Philippine Folk Tales | Page 9

that he was able to gratify his wife's wishes, he hastened home with the eggs; and while his wife was roasting them over the fire, he returned to the spirit house. She tried to eat, but the eggs did not taste good to her, and she threw them down under the house to the dogs.
"What is the matter?" called Aponitolau. "Why are the dogs barking?"
"I dropped some of the eggs," replied his wife, and she went back to her mat.
By and by she again said:
"I wish I had some of the oranges of Gawigawen of Adasen."
But when her husband asked what she wished, she replied:
"I want a deer's liver to eat"
So Aponitolau took his dogs to the mountains, where they hunted until they caught a deer, and when he had cut out its liver he spat on the wound, and it was healed so that the deer ran away.
But Aponibolinayen could not eat the liver any more than she could the fruit or the fish eggs; and when Aponitolau heard the dogs barking, he knew that she had thrown it away. Then he grew suspicious and, changing himself into a centipede, [32] hid in a crack in the floor. And when his wife again wished for some of the oranges, he overheard her.
"Why did you not tell me the truth, Aponibolinayen?" he asked.
"Because," she replied, "no one Who has gone to Adasen has ever come back, and I did not want you to risk your life."
Nevertheless Aponitolau determined to go for the oranges, and he commanded his wife to bring him rice straw. After he had burned it he put the ashes in the water with which he washed his hair. [33] Then she brought cocoanut oil and rubbed his hair, and fetched a dark clout, a fancy belt, and a head-band, and she baked cakes for him to take on the journey. Aponitolau cut a vine [34] which he planted by the stove, [35] and told his wife that if the leaves wilted she would know that he was dead. Then he took his spear and head-ax [36] and started on the long journey.
When Aponitolau arrived at the well of a giantess, all the betel-nut trees bowed. Then the giantess shouted and all the world trembled. "How strange," thought Aponitolau, "that all the world shakes when that woman shouts." But he continued on his way without stopping.
As he passed the place of the old woman, Alokotan, she sent out her little dog and it bit his leg.
"Do not proceed," said the old woman, "for ill luck awaits you. If you go on, you will never return to your home."
But Aponitolau paid no attention to the old woman, and by and by he came to the home of the lightning.
"Where are you going?" asked the lightning.
"I am going to get some oranges of Gawigawen of Adasen," replied Aponitolau.
"Go stand on that high rock that I may see what your sign is," commanded the lightning.
So he stood on the high rock, but when the lightning flashed Aponitolau dodged.
"Do not go," said the lightning, "for you have a bad sign, and you will never come back."
Still Aponitolau did not heed.
Soon he arrived at the place of Silit (loud thunder), [37] who also asked him:
"Where are you going, Aponitolau?"
"I am going to get oranges of Gawigawen of Adasen," he replied.
Then the thunder commanded:
"Stand on that high stone so that I can see if you have a good sign."
He stood on the high stone, and when the thunder made a loud noise he jumped. Whereupon Silit also advised him not to go on.
In spite of all the warnings, Aponitolau continued his journey, and upon coming to the ocean he used magical power, so that when he stepped on his head-ax it sailed away, carrying him far across the sea to the other side. Then after a short walk he came to a spring where women were dipping water, and he asked what spring it was.
"This is the spring of Gawigawen of Adasen," replied the women. "And who are you that you dare come here?"
Without replying he went on toward the town, but he found that he could not go inside, for it was surrounded by a bank which reached almost to the sky.
While he stood with bowed head pondering what he should do, the chief of the spiders came up and asked why he was so sorrowful.
"I am sad," answered Aponitolau, "because I cannot climb up this bank."
Then the spider went to the top and spun a thread, [38] and upon this Aponitolau climbed up into town.
Now Gawigawen was asleep in his spirit house, and when he awoke and saw Aponitolau sitting near, he was surprised and ran toward his house to get his spear and head-ax, but Aponitolau called to him, saying:
"Good morning,