Philippine Folk-Tales — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Philippine Folk-Tales
John Stuart Mill · en
"Why did n't you tell me that before," asked Juan. "Wait a minute,"
and he took his little book from his pocket and, looking into it, said:
"Our cows are in such a place in the forest, tied together. Go and get
them." So his father went to the place where Juan said the cows were
and found them. Afterwards it was discovered that Juan could not read
even his own name, so his father beat him for the trick he had played.
IV. Pusong and Tabloc-laui. Pusong had transgressed the law, and was
for this reason put into a cage to be in a short time submerged with
it into the sea.
Tabloc-laui, a friend of Pusong's, passed by and saw him in the
cage. "What are you there for?" Tabloc-laui asked.
"Oh!" answered Pusong, "I am a prisoner here, as you see, because the
chief wants me to marry his daughter and I don't want to do it. I am
to stay here until I consent."
"What a fool you are!" said Tabloc-laui. "The chief's daughter is
pretty, and I am surprised that you are not willing to marry her."
"Hear me, Tabloc-laui!" said the prisoner. "If you want to marry
the chief's daughter, let me out and get in here in my place; for
tomorrow they will come and ask you if you will consent. Then you
will be married at once."
"I am willing!" exclaimed Tabloc-laui. "Get out and I will take
your place!"
Next morning the chief ordered his soldiers to take the cage with
the prisoner to the sea and submerge it in the water.
Tabloc-laui, on seeing the soldiers coming toward him, thought they
would make inquiries of him as Pusong had said.
"I am ready now," he said, "I am ready to be the princess's husband."
"Is this crazy fellow raving?" asked the soldiers. "We are ordered
to take you and submerge you in the sea."
"But," objected Tabloc-laui, "I am ready now to marry the chief's
daughter."
He was carried to the sea and plunged into the water, in spite of
his crying, "I am not Pusong! I am Tabloc-laui!"
The next week the chief was in his boat, going from one fish-trap to
another, to inspect them. Pusong swam out to the boat.
The chief, on seeing him, wondered, for he believed that Pusong was
dead. "How is this?" he asked. "Did you not drown last week?"
"By no means. I sank to the bottom, but I found that there was no water
there. There is another world where the dead live again. I saw your
father and he charged me to bid you go to him, and afterwards you will
be able to come back here, if you wish to do so." "Is that really true,
Pusong?" asked the chief. "Yes, it is really true," was the reply.
"Well, I will go there. I will have a cage made and go through the
way you did."
So the next morning the chief was submerged in the water, with the hope
of coming back. When a considerable time had elapsed without seeing
his return, his servants searched for Pusong, in order to punish him,
but he had escaped to the mountains.
V. The Enchanted Prince. There was once a king who had three young
and beautiful daughters named Isabel, Catalina, and Maria.