d a tree for safety. While
they were busy at the foot of the tree, counting their money, he
dropped the sack of ashes among them. They ran away in fright, and he
acquired all their gold. When the people of the town heard Juan tell
how valuable ashes had become, they all burned their houses and took
the ashes to the forest, where they arrived just in time to suffer from
the wrath of the robbers. Only two escaped to accuse Juan; but Juan
was already on a journey, doing good with his money. A dying woman,
whom he helped, gave him a magic cane; and when the angry villagers
at last found him, he summoned a legion of soldiers by means of his
cane, and all of his assailants were killed. [With the second half
of this story, cf. No. 28 and notes.]

Colassit and Colaskel.--Colassit was good but poor; Colaskel, rich
but bad. Colaskel, quarrelling with Colassit, killed the latter's
only carabao. Colassit skinned his dead animal, and took the hide to
Laoag to sell it, but could find no purchaser. At night he asked for
shelter at a house, but was refused on the ground that the husband was
away from home; yet he boldly staid under the house. At midnight he
heard the clatter of dishes above, looked up through a hole in the
floor, and saw the woman dining merrily with a man. Just then the
husband arrived home and knocked at the door. Colassit saw the woman
put her paramour into a box in the corner, and the food in another
box. Colassit now appeared at the door, and was invited in by the
hospitable husband. On being asked what was in his bag, Colassit
replied that it was a miraculous thing, which, when it made a noise,
as it had a moment before when he had stepped on it, desired to say
something. On being asked to interpret, Colassit said that the skin
told him that there was delicious food in one of the boxes. Thereupon
the food was produced. Now, it was said in the neighborhood that
this house was haunted by the Devil, and the owner thought this a
good opportunity to find out by magic where the Devil was. Colassit
interpreted for the carabao-hide. The Devil was in the other box,
he said. After tying the box with heavy ropes, Colassit started
toward the river with it. He repeated a jingle which informed the
man inside of his imminent fate. The latter replied (also in verse)
that he would give a thousand pesos ransom. Colassit accepted,
and so became rich. [The narrator says that this is only one of ten
adventures belonging to the compl