An old man was fishing in the brook; but the water kept getting muddy, and he did not know what was the matter. Then he went away, and he walked and walked. After he had gone some distance, he saw in the mud a big lion [131] that eats people. The Lion had been sleeping in the mud. He said to the man, "If you'll pull me out of the mud and ride me to my town, I will give you many things." Then the man drew the Lion from the mud. The Lion stood still a while, and then said, "Now you must ride on me." So the man mounted the Lion, and rode until they came to a large meadow, when the Lion said, "Now I am going to eat you." The man replied, "But first let us go and ask the Carabao." The Lion consented, and they went on until they reached the Carabao. "This Lion wants to eat me," complained the man. "Yes, indeed! eat him, Lion," answered the Carabao, "for the men are all the time riding on my back, and whipping me." There were many Carabaos in the field, and they all agreed to this. Then the man said to the Lion, "You may eat me; but we will first go and tell the Cows." Soon they reached the Cows' home, and the man told them that the Lion wanted to eat him. At once the Cows exclaimed, "Yes, eat him, Lion, because all day long the people drive us away from their fields." "All right!" assented the man; "but first let us speak to the Dogs." When they came to the Dogs' home, the man cried, "The Lion is going to eat me." The Dogs said to the Lion, "Devour this man; for every day, when men are eating, they beat us away from the food." At last the man said, "Sure enough, you will eat me up, Lion; but let us just go to the Cat." When they reached the Cat's home, they found her sitting at the door, keeping her nice house. It had groves of cocoanut-palms around it. The Cat lived all alone. The man said to her, "This Lion wants to eat me." "Yes, Lion," the Cat replied; "but first you make a deep hole in the ground. We will race each other into the hole. If you jump in first, then I shall lose and you will win." And the Lion ran, and jumped into the hole. Then the Cat covered him with earth and stones until he was dead. But before he died, the Lion called to the Cat, "Whenever I see your excrement (tai), I shall eat it." That is why the Cat hides her excrement, because she is afraid the Lion will come. Now, the Lion is the dog of the Buso. How the Lizards got their Markings One day the Chameleon (palas [132]) and the Monitor-lizard (ibid [133]) were out in a deep forest together. They thought they would try scratching each other's backs to make pretty figures on them. First the Chameleon said to the Monitor-lizard, "You must scratch a nice pattern on my back." So the Monitor went to work, and the Chameleon had a fine scratching. Monitor made a nice, even pattern on his back.