hung on the thread, and when it did not break
she declared that the debt was all paid.

After this the people feasted and made merry, and when at last they
departed for home Dumalawi refused to go with his parents, but remained
with his wife in the town he had created.

The Story of Kanag

_Tinguian_

When the rice [60] had grown tall and it was near the time for it to
ripen, Aponitolau and Aponibolinayen grew fearful lest the wild pigs
should break in and destroy all their crop, so they sent their son,
Kanag, to the field to guard the grain. Kanag willingly went to the
place, but when he found that the fences were all strong so that the
pigs could not get in, and he was left with nothing to do, life in the
little watch-house [61] grew lonely, and the boy became very unhappy.

Each day Aponitolau carried cooked rice and meat to his son in the
field, but Kanag could not eat and always bade his father hang it in
the watch-house until he should want it Each time Aponitolau found
the food of the day before still untouched, and he began to suspect
that the boy was unhappy at having to guard the grain. But he said
nothing of his fears to Aponibolinayen.

One day after his father had returned home, Kanag was so lonely that
he used his magical power and became a little bird and flew up into
the top of a tree. The next day when Aponitolau came to the field
he looked everywhere for his son, and when he could not find him
he called, and from the top of a bamboo tree a little bird answered
him. Realizing what had happened, the father was very sad and begged
his son to come back and be a boy again, but Kanag only answered:

"I would rather be a bird [62] and carry the messages of the spirits
to the people."

At last the father went home alone, and he and the boy's mother were
filled with grief that they had lost their son.

Some time after this, Aponitolau prepared to go out to fight. He
took his spear and shield and head-ax and started early one morning,
but when he reached the gate of the town, Kanag flew over him, giving
him a bad sign, so he turned back. The next morning he started again,
and this time the little bird gave him a good sign, and knowing that
nothing would injure him, he went on.

After a long journey he reached a hostile town where the people said
they were glad to see him, and added that because he was the first
of his people who had dared to enter their town they intended to keep
him there.