ng girls whom
she called. As soon as they had finished talking, they went to bed.
In the middle of the night Ingiwan said to himself, "I believe there
are other young girls here prettier than the last one she showed me. I
will use my power and will become a firefly, and I will fly to all
parts of the house, and see if there is a prettier one there." So he
used his power and he became a firefly and he flew. [194] When he was
in the room where the old woman was, he left, and went where Alama-an
was, and he went on to Sinogyaman. When he did not like her he went to
Indiapan. "This is the last girl she showed me and I like her, but I
believe that there is another prettier." So he went to the next room,
but no one slept there, and so he went on to the ninth room. He heard
the sound of the pan pipe in the ninth room, and he was very glad. He
flew over the head of the woman who was playing, and she stopped
playing and struck at him. "How did the firefly get in here? I do not
think there are any cracks in here." The firefly said, "Do not strike
at me, for I fear you will hit my headaxe and be cut." So he became a
man and sat down beside her, and Aponibolinayen saw that it was the man
who had talked with the old woman and the girls, and she loved him,
but she said, "Go outdoors, do not come here. I am afraid that the
old woman who cares for us will see us. If you want something wait
until morning and we will talk with her." Ingiwan did not get up and
he would not go outdoors, and he said, "The best thing for us to do is
to chew betel-nut, so we will know each other. Do not be afraid for I
would not have come here if it was not my fortune to marry you, for I
was taking a walk and intended to go back home, but I met a high bank
in the way, and there was no place to go except the ocean, so I came
across the ocean. As soon as I reached the field I saw your house and
I was surprised to see the golden house in the middle of the field. I
spoke to the young girl who was cooking and she asked me to come up,
and the old woman hated her. They asked me to eat, but I would not
unless a pretty girl ate with me. So the old woman called two other
pretty girls, but I did not want them, for they are not so pretty
as you. I thought there were others prettier than the last one she
showed me, so I became a firefly. It is my fortune to marry you." So
he cut the betel-nut, but Aponibolinayen did not want to chew. When
he talked to her so she could no
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