Note 179 — 19

Dumanau wandered about as if crazy, and his oldest son walked in front of him. He carried the next child on his back and carried the third Page 131on his hip. When the tabalang arrived in Nagbotobotán, “Tatalao, I am tabalang of Kadalayapan, and on me is a golden rooster,” said the rooster on the tabalang which was made of gold. The old woman Alokotán was taking a bath by the river and she was in a hurry to put on her skirt and she followed the tabalang. “You tabalang, where did you come from? Are you the tabalang of Kapaolan? If you are not from Kapaolan, are you from Kanyogan?” The tabalang did not stop and it nearly went down into the hole where the stream goes.179 So Alokotán ran very fast. “Are you tabalang from Kaodanan?” The tabalang hesitated a little. “Are you tabalang of Kadalayapan?” “Yes,” said the tabalang and stopped; so she went inside of the tabalang and she took the body to her house. She was afraid of the tabalang, because it was made of gold and she was surprised because the woman who was inside was beautiful and there was no one to compare with her. As soon as they arrived to her house, “I whip perfume alīkadakad and make her wake up directly.” “I whip my perfume banauᴇs and directly she will say, ‘Wes,’” “I whip my perfume dagīmonau and directly she will wake up entirely.”180 “How long I slept, grandmother,” said Wanwanyen-Aponībolinayen. The old woman Alokotán took her inside of the house. “‘How long my sleep,’ you say, and you were dead. There is the tabalang they put you in and I was surprised, for it was made of gold and has a golden rooster on top of it. They used it to send you down the river.” Not long after the old woman Alokotán hid her, and Dumanau, who was always wandering about with his children, approached the place where the women were dipping water from the spring. All the women who were dipping water from the well said, “Here is a lone man who is carrying the babies. We agree that we all salute him at one time.” As soon as they agreed Dumanau arrived to the place where they were dipping water and he said, “Good day, women.” “Good day also,” answered all the women in unison. “Where are you going, lone man who is carrying the babies?” “‘Where are you going,’ you say, women. I am following Wanwanyen-Aponībolinayen whom I put inside the tabalang for she was dead. Did you see the tabalang pass here?” said Dumanau. “It passed by here long ago. Perhaps it is in Nagbotobotán now.” “Ala, I leave you now, women, and I go and follow.” “Yes,” answered the women.