“This is the spring of Gawigawen of Adasen,” replied the women. “And who are you that you dare come here?”
Without replying he went on toward the town, but he found that he could not go inside, for it was surrounded by a bank which reached almost to the sky.
While he stood with bowed head pondering what he should do, the chief of the spiders came up and asked why he was so sorrowful.
“I am sad,” answered Aponitolau, “because I cannot climb up this bank.”
Then the spider went to the top and spun a thread,[38] and upon this Aponitolau climbed up into town.
Now Gawigawen was asleep in his spirit house, and when he awoke and saw Aponitolau sitting near, he was surprised and ran toward his house to get his spear and head-ax, but Aponitolau called to him, saying:
“Good morning, Cousin Gawigawen. Do not be angry; I only came to buy some of your oranges for my wife.”
Then Gawigawen took him to the house and brought a whole carabao[39] for him to eat, and he said:
“If you cannot eat all the carabao, you cannot have the oranges for your wife.”
Aponitolau grew very sorrowful, for he knew that he could not eat all the meat, but just at that moment the chief of the ants and flies came to him and inquired what was the trouble. As soon as he was told, the chief called all the ants and flies and they ate the whole carabao. Aponitolau, greatly relieved, went then to Gawigawen and said: