people played them and all the people who heard them danced for
they liked the sound of them very much. So Asbinan went to attend the
_balaua_. All the people arrived at the place by the spring and a big
storm came and wet all of them. Not long after the people who lived
in the same town as Asigowan, which was the town of Nagwatowatan,
went to meet them at the spring, to give them dry clothes. They
changed their clothes and went up to the town. As soon as they all
danced Asbinan saw Asigowan and he wanted to marry her. So he gave her
betel-nut to chew and they told their names, and when they had told
their names their quids showed that it was good for them to marry. The
father and mother of Asigowan were Gagelagatan and Dinowagan, but she
lived with the _alan_. Her father and mother did not know her until
she made _balaua_ and Asbinan did not know her until the _balaua_,
then he married her at once.

As soon as he married her all his concubines used their magic
power so that while he was living with Asigowan she would cut her
finger. Not long after she truly cut her finger and died. They put
her in the _tabalang_ [288] which had a rooster on top of it. Then
all the concubines of Asbinan were glad. Not long after they sent
the _tabalang_ along the stream and the rooster on top of it crowed,
and the old woman Alokotan went to see it. She stopped the _tabalang_
and took out the body of the dead person. Not long after she made
her alive again. As soon as she made her alive again she put her in
a well and she became a beautiful girl. Not long after she became
a bird and she flew back to the place where Asbinan lived. The bird
flew above him, and he tried to catch it. When he could not catch her,
she went to the top of a tree, and Asbinan went into his house and
he was sorrowful, because his wife was dead. Soon he fell asleep and
the bird went near to him and Asbinan awoke and caught it. The bird
became a girl again, the same as before, and Asbinan saw that it was
his wife, so he was very happy and they made a big party. They invited
all their relatives. Not long after all the people arrived and they
all danced. The old woman Alokotan was there and Asigowan told Asbinan
that she was the woman who gave her life again, so they treated her
very good and the old woman Alokotan gave them all her property,
and all the people who went to attend the party were very glad.

(Told by Masnal of Abang.)

27 [289]

"When I was a young