🧚 Opening, part 22

It was foolish for the tortoise to have come so far from home, especially to a place so dangerous as this, because it surely would not be very long before the hunter returned, and his presence there caused the goat to say: “My dear friend, I am sorry to have been the cause of bringing you here, for if the hunter should come, how could you escape?1 The rest of us could easily look after ourselves, for the crow would fly into the air, the weasel could hide in any hole, and I should seek safety in flight; but you, who move so slowly, would be at the mercy of the hunter.”2

At this moment, surely enough, the hunter appeared, and it happened as the goat had said.3 The latter ran swiftly away; the crow flew into the air, and the weasel disappeared into a hole.4 Only the tortoise was left, unable to escape.5

The hunter was greatly vexed when he saw the broken net, and he wondered who could have helped the goat to get away.6 He looked around, and of course saw the tortoise.7

“Well,” he said, “here is a tortoise, and that is better than nothing, and it will make a very good meal.”8 So he threw the tortoise into a sack which he carried, threw it over his shoulder, and started off home.9

When he had gone the three friends returned, and guessed at once what had happened to the tortoise.10 They bitterly bemoaned his fate, especially the goat, who blamed himself as being the cause of this trouble.11

Then the crow said: “Tears and lamentations will not help our poor friend, so let us devise means of saving him.12 It is our part to show what we can do in a case of such need.”13

They thought hard, and finally decided upon a plan.14 The goat was to let himself be seen by the hunter, and to make out that he was lame.15 The hunter would then be sure of being able to catch him, and so lay down his sack, and run after him.16 As soon as he was far enough away from the sack (and it was the part of the goat to lead him as far away as possible) the weasel would again put his sharp teeth into use, and gnaw through the cord which would be tied around the mouth of the sack, and so free their friend.17

So the goat ran with speed until he was in front of the hunter, and then he appeared to be lame and weary.18 As soon as the hunter saw him in such feeble condition he was sure he could catch him without difficulty, and so, throwing down his sack, he ran after the goat, who artfully drew him farther and farther away, until they were both out of sight.19

Then came the weasel, whose strong teeth soon set the tortoise at liberty, and together they hid themselves in a bush.20

The goat had led the hunter a merry chase, which the latter was finally forced to give up, and then return to recover his sack.21 He was congratulating himself on having at least captured something that couldn’t run away from him, when he lifted the sack from the ground, and found that now he had lost the tortoise.22

This story shows the strength of true friendship, and that when the desire to help is there, a way to do so will be found.23

THE ADVENTURES OF JUAN24

Juan was always getting into trouble.25 He was a lazy boy, and more than that, he did not have good sense.26 When he tried to do things, he made such dreadful mistakes that he might better not have tried.27

His family grew very impatient with him, scolding and beating him whenever he did anything wrong.28 One day his mother, who was almost discouraged with him, gave him a bolo[4] and sent him to the forest, for she thought he could at least cut firewood.29 Juan walked leisurely along, contemplating some means of escape.30 At last he came to a tree that seemed easy to cut, and then he drew his long knife and prepared to work.31

[Footnote 4: A long knife.]32

Now it happened that this was a magic tree, and it said to Juan:33

“If you do not cut me I will give you a goat that shakes silver from its whiskers.”34

This pleased Juan wonderfully, both because he was curious to see the goat, and because he would not have to chop the wood.35 He agreed at once to spare the tree, whereupon the bark separated and the goat stepped out.36 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.37

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.38 Knowing Juan’s fondness for tuba,[5] he persuaded him to drink.39 This sent him to sleep, and then the friend substituted another goat for the magic one.40 As soon as he awoke, 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.41 The family, believing it to be another of Juan’s tricks, beat and scolded the poor boy.42

[Footnote 5: Fermented juice of the cocoanut.]43

He went back to the tree and threatened to cut it down for lying to him, but the tree said:44

“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.”45

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.46 While he was asleep, 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.47

Once more Juan went to his tree, this time determined to cut it down.48 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.49 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.50

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.51 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.52

When he met his friend on this trip, he was asked what he had, and he replied:53

“Oh, it is only a stick, but if I say, ‘Boombye, Boomba,’ it will beat you to death.”54

At the sound of the magic words the stick leaped from his hands and began beating his friend until he cried:55

“Oh, stop it and I will give back everything that I stole from you.”56 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.57