Filipino Popular Tales Part 62

"Because," said the turtle, "the firefly was carrying fire, and I was afraid that he would burn my house."

"Why, firefly," said the pugu, "did you bring fire, so that the turtle was frightened and carried his house, and the c.o.c.k crowed when he saw him, and the horse was startled and broke my eggs?"

"Because," said the firefly, "the mosquito will sting me if I have no light."

"Why, mosquito," said the pugu, "did you try to sting the firefly, so that he had to carry fire, so that the turtle was frightened and carried his house, so that the c.o.c.k laughed at the turtle, so that the horse was startled and broke my eggs?"

"Because," said the mosquito, "Juan put up his mosquito-net, and there was n.o.body for me to sting except the firefly (alipatpat.)"

"Why, Juan," said the pugu, "did you put up your mosquito-net? The mosquito could not sting you, and tried to harm the firefly; the firefly brought fire; the turtle was frightened, and carried his house with him; the c.o.c.k crowed when he saw the turtle; the horse was startled when he heard the c.o.c.k, and broke my eggs."

"Because," said Juan, "I did not care to lose any blood."

Why Mosquitoes Hum and Try to get into the Holes of our Ears.

Narrated by Fermin Torralba, a Visayan from Tagbilaran, Bohol.

He heard the story from an old man of his province.

A long time ago, when the world was much quieter and younger than it is now, people told and believed many strange stories about wonderful things which none of us have ever seen. In those very early times, in the province of Bohol, there lived a creature called Mangla; [101] he was king of the crabs.

One night, as he was very tired and sleepy, Mangla ordered his old sheriff, Cagang, [102] leader of the small land-crabs, to call his followers, Bataktak, [103] before him. Although the sheriff was old, yet he brought them all in in a very short time. Then Mangla said to the Bataktak, "You must all watch my house while I am sleeping; but do not make any noise that will waken me." The Bataktak said, "We are always ready to obey you." So Mangla went to sleep.

While he was snoring, it began to rain so hard that the guards could not help laughing. The king awoke very angry; but, as he was still very tired and sleepy, he did not immediately ask the Bataktak why they laughed. He waited till morning came. So, as soon as the sun shone, he called the Bataktak, and said to them, "Why did you laugh last night? Did I not tell you not to make any noise?"

The Bataktak answered softly, "We could not help laughing, because last night we saw our old friend Hu-man [104] carrying his house on his shoulder." On account of this reasonable reply, the king pardoned the Bataktak. Then he called his sheriff, and told him to summon Hu-man. In a short time he came. The king at once said to him, "What did you do last night?"

"Sir," replied Hu-man humbly, "I was carrying my house, because Aninipot [105] was bringing fire, and I was afraid that my only dwelling would be burned." This answer seemed reasonable to the king, so he pardoned Hu-man. Then he told his sheriff Cagang to summon Aninipot. When Aninipot appeared, the king, with eyes flashing with anger, said to the culprit, "Why were you carrying fire last night?"

Aninipot was very much frightened, but he did not lose his wits. In a trembling voice he answered, "Sir, I was carrying fire, because Lamoc [106] was always trying to bite me. To protect myself, I am going to carry fire all the time." The king thought that Aninipot had a good reason, so he pardoned him also.

The king now realized that there was a great deal of trouble brewing in his kingdom, of which he would not have been aware if he had not been awakened by the Bataktak. So he sent his sheriff to get Lamoc. In a short time Cagang appeared with Lamoc. But Lamoc, before he left his own house, had told all his companions to follow him, for he expected trouble. Before Lamoc reached the palace, the king was already shouting with rage, so Lamoc approached the king and bit his face. Then Mangla cried out, "It is true, what I heard from Bataktak, Hu-man, and Aninipot!" The king at once ordered his sheriff to kill Lamoc; but, before Cagang could carry out the order, the companions of Lamoc rushed at him. He killed Lamoc, however, and then ran to his home, followed by Lamoc's friends, who were bent on avenging the murder. As Cagang's house was very deep under the ground, Lamoc's friends could not get in, so they remained and hummed around the door.

Even to-day we can see that at the doors of the houses of Cagang and his followers there are many friends of Lamoc humming and trying to go inside. It is said that the Lamoc mistake the holes of our ears for the house of Cagang, and that that is the reason mosquitoes hum about our ears now.

A Tyrant.

Narrated by Facundo Esquivel of Jaen, Nueva Ecija. This is a Tagalog story.

Once there lived a tyrannical king. One of his laws prohibited the people from talking loudly. Even when this law had been put in force, he still was not satisfied: so he ordered the law to be enforced among the animals.

One of his officers once heard a frog croak. The officer caught the frog and carried it before the king. The king began the trial by saying, "Don't you know that there is a law prohibiting men and animals from making a noise?"

"Yes, your Majesty," said the frog, "but I could not help laughing to see the snail carrying his house with him wherever he goes."

The king was satisfied with the frog's answer, so he dismissed him and called the snail. "Why do you always carry your house with you?" asked the king.

"Because," said the snail, "I am always afraid the firefly is going to burn it." The king next ordered the firefly to appear before him. The king then said to the firefly, "Why do you carry fire with you always?"

"Because the mosquitoes will bite me if I do not carry this fire,"

said the firefly. This answer seemed reasonable to the king, so he summoned the mosquito. When the mosquito was asked why he was always trying to bite some one, he said, "Why, sir, I cannot live without biting somebody."

The king was tired of the long trial, so with the mosquito he determined to end it. After hearing the answer of the mosquito, he said, "From now on you must not bite anybody. You have no right to do so." The mosquito tried to protest the sentence, but the king seized his mallet and determined to crush the mosquito with it. When the mosquito saw what the king was going to do, he alighted on the forehead of the king. The king became very angry at this insult, and hit the mosquito hard. He killed the mosquito, but he also put an end to his own tyranny.

MORAL: It is foolish to carry matters to extremes.

Notes.

A fifth form (e) of this "clock" story is "The Bacuit's Case," narrated by W. Vitug of Lubao, Pampanga. As I have this tale only in abstract, I give it here in that form:--

The bacuit (small, light gray bird which haunts marshes and ponds) went to the eagle-king and brought suit against the frog because the latter croaked all night, thus keeping the bacuit awake. The frog said he croaked for fear of the turtle, who always carried his house with him. The turtle, being summoned, explained that he carried his house with him for fear that the firefly would set it on fire. The firefly, in turn, showed that it was necessary for him to carry his lamp in order to find his food.

There is a striking agreement of incident in all these stories, as may be seen from the following abstracts of the versions.

Version a (Pampango), "Trial among Animals."

Bird vs. frog; frog vs, turtle; turtle vs. firefly; firefly vs. mosquito.

Version b (Pampango), "The Pugu's Case."

Pugu vs. horse; horse vs. c.o.c.k; c.o.c.k vs. turtle; turtle vs. firefly, firefly vs. mosquito; mosquito vs. Juan.

Version c (Visayan), "Why Mosquitoes Hum."

Crab vs. frogs; frogs vs. snail; snail vs. firefly; firefly vs. mosquito.

Version d (Tagalog) "A Tyrant".

King's officer vs. frog; frog vs. snail; snail vs. firefly; firefly vs. mosquito.

Version e (Pampango), "The Bacuit's Case."

Bacuit vs. frog; frog vs. turtle; turtle vs. firefly.

With the exception of the subst.i.tution of snail for turtle, and crab for bird, in the Tagalog and Visayan versions, four of these forms (a, c, d, e) are practically identical. Pampango e lacks the fourth link in the chain (firefly vs. mosquito). Pampango b adds one link (horse vs. c.o.c.k), and subst.i.tutes c.o.c.k for frog; the method of narration varies somewhat from the others, also. The punishment of the mosquito differs in a, c, and d. "The Trial among Animals" develops into a "just-so" story, and may be a connecting link between a Tinguian fable (Cole, No. 84) and two Borneo sayings (Evans, 447). In the Tinguian, a mosquito came to bite a man. The man said, "You are very little, and can do nothing to me." The mosquito answered, "If you had no ears, I would eat you." The Bajan (Borneo) saying is, "Mosquitoes do not make their buzzing unless they are near men's ears; and then they say, 'If these were not your ears, I would swallow you.'" The Dusun version (Borneo) is, "The mosquito says, 'If these were not your horns, I would swallow you.'" The "killing fly on face" droll episode, which terminates the Tagalog version (d), we have already met with twice, Nos. 9 and 57 (q.v.). The link "firefly vs. mosquito" is found in the Visayan story "The Ape and the Firefly" (JAFL 20 : 314).

There can be no question but that this cycle is native to the Islands, and was not imported from the Occident. A Malayan story given by Skeat (Fables and Folk-Tales from an Eastern Forest, 9-12), "Who Killed the Otter's Babies?" is clearly related to our tales, at least in idea and method:--

The mouse-deer (plandok) is charged with killing the otter's babies by trampling them to death, but excuses himself by saying that he was frightened because the woodp.e.c.k.e.r sounded his war-gong. In the trial before King Solomon, the above facts come out, and the woodp.e.c.k.e.r is asked why he sounded the war-gong.

WOODp.e.c.k.e.r. Because the great lizard was wearing his sword.

GREAT LIZARD. Because the tortoise had donned his coat of mail.

TORTOISE. Because King Crab was trailing his three-edged pike.