Chapter VI: Preface (5)

The grief of Maria's sister became much greater, and her hope of rescuing her sister from damnation was gradually failing. She began to question the plants in her sister's yard. She took one by one all the gourds, pumpkins, cucumbers, chile peppers, melons, sincamas, peanuts, egg-plants, cow-peas, and onions and garlic, and other vegetables. She did not find among them that which she sought. She also went through the trees. She made inquiry, one after the other, of the chico, anona, custard-apple, mabolo, grape-fruit, orange, lime, and casoy trees. But here too her labor gave no result; only the group of the garden-plants she had not yet questioned, and if here she did not find what she sought, there would be nothing for her to do about the punishment her sister was undergoing. She went to them all, but there were not any who could say that they had received any kindness from Maria.

At the very last the sister went to the side of the well, and there she questioned all the blades of grass. When night came there was only one head of grass which she had not yet questioned. Full of fear and hope she approached it.

She asked the head of grass which grew by the side of the well: "When my sister was alive, did she ever do you an act of kindness?"

"Oh, your sister?" answered the grass, "Yes, it was she who gave me new life. Last summer my blades were all withered and I was near to dying, but your sister bathed one evening by the side of this well. As she bathed, some water was sprinkled on me, so that I grew again and my withered blades became fresh once more."

Maria's sister could not contain the joy which arose in her, and that very night she returned to Saint Peter. Saint Peter gave her a rosary and told her to go home and to hang this rosary down into the well. She was to call Maria and let her take hold of the rosary; by this means her sister could be rescued from damnation.

She went home at once, and hardly was the sun shining, when she came to the yard of the deceased Maria. She approached the well, let down the rosary, and called her sister. Maria emerged from under the water and took hold of the rosary. Her sister began to pull at the rosary and she was slowly lifted up.

As she was thus being rescued, some other souls too wanted to escape from Hell. So they all took hold of Maria's feet, when they saw that she was being rescued from damnation. But when only Maria's feet were still under water, she shook her two feet, so that the souls who had hold of her should have to let go.

When she did this the rosary broke and she at once fell into the well, and from that time on her sister was never again able to communicate with her.

The sister went back to Saint Peter and told him what had happened, but Saint Peter said that there was no longer anything that they could do to save her sister from Hell.

22. THREE SOULS WHO CALLED UPON SAINT PETER.

Juan was a gay bachelor. But when he reached the age of twenty-two he fell very sick and it was not long before he died. His soul went to Heaven and knocked at its gate.

Saint Peter answered his knock and asked: "Who are you? What brings you here?"

Juan's soul answered: "I am Juan's soul. Open the door, for I want to come in."

The door-keeper opened the gate, but before he allowed Juan's soul to enter, he questioned him as follows: "Why have you come here? What acts of piety have you performed on earth that you think you are entitled to the joys of Heaven? Have you left a wife behind you?"

Juan's soul said: "When I was still on earth I often went to church, prayed, and gave alms, but I did not have the good fortune to get married."

The door-keeper answered: "You are not fit to partake of the joys of Heaven."

And when he had said this he closed the door. Juan's soul was not able to enter Heaven.

When Juan had gone away, another soul arrived.

"Who are you? And why do you wish to come into Heaven? Did you get married when you were still on earth?" asked the door-keeper.

The soul answered: "I am the soul of Andrés. I took a wife when I was yet on earth. Open the gate for I want to come in."

At once Saint Peter opened the gate of Heaven, and when he saw the soul of Andrés he said: "Oh, pitiable soul! For such as you the joys of Heaven are reserved and fitting. Enter!"

The soul of Andrés was overjoyed and entered the abode of bliss.

When the door was closed there was another knock.

"Who are you?" the keeper asked again.

"I am the soul of Mariano," answered the one who had knocked.

"Why have you come here? Why do you think that you deserve to partake of Heaven? Did you get married when you were still on earth?"

To these questions the soul of Mariano answered: "When I was still on earth I often had masses said. Half of my wealth I gave to the Church for the saying of masses and the ringing of bells. The candles I offered up could not be drawn by three carabao, and as to getting married," continued the soul, "I was married twice. I became a widower and married again."

"I am very sorry that I am not able to let you in. There is no place for madmen like you in the Kingdom of Heaven."

And he closed the door.

23. JUAN THE CANOER.

One day a Spaniard was having Juan ferry him across the river in his canoe. The Spaniard, Juan's fare, was able to speak Tagalog. Accordingly, while they were still far from shore, he began a conversation with Juan.

This Spaniard was a learned man, no doubt a famous scholar in Spain, and this showed itself in his discourse to Juan regarding geography, arithmetic, and various languages of Europe.

When his discourse was ended, he asked Juan: "Have you studied geography?"

"No, sir," answered Juan,--and in truth, Juan had no education, for he had grown up in poverty, so that his life at all times was nothing but ceaseless work.

The Spaniard was astonished at Juan's answer and said at once: "I am sorry, friend, that you do not know geography, for in consequence half your life, as it were, is lost."

Juan did not utter a word, and kept on paddling.

It was not long before the Spaniard again asked: "Have you studied arithmetic?"

"No, sir," answered Juan.

"If that is the case, friend, a fourth of your life is lost to you, as it were."

Juan became a little frightened, for he could not make out what the Spaniard was trying to say.

He said to himself: "You poor fellow, Juan, only a fourth of your life is left now."

When their canoe had got to a deep part of the river, and while the Spaniard was reflecting upon the great ignorance of the working people in the Philippines, Juan asked his passenger this question: "Do you know how to swim, sir?"

"No," answered the Spaniard at once.

"In that case," answered Juan, "you have lost your whole life, not only as it were, but you have lost it in all truth."

And while he spoke these words he tipped over the canoe they were riding in. Juan swam to the shore, but the Spaniard was carried away by the stream.

24. KINDNESS TO ANIMALS.

One dark night Juan was walking in some forests far from any towns. He was on his way to his home town. Before he could arrive there, he had to pass through some uncanny places. One night, when he was walking in such a place, he was suddenly startled by the arrival of a black cat which purred and scratched at his leg. What he did was to kick the cat with all his might, and it was tossed a good distance. He kept on walking, but it was not long before the cat came back to him. His anger greatly increased, and he kicked the cat again. He thought that this cat was the plaything of some goblin or vampire. He kept on walking. It was not long before the black cat again came back to him. This time, instead of kicking the cat, he took hold of it, lifted it up on his arm, stroked it and patted it, and said to it: "Good little cat, what do you want? Are you going to come along with me on my journey?" and he continued walking.

After a while he was attacked by sleepiness. He saw a house by the way, but the people in his town believed that this house was enchanted. However, Juan had no other place to sleep, so he entered the house to sleep there.

He fell sound asleep, but at midnight he was awakened by the pattering of rats. He set about kicking and striking at the rats to kill them or drive them away. But the rats became more and more numerous until the room became full and they bit him and gnawed at him.

It was then that Juan took his black cat and told it to kill the rats. The cat miewed and began to chase the rats. Great fear seized the rats, and those that were not killed by the cat ran to their holes. When Juan saw that there were no rats left except only a single pair, he stopped the cat. He caught the two rats and petted them and decided to take them along on his journey, just like the cat.

On the next day he continued his journey. He was overtaken by night in a place where there were no houses, so he walked on toward a house owned by a certain old man. Now it happened that this old man was an enchanter. He took Juan in and gave him an alcove to sleep in. Juan went to sleep without suspecting anything.

However, when he woke up on the next day, he was surprised and frightened when he saw that he was locked up in a box without any opening. He kicked at the walls of the box, but was not able to do anything: he could not open it. Great was his despair, and he did not know what to do, when he remembered that he had a cat and two rats with him in his prison. He took the two rats, petted them, and told them to make a hole in the box in which they were confined. The rats began to gnaw at the boards, and gradually they succeeded in making a hole in the thick board, until it was pierced through. When they had pierced it, they returned to Juan, and Juan had them again pierce the wall of the prison. When they had made holes again and again, they finally succeeded in making a large opening, and Juan was able to escape.

Juan looked for the old man, but did not find him anywhere. So he continued on his way home, and when he arrived there, he told of the great service which had been done him by his three friends, a cat and two rats.

25. JUAN THE SCULPTOR.

I once read, in a Spanish novel entitled La tumba de hierro, the following story:

Juan was a child of five years, the son of a workman of the wealthy Andrés. Juan was dumb from birth, but not deaf. Moreover, his dumbness was not complete, for often he was able to cry out, though his voice was not like that of a normal child.

One evening Andrés visited the house of his workman, Juan's father, and on this visit he brought along his daughter, who also was five years old. In spite of his dumbness, Juan made friends with his master's child, and the two played together while their fathers were discussing matters of farming. He showed Maria (this was the name of his playmate) his toys, which he had made by his own hand and skill.

His toys were all kinds of faces of people which he had made, and they were made of clay. There were also many whole figures of people in all kinds of positions. Some were planting, some were dancing, some were lying down, and there were also some wrestling, running, and in many other positions. He also had animals; some were made of clay and others were made of wood.

The two children became good friends and were engrossed in play. When their fathers had finished their conversation, Andrés called Maria to go home, but Maria first asked her father to come to where Juan's toys were, so that he might see them. When Andrés beheld the toys, he was astonished at the great ability shown by the one who had shaped these manikins. Andrés told Juan's father that Juan was gifted and ought to be sent to school. But Juan's father answered that he had no money with which to let Juan study.

"In that case," said Andrés, "I will pay the teacher. Tomorrow Maria's teacher is coming to our house. I shall have him go on here to you, to begin the teaching of Juan and the opening up of his mind."

Juan's father thanked him profusely, and they parted. Juan was very sorry when his playmate left.

From that day on Maria's father often sent for Juan that he might play with Maria there in his house.

One afternoon when the two were playing in the garden in the wide grounds of Andrés, a butterfly came flying past the two children. They ran after it. Maria ran ahead and Juan followed. As they were running, Maria fell into a shallow pool which Andrés used as a fishpond. Juan gave a loud cry, and, as he cried out, a muscle in his throat broke and his mouth bled. He paid no attention to this and jumped into the pool to save Maria from drowning. As the pool was shallow, the two children did not drown, only Maria was filled with great fear, which caused her to faint while still in the water. So what Juan did was to take hold of Maria by her back and lift her up, so that she should not swallow any water,--he himself meanwhile being immersed. They were in this position when a servant of Andrés came upon them and rescued them from the pool.

Great was the surprise of Andrés and great was the joy which came to Juan's father, when they heard Juan talk and tell them what had happened. What with Juan's talking, his progress in his studies became much greater and his friendship with Maria grew much stronger.

There came the day when his teacher said that he ought to go to another town to continue his studies, for he could teach him nothing more. He told this also to Andrés. Andrés sent Juan to a school for sculptors, and there he studied for about six years.

Juan and Maria grew up and their friendship turned into love. Every vacation Juan went home to their house on Andrés' estate, and there he passed the days at Maria's side.

There came a day for the exhibition of the sculptures of the artists, and Juan had planned a design which he was going to carry out for that day. The victor among the contestants was to be given a prize that was to be accompanied by much money, in addition to a celebration in honor of the winner. For about a year Juan worked at his composition.

The day for presenting the statues arrived. Juan, his father, Andrés, and Maria went to the building where the statues were. Many people were there, but they were all crowding round Juan's statue. Andrés did not know what to say in his admiration. The hour came when the judges announced who was the winner, and Juan's statue was that named as having won the prize.

It was a group with a standing woman. Her left hand held a torch and her right a crown of leaves. At the right of the woman and under the crown of olive a youth was kneeling on his right foot. In his left hand he was holding a book, and in his right a hammer. At their feet lay scattered various implements of a student.

On the way home the two lovers revealed their secret to their parents. Juan's father was merely grieved, for he knew that the marriage of the two was not possible, for their position was like that of a slave or thrall and a lord or king. When Andrés learned of the matter, he was filled with great anger. He had Juan called to him and scolded him. He told him he was shameless and did not know how to appreciate favors,--did not know how to repay the man who had given him his education, and told him that he could not marry Maria. Accordingly Juan at once went away without anyone's knowing his destination.

Five or six years passed, and Juan at his sculpture did not forget Maria.

Maria passed these six years in her house. She was sunk at all times in a deep grief, and it was always Juan of whom she was thinking. Maria fell seriously ill and was near to death.

Her physician advised Andrés that, if he wanted to save his daughter, he would have to follow her desire regarding marriage to Juan. But when Andrés consented, it was already too late. Maria's sickness went from bad to worse, and he did not even know where Juan was. He sent many messengers to the large towns to look for Juan, but even when many days had passed, not one of them had succeeded in finding Juan.

At last one of them came upon him in the town of Kamalig in his workshop. When he was told that he was being sent for by Andrés that he and Maria might be married, his joy was very great. But he was also much afraid that he might not find his loved one alive. He went home with all possible speed, and when he arrived at the house of Andrés, he found there the body of Maria, mere bone and skin, stretched out on her couch. That very moment Andrés sent for a priest, and Juan and Maria were married. While the marriage-ceremony was being performed by the priest, Maria's breath ceased. When they were married, Juan had but time to kiss his wife before her breath left her, her face glad and her mouth smiling.

26. MARQUITA.

Marquita was a good and beautiful young woman, but poor. She was betrothed to a man who also was poor, but had a position with the Government in Manila and received good pay.

Marquita had a rich neighbor. His house was of wood, with an iron roof, and his estate was large. This neighbor had a great liking for Marquita, but we cannot say whether his love was true, for he had a screw loose. He paid every attention to Marquita, but Marquita was not a girl of fickle heart and paid no heed to all his attentions.

So great was the desire of this suitor to win Marquita that he decided to employ force. One afternoon he went into the yard of Marquita's family and hid in a banana-tree. It happened that on this afternoon Marquita's yard was dirty. Accordingly she went and swept the yard. When she came near the banana-tree in which the man was hiding, he suddenly dropped down, seized her by the hand and kissed her.

As you know, among reputable people in our country a single kiss is a great stain on a girl's honor. Therefore, when Marquita came into the house weeping and her parents found out that she had been roughly handled or kissed by this man, they decided that there was no other way of covering up this disgrace than marrying their daughter Marquita to this man. No matter how much Marquita objected, and although they knew that she had a sweetheart, they nevertheless prepared for the marriage.

Marquita was a daughter very obedient to her parents, so she could not actually disobey them now. All she did was to write her betrothed what had happened and what was going to happen and to tell him that her coming marriage was only an act of obedience to her parents, and that she loved only him. To her parents Marquita said that they would get no joy from her, for her marriage to the man whom she abhorred would soon be the death of her.

They were married. It was not long before Marquita was stricken with fever. From the day of her marriage she was not able to eat anything, and she shed tears day and night. The skilful physicians of the town, all the wealth of her husband, and all the prayers of her parents, failed to save her from death. Seven days after her wedding she died. This caused much grief to her former betrothed and contributed to his misfortune in his later life.

27. THE IGNORANT PRIEST.

To the town of Baliwag there was once assigned a priest who had no education whatever. The people surmised that he was only a grass-cutter in Spain, who had been cast hither by chance and assigned as priest to their town so that he might have some income and so be saved from dying of hunger. Every Sunday he said mass, but those who heard the mass could hear nothing from him, except only the word "Mass, mass, mass," and so on. He would walk round in front of the altar; at times he faced the people, brought his hands together, and, while making all these movements, he would keep saying his "Mass, mass, mass," and so on.

The people got angry and reported him to the archbishop. The answer of the archbishop was that he would come some Sunday and hear the mass to see if their accusation was really true.

The archbishop arrived. The priest told him that he was not able to perform mass, because the silly people all left the church as soon as he began mass.

"Tomorrow," he added, "you will see how they all run away as soon as I give the blessing."

The next day was Sunday and at his mass the archbishop was to be present. He planned a way of saving himself. Accordingly, before beginning the mass, he caused some oil to boil. While he was putting on his vestments the people and the archbishop were seated in the church. The archbishop was near the altar, and, while the priest was putting on his vestments, the oil was boiling. When he had put on his vestments, he poured the boiling oil into the vessel for holy water. It was his custom to give the blessing before saying mass, so, when he entered the church, he sprinkled the boiling oil on the people instead of holy-water. The people, struck by the drops of hot oil, all jumped up and ran with all their might out of the church. When the archbishop saw this, he did not have the mass gone on with on that day, for there was not a single one of the people left in the church.

The archbishop said to the priest that he would not have to leave the town and that hereafter he would not heed any accusation that the people made.

28. THE CONFESSIONAL.

Father Mundo was the priest assigned for some years to the town of Mariquina. He was a man who liked amusements. He was never deficient in the fulfilment of his duties. Every day he said mass, and on Sunday he said mass twice. Also, he christened children, said blessings over the dead, carried the sacrament, heard confession, and gave holy communion. He performed all his duties well, but the confessing he overdid a little. From his point of view this was perhaps useful in lessening the sins of those whom he confessed, but for some of the latter it had its bad side.

Once there was a young woman who was fond of going to church and to confession. When this young woman reached the age of twenty years, she abandoned the pious duty of going to confession, and also went to church but rarely. Once when this woman was questioned, she spoke as follows:

"At first I really thought that Father Mundo was a saint, but now the people realize that he is a horrid man. At flood-time, when the people are all canoeing on the flood, he rides along in the women's canoe, and not with the men. In the morning, after saying mass, he is seen squatting in his courtyard with his vestments trailing on the ground, petting fighting-cocks, in company with the other cock-fighters.

"At first I often confessed to him, but there came a day when the things he asked me in the confessional were nothing but foolishness. Was it right for him to ask me how many suitors I had, whom I liked, and where I met them? What I thought was that this priest was extremely impudent. So I left him at once in the confessional, and since that time I have not been going to confession."

29. JUAN THE JOKER.

Juan was a man given to doing nonsensical things, but he did not do them intentionally to anger his fellow-men; it was merely his natural habit, prompted by his character.

Once he went to the festival of a certain town. He was carrying three young pigs to sell in the town. When he got there, he saw many people gathered in the courtyard of the church and listening to a speech which the mayor of the town was delivering. The people stood in a dense crowd, but he succeeded in getting close to the foot of the platform on which the orator was standing. While he took part in the crowding, the three pigs kept squealing. When he had arrived in front of the mayor, he held his hand over their mouths to make them keep quiet, but he did not succeed. The mayor took notice of the squealing of the pigs and looked round to see who had brought the pigs there.

When he saw Juan he addressed him as follows: "Juan! What do you mean by making your pigs squeal here? Get out of here at once and never again dare to set foot on the ground of Bustos!"

Juan departed and went home to his town of San Ildefonso. A year passed, and the festival in the town of Bustos came round again. Juan wanted to go there, but he remembered that the mayor of that town had threatened him that, if he were seen again on the ground of Bustos, he would have him imprisoned and tortured. Juan thought of a way of going there none the less.

When the festival arrived, there was a high mass, which was attended by thousands of people. Juan was one of these people, and he it was whom all the people were watching, owing to the manner of his appearance there in the church. It was not long before one of the people who were watching him complained to the mayor, saying that Juan was in the church mounted on a wagon drawn by carabao, and that the whole thing, wagon, carabao, and Juan, was inside the church. Juan had not got down from the wagon on which he was standing.

The mayor went to the church to arrest Juan. When he got there he said: "Juan! Follow me, I am going to imprison you. Didn't I tell you not to set foot on the ground of Bustos?"

But Juan answered: "Mr. Mayor! You certainly did tell me that. That is why I cannot get out of my wagon. Do you see this earth, sir, with which my wagon is loaded and on which I am standing? This is not the ground of Bustos, sir, but earth of San Ildefonso. I got this earth in my town."

When Juan had said this, the mayor could not restrain his laughter and only said to himself that he could do nothing to Juan, for the latter was in the right.

30. THE THREE THIEVES.

Juan, Andrés, and Diego were three expert thieves. They were very famous, and many people were trying to catch them, but their cleverness at dodging and stealing kept them from being caught. The three once made an appointment to meet at a certain quiet and secret place to discuss their means of livelihood and new good methods of thievery. Not one of them had an honest trade. This had been their mode of life from childhood on, so they had become skilful and very clever at this activity.

When the day of their meeting came, they were there already at dawn. Each one of them had much to tell, and, as they were all talking at once, their stories were indistinguishable.

Juan asked of Diego: "How skilled are you now at your work?"

"In my opinion," answered Diego, "I am the most skilful of us three, for I am able to steal the eggs a hen is brooding on without its knowing it. And not only this," he continued, "I am able to rob wild animals of their young without their noticing it."

"Is that all your skill?" Andrés quickly interrupted, "I am able to rob animals and men too. I have stolen all of people's jewelry that I wanted to steal, whether the owner was asleep or up and about. Once I stole a ring that the owner was sleeping on to keep it from being stolen,--but I stole it without his noticing."

"Is that all the skill you two have?" asked Juan. "The things you do don't come halfway up to my skill at stealing. I can steal people themselves, and not only their property."

The two he was talking to were surprised, for they did not think that a live man could be stolen without his knowing it, and, to test Juan's ability, the two made a bet with Juan. They told him to steal the priest of the town and to bring him to the place where they now were. If he succeeded in doing this, Andrés and Diego would pay him five hundred pesos. But if he could not do it, he was to pay Andrés and Diego one hundred pesos. Juan agreed to this bet, and they parted.

Juan went to the town and found out by inquiry where the priest lived. When he had found this out, he figured out the plan he would pursue in stealing the priest. He entered the priest's household as a servant. During his stay as a servant he became acquainted with the habits of the priest. One of his habits, from which he never deviated, was praying a rosary before the image of a saint. The image was made of wood, and it represented Saint John. The size of this image was equal to that of a man. Juan had a carver make an image just like this one, but with an opening, and hollow inside. This opening inside the body of the image of the saint was such that a man could enter it. When the image which Juan had had made was ready, he replaced with it the image of Saint John which belonged to the priest.

One afternoon before prayers he took a rice-sack and went into the inside of the saint he had had made. When the priest had eaten supper he went into the room in which he prayed, to say a rosary. When he was halfway through his prayers, and just about as Juan was getting tired of standing up, the latter spoke: "Cease your praying, Father Lucas. I have been sent here to conduct you to Heaven."

At first the priest was filled with fear, but then he thought that his saint was doing a miracle and was really calling for him in order to take him to Heaven. As he did not say anything, Juan again spoke as follows: "Many are the works of piety which you have done. You have been patient in living a lowly life, therefore all the joys of Heaven have been reserved for you. Come with me, and I shall conduct you."

The priest answered: "How shall I manage to come with you? I am old and cannot walk from here on earth as far as Heaven."

Juan answered: "Never you mind that, I have a bag here. Get into it and I will carry you on my way to Heaven."

When he had said this, he spread out the rice-sack. When the priest had got into it, Juan tied the bag tightly. He got out from inside the image and carried Father Lucas on his shoulder toward the house where he had his appointment with his two friends. Father Lucas really believed that he was going to Heaven, and so he staid still in the sack.

However, when Juan was wading through a shallow river, it occurred to him that he was being fooled and that they were not going to Heaven at all.

Therefore he asked Juan: "What river is this, and why must we cross a river on the way to Heaven?"

Juan answered: "Shhh! Don't make any noise! This is the river Jordan."

The priest desisted from speaking. Juan kept on walking. When he was already going up into the house that was their place of meeting, the priest was again surprised and again asked: "What stairway is this? Is this the way the staircase of Heaven looks?"

"I have told you already that you must not make any noise," answered Juan, "This is the stairway that leads to Heaven."

When they had come up into the house, they were met by Diego and Andrés. Juan dropped his burden and said to them: "I have brought here what you told me to steal. Have you brought the five hundred pesos?"

The other two did not believe him at once. So what they did was to make a hole in the bag and peep at the contents. In it they saw the head of the priest with the tonsure. Accordingly they handed Juan the five hundred pesos and they all quickly left the house. They abandoned the priest, leaving him to get free as best he could.

31. HOW MONKEYS ARE CAUGHT.

In the jungle one not rarely meets with large herds of monkeys. When the one who comes into their haunts is unarmed, there is danger of their killing the man whom they overpower by their numbers. When angry, they climb down from the trees and all bite at the man who is in their power. Therefore a man who is going into jungles where there are many monkeys will not neglect to carry a gun. When the monkeys hear the noise of the gun, they are unafraid. Most of them do not run away, but look at the place where the noise and smoke come from. Those who are reached by a bullet try to ward it off with their hand, like one who is warding off a mere throw. Therefore, when they are shot, their palms too are pierced by the bullet.

Not infrequently people catch live monkeys, so as to domesticate them and sell them to the various foreigners who come to the Philippines. The catching of live monkeys does not involve much labor, for the method of catching them is simply to trick them.

When one wants to catch monkeys, one usually cooks or has cooked some sweetmeats, and into these one mixes or has mixed some balasing. Balasing is the seed of a plant which intoxicates or puts into a deep sleep the animals which eat it. It is used also in catching fish in rivers. When these sweetmeats have been cooked, the man carries them to where the herd of monkeys is. However, if he should place it carefully on the ground, the monkeys would not climb down to eat it. They suspect that these sweetmeats are only a bait for them, that they may be caught or killed. Therefore what the man does is to pretend that he is frightened and when he sees the monkeys, he starts running, carrying on his head the tray of drugged sweetmeats. While running he pretends to take a fall on his face, so that the sweetmeats he is carrying on his head fall down and are scattered over the ground. When this happens, he keeps on running just the same, and hides somewhere or other to watch the monkeys eat. When the monkeys see the man running away, and when he is hidden, they climb down from the trees and all start grabbing the sweetmeats. They all crowd on top of one another in their greed, and the noise is very great, for each herd of monkeys is about five hundred or a thousand strong. When they have eaten it is not long before they are attacked by sleepiness. They get weak and cannot climb into the trees. It is a laughable sight to see these monkeys, old and young, squatting on the ground and nodding, everyone of them. The ones who did not succeed in grabbing any sweetmeats climb up into the trees and look down at their drunken companions. When the monkeys are in this state, and not before, does the man who is hidden come up and take the sleeping monkeys one by one. The effect of the drug is not of long duration, and the monkeys get well after a few days.

Another common way of catching monkeys is to use cocoanuts as bait. A hole is made in an unopened cocoanut. The size of this hole is just large enough for a monkey to put in his hand when it is not holding anything. Inside the cocoanut-shell is placed a piece of the meat of the cocoanut, and the whole thing is placed in a spot where there are monkeys. Monkeys like cocoanut, and when they see it, they grasp the meat that is inside the shell. But when they have hold of the cocoanut-meat, they can no longer take their hand out through the opening, but they will not let go of the cocoanut-meat. Consequently they are as though in stocks, and when the man who is catching them approaches, they cannot get away, for the cocoanuts are heavy and sometimes are weighted in addition. So when the catcher comes up, he is able without difficulty to capture the handcuffed monkeys, grown or young.

32. THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT JOHN.

The twenty-fourth of June is the festival of Saint John, and it is celebrated in the various towns of the province of Bulacán. In the month of June there is usually rain and mud. The people believe that Saint John is the saint who makes the rain fall, and therefore is fond of water and mud. Hence the celebrations performed on his day are very different from those performed on the days of other saints. In the towns near the sea there are floods in the month of June and the water comes up into the town. In the towns farther from the sea it is also very rainy, and usually these floods and rains fall on the day of Saint John. The people who take part in the celebration get themselves drenched in the flood or in the rain. In the towns of Malolos and Hagúnoy, when this holiday falls into a time of large flood, almost all the people get into the water or else go canoeing. If there is no flood, the people walk about in the rain. Many people from the country and the suburbs go about collecting alms on this holiday. Most of them are boys or young men; rarely are there any women. In separate groups they go about collecting alms, and each group has with it a band that plays on bamboo instruments. Those who do not play are supposed to have the task of singing or dancing. All of them are almost without clothing, like Igorots, but their whole body, from head to foot, including even the eyes and ears, is caked over with mud.

These groups go calling from house to house. They stop in front of a house and there they play music or sing or dance. They usually sing about the life of Saint John or of some other saint who was a friend of his. While their music is playing, their order is in single file in a circle, sometimes standing, sometimes squatting or kneeling. When there is a singer or dancer, he is within the circle of musicians and there performs his singing or dancing. After two or three pieces of music, songs, or dances they stop and all go round asking alms of the people who are watching them. If they receive no alms, they take mud from their body and throw it at the stingy people. They spend the whole day in such celebration. As these alms-gatherers are very numerous, they help to make the town gay, even though it is very rainy.

When there is canoeing it is not uncommon for people to get drowned. Consequently this custom is gradually disappearing. Moreover, in these days people are getting stingy and rarely give alms. Hence the gatherers of alms on the festival of Saint John are gradually disappearing.

33. FAMILY CELEBRATIONS AFTER A DEATH.

A family that has suffered a loss by death suffers not only in its mind and soul, but also in its purse. This is on account of the great expense borne by the bereaved ones in conforming with various customs.

On the day when someone has died very many people call on his family, and these visitors do not content themselves with condoling with the dead person's family, but make a long stay in the house of mourning. Consequently the bereaved family is compelled to serve food to the visitors. Usually the dead person is not buried at once, but is first placed in state for two or three days from the time when he ceased to breathe. During these days people's visits stop neither by day nor by night. Most of them are relatives and others are friends, neighbors, and other acquaintances in town. If the deceased had many friends or relatives in other towns, they too come to visit, and they have to be given board and lodging by the dead person's family. This is because in the small towns in the provinces there are no hotels. In feeding all these guests they often use up half a cow, several sheep and goats, and innumerable chickens. The chef is usually hired, and the near relatives of the deceased help with the cooking. For this reason in the house of death the place where the deceased is lying in state is very quiet, and even when many people are there, when they talk it is only in whispers. But in the dining-room and kitchen the noise is extraordinary. Everyone is giving orders to the servants, some are washing dishes or pots, some are polishing knives and forks, some are serving at the table, and so on. In the kitchen the sputtering of the frying-pans never stops, and one can hear only the voices of the chef and his assistants.

But in one chamber of the house stays the immediate family of the deceased and is plunged in grief. They all cry as hard as they can and from time to time blurt out questions as to what will happen to them because of the departure of the one who has died.

If the deceased is wealthy, a priest comes to get him and escorts him to the church. Arriving at the church, the body is blessed by the priest and after this the priest escorts it also to the cemetery. All the visitors are present at the burial, and usually they ride in carriages. These carriages are hired, except for a few which belong to some of the visitors.

When the dead has been buried the guests who come from other towns go along back to the house of mourning. Most commonly they soon depart, but sometimes they stay three days, to take part in the Three Nights' Celebration. The Three Nights are celebrated in the house of the deceased. At this time the relatives call and all pray together. In this praying only the older people take part, and the young men and young women tell each other riddles. These ceremonies are performed during the Three Nights. On the last night there are usually many people, and the entertaining is more elaborate than on the two preceding nights. Many of those who come give presents to the bereaved ones. Usually these are things to eat for the guests.

In poor families these ceremonies are also performed, but the priest's calling for and escorting the corpse does not take place. For the blessing of the corpse one may pay the priest whatever one desires. The cheapest thing is the blessing of the corpse at the door of the church and placed on the ground. The next in order is the blessing of the corpse also at the door of the church, but with the coffin placed on an altar. The most expensive blessings are performed right by the altar. The price of these is from one-hundred to five-hundred pesos.

34. FLEEING FROM THE AMERICANS.

The people of San Miguel were like herds of animals fleeing before the whips of the herdsmen and the pursuit of savage dogs. They are very fond of peace and quiet. Also they are very credulous toward hearsay, and these circumstances are what did not allow most of them to stay at ease in the town during the time of the revolutions against the Spaniards and the Americans. It is also true, however, that many of them ran away merely from fright or cowardice.

When the revolution against the Spaniards of the year 1896 took place, I was only four years old. According to what my mother has told me, we went to Manila instead of going up into the mountains. I do not remember much of what happened at that time, except the fact that we went to the railroad station. When we arrived at Manila we were not able to enter the city unless we had a permit from an official of this city.

The next thing which has become fixed in my memory is our stay in Bigaá, in the house of an attorney, whose name was Don Nasario. We went to this town to escape the fighting of the forces of the Katipunan and the Spaniards in Manila. In Bigaá were Tagalog soldiers drilling to take part in the fighting.

A little later we went to the town of Bustos. This town also was at that time in the hands of the Katipunan. This town is very pretty because of the various aspect of the things one sees. The river is very broad, the banks are wide, and on the banks are hills of stone and sand. The friends with whom we stayed were kind people. They often played with my sister and me, and the game was to make ducks dive in the clear waters of the river.

What took place in the fighting of those times I did not find out, for I was still small and had not yet any understanding.

When the flight from the Americans came, I was already a little older, and I remember much of our flight to the mountains. When the Americans had defeated the soldiers of Aguinaldo the people of San Miguel were filled with terror. The report circulated in the town that the Americans were wild people, cruel and fierce, and without respect for anything. This no doubt was a rumor which the Spaniards caused to be spread, and especially the Spanish priests in the Philippines. Owing to people's fear of the Americans, almost all of us townspeople packed up our belongings and went up into the mountains. We were living at that time in the house of an aunt of my mother's, and there dwelt with us also the family of my mother's oldest brother. I remember that the packing and hauling of the goods of all of us who lived in the house took more than ten days. The wagons laden with our goods were despatched at night, so that the carabao that drew them should not get exhausted in the heat of the sun. The wagons were filled up to the top of the covering, and the carabao were much wearied by the drawing of the heavy loads. When no belongings of ours were left, we ourselves got into the wagon to be carried to the mountains.

The place we went to was called Paang-Bundóc, half a day's walk from Sibul Springs. The dwelling we came to there was a mere hut with a roof of cugon-grass, and very small. The floor consisted of branches of trees with the twigs cut off, but not smooth or even. It was very small and was penetrated by wind and cold. Such was the place we lived in for several months, instead of the frame house of my mother's aunt.

There in Paang-Bundóc there came to us many fellow-townspeople who were also fleeing, and the last comers reported that all the people of the town were by now in the mountains, or at any rate gone, and only the houses were left.

After several months' stay at Paang-Bundóc we went from there to a secret place. This place was a clearing in the jungle. Not one of us was allowed to know the name of the place, and those who knew it kept it very secret, so that our hiding-place should not be known by any outsider. This was a way of escaping not only the enemy, but also robbers and thieves. The house we lived in there was very large, a very long building, all under one roof. The building was cut up into rooms of equal size. The number of these was about eight. In each room one family lived. Here too we were compelled to stay for several months.

When the Americans were already near the town of San Miguel, it was reported to us that these people were not as hearsay described them, so that our fear of them gradually gave way. Accordingly we left our deep concealment and went to Paho. This too is a place in the mountains, but nearer to the town. There we were met by many fellow-townsmen and people from various other places. Most of them were sick from staying in the mountains. Here the medicines which Mother had taken up into the mountains instead of leaving them in the town, were of great use. These medicines belonged to Father; he had left them behind when he was banished to Sulu by the Spanish priests. One morning someone called at our house to buy some medicine. Mother went to the chest in which the medicine lay. When it was opened, we saw a snake coiled up and sleeping on the rice-hulls that covered the bottles. The people who saw this rejoiced greatly, but Mother was only frightened. She did not know the meaning of the snake. When the rejoicing was over, Mother asked why they were all so glad. They answered that the meaning of the snake was that the owner of the medicine was going to get rich. Mother only laughed at what they said, for she did not believe in these things.

After a few months we left Paho and went home to our town. When we got there, most of the few belongings we had left there had been stolen by the few people who had been left in the town. The boards of the flooring of the house of Mother's aunt were gone, and they did not know who had taken them.

Not long after our arrival in town it was reported that the American soldiers were now near to the town of San Miguel. We were not made uneasy by this news, and awaited their arrival. One noon the town was quiet. The soldiers who were in the town went away and those who did not go away threw away their guns. The reason for this was the entry of the American soldiers. From the back yard of the house in which we were living I saw the approach of the soldiers. Their trousers were khaki and their shirts blue. They carried their guns and ran in single file across the fields and came toward the road.