Not long after that the sun went truly in front of her to the place of the rice and cooked fish, and they ate.
Not long after they finished and Aponībolinayen washed, and when she had finished washing she put away those things which they ate and Ini-init made trouble because of the stick which became a fish. He again asked Aponībolinayen how she made the stick into fish, and Aponībolinayen said, “Do not trouble yourself, perhaps you know about the rich woman who practices magic in Kaodanan,” and Ini-init said, “Yes, I know the rich woman who practices magic in Kaodanan, who sometimes has much power, who changes, who has no equal.” Aponībolinayen said, “Why do you still ask if you know?” “I ask because I want to be sure, even though I know you have much power,” said Ini-init. “If that is true, do not ask again,” she said. Not long after while they were talking, they went to sleep, and when it began to be early morning Ini-init went to make the sun on all the world; when they had finished to eat he went to shine. Aponībolinayen staid in the house. When it came afternoon, the sun went down and he went directly to fish in the river, for the fish which they ate—the two who were married. Not long Page 37after he caught again a big fish, and he went home. When he arrived, Aponībolinayen had finished cooking, and he asked where she got the fish which she had cooked, and she said, “Why do you ask again? You know it is the stick which I cook, which is fish, which we ate, before you arrived again with fish. Throw away the fish which you caught, for this stick is many fish which I cook.” After that Ini-init said, “Why do you order to throw away, that which serves the purpose to which we put it, even though you cook many sticks?” “If you value it, hang it on the hanger, and you come and eat.”
Not long after they ate, and when they had finished eating, they washed, and when they had finished washing those things which they used to eat on, they talked and they went to sleep.
When it became the middle of the night, Aponībolinayen woke up. “I go up with you when you go up in the early morning,” she said. Ini-init said to her, “Do not come, for it is very hot up above. You cannot endure the heat, and you will repent when we are there.” “No, if it is too hot, we shall take many blankets and pillows, which I shall go under,” she said again and again until it became early morning, then Ini-init agreed. They ate first and then they arranged those pillows and blankets which they took with them.
Not long after they went east, and when they arrived there the sun shone, and Aponībolinayen became oil because it was so hot, and Ini-init put her in a bottle, and he corked it and covered it with blankets and pillows, which sheltered her, and he dropped it down. She fell by the well in Kaodanan, and Indiápan, who was still dipping water, turned her face at the sound of the falling at her side. She saw many good blankets and pillows, and she unwrapped that which was wrapped, and when she had finished to unwrap she saw it was a pretty lady—none equal to her—and she was frightened. She went quickly to go up to the town, where they lived, and when she arrived there she said to the people, “We have been searching a long time for Aponībolinayen, and you killed and used many cows as food for the searchers, and you spent much for her. She is at the spring. I was frightened when she fell by me, who was dipping water from the well. I saw many pretty blankets and pillows, and I unwrapped that which was wrapped, and it was Aponībolinayen whom we are seeking,” said Indiápan. They went quickly—her father and mother—and the other men went to see her, and when they arrived at the place of the well they saw Aponībolinayen whom they sought. “Where did you come from, Aponībolinayen, for whom we have been seeking? We have invited many and have fed many to search for you. Among the towns there is not one we did not search for you, and now you are here,” said her father and mother. She said, “I came from Page 38Pindayan. I nearly did not come, because the alzados[13] closed the way, and I escaped while they slept.”
Not long after they went up to the town, and not long after they went to wash their hair and bathe in the river, and when they had finished washing their hair they went home.
Ebang said, “Ala! husband Pagatipánan, let us make balaua[14] and invite our relatives who are sorrowing for Aponībolinayen,” and Pagatipánan said, “We shall make balaua when next month comes, but now Aponībolinayen feels ill, perhaps she is tired.” Not long after that Aponībolinayen commanded them to prick her little finger which itched; and when her mother pricked it out popped a pretty baby.[15] Her mother asked, “Where did you get this baby, Aponībolinayen?” But Aponībolinayen did not tell. “I do not know where I got it, and I did not feel,” she said. When they could not compel her to tell where she secured the baby, “Ala, we make balaua to-morrow,” said the father and mother.
They made balaua, and not long after Ebang used magic, so that many people went to pound rice for them, and when they had finished to pound rice they built balaua, and they went to get the betel-nut which is covered with gold for chewing. When these arrived, Ebang oiled them when it began to get dark. “You betel-nuts go to all the people in the whole world and invite them. If any of them do not come, you grow on their knees,” said Ebang. And those betel-nuts went to invite all the people in the whole world. Every time they bathed the child they used magic, so that it grew as often as they washed it, until it walked. The betel-nuts arrived in the towns where they went to invite. The one that went to Nagbotobotán—the place where lived the old woman Alokotán—said, “Good morning, I do not tarry, the reason of my coming is that Ebang and Pagatipánan commanded me, because Aponībolinayen is there.” “Yes, you go first, I will come, I will follow you. I go first to wash my hair and bathe,” she said. The betel-nut which is covered with gold said, “I wait for you, for if you do not come, I shall grow on your knee.” The old woman Alokotán started when she finished washing her hair and bathing. The betel-nut, which was covered with gold, took her, and not long after they arrived, and they met those whom the other betel-nuts went to summon in the other towns. No one wanted the baby to go to them,[16] and when none wished it Page 39to approach, the old woman Alokotán summoned the spirits. (“What town did they not yet invite?” This question was added by the story-teller. Not part of tale.) The old woman Alokotán said, “You invited all the people except Ini-init, who is above. You did not send the prepared betel-nut covered with gold to summon him. Perhaps he made Aponībolinayen pregnant, because the siksiklat took her up when they went to gather greens—she and her sister-in-law, who is Dinay.”
They commanded the betel-nuts, and they oiled them, and sent them. Not long after the betel-nut, whom they sent, arrived above, who went to call Ini-init. And the betel-nut said, when he arrived, “Good morning, Sun, I do not tarry. The reason of my visit is that Ebang and Pagatipánan, who make balaua, send me. If you do not wish to come, I will grow on your head.” The sun said, “Grow on my head, I do not wish to go.” The betel-nut jumped up and went on his head, and it grew. Not long after the betel-nut became tall and the sun was not able to carry it, because it became big, and he was in pain. “You go to my pig, that is what you grow on,” he said. Not long after the betel-nut jumped on the head of his pig, and the pig began to squeal because it could not carry the betel-nut which began to grow on its head. And Ini-init said, “Ala! get off my big pig and I come.” The betel-nut got off the pig.
Not long after they went and Pagatipánan carried the baby near to the gate. When Ini-init and the betel-nut approached, the baby was happy and he went to be carried by Ini-init. When they arrived at the festival place, the people saw that he who carried the baby rolled because he was round, and they saw he was not a man but a stone, and Ebang and Pagatipánan said, “Ala! Aponībolinayen, you start and take off your arm beads and you dress in rags, you wrap your wrists with strings, in place of the arm beads, so that you can go with the stone when he takes you to his home, when our balaua is finished.” Not long after Aponībolinayen started. She took off her beads and her dresses and exchanged them for rags and strings. When she changed her dresses, she went down the ladder, and she saw that he who carried the baby was a stone, which was round. After that Pagatipánan said, “Ala! now our balaua is finished, you go home to the town of the stone.” Aponībolinayen said, “Yes, if that is what you say.” Those people who were invited bade them good-by, and when they went away, they went home also—those whom they invited.