The Story of Bantugan

Group V: The Christianized Tribes

_Ilocano_

The Monkey and the Turtle
The Poor Fisherman and His Wife
The Presidente Who Had Horns
The Story of a Monkey
The White Squash

_Tagalog_

The Creation Story
The Story of Benito
The Adventures of Juan
Juan Gathers Guavas

_Visayan_

The Sun and the Moon
The First Monkey
The Virtue of the Cocoanut
Mansumandig
Why Dogs Wag Their Tails
The Hawk and the Hen
The Spider and the Fly
The Battle of the Crabs

Pronunciation of Philippine Names

TINGUIAN

Introduction

The dim light of stars filtered through the leafy canopy above us,
and the shadowy form of our guide once more appeared at my horse's
head. It was only for an instant, however, and then we were plunged
again into the inky darkness of a tropical jungle.

We had planned to reach the distant Tinguian village in the late
afternoon, but had failed to reckon with the deliberateness of native
carriers. It was only by urging our horses that we were able to
ford the broad Abra ere the last rays of the sun dropped behind the
mountains. And then, in this land of no twilights, night had settled
quickly over us.

We had made our way up the mountain-side, through the thick jungle,
only to find that the trail, long imperceptible to us, had escaped
even the keen eyes of our guide. For several hours we wandered about,
lost in the darkness.

On and on we went, through narrow paths, steep in places, and made
rough and dangerous by sharp rocks as well as by those long creepers
of the jungle whose thorny fingers are ever ready to seize horse or
rider. Occasionally we came out of the forest, only to cross rocky
mountain streams; or perhaps it was the same stream that we crossed
many times. Our horses, becoming weary and uncertain of foot, grew more
and more reluctant to plunge into the dark, swiftly flowing water. And
our patience was nearly exhausted when we at last caught sight of
dim lights in the valley below. Half an hour later we rode into Manabo.

I shall never forget that first picture. It was a weird
spectacle. Coming out of the darkness, we were almost convinced that
we had entered a new world. Against the blackness of the night,
grass-roofed houses stood outlined in the dim light of a bonfire;
and squatting around t