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a small house nearby, and she was filled with fear lest the owner
should find her there. She looked about for some means of escape and
finally climbed to the top of a betel-nut tree and hid.

Now the owner of this house was Ini-init, [2] the Sun, but he was
never at home in the daylight, for it was his duty to shine in the
sky and give light to all the world. At the close of the day when
the Big Star took his place in the sky to shine through the night,
Ini-init returned to his house, but early the next morning he was
always off again.

From her place in the top of the betel-nut tree, Aponibolinayen saw
the Sun when he came home at evening time, and again the next morning
she saw him leave. When she was sure that he was out of sight she
climbed down and entered his dwelling, for she was very hungry. She
cooked rice, and into a pot of boiling water she dropped a stick
which immediately became fish, [3] so that she had all she wished to
eat. When she was no longer hungry, she lay down on the bed to sleep.

Now late in the afternoon Ini-init returned from his work and went
to fish in the river near his house, and he caught a big fish. While
he sat on the bank cleaning his catch, he happened to look up toward
his house and was startled to see that it appeared to be on fire. [4]
He hurried home, but when he reached the house he saw that it was
not burning at all, and he entered. On his bed he beheld what looked
like a flame of fire, but upon going closer he found that it was a
beautiful woman fast asleep.

Ini-init stood for some time wondering what he should do, and then
he decided to cook some food and invite this lovely creature to eat
with him. He put rice over the fire to boil and cut into pieces the
fish he had caught. The noise of this awakened Aponibolinayen, and
she slipped out of the house and back to the top of the betel-nut
tree. The Sun did not see her leave, and when the food was prepared
he called her, but the bed was empty and he had to eat alone. That
night Ini-init could not sleep well, for all the time he wondered who
the beautiful woman could be. The next morning, however, he rose as
usual and set forth to shine in the sky, for that was his work.

That day Aponibolinayen stole again to the house of the Sun and cooked
food, and when she returned to the betel-nut tree she left rice and
fish ready for the Sun when he came home. Late in the afternoon
Ini-init went into his home, and when he found pot