[60] and corn
on the hill some thirty miles away from the village, he ordered his
sons to accompany him. When they came to a forest, their father led
them through a circuitous path, and at last took them to the hill. As
soon as they arrived there, each set to work: one cut down trees,
another built a shed, and the others cleared a piece of land in which
to plant the camotes and corn.

After two weeks their provisions were almost used up. Tetong then
called his sons together, and said to them, "My sons, we have very
little to eat now. I am going to leave you for some days: I am going
back to our village to get rice and fish. Be very good to one another,
and continue working, for our camotes will soon have roots, and our
corn ears." Having said these words, he blessed them and left.

Days, weeks, and months elapsed, but Tetong did not reappear. The corn
bore ears, and the camotes produced big sound roots; but these were not
sufficient to support the three brothers. Nor did they know the way
back to their home. At last, realizing that their father and mother
did not care for them any more, they agreed to wander about and look
for food. They roved through woods, thickets, and jungles. At last,
fatigued and with bodies tired and bruised, they came to a wide river,
on the bank of which they stopped to rest. While they were bewailing
their unhappy lot, they caught sight, on the other side of the river,
of banana-trees with bunches of ripe fruit. They determined to get
those fruits; but, as they knew nothing about swimming, they had to cut
down bamboos and join them together to bridge the stream. So great was
their hunger, that each ate three bunches of the ripe bananas. After
they had satisfied their hunger, they continued on their way refreshed.

Soon they came upon a dark abyss. Curious to know what it might
contain, the three brothers looked down into it, but they could not
see the bottom. Not contented, however, with only seeing into the
well, they decided to go to the very bottom: so they gathered vines
and connected them into a rope.

Pedro was the first to make the attempt, but he could not stand the
darkness. Then Felipe tried; but he too became frightened, and could
not stay long in the dark. At last Juan's turn came. He went down to
the very bottom of the abyss, where he found a vast plain covered with
trees and bushes and shrubs. On one side he saw at a short distance a
green house. He approached the house, and