Philippine Folk-Tales — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Philippine Folk-Tales
John Stuart Mill · en
Alone and helpless for three days in the underground darkness,
the boy was a prey to awful fear, but at the end of the third day,
having by accident rubbed slightly the tabo with his hand, at once
a great sinio [25] or multo [26] stood before him, saying that he
was the slave of the tabo, and that all things earthly were within
his power. At once mindful of his mother, he told the multo to take
him home, and in the winking of an eye, still carrying the tabo in
his hand, he stood before his mother. He found her very hungry and
sorrowful, and recounted all that had happened and again rubbed the
tabo lightly. The multo reappeared and the good woman hid her face
for terror at the sight, but the lad bade the multo bring him a dinner
for them both on a service of silver with everything to match.
After they had dined well for several days on the remnants of the
food, the boy went to the market and sold the spoons that the multo
had brought for two gold pieces, and on that they lived a long time:
and as from time to time their money became exhausted, he sold more,
till at last there was nothing left. Then, as he had become a young
man, he required the multo to bring him a great chest of money,
and soon became known as a very rich and generous person.
Now there was in that city a woman who had a very handsome daughter
whom she wished to marry to the young man, and by way of opening the
matter, she and her daughter went one day to try to buy some of the
rich table ware which he had, or at least so they pretended. The young
man was not of a mind for that kind of alliance, and so told the old
woman to rub the magic vessel. She did so and the multo at once whisked
her inside. The daughter also went in to inquire for her mother, and
as she admiringly touched the tabo the multo made her prisoner, and the
two became the slaves of the young man and were never heard of again.
A variant of this tale has been printed in Tagalog. It has probably
reached the Phillppines through the medium of Spanish.
Fletcher Gardner.
Bloomington, Ind.
PART V
Some Games of Filipino Children.
Os-Os.
This is a game used by older persons to amuse small children, exactly
as our game of the "Five Little Pigs."
The child is grasped by the wrist with the left hand of the elder,
who repeats "Ang áma, ang ína, ang káka, ang áli, ang nóno, tóloy,
os-os sa kíli-kíli mo." That is, "The father (thumb), the mother
(forefinger), the elder brother (middle finger), the elder sister
(ring finger), the grandparent (little finger) straight up to your
armpit." The armpit is then tickled. Os-os is a verb meaning "to go
up stream." This is a common game among the Tagalogs of Mindoro Island.
Marbles.