ds
the coming of night; no fires were lighted; the evening meal was
forgotten. An ominous silence pervaded the barrio.

Night came--soft, fragrant night, with its thousand wonders. The
inquisitive moon peeped over the palm fronds, peeped again, and
decided to remain. Papita, her anklets and bangles clinking dully,
moved listlessly about, sorrowing for her lost pet; Sicto followed
her persistently, annoying her with his attentions. The sulky mestizo
took pleasure in provoking the little girl, for was she not Piang's
favorite, and was not Piang his enemy? He moodily contemplated the
charm boy at work on the silly-looking structure that he was not
allowed to approach.

When it was finished, Kali Pandapatan ordered every one to go to
their homes, to lock and bar the doors, and, under pain of his
displeasure, to make no sound. The death-like stillness was fraught
with tension. From the window in the nearest house, Piang kept
watch with Kali, Asin, and Tooloowee; in his hand he held the ratan
cable that controlled the nooses in the narrow lane. Minutes, hours
trailed by, and still the barrio watched. A gentle wind awakened the
forest whispers and gathered its freight of seed and pollen to scatter
abroad. The prisoner in the deserted campong protested and struggled,
its ugly grunts disturbing the jungle peace. Dull clouds obscured the
moon, and for a long time the barrio was in darkness. When the light
burst suddenly upon them, the Moros started from their drowsiness
and gazed with awe on the swaying, shuddering mango-tree. Not a leaf
was stirring on the surrounding trees, but the mango rustled and
trembled ominously.

"See, Kali! I was right!" whispered Piang. No superstitious horror
pervaded the hut where the four men watched, but in every other house
Moros fell upon their faces, beseeching Allah to protect them from
Bal-Bal. The capricious moon plunged into a shadowy cloud again. The
next flood of light disclosed a vision so horrible that even Kali and
his brave followers stiffened with fear. Out of the mango-tree a black,
writhing mass crept toward the terrified squealing boar. Unfolding
length after length, the thing advanced, until nearly thirty feet
of sinuous, undulating life stretched between the mango tree and
the boar's cage. Papita, sickened with fear, buried her face in her
mother's bosom, weeping hysterically; Sicto, pale and trembling,
grasped the window for support.

"_Ular-Sawa!_" ("Giant python!") he ga