🧚 Opening, part 23 · page 2

Thanking the Hare, he rushed through it, and ran toward his own house, arriving in time to take from his wife’s hand the taper with which she was about to light the red and yellow lanterns which swung over the door.69

“What has kept you so long, father?70 Where have you been?” asked Han Chung, while little Ho-Seen-Ko wondered why he kissed and embraced them all so eagerly.71

But Wang Chih did not tell them his adventures just then; only when darkness fell, and the Feast of Lanterns began, he took his part in it with a merry heart.72

LUMAWIG ON EARTH73

One day when Lumawig, the Great Spirit, looked down from his place in the sky, he saw two sisters gathering beans, and he decided to visit them.74 When he arrived at the place he asked them what they were doing.75

The younger, whose name was Fukan, answered:76

“We are gathering beans, but it takes a long time to get enough, for my sister wants to go bathing all the time.”77

Then Lumawig said to the older sister:78

“Hand me a single pod of the beans.”79

And when she had given it to him, he shelled it into the basket and immediately the basket was full.80 The younger sister laughed at this, and Lumawig said to her:81

“Give me another pod and another basket.”82

She did so, and when he had shelled the pod, that basket was full also.83 Then he said to the younger sister:84

“Go home and get three more baskets.”85

She went home, but when she asked for three more baskets her mother said that the beans were few and she could not need so many.86 Then Fukan told her of the young man who could fill a basket from one pod of beans, and the father, who heard her story, said:87

“Go, bring the young man here, for I think he must be a god.”88

So Fukan took the three baskets back to Lumawig, and when he had filled them as he did the other two, he helped the girls carry them to the house.89 As they reached their home, he stopped outside to cool himself, but the father called to him, and he went into the house and asked for some water.90 The father brought him a cocoanut shell full, and before drinking Lumawig looked at it and said:91

“If I stay here with you, I shall become very strong.”92

The next morning Lumawig asked to see their chickens, and when they opened the chicken-coop out came a hen and many little chicks.93

“Are these all of your chickens?” asked Lumawig; and the father assured him that they were all.94 He then bade them bring rice meal that he might feed them, and as the chickens ate they all grew rapidly till they were cocks and hens.95

Next Lumawig asked how many pigs they had, and the father replied that they had one with some little ones.96 Then Lumawig bade them fill a pail with sweet potato leaves, and he fed the pigs.97 And as they ate they also grew to full size.98

The father was so pleased with all these things that he offered his elder daughter to Lumawig for a wife.99 But the Great Spirit said he preferred to marry the younger, and so it was arranged.100 Now when his brother-in-law learned that Lumawig desired a feast at his wedding, he was very angry and said:101

“Where would you get food for your wedding feast?102 There is no rice, nor beef, nor pork, nor chicken.”103

But Lumawig only answered, “I shall provide our wedding feast.”104

In the morning they all set out for Lanao, for Lumawig did not care to stay any longer in the house with his brother-in-law.105 As soon as they arrived he sent out for some tree trunks, but the trees that the people brought in were so small that Lumawig himself went to the forest and cut two large pine trees which he hurled to Lanao.106

When the people had built a fire of the trees he commanded them to bring ten kettles filled with water.107 Soon the water was boiling hot and the brother-in-law laughed and said:108

“Where is your rice?109 You have the boiling water, but you do not seem to think of the rice.”110

In answer to this Lumawig took a small basket of rice and passed it over five kettles and they were full.111 Then he called, “Yish-tjau,” and some deer came running out of the forest.112 These were not what he wanted, however, so he called again and some pigs came.113 He told the people that they were each to catch one, and for his brother-in-law he selected the largest and best.114

They all set out in pursuit of the pigs and the others quickly caught theirs, but though the brother-in-law chased his until he was very tired and hot he could not catch it.115 Lumawig laughed at him and said:116

“You chase that pig until he is thin and still you cannot catch it, though all the others have theirs.”117

Thereupon he grasped the hind legs of the pig and lifted it.118 All the people laughed and the brother-in-law said:119

“Of course you can catch it, because I chased it until it was tired.”120

Lumawig then handed it to him, and said: “Here, you carry it.”121 But no sooner had the brother-in-law put it over his shoulder than it cut loose and ran away.122

“Why did you let it go?” asked Lumawig.123 “Do you care nothing for it, even after I caught it for you?124 Catch it again and bring it here.”125

So the brother-in-law started out again, and he chased it up stream and down, but he could not catch it.126 Finally Lumawig reached down and picked up the pig and carried it to the place where the others were cooking.127

After they had all eaten and drunk and made their offerings to the spirits, Lumawig said:128

“Come, let us go to the mountain to consult the omen concerning the northern tribes.”129

So they consulted the omen, but it was not favorable, and they were starting home when the brother-in-law asked Lumawig to create some water, as the people were hot and thirsty.130

“Why do you not create water, Lumawig?” he repeated, as Lumawig paid no attention to him.131 “You care nothing that the people are thirsty and in need of drink.”132

Then they quarreled and were very angry and Lumawig said to the people, “Let us sit down and rest.”133

While they rested, Lumawig struck the rock with his spear, and water came out.134 The brother-in-law jumped up to get a drink first, but Lumawig held him back, and said he must be the last to drink.135 So they all drank, and when they had finished the brother-in-law stepped up, but Lumawig gave him a push which sent him into the rock, and water came from his body.136

“You must stay there,” said Lumawig, “because you have troubled me a great deal.”137 And they went home, leaving him in the rock.138

Some time after this Lumawig decided to go back to the sky to live, but before he went he took care that his wife should have a home.139 He made a coffin of wood and placed her in it with a dog at her feet and a cock at her head.140 And as he set it floating on the water, he told it not to stop until it reached Tinglayen.141 Then, if the foot struck first, the dog should bark; and if the head end was the first to strike, the cock should crow.142 So it floated away, on and on, until it came to Tinglayen.143