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Two men went to hunt wild pig. They killed one, but had no fire to singe it, so one man climbed a tree to see if he could see where was a fire. He saw a little fire at a distance and went to get it. When he got where the fire was, he saw it was in the house of an alan. He was very much afraid, but he went up and saw the alan, who had a baby, was asleep. He walked very quietly, but the alan woke up and said, “What do you want?” “I want fire, for we have killed a little wild pig.” “Do not say little pig, but larger,” said the alan. “Larger,” said the man, for he was afraid. “Do not say larger, but big,” said alan. “Big.” “Do not say big, but very big,” said the alan. “Very big,” said the man. Then the alan gave him the fire, and she took her big basket and went with him to where the pig was. They singed the pig, and the alan cut it up with her nails. Then she gave the liver to the man, and told him to take it to her house and feed the baby. The man went, but on the way he ate the liver. When he got to the house, he saw a big caldron with hot water on the fire. He took the alan's baby and put it in the hot water and then went back. “Did the baby eat well?” asked the alan. “Very well,” he answered. Then the alan put most of the meat in her basket and started home. The man told his companion what he had done and they were both very much afraid; so they ran to hide.
When the alan got home, she saw the baby dead in the water. Page 189Then she went to find the men. They had climbed a high tree which stood near the water, and when the alan looked in the water, she saw them in it. She put her hand in the water and tried to get them, but could not; then she looked up and saw them again. “How did you get up there?” she asked. “We climbed up feet first.” Then the alan seized a vine and started up the tree feet first. When she had almost reached them, they cut the vine and the alan fell to the ground and was dead. The men came down from the tree and went to the house of the alan. When they got there, they saw three jars: the first was full of dung; the second, of beads; the third, of gold. They took the jars with the beads and gold and went home.
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The earth, which is very flat, was made by the great spirit Kadaklan. He also made the sun and moon, which chase each other over and under the earth. Sometimes the moon almost catches the sun, but it always gets tired and gives up before it succeeds. The sun and moon are the lights of Kadaklan and so are the stones which are stars. The dog of Kadaklan is the lightning.
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Kabonīyan once sent a flood which covered all the land. There was no place for the fire to go, so it went into the bamboo, the stones, and the iron. Now that is why you can get fire out of the bamboo and stones.