Gawigawen of Adasen
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Then the thunder commanded:
“Stand on that high stone so that I can see if you have a good sign.”
He stood on the high stone, and when the thunder made a loud noise he jumped. Whereupon Silit also advised him not to go on.
In spite of all the warnings, Aponitolau continued his journey, and upon coming to the ocean he used magical power, so that when he stepped on his head-ax it sailed away, carrying him far across the sea to the other side. Then after a short walk he came to a spring where women were dipping water, and he asked what spring it was.
Grinding corn
Making a harrow
“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 carabao39 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:
“I have finished eating the food which you gave me.”
Gawigawen was greatly surprised at this, and, leading the way to the place where the oranges grew, he told Aponitolau to climb the tree and get all he wanted.
As he was about to ascend the tree Aponitolau noticed that the branches were sharp knives, so he went as carefully as he could. Nevertheless, when he had secured two oranges, he stepped on one of the knives and was cut. He quickly fastened the fruit to his spear, and immediately it flew away straight to his town and into his house.
Aponibolinayen was just going down the bamboo ladder out of the house, and hearing something drop on the floor she went back to look and found the oranges from Adasen. She eagerly ate the fruit, rejoicing that her husband had been able to reach the place where they grew. Then she thought to look at the vine, whose leaves were wilted, and she knew that her husband was dead.
Soon after this a son was born to Aponibolinayen, and she called his name Kanag. He grew rapidly, becoming a strong lad, and he was the bravest of all his companions. One day while Kanag was playing out in the yard, he spun his top and it struck the garbage pot of an old woman, who became very angry and cried:
“If you were a brave boy, you would get your father whom Gawigawen killed.”
Kanag ran to the house crying, and asked his mother what the old woman meant, for he had never heard the story of his father’s death. As soon as he learned what had happened, the boy determined to search for his father, and, try as she would, his mother could not dissuade him.
As he was departing through the gate of the town with his spear and head-ax, Kanag struck his shield and it sounded like a thousand warriors.
“How brave that boy is!” said the surprised people. “He is braver even than his father.”
When he reached the spring of the giantess, he again struck his shield and shouted so that the whole world trembled. Then the giantess said:
“I believe that someone is going to fight, and he will have success.”
As soon as Kanag reached the place where the old woman, Alokotan, lived, she sent her dog after him, but with one blow of his head-ax he cut off the dog’s head. Then Alokotan asked where he was going, and when he had told her, she said:
“Your father is dead, but I believe that you will find him, for you have a good sign.”
He hurried on and arrived at the place where lightning was, and it asked:
“Where are you going, little boy?”
“I am going to Adasen to get my father,” answered Kanag.
“Go stand on that high rock that I may see what your sign is,” said the lightning.
So he stood on the high rock, and when the bright flash came he did not move, and the lightning bade him hasten on, as he had a good sign.
The thunder, which saw him passing, also called to ask where he was going, and it commanded him to stand on the high rock. And when the thunder made a loud noise Kanag did not move, and it bade him go on, as his sign was good.
The women of Adasen were at the spring of Gawigawen dipping water, when suddenly they were startled by a great noise. They rose up, expecting to see a thousand warriors coming near; but though they looked all around they could see nothing but a young boy striking a shield.
“Good morning, women who are dipping water,” said Kanag. “Tell Gawigawen that he must prepare, for I am coming to fight him.”
So all the women ran up to the town and told Gawigawen that a strange boy was at the spring and he had come to fight.
“Go and tell him,” said Gawigawen, “that if it is true that he is brave, he will come into the town, if he can.”
When Kanag reached the high bank outside the town, he jumped like a flitting bird up the bank into the town and went straight to the spirit house of Gawigawen. He noticed that the roofs of both the dwelling and the spirit houses were of hair, and that around the town were many heads,40 and he pondered: