Filipino Popular Tales | Page 7

In great wonder he said, "My nephew is surely a good guesser."
One Sunday a proclamation of the king was read. It was as follows: "The princess's ring is lost. Whoever can tell who stole it shall have my daughter for his wife; but he who tries and fails, loses his head."
When Suan's mother heard it, she immediately went to the palace, and said, "King, my son can tell you who stole your daughter's ring."
"Very well," said the king, "I will send my carriage for your son to ride to the palace in."
In great joy the woman went home. She was only ascending the ladder [6] when she shouted, "Suan Suan, my fortunate son!"
"What is it, mother?" said Suan.
"I told the king that you could tell him who stole the princess's ring."
"Foolish mother, do you want me to die?" said Suan, trembling.
Suan had scarcely spoken these words when the king's carriage came. The coachman was a courtier. This man was really the one who had stolen the princess's ring. When Suan was in the carriage, he exclaimed in great sorrow, "Death is at hand!" Then he blasphemed, and said aloud to himself, "You will lose your life now."
The coachman thought that Suan was addressing him. He said to himself, "I once heard that this man is a good guesser. He must know that it was I who stole the ring, because he said that my death is at hand." So he knelt before Suan, and said, "Pity me! Don't tell the king that it was I who stole the ring!"
Suan was surprised at what the coachman said. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Where is the ring?"
"Here it is."
"All right! Listen, and I will tell you what you must do in order that you may not be punished by the king. You must catch one of the king's geese to-night, and make it swallow the ring."
The coachman did what Suan had told him to do. He caught a goose and opened its mouth. He then dropped the ring into it, and pressed the bird's throat until it swallowed the ring.
The next morning the king called Suan, and said, "Tell me now who stole my daughter's ring."
"May I have a candle? I cannot guess right if I have no candle," said Suan.
The king gave him one. He lighted it and put it on a round table. He then looked up and down. He went around the table several times, uttering Latin words. Lastly he said in a loud voice, "Mi domine!"
"Where is the ring?" said the king.
Suan replied,--
"Singsing na nawala Ninakao ang akala Ay nas' 'big ng gansa,"--
which meant that the ring was not stolen, but had been swallowed by a goose. The king ordered all the geese to be killed. In the crop of one of them they found the ring. In great joy the king patted Suan on the back, and said, "You are truly the wisest boy in the world."
The next day there was a great entertainment, and Suan and the princess were married.

In a country on the other side of the sea was living a rich man named Mayabong. This man heard that the King of Campao had a son-in-law who was a good guesser. So he filled one of his cascos with gold and silver, and sailed to Campao. He went to the palace, and said, "King, is it true that your son-in-law is a good guesser?"
"Yes," said the king.
"Should you like to have a contest with me? If your son-in-law can tell how many seeds these melons I have brought here contain, I will give you that casco filled with gold and silver on the sea; but if he fails, you are to give me the same amount of money as I have brought."
The king agreed. Mayabong told him that they would meet at the public square the next day.
When Mayabong had gone away, the king called Suan, and said, "Mayabong has challenged me to a contest. You are to guess how many seeds the melons he has contain. Can you do it?" Suan was ashamed to refuse; so, even though he knew that he could not tell how many seeds a melon contained, he answered, "Yes."
When night came, Suan could not sleep. He was wondering what to do. At last he decided to drown himself in the sea. So he went to the shore and got into a tub. "I must drown myself far out, so that no one may find my body. If they see it, they will say that I was not truly a good guesser," he said to himself. He rowed and rowed until he was very tired. It so happened that he reached the place where Mayabong's casco was anchored. There he heard somebody talking. "How many seeds has the