eated by our cruel master, that God will have pity on
us. Come on! Let us go!"

The two animals at once set out, running as fast as they could,
always trying to avoid any human beings. When they came to a river,
the cow said, "We are very dirty. Let us take a bath before we go
on! The water of this river is so clean and clear, that we shall soon
be as clean as we were before our contemptible master got hold of us."

The carabao answered, "We would better run a little farther, for
perhaps our master is already in pursuit of us. Besides, we are very
tired now, and I have been told that to take a bath when one is tired
injures the health."

"Don't believe that!" returned the cow. "Our bodies are so big,
that we do not need to fear sickness."

At last the carabao was persuaded by the arguments of the cow; and
he said, "All right! Let us take off our clothes before we go into
the water!"

The two animals then stripped themselves of all their clothes, then
they plunged into the deep, cool river. They had been in the water
less than an hour, however, when they saw their master coming after
them with a big stick in his hand. They ran up to where their clothes
were; but in their haste the carabao put on the cow's clothes, and the
cow got the carabao's. As soon as they were dressed, they continued
their mad flight; and as their master was very tired, he had to give
up the chase and return home disappointed.

Since the carabao was larger than the cow, the skin on the cow's neck
has been loose ever since, because the two friends were separated
and could never exchange clothes again. And likewise the skin on the
carabao's neck has been tight ever since these two animals made their
mistake in dressing.

The First Loose-Skinned Cow and the First Tight-Skinned Carabao.

Narrated by Amanda Morente, a Tagalog from Pinamalayan, Mindoro. She
heard the story from an old woman of her town.

Many years ago, when the people of the world were still few in number
and the animals took the place of servants, an old man bought a cow
and a carabao from his neighbor. With these animals he travelled until
he reached the top of a mountain. There they saw a cave, and the
old man told his servants to enter and see if there was any danger
inside. With slow and cautious steps the carabao and the cow went
in, examining every corner. All at once the cow perceived something
moving. In his fright he jumped back, and hid behind his companion;
but