spect, whose joy was the burning of
villages, and whose delight was the killing of human beings, guarded
the entrance of that cave. Many persons had entered the door of that
death-chamber, but nobody had come from it alive. Suspicious of the
coming danger, Tomarind did not go directly to the cave. He sought the
famous witch of Tipuca, and told her about his situation. Immediately
the witch performed a sort of diabolical ceremony, gave Tomarind a
magic cane, and sent him away. When he reached the cave, those that
guarded the cave received Tomarind very kindly, and they delivered
the enchanted marble ball to him.

"To-morrow," said Nebucheba to himself, "the wife of Tomarind
will be mine." Alas for him! very early the next morning Tomarind
presented the marble ball to Datu Nebucheba. "How quickly he executed
my orders!" exclaimed Nebucheba. "What shall I do to destroy this
brave man? The next time he will not escape the danger. I will ask
him to take a letter to my parents, who are living under ground,
in the realm of the spirits," he said to himself.

The datu caused a well to be dug, and big stones to be piled near
the mouth of it. When everything was ready, he summoned the brave
warrior. He gave him the letter, and told him to start the next
morning. Tomarind went again to the witch of Tipuca. "This is a very
great task," said the witch; "but never mind! you will get even with
Datu Nebucheba." That night the witch, with the help of unseen spirits,
made a subterranean passage connecting the bottom of the datu's well
with that of Tomarind's. "Nebucheba," the witch said to Tomarind,
"will ask you to go down into his well; and as soon as you are at the
bottom, he will order that the pile of stones be thrown on you. Lose
no time, but go in to the subterranean passage that I have prepared
for you." When morning came, Tomarind went to execute the orders of
the datu.

Now, Nebucheba firmly believed that Tomarind was dead. There was
great rejoicing in the datu's house. In the evening, while the
revelry was going on, Tomarind appeared with the pretended answer
from Nebucheba's parents. The letter read, "We wish you to come and
see us here. We have a very beautiful girl for you." Nebucheba was
greatly surprised. He made up his mind to go down into the well the
next day. He gathered all his subjects together, and said to them,
"I am going to see my parents. If the place there is better than the
place here, I shall not come bac