I was then a
little boy."

Once upon a time, when wishing was having, there dwelt in the joyous
village of Delight a poor farmer, Tetong, with his loving wife
Maria. His earning for a day's toil was just enough to sustain them;
yet they were peaceful and happy. Nevertheless they thought that their
happiness could not be complete unless they had at least one child. So
morning and night they would kneel before their rustic altar and pray
God to grant them their desire. As they were faithful in their purpose,
their wish was fulfilled. A son was born to them, and joy filled
their hearts. The couple's love for their child grew so intense,
that they craved for another, and then for still another. The Lord
was mindful of their prayers; and so, as time went on, two more sons
were born to them. The second son they named Felipe; and the youngest,
Juan. The name of the oldest was Pedro. All three boys were lovely
and handsome, and they greatly delighted their parents.

In the course of time, however, when they were about eight, seven,
and six years old, Pedro, Felipe, and Juan became monstrously great
eaters. Each would eat at a single meal six or seven chupas [59]
of rice: consequently their father was obliged to work very hard,
for he had five mouths to feed. In this state of affairs, Tetong
felt that, although these children had been born to him and his wife
as an increase of their happiness, they would finally exhaust what
little he had. Nor was Maria any the less aware of the gluttony of
her sons. By degrees their love for their sons ripened into hatred,
and at last Tetong resolved to do away with his children.

One night, while he and his wife were sitting before their dim light
and their three sons were asleep, Tetong said to his wife, "Do you
not think it would be better to get rid of our sons? As you see, we
are daily becoming poorer and poorer because of them. I have decided
to cast them away into some distant wild forest, where they may feed
themselves on fruits or roots."

On hearing these words of her husband, Maria turned pale: her blood ran
cold in her veins. But what could she do? She felt the same distress
as her husband. After a few moments of silence, she replied in a
faltering voice, "My husband, you may do as you wish." Accordingly
Tetong made ready the necessary provisions for the journey, which
consisted of a sack of rice and some preserved fish.

The next morning, on the pretext of planting camotes