Now, Nebucheba firmly believed that Tomarind was dead. There was great rejoicing in the datu’s house. In the evening, while the revelry was going on, Tomarind appeared with the pretended answer from Nebucheba’s parents. The letter read, “We wish you to come and see us here. We have a very beautiful girl for you.” Nebucheba was greatly surprised. He made up his mind to go down into the well the next day. He gathered all his subjects together, and said to them, “I am going to see my parents. If the place there is better than the place here, I shall not come back. Tomarind will be my successor.”
In the morning Nebucheba’s subjects took him to the well and lowered him slowly into it. When he reached the bottom, Tomarind threw big stones down on him, and Nebucheba was crushed to death. The people never saw him again. Tomarind became datu, and he ruled his subjects with justice and equity for many years.
Note.
I know of no variants of this tale, which pretty evidently represents old tribal Pampangan tradition. The device by which Tomarind lures the wicked datu to his death is not unlike incident J in our [No. 20] (see notes), but there is clearly no other connection between the two stories.
Fables and Animal Stories.
The Turtle and the Monkey.
Narrated by Eutiquiano Garcia of Mexico, Pampanga.
It was mid-day. The blinding heat of the sun forced all the water-loving animals—such as pigs, carabaos, and turtles—to go to the river-banks and there seek to cool themselves in the water. On that part of the bank where a big shady tree stood, a monkey and a turtle were having a good time, discussing the past, present, and future. Just then they saw a banana-stalk floating by.
“Don’t you think that it would be a wise thing for us to get that banana-stalk and plant it?” said the monkey.
“Can you swim?” replied the turtle.