How strange this is! I believe some beautiful girl must have chewed
my cane. I will watch tonight, and maybe she will return for more."

As darkness came on he had no thought of returning home, but he made
his meal of the sugar-cane, and then hid in the tall grass near the
field to wait. By and by dazzling lights blinded his eyes, and when
he could see again he was startled to find many stars falling from
the sky, and soon he heard someone breaking the cane. Suddenly a star
so large that it looked like a flame of fire fell into the field,
and then a beautiful object near the fence took off her dress which
looked like a star, and she appeared like the half of the rainbow.

Never had Aponitolau seen such sights; and for a while he lay shaking
with fear.

"What shall I do?" he said to himself. "If I do not frighten these
companions of the beautiful girl, they may eat me."

With a great effort he jumped up and frightened the stars till they
all flew up, and when the pretty girl came looking for her dress she
found Aponitolau sitting on it. [44] "You must forgive us," she said,
"for your sugar-cane is very sweet, and we wanted some to chew."

"You are welcome to the sugar-cane," answered Aponitolau. "But now
we must tell our names according to our custom, for it is bad for us
to talk until we know each other's names."

Then he gave her some betel-nut and they chewed together, [45] and
he said:

"Now it is our custom to tell our names."

"Yes," said she; "but you tell first"

"My name is Aponitolau and I am the husband of Aponibolinayen."

"I am Gaygayoma, the daughter of Bagbagak and Sinag up in the air,"
said the girl. "And now, Aponitolau, even though you have a wife,
I am going to take you up to the sky, for I wish to marry you. If
you are not willing to go, I shall call my companion stars to eat you."

Aponitolau shook with fear, for he knew now that the woman was a
spirit; and as he dared not refuse, he promised to go with her. Soon
after that the stars dropped a basket that Gaygayoma had ordered them
to make, and Aponitolau stepped in with the lovely star and was drawn
quickly through the air up to the sky. They were met on their arrival
by a giant star whom Gaygayoma introduced as her father, and he told
Aponitolau that he had acted wisely in coming, for had he objected,
the other stars would have eaten him.

After Aponitolau had lived with the stars for some time, Gaygayoma
asked him to prick between he