“When I was a young fellow I went to all parts of the world, to every town where the tattooed Igorot live, who were all enemies.
“Mother Dinowágan put the rice in the pot which looks like the rooster's egg,[207] so that I eat rice, for I go to fight the tattooed Igorots,” said Ībagō wa Agimlang who was four months old. “Do not go my son Agimlang your feet are too young and your hands look like needles they are so small. You just came from my womb.” “Oh, mother, Dinowágan, do not detain me for it will make me heavy for fighting,” said Agimlang. As soon as he finished eating, “Mother Dinowágan and father Dagilagatan let me start, and give me the little headaxe and spear and also a shield, for I am going to walk on the mountain Daōláwan.” Not long after he started. As soon as he arrived on top of the mountain Daōláwan he sat on a stone which looked like a bamboo bench under the Alangigan tree, and there were alan[208] there who were young girls. “Oh, why are you here Ībagō wa Agimlang who just came from your mother's womb?” said the alan. “‘What, are you here?’ you say young alan, whose toes on your feet are spread out. I Page 162am going to fight with the tattooed Igorot,” said Ībagō wa Agimlang to them, and they talked for nine months, in the place where the stone bench was. The alan girls wanted to see him all the time. After that, “You young alan girls, I am going to leave you.” “Do not go,” said the alan, “because you are a little baby, you just came from the place where your mother gave birth to you.” “Do not detain me, young girls, for it is bad for me if you detain me, for I will be too heavy for fighting,” said Ībagō wa Agimlang. “If I return from war, I will invite you to attend my big party,” he said to them, and so he went.
Not long after he arrived at the town where the tattooed Igorot lived, and they were so many they looked like locusts. He used his power, “You, my headaxe and my spear, go and fight with the tattooed Igorot, and kill all of them.” As soon as the tattooed Igorot heard what he said, they said, “Why, do you brave baby come to fight with us for, you are very young? Now you cannot return to your town, for we inherit you,” said the bravest of the alzados.[209] “If you had said that you intended to kill me I would have killed all of you, even though I am a baby just from my mother's womb,” said Agimlang. So the bravest of the alzados told his people that they should prepare to fight with the baby, and they began to throw their spears at him, but they could not hit him. As soon as all the spears and headaxes were gone, the baby fought with them, and his spear and headaxes killed all the people who lived in that town. As soon as he killed all of them he used magic so that the heads of the tattooed alzados went to Pindayan. Not long after truly all the heads went to Pindayan and he followed them.
When he arrived at the spring of Lisnayan in the town of Ībōwan he rested and he sat on the high stone and began to play the bamboo Jew's harp and Īgōwan saw him. “Adolan come and see this young fellow and hear him play the Jew's harp.” The harp said, “Īwaginan Adolan, Inalangan come and see your brother, if he is your true brother.” So Adolan went truly to see him and he found that it was a newborn baby who was just beginning to walk. “Where did you come from little baby?” said Adolan. “‘Where did you come from?’ you say. I come from fighting the tattooed Igorot.” “How does it happen that you went to war, for you are only just from your mother's womb?” “‘How does it happen?’ you say. I heard my father saying that when he was young he went to all parts of the world in all the towns,” said Ībagō wa Agimlang to Adolan.
Not long after he gave him betel-nut and they chewed. As soon as they finished chewing they told their names, and Adolan told his Page 163name first and Ībagō wa Agimlang was next to tell his. After that they laid down their quids and they saw that they were brothers. “Now, my brother, Adolan we will go to Pindayan, for I am going to make a big party, for I just return from fighting,” said Ībagō wa Agimlang. “Ala, you go first and I will go to see our brother,” said Adolan.
Not long after Ībagō wa Agimlang started to go and he lost his way, and he went through the mountain rice clearing of Kabangowᴇyan, who was the Lakay[210] and he walked through many lawed vines which were wide spreading and when anyone cut off a leaf they smiled. As soon as he arrived at the little house of the old man, “Oh, grandfather, tell me the way back home and I will not take your head,” said Ībagō wa Agimlang to the old man. “Where are you going?” he said. “I am going home to the town of Pindayan, for I am returning from fighting.” “Stop while I cook, and you can eat first, and then you can go,” said the old man. “No, I do not wish to eat. Tell me the way back home,” said Ībagō wa Agimlang. So he showed him the way to Pindayan, but missed the way and they went through the middle of the reeds, and the place where the lawed vines grew, and he met the pretty girl who was his sister, who had been hiding between two leaves. “Now, pretty girl, I have found you among the lawed vines, and I am going to take you,” said Ībagō wa Agimlang. So he took her and he put her inside of his belt.
Not long after he arrived in Pindayan and he made a big party. Adolan and Iwaginan and Īgōwan went to attend the party. Not long after he took Inalingan out of his belt, she was a pretty girl who looked like the newly opened flower of the betel-nut tree. “Where did you get her?” “‘Where did you get her?’ you say. I met her in the place where there are many lawed vines, and when you cut their leaves they smile,” said Ībagō wa Agimlang.
“Now, brother, we are going to chew betel-nut, and see if we are truly relations,” said Dalīwagenan (Ībagō wa Agimlang), and he called Adolan, Īgōwan, and all his brothers and sisters, and his father and mother. He gave them betel-nut to chew, and Dagilagatan and Dinowágan told their names first and Iwaginan was the next, and then Adolan and then Īgōwan, but he said that he was the son of the alan, and next was Agimlang and then the pretty girl. She said, “My name is Inaling who is the little girl who never goes out of the lawed vines, which when somebody cuts they smile.” After they finished chewing the betel-nut and telling their names, they laid down their quids, and the quids Īgōwan and Ginalingan (Inaling) went to the quids of Iwaginan Page 164and Adolan. “Oh, my son, Īgōwan and my daughter Ginalingan, I thought that I did not have any more my daughter and son and that the alan had taken. We did not feed you rice,” said the old woman Dinowágan. “Ala, my son, Agimlang, do not feel sorry, because you heard what your father Dagilagatan said to you, because you met your brothers and sister who are Īgōwan and Ginalingan,” said the old woman Dinowágan. After that they danced for about nine months. After that Īgōwan and Adolan and Iwaginan went home and they did not let Ginalingan go back home.
As soon as Īgōwan arrived in his town he built balaua and he invited all his relatives who lived in different towns and all the alan in the world. Not long after the people whom he invited arrived in the town of Īgōwan, and all the alan went to his Sayang, and the alan were surprised that Dagilagatan and Dinowágan knew that Īgōwan and Ginalingan were their son and daughter, so they asked them. They said that Ībagō wa Agimlang met them when he came from war and he took them to his party so they knew that they were their son and daughter for they chewed betel-nut. As soon as Īgōwan's Sayang was over the alan gave all their valuable things to him, and also those who had taken Ginalingan. As soon as they had given them all their things the alan flew away and Dinowágan and her husband took their sons and daughters to Pindayan. 28[211]
There was a man named Asbinan who was the son of Ayo, but the old woman Alokotán took care of him. “Ala, my grandmother Alokotán, go and engage me to Dawīnīsan who looks like the sunshine, for I want to marry her,” said the young boy Asbinan. The old woman replied, “I do not think they will like you, for she is a young girl who never goes outdoors.”[212] “Ala, grandmother, you go anyway, and if they do not like me I will see what I shall do,” said Asbinan who was a handsome young man. Not long after the old woman went. As soon as she arrived at the stairs of the house of the mother and father of Dawīnīsan, they said, “Good morning,” and the mother of Dawīnīsan said, “Good morning, what did you come here for, Ayo and Alokotán of Kadalayapan?” “‘What did you come here for?’ you say. Our son Asbinan wants to marry Dawīnīsan,” said Ayo. She called them up into the house and they talked. “We will ask our daughter and hear what she says.” When they asked Dawīnīsan if she wished to Page 165marry Asbinan, she said, “Oh, my mother, I am ashamed to marry yet, I do not know how to do anything; so I do not wish to be married now. Do not dislike me, but be patient with me.” So her mother said, “Pretty Ayo, I think you heard what she said. Be patient.”