angry. "But that is not your wife,

Don Juan," said Maria; "I am your true wife, Maria. Look at my dress

and the jewels on my forehead--my face, the ring on my finger." And

Don Juan saw that she was indeed the deserted wife, and after he had

heard the sad story of her wanderings he loved her afresh. The next day

at noon-time Maria was not to be found, although Dona Loriana looked

everywhere. At last she looked into Don Juan's room, and there, locked

in each other's arms fast asleep, were Don Juan and Princess Maria.

Loriana aroused them, angrily saying to Maria, "Why do you wish

to steal my husband? You must leave this house at once." But Maria

resisted saying, "No, he is not your husband but mine, and I will

not give him up." And so they quarrelled long and bitterly, but at

last agreed to be judged by the council.

There each told her story, and Maria showed Don Juan's enchanted ring,

which worked its wonders for her but would not obey the Lady Loriana.

When the matter was decided, it was the judgment of all, including

the Archbishop, that Maria was the lawful wife, but that she and Don

Juan must go away and never return.

So Don Juan and the Princess Maria went away and lived long and

happily.

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.