ced the people that he told
the truth, and a number of men at once returned with him to secure
the tree.

Their quest, however, was unsuccessful, for ere they reached the spot
the evil spirit had taken the tree away and on the walls of the cave
it had made strange carvings which even to this day can be seen.

The Striped Blanket

_Tinguian_

Three Tinguian once went to the mountains to hunt deer. They took
their blankets with them, for they expected to be gone several days,
and the nights in the mountains are cold.

The blankets of two of the men were of the blue-and-white designs
such as are commonly worn by the Tinguian, but that of the third was
covered with red and yellow stripes like the back of a little wild pig.

At night the men rolled up in their blankets and lay down under a
tree to sleep; but while the one in the striped blanket was still
awake two spirits came near and saw him.

"Oh," he heard one spirit say to the other, "here we have something
to eat, for here is a little wild pig."

Then the man quickly took the blanket off one of his sleeping
companions and put his own in its place. Very soon the spirits came
and ate the man under the striped blanket.

Since that time the Tinguian never sleep under that kind of a blanket
if they are where the spirits can get them.

The Alan and the Hunters

_Tinguian_

Two men once went to hunt wild pig in the mountains, and after some
time they speared and killed one, but they had no fire over which to
singe it.

One man climbed a tree to see if there was a fire near by, and
discovering smoke at some distance, he started toward it. When he
reached the place, he found that the fire was in the house of an Alan,
[82] and he was very much afraid; but creeping up into the house,
he found that the Alan and her baby were fast asleep.

He stepped on tip-toe, but nevertheless the Alan was awakened and
called out:

"Epogow, [83] what do you want?"

"I should like to get some fire," said the man, "for we have killed
a wild pig."

The Alan gave him the fire, and then taking her basket she went with
him to the place where the pig was.

After they had singed the animal, the Alan cut it up with her long
nails and handed the liver to the man, telling him to take it to her
house to feed the baby.

The man started, and on the way he ate the liver. When he reached
the Alan's house he did not know what to do. For some time he looked
around, and then