the town,
crying, "Who wants to buy ashes?"

"What a foolish man!" said the housewives. "Why should we buy ashes
when we don't know what to do with those that come from our own
stoves?" When Cucunu came near the house of the ruler, the ruler said
to his servants, "I think that fellow is the same one I bade you whip
before. Call him in and give him a good thrashing, for he is only
making a fool of himself." So Cucunu was summoned and lashed again.

Thoroughly enraged, Cucunu determined that his brother should not
deceive him a third time. He thought and thought of what he should
do to get rid of him. At last he decided to throw his brother into
the river. For this purpose he made a strong cage. One day he caught
his brother and confined him in it.

"I will give you three days to repent," said Cucunu. "Now you cannot
deceive me any more." He then left his brother in the cage by the
bank of the river.

As a young man was passing by, Salaksak began to cry out, "They have
put me into this cage because I do not want to marry the ruler's
daughter." The young man, who had vainly striven for the hand of the
girl, immediately approached Salaksak, and said, "If you will let
me take your place, so that I may marry her, I will give you all the
cows I have with me."

So by this trick Salaksak escaped. Cucunu, thinking that the man
in the cage was his brother, would not listen to what he said, but
unmercifully threw him into the river. A few days later, Salaksak
went to his brother's house, and told him that it was quite beautiful
under the water. "There," he said, "I saw our father and mother. They
told me I was not old enough to stay with them, so they sent me back
here with a large number of cows."

"Well, well!" said Cucunu, "I too must go see our parents." He then
hastened to the river, and threw himself in and was drowned. Thus
Salaksak grew rich because of his craftiness.

Clever Juan and Envious Diego.

Narrated by Pablo Anzures, a Tagalog from Manila, who heard the story
from another Tagalog from Santa Maria, Bulakan.

There were once two brothers named Diego and Juan. Their father had
died a long time before, so they lived only with their good mother. In
character these two brothers were very different. Diego, the older,
was envious and foolish; Juan was clever.

One morning, while Diego was away, Juan called his mother, and said,
"Mother, help me fool Diego! Please lie down as if you were dead;
and when he