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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Adventures of Piang the Moro Jungle Boy, by
+Florence Partello Stuart
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Adventures of Piang the Moro Jungle Boy
+       A Book for Young and Old
+
+Author: Florence Partello Stuart
+
+Release Date: August 26, 2007 [EBook #22407]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ADVENTURES OF PIANG ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net/ from scans made
+available by Google Books.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+The Adventures of Piang
+The Moro Jungle Boy
+
+A Book for Young and Old
+
+
+By Florence Partello Stuart
+
+Illustrated By Ellsworth Young
+
+
+New York
+The Century Co.
+1917
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Copyright, 1917, by The Century Co.
+
+Copyright, 1916, by David C. Cook Publishing Company Copyright, 1917,
+Boys' Life The Boy Scouts Magazine
+
+Published September, 1917
+
+
+
+
+
+
+To "Buddy"
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+    I         The Charm Boy   6
+    II        The Floating Island   32
+    III       The Hermit of Ganassi Peak   51
+    IV        The Fire Tree   78
+    V         Riding the Cataract   108
+    VI        The Jungle Menace   129
+    VII       The Secret of the Source   157
+    VIII      The Juramentado Gunboat   193
+    IX        The Bichara   223
+    X         Piang's Triumph   251
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+
+
+    Slowly he swam downward, conscious of a large body moving near
+    him   _Frontispiece_
+    Rising to his feet, spear poised, he waited   17
+    His hands closed over something   36
+    On its neck it supported a weird creature   70
+    "The boom! We must cut it!"   87
+    With hands outstretched above his head, he waited for the great
+    moment   122
+    Piang reached up on tiptoe to pluck a ripe mango   139
+    Gracefully the little slave-girl eluded Piang and Sicto   149
+    Over and over they rolled, splashing and fighting   167
+    A shrill whistle echoed through the forest   210
+    "Juramentado! Gobernado!" faintly whispered Piang   227
+    The water spout caught the eggshell praus in its toils   261
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                "Do you know the fragrant stillness of the orchid
+                        scented glade,
+                Where the blazoned, bird-winged butterflies
+                        flap through?"
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE ADVENTURES OF PIANG
+THE MORO JUNGLE BOY
+
+
+Piang is a real boy. Dato Kali Pandapatan is a real Moro chief. The
+Moro is not a Filipino.
+
+When I returned from my life among the natives of the lower
+Philippines, I was appalled to find that America was not only ignorant
+of, but entirely indifferent to our colonies across the seas. The
+general impression seemed to be that Manila was a delightful Spanish
+city, and that Manila was the Philippines. That there are several
+thousand little islands in the Philippine group, each harboring its
+distinct tribe, each with its own dialect and religion, was entirely
+unknown. Impressed by the nobility of the Moro in contrast to the
+other tribes of the archipelago, by his unfortunate treatment and his
+possibilities for development, I found myself taking up his cause,
+and was repaid by intense interest wherever I launched forth on my
+pet subject. I was so successful that gradually I began to idealize
+the Moro, weaving around him, not the "might have beens," but the
+"might be's." Hence, "The Adventures of Piang."
+
+Many of our military heros of other days share the honors with Piang;
+their exploits and privations are a romance in themselves, and among
+these pages the army and navy will recognize stories that have long
+since become history. I am indebted to Dean Worcester for statistics
+and a great deal of information on the origin and development of the
+Moro. Indeed some of Piang's adventures are actual incidents of Dean
+Worcester's travels. Robinson and Foreman have given me much material,
+and I find their books authentic and true chronicles of the Malay
+people. But most of all I am indebted to that great and wise man,
+Colonel John P. Finley, United States Army, who during his term as
+civil governor of the Moro provinces, did more to help a down-trodden
+people than any Christian who has ever attempted to bring them to
+the true light.
+
+Anticipating carping criticisms from geographic purists, the author
+is ready to admit taking liberties with longitudes and latitudes,
+juggling lakes and mountains to the envy of Atlas, in order to serve
+the picturesque and romantic purposes of Piang.
+
+Some of the stories in this volume appeared in the juvenile magazines,
+"St. Nicholas," "What To Do," and "Boys' World," and are reprinted
+through the courtesy of the editors.
+
+
+
+
+FIRST ADVENTURE
+
+THE CHARM BOY
+
+
+In the warm Celebes Sea, four hundred miles south of Manila, lies the
+romantic, semi-mysterious island of Mindanao, home of the Moro. For
+three centuries Spain struggled to subjugate this fierce people,
+with little or no success, and she turned them over to America with
+a sigh of relief. Perpetual warfare is the pastime of the Moro; it
+is his sport, his vocation; and the Mother Jungle hurls a livelihood
+at his feet. Food, clothing, shelter are his birthright.
+
+One of the most powerful tribes of Moroland is ruled by Dato (chief)
+Kali Pandapatan. Far up in the hills dwells this powerful clan,
+arrogant and superior in its power. Piang, the chosen of Allah,
+dwells among them; haughtily the boy accepts their homage as his due,
+for he is destined to become their ruler some day. His prowess and
+bravery are the boast of his people, and the name of Piang is known
+from one end of Mindanao to the other.
+
+The tribe was assembled for the ceremony. Within the hollow square
+stood Dato (chief) Kali Pandapatan and old Pandita (priest) Asin. There
+was a rustle of expectancy among the onlookers; their interest was
+divided between the two solitary figures, silently waiting, and a
+hut, much bedecked with gaudy trappings and greens. On all sides the
+silent jungle closed in around the brilliant throng, seeming to bear
+witness against mankind; men might force a tiny clearing in its very
+heart after years of struggle and work, but the virgin forest sang on,
+undisturbed, watchful.
+
+The grass flaps, forming the door of the hut, moved. Like a soft wind
+caressing the palm-trees, a murmur rustled through the crowd:
+
+"It is he!"
+
+Children scrambled away from restraining parents to get a better view;
+dogs, filled with uneasiness by this strange silence, whined. The
+stillness was unnatural. Distant cries of a mina-bird floated to this
+strained audience; the river, muttering its plaints to the listening
+rushes, sounded like a cataract in their ears.
+
+Into the midst of this crowd walked a stately, graceful youth. The
+dusky goldenness of his skin was enhanced by his rainbow-hued
+garments. From waist to ankle he was encased in breeches as tight as
+any gymnast's pantaloons; they were striped in greens and scarlets
+and had small gold filigree buttons down the sides. A tight jacket,
+buttoned to the throat, was fastened with another row of buttons,
+and around his waist was gracefully tied a crimson sash, the fringed
+ends heavy with glass beads and seed-pearls. A campilan (two-handled
+knife, double-edged), and a pearl-handled creese (dagger) were thrust
+into the sash. With arrogant tread he advanced, the ranks dividing
+like a wave before an aggressive war-prau. His piercing black eyes
+expressed utter indifference, and he ignored those gathered to witness
+his triumph. Only once he seemed to smile when the little slave girl,
+Papita, timidly touched his arm. The rebuke that fell upon her from the
+others, brought a frown to the boy's face, but he continued to advance
+until he stood beside Dato Kali Pandapatan and Pandita Asin. Here,
+like a sentinel giant, bereft of his nearest kin, one monster tree
+remained standing. It seemed to whisper to its distant mates, who
+nodded answer from their ranks at the edge of the clearing. Under
+this tree Piang paused, gazing fixedly at his beloved chief.
+
+"Piang," said Kali, "the time has come for you to prove that you are
+the chosen of Allah."
+
+A perceptible rustle followed this.
+
+"On the night of your birth, the panditas announced that the charm
+boy, who was to lead the tribe to victory, would be born before
+the stars dimmed. Your cry came first, but there was another, also,
+fated to come to us that night. The mestizo (half-breed) boy, Sicto,
+opened his eyes before that same dawn, and you are destined to prove
+which is the chosen Allah." Anxiously the Moro men and women gazed
+at their idol, Piang. His manly little head was held high, and the
+powerful shoulders squared as he listened.
+
+The sun, but lately risen, bathed the multitude in its early light
+and chased the light filigree of moisture from the foliage. Through
+the branches of the solitary tree, wavy sunbeams made their way to
+flicker and play around Piang, and one bold dart seemed to hesitate
+and caress the mass of glossy, black hair.
+
+"Sicto!" called Kali. There was another murmur, but very different
+from the one that had preceded Piang's coming. From the same hut
+came forth another boy. A little taller than Piang, was Sicto, lean
+and lank of limb. His skin was a dirty cream color, more like that
+of the Mongolian than the warm tinted Mohammedan. His costume was
+much like Piang's, but it was not carried with the royal dignity of
+the other boy's. Sicto's head was held a little down; the murky eyes
+avoided meeting those of his tribesmen, and his whole attitude gave
+the impression of slinking. The high cheek-bones and slightly tilted
+eyes bore evidence of the Chinese blood that flowed in his veins,
+and the tribe shuddered at the thought of Sicto as charm boy. He
+advanced with a shambling gait.
+
+"Sicto, it is given that you shall have your chance." Kali Pandapatan
+spoke loudly, a frown on his brow. "Piang is of our own blood, and
+we, one and all, wish him to be our charm boy, but there shall be no
+injustice done. Born under the same star, within the same hour, it is
+not for me to decide whether you or Piang is the Heaven-sent." Turning
+to the pandita, Kali whispered something. The old man nodded and
+advanced a few steps, saying:
+
+"My people, I shall leave it to you, whether or not I have made a wise
+decision. There is no way for us to prove the claim of either of these
+boys, so I am sending them to seek the answer for themselves." Asin
+paused, and the crowd moved. "On yonder mountain dwells the wise
+hermit, Ganassi. He has lived there for many years, apart from man,
+alone in the jungle with beast and reptile.
+
+There are no trails to his haunt; no man has seen Ganassi for a
+generation, but that he still lives we know, for he answers our signal
+fires each year and replies to our questions." Turning to the two boys,
+he addressed them directly: "The mountain where he dwells has been
+named after him, Ganassi Peak, and friends through the hills will
+direct you toward it. You shall both start at the same time, but by
+different routes. One leads through the jungle, over the hills; the
+other follows the river to its head-water, the lake. Old Ganassi will
+guide the real charm boy to him; he is great; he is ubiquitous. Have
+no fear of the jungle or its creatures, for he will be with you."
+
+Amazement and joy were written on Piang's face. He was to penetrate
+the jungle at last, alone! His heart thrilled at the thought of the
+adventures waiting for him there, and with radiant face he turned
+toward the inviting forest.
+
+"Piang! Piang!" resounded through the stillness, as the excited Moros
+watched him.
+
+Sicto stood, head down, wriggling his toes in the sand. He did not
+like the idea of the lonely jungle, or the thought of the long hard
+days between him and Ganassi Peak, but he did not speak.
+
+With solemn ceremony the pandita prepared to anoint the boys according
+to the rites of the tribe. A slave boy ran lightly forward and sank
+on his knees before the pandita. On his head he bore a basket covered
+with cool, green leaves. Praying and chanting, the priest uncovered
+the basket, revealing two beautiful dazzlingly white flowers.
+
+"The champakas!" cried Papita in amazement as the rare flowers
+were exposed. An admonishing hand was placed over her lips. Slowly
+Asin raised the flowers, heavy with dew, above the two boys, and the
+clear, crystal drops fell upon their heads. Across the sky trailed a
+flock of white rice-birds; as they flitted across the clearing, their
+shadows leaped from one picturesque Moro to another; a twig snapped,
+startling a baby, who cried out. The spell was broken.
+
+The chant was taken up by the entire tribe, and slowly at first, they
+began to revolve around the central figures. As their excitement
+grew, the pace quickened, until they were whirling and gyrating
+at a reckless rate. Like a pistol-shot came the command to cease,
+and quietly all returned to their original places. Kali Pandapatan
+raised his hand for silence.
+
+"I shall throw my creese into the air. Sicto, you may have first
+choice. Do you choose the point, or the flat fall?"
+
+Sicto considered:
+
+"If the creese falls without sticking into the ground, I shall choose
+my route first."
+
+The crowd instinctively pushed a little closer as Kali tossed the
+shining blade into the air. A gasp, forced from between some anxious
+lip, broke the stillness. Every eye followed the course described by
+the knife, and when it fell, clean as an arrow, the blade piercing
+the earth, there was a sigh of relief. Piang was to have first choice.
+
+"Piang, it is given that you shall choose. Will you proceed by the
+river or take your chances with the jungle? One route is as safe as
+another, and only the real charm boy can reach Ganassi."
+
+"I will go by the river," Piang answered quietly, with great dignity.
+
+
+
+It was a beautiful day. To us, the heat would have been stifling,
+the humidity distressing, but Piang loved it all and joyfully looked
+forward to the trip up the river.
+
+The trying ceremony over, the two candidates had hurried off to prepare
+for the long journey. Cumbersome garments were discarded, and Piang
+was clothed in the easy costume of the jungle traveler; breech-clout,
+head-cloth, a sarong, flung carelessly over one shoulder, and a
+_panuelo_ (handkerchief) with a few necessary articles tied securely
+in it. His weapons were a bolo, a creese, and a bow and arrow. Piang's
+bare limbs, bronze and powerful, glistened in the brilliant sunshine,
+and he was very picturesque as he paddled along the stream, dipping
+his slim hands into the current, arresting objects that floated by. He
+had made his _banco_ (canoe) himself; had even felled the palma brava
+alone, and had spent days burning and chopping the center away, until
+at last he was the proud possessor of one of the swiftest canoes on
+the river. As on ice-boats, long outriggers of slender poles extended
+across the banco, and the ends were joined by other bamboo poles, so
+that the canoe looked like a giant dragon-fly as it skimmed lightly
+over the water.
+
+Piang stopped at a lily-pad to gather some of the inviting blossoms,
+but regretted it instantly, as a swarm of mosquitos rose and enveloped
+him. He thought to escape their vicious attacks by paddling faster,
+but it was no use; they had come to stay. Trailing after him a long
+uneven stream, they seemed to take turns in tormenting him, and as the
+leaders became satiated, they fell back, allowing the rear rankers to
+buzz forward and renew the attack. Piang longed for a certain kind
+of moss that grows at the roots of trees, but his keen eyes could
+not discover any.
+
+It was almost all he could do, to paddle his banco and fight the pests;
+his sarong was wrapped tightly around him, but it was no protection
+against the savage mosquitos, and he was about to drop in the water
+despite the crocodiles, when he spied some of the moss. With a cry
+of relief, he headed toward the bank and managed to pull some into
+the boat. Taking from his bundle a queerly shaped, wooden object,
+he spun it like a top, rapidly, backward and forward in a pan until
+smoke appeared at the point of the rod. Powdering some bark, he threw
+it into the pan, and when it began to blaze, he added some of the
+damp moss. Gradually a thick, pungent smoke arose. It curled upward,
+enveloping him and almost choking him with its overwhelming aroma,
+but it dispelled the mosquitos immediately, and Piang continued his
+journey unmolested.
+
+He was very happy that morning, for was he not free, honored by his
+tribe, and engaged in the dearest of pastimes, adventure? The poor
+little girls have no choice in their occupations, for as soon as they
+are large enough, their tasks are allotted to them; they must sit all
+day and weave, or wear out their little backs pounding rice in the big
+wooden bowls. But the man child is free. The jungle is his task. He
+must learn to trap game, to find where the fruits abound, and to avoid
+the many dangers that wait for him. Piang broke into a native chant:
+
+"Ee-ung pee-ang, unk ah-wang!" As it resounded through the forest in
+his high-pitched, nasal tones, he was answered from the trees, and
+little, gray monkeys came swinging along to see who their visitor might
+be. Piang mischievously tossed a piece of the smoking moss to the bank
+and paused to see the fun. Their almost human coughs, as the smoke
+was wafted their way, made him laugh. They scampered down, tumbling
+over each other in their anxiety to be first, and one little fellow,
+who succeeded in out-distancing the others, stuck its hand into the
+smoldering embers. Astonished, at first, it nursed the injured member,
+but gradually becoming infuriated, it finally shrieked and jumped up
+and down. It began to pelt the smudge madly with stones, chattering
+excitedly to its companions, as if describing the tragedy. The others
+had climbed back into the trees, paying no attention to Piang, but
+keeping a watchful eye on the danger that had been hurled among them.
+
+Piang lazily plied his paddle, laughing to himself at the foolishness
+of monkeys. He tried to peer through the dense trees that crowded
+toward the river, hiding the secrets of the jungle. He wanted to know
+those secrets, wanted to match his strength against the numberless
+dangers that are always veiled by that twilight, which the sun strives
+in vain to penetrate, year after year, turning away discouraged. Piang
+listlessly examined the river, little knowing the perilous adventure
+that waited for him just beyond the bend.
+
+One lone log, majestic in its solitude, floated down the river,
+resisting the efforts of tenacious creepers to bind and hold it
+prisoner. Piang poked it with his paddle. Another was floating in
+its wake, and he idly tapped this, also. It stirred, turned over,
+and disappeared under the boat.
+
+"_Boia!_" ("Crocodile!") breathed the startled boy. He had disturbed
+one of the sleeping monsters! Piang's heart beat very fast, and a
+shudder passed through him as he felt something bump the bottom of
+the boat. The crocodile was just beneath him and if it rose suddenly,
+it would upset him. One, two, three seconds he waited, but they were
+the longest seconds Piang had ever known. There was a slight movement
+astern; the boat tipped forward, swerved, and before Piang could right
+himself, a vicious snort startled him. The crocodile was lashing the
+water with its tail, and the light shell was pitching and rolling
+dangerously. Piang scrambled to his knees.
+
+There are only two vulnerable spots on a full-grown crocodile;
+under the left fore leg, where the heart can be pierced, and the
+jugular vein, easily reached through the opened jaws. Piang, in
+the bow of the boat, paused, arm raised, waiting for a favorable
+opportunity. The canoe was being swept backward, stern first, and
+the crocodile swam close, nosing it, making it careen perilously. Any
+moment the merciless jaws might close over the brittle wood, crushing
+it to splinters. The small, bleary eyes seemed to devour Piang as
+they tortured him with suspense, but he patiently waited for his
+chance, knowing that he would only have one. The banco gave a jerk
+as it bumped into an obstruction, and the impact forced it outward
+a few feet. The moment had come. As the crocodile plunged forward,
+Piang thrust his spear into its breast. There was a gurgling sound,
+a swishing of the water, and the Ugly thing rolled over on its back.
+
+Piang never could remember just how he escaped. From every sheltered
+cove, from behind innocent-looking snags, appeared the heads of hungry
+crocodiles, awakened by the fight. Luckily they were attracted by the
+blood of Piang's victim, and he skilfully avoided the clumsy animals
+as they rushed after the fast disappearing meal. One powerful monster
+succeeded in dragging the body into the rushes, and the noise of the
+dispute, as they fought over their unfortunate mate, nauseated the
+boy. His arms were tired and stiff and his head was reeling, but he
+bravely worked at the paddle until he reached a bend of the river. It
+had been a narrow escape, and Piang had learned a lesson. Never again
+would he idly thump logs in a stream!
+
+The boat suddenly came to a standstill. It was turning as if on
+a pivot. It had been caught in one of the numerous eddies at the
+mouth of a small tributary stream. Vigorously he strove to gain
+the channel. He hugged the bank, hoping to free himself from the
+whirlpool, but his outrigger became entangled in some weeds, and
+the boat slowly began to tip. Frantically he reached toward the
+tall nipa-palms, nodding over his head, but their flimsy stalks gave
+easily, and he was almost thrown out of the boat. The sparkling water,
+as if laughing at his predicament, caressed the helpless craft,
+drawing it closer and closer to its bosom. The banco gave a lurch;
+it was tipping; it shipped a quantity of water. All Piang's weight
+thrown against the upturned outrigger had no effect. Helplessly,
+he looked into the green, whirling depths.
+
+There was only one thing to be done. Taking a long breath, he grabbed
+his creese and dived. Down, down; the current pulled and tugged at
+him; the rush of sand and mud blinded him, and he was almost swept out
+into the river. But he managed to catch hold of the roots that were
+twined about the boat and finally cut the banco free. With a bound it
+started down the river. The empty shell, at the mercy of the waves,
+danced and frolicked like a crazy thing, and Piang was almost stunned
+by a blow from the outrigger as it passed him.
+
+The boat was rushing right back into the midst of the crocodiles,
+but he bravely struck out after it. There was no chance for him if he
+failed to reach it. The whispering rushes and feathery palms at the
+water's edge hid evil-smelling mud, festering with fever, the home
+of reptiles and crocodiles. Desperately the boy strove to overtake
+the boat, and just as he was giving up hope, a friendly snag tempted
+the runaway to pause, and Piang's strong, young hand closed over the
+outrigger. Then began the task of climbing back. A sudden movement
+might release the banco, and it would continue its mad flight, which he
+would be powerless to stop. Keeping his eye on the frail-looking snag,
+he threw himself on his back in the water and worked his way along the
+outrigger as he would climb a tree. Finally his hand touched the body
+of the boat, and, cautiously turning over, he sat straddling the bamboo
+frame. It was all he could do to keep from jumping into the boat,
+but he restrained his impatience and started worming over the side.
+
+Half-way in his heart gave a leap! He could hear the swish-swish of
+the water on the other side of the banco as something made its way
+toward him. The eddy was the only thing that saved him, for he could
+see the dread thing twirling round and round as it tried to reach
+him. The boy was almost paralyzed with fear. As long as the crocodile
+was on the other side of the boat, he was safe, but now--the snag
+creaked, stirred.
+
+Piang made one heroic effort, lifted himself clear of the water,
+and fell exhausted into the boat. He was not a moment too soon. The
+crunching sound, as the support began to give under the strain, was a
+fit accompaniment to the snarling and snapping of the crocodile, which,
+deprived of its prey, was lashing the water, trying to reach the frail
+outriggers. Piang thought he had never been swept through the water
+so rapidly, and that he would never gain control of his boat. Louder
+and clearer came the sounds of the fighting monsters beyond the bend,
+and there between him and safety lurked his latest enemy.
+
+An impertinent, ridiculous twitter came from a tiny scarlet-crowned
+songster, as if it were trying to advise and direct the hard-pressed
+boy. Its solemn, round eyes stared at him, reproving and admonishing
+him for his foolhardiness. Piang, on his knees, struggling with the
+current, was unaware of his audience. Gradually he worked the boat
+around and headed up-stream, straight for the crocodile. Surprised by
+this sudden change in tactics, it snorted and opened its repulsive
+jaws. Piang had hoped to catch it in this position, so, pressing
+forward as rapidly as possible, he took careful aim and hurled his
+knife into its mouth. Rising to his feet, spear poised, he waited
+to see if the knife would be effective. The creature floundered and
+slashed the water, gave a blood-curdling bellow, and rolled over on
+its back, dead. A crocodile fights with its last breath to remain on
+its belly, for if not dead, it drowns as soon as it turns over.
+
+Piang wanted his weapon. The body of the animal was caught by the
+current and shot rapidly past him down-stream, but the boy, warned
+by the commotion further down, hesitated to follow it. He realized,
+however, that his knife was very valuable to him, and that he was
+sure to have urgent need of it again, so he started after the ugly
+body. The sparkling wavelets sported and capered with their grewsome
+burden, sometimes dashing it against some stray log, again bearing it
+far across the river as if purposely assisting it to elude its pursuer.
+
+Piang skilfully guided his banco in its wake, and finally succeeded in
+thrusting his spear into its side, and pulled it toward the bank. The
+knife was embedded far down in the terrible jaws, and Piang wondered
+if he dared reach into them. He looked at the tusk-like teeth, the
+first he had ever seen at close quarters, but he remembered with a
+shudder the wounds that he had helped care for--wounds made by such
+poisonous tusks.
+
+Mustering his courage, he slowly extended his hand into its mouth. The
+big, wet tongue flopped against his hand; the powerful jaws quivered
+spasmodically, and the hot, fetid steam from the throat sickened
+him. His knife! He must get it! Desperately he tugged at the handle;
+it would not loosen its hold. Cold sweat broke out all over Piang. A
+new sound arrested him. The crocodiles below had already smelled the
+blood of the second victim and were plunging up-stream to find it. The
+boy thought the knife would never come out. He worked and twisted,
+and finally it gave so suddenly, that he lost his balance, and by a
+quick turn of his body just saved himself from another ducking. It
+was lucky for Piang that he finished when he did, for around the
+curve in the river, headed directly toward him, came the crowding,
+vicious scavengers.
+
+Gathering his wits quickly, he pushed forward. The snorting and
+fighting grew more and more distant; the peaceful river stretched
+out before him like a silver road beckoning him to safety, and he
+offered a prayer of thanksgiving to Allah, the Merciful, that he had
+been spared that awful death.
+
+
+
+It was nearly evening when Piang beached his banco and took up the
+trail to the village where he was to spend his first night. Confidently
+he trotted through the jungle, picking his way easily among the
+gathering shadows. Soon voices became distinguishable, and he heard
+tom-toms beating the evening serenade. Dogs howled in  response,
+women chattered, boys quarreled. To Piang this represented the usual
+day's peaceful ending.
+
+As he trotted into the clearing and paused before the hut of the dato,
+the curious crowded around him: mothers to see if the stranger's
+muscles could compare with their lads'; girls to flaunt their charms;
+boys to measure him with their eyes. Piang had no interest in anything
+but the boys, and as soon as the dato condescended to greet him with
+the customary salutation for guests, he was left in peace to join
+them at their interrupted game of pelota.
+
+Twilight comes quickly in the tropics. When darkness had fallen,
+each family was squatting beside its rice pot, and as the night
+silence deepened, the village slept. Piang had asked for no shelter,
+and no invitation had been extended, but he silently accepted the
+hospitality, according to the strange Moro codes.
+
+Slumber claimed the inhabitants of the barrio, but all around the
+jungle woke to the night. Noxious blooms raised their heads to drink
+in the deadly moisture; hungry pythons took up their silent vigil
+at water holes; night prowlers slunk in the gloom to spring on the
+more defenseless creatures, and over it all the inscrutable jungle
+kept watch, passing silent judgment on man and beast, in this great
+scheme of life.
+
+
+
+
+SECOND ADVENTURE
+
+THE FLOATING ISLAND
+
+
+Like a mirror framed in soft velvet green, the lake broke upon
+Piang. In the still noon heat the motionless water scintillated
+and sparkled and the powerful rays of the sun seemed to penetrate
+to the very bottom. Dragon-flies and spiders skated merrily about,
+eluding the ever-watchful fishes lying in wait amid forests of lacy
+seaweeds and coral. Tall, stately palms, towering above their mates,
+scorned to seek their reflections in the clear depths, but frivolous
+bamboo and nipa-palms swayed gently out over the water, rustling and
+chattering with delight at their mirrored images.
+
+Piang slipped through the mouth of the creek and gazed in amazement at
+the vast sheet of water. Stories of the lake and its wonderful floating
+islands had lured him from the more direct route to Ganassi Peak, and
+he eagerly searched for one of the curiosities. His eyes focused on a
+dot of green far in the distance. It was moving, turning, and suddenly
+a whole fleet of dancing, playful islands became distinct. Joyfully
+Piang started in pursuit. He wanted to see one, to touch it. Swiftly
+he flew through the water. As if detecting his purpose, the nomad
+islands eluded him. As soon as he chose one to pursue, it flaunted
+its charms the more and capered and dodged behind its fellows. Like a
+giant may-pole, the largest island held several smaller ones in leash,
+permitting them to revolve around it, interlacing vines and creepers
+that were rooted on the mother isle. Monkeys and jungle creatures
+crept fearlessly along these natural ropes, sporting from one island
+to another. Hablar-birds and aigrets squabbled over bits of rice
+and wild fruits. Piang caught sight of a civet-cat crouching in a
+tree on one island. It had probably gone to sleep in that tree while
+the island was nosing the mainland and had awakened to find itself
+adrift. Sometimes these floating islands would be held to the shore
+for years, intertwining liana (climbing plants of tropical forests)
+and _bajuca_ (jungle rope), but sooner or later some wild storm is
+sure to set them wandering again.
+
+There were weird tales of early Dyak settlers. These Borneo pirates had
+fled to Mindanao to escape justice, bringing many cruel and terrible
+customs that were to take root and bear fruit among the tribes of the
+sultan. A favorite pastime of the Dyaks had been to bind captives to
+a stray island and lead it slowly and tantalizingly to the mammoth
+waterfalls, shouting and dancing with glee as it plunged into the
+abyss.
+
+The lake was like a fairy-land. Purple lotus flowers surrounded the
+boat. Piang dipped his hands into the cool water, and pulled them
+up by long slender roots; lily-pads offered their beauties and soon
+the banco was a bower of fragrant and brilliant flowers. Playfully
+Piang caught at a vine, floating in the wake of an island. The
+natural boat led him gently about, twisting and circling back and
+forth. He laughed merrily. The islands were too funny! They seemed
+almost human in their antics. Some had regular routes, and, like mail
+boats touched the same spot again and again, only to be hurried on
+as the current caught them. Others with malicious intent strayed in
+the path of their more systematic brothers, bumping and jarring them
+with obstinate regularity.
+
+The joy of freedom thrilled Piang; the intimacy with nature and its
+mysteries stirred within him a desire to know more, feel more, and
+he gazed at the distant peak where his fortune awaited him, wondering
+if the old hermit, Ganassi, was in reality watching for his coming.
+
+Toward afternoon Piang became conscious of a heavy steam-like
+vapor rising from the undergrowth at the edge of the jungle; the
+atmosphere grew suddenly sticky and sultry. Almost within a moment
+the brilliant sunshine was blotted out, and a gray twilight settled
+over the lake. Frightened birds, squawking and screaming, hurried by;
+a fawn, drinking at the water's edge, darted off through the jungle. A
+slight frown rippled across the water; the breeze chilled Piang. Trees
+in the distance seemed to bend nearly double with no apparent cause,
+but the rush of wind finally swept the whole valley, and the jungle
+shuddered and swayed before it. The storm seemed an animate thing,
+seemed to come upon the peacefulness of the lake like an evil genius,
+hurling its fury upon nature and her creatures.
+
+Piang had never been alone in a typhoon. In bewilderment he looked
+about, wondering where he could find shelter. He watched the birds,
+the animals; his boat brought up against something with a thud. An
+island had bumped into him, and he realized in dismay what a menace the
+pretty toys might become in a typhoon. Struggling with the tempest,
+Piang fought past the islands, reached the shore, turned his banco
+bottom side up, and crept underneath.
+
+The violent wind began to dash loose objects about, tearing limbs
+off trees and hurling them aloft as if they were mere splinters. A
+cocoanut crashed down, striking the ground near Piang; another fell,
+and yet another. Then the rain came in torrents. It fell unevenly
+as if poured by mighty giants from huge buckets. The ground beneath
+Piang was swaying, undulating. A tree crashed to the ground, tearing
+away vines and ferns. As he began to experience the motion of a boat,
+Piang became thoroughly alarmed and, dashing aside the banco, sprang
+to his feet.
+
+Terror flashed into his heart. What was happening? He had landed on
+the mainland and put his banco under a big tree, and now this tree
+was pitching and swaying, its branches sweeping the ground. The tree
+was being uprooted, and the earth at Piang's feet was plowed up as
+roots tore through the surface. The next tree was being felled in the
+same manner, and as his eyes darted about, he beheld everywhere the
+same terrifying picture. These mighty monuments of time, trees older
+than man, were being torn from their beds and thrown to the ground
+or left standing against each other for support. It seemed to be
+only the trees in Piang's vicinity that were doomed to destruction,
+and, although it was a dangerous thing to attempt, Piang decided to
+seek another shelter. He took a few difficult steps forward and was
+almost stunned by the immense fall of water. It dashed into his face,
+beat upon his head in a stinging, hissing mass; it ran in streams
+down his arms and legs, making him heavy and clumsy. As he caught at
+a tree for support, it groaned under his weight and crashed to earth;
+the ground was giving way, and he felt himself sinking. With a scream,
+he freed himself, and, jumping to a fallen tree, clung desperately,
+hoping to escape flying missiles. Just as he gathered himself for
+another advance his heart gave a jump. Through the mad rage of the
+typhoon, he could hear quick breathing! The ground tipped and swayed
+alarmingly, tossing trees about like masts on a ship in distress.
+
+"_Linug!_" ("Earthquake!") moaned Piang. Bravely the boy crept forward,
+knife in hand. Whatever it was, hiding under that log, Piang must
+take his chances; if he remained where he was he would certainly be
+killed by falling trees. His feet made a sucking sound; a vivid flash
+of lightning blinded him, and it was all he could do to force his
+way through the wall of water that was pounding down upon him. With
+a desperate effort, he pulled himself along by vines, hoping to pass
+the unknown animal before it could leap; but the branches stirred,
+and he sprang back with a cry.
+
+"_Babui!_" ("Wild boar!") he gasped. The creature's head shook
+with fury; its teeth were bared, and the tiny red eyes flamed
+with anger. The babui had the largest tusks Piang had ever seen,
+and he grasped his bolo firmly to meet the rush. One second, two
+seconds--the suspense was fearful, and Piang wondered why the boar
+did not attack. Strained almost beyond his endurance, he stood, rigid
+and cold, waiting. The wind sucked at his breath; the torrents of
+water, dashing in his face, kept him blinking and gasping, and still
+that wild thing pawed and snorted. Fascinated, Piang gazed into the
+vicious, bleary eyes, and finally he realized that they were losing
+some of their fury; the tusks sank into the spongy earth; the head
+fell lower. The babui was a prisoner, pinioned to the ground by a
+fallen tree! Relief was Piang's first sensation, but pity for the
+animal and fear for himself, roused him to the realization of new
+dangers yet to be faced. He must plunge into the dense jungle; it was
+only a short distance now. He glanced back to be sure that the babui
+could not free itself; it was swaying and moaning, unable to move.
+
+As Piang paused to get his directions, the earth gave a tremendous
+jerk, which threw him on his face. He lay stunned for a few minutes and
+when he rose to his knees, he had the sensation of floating gently,
+softly. The jerking and trembling had ceased, and the ground swayed
+soothingly. Piang turned toward the jungle, to the spot where he
+had been about to step. Could he believe his eyes? Almost numb with
+terror, he gazed stupidly into the receding jungle. He was on land,
+but he was floating. He was sailing away from the jungle! Piang had
+taken refuge on a floating island.
+
+In despair he gazed about him, trying to penetrate the thickly driving
+rain. He was on the very edge of the island and he wondered why he had
+not been swept into the lake. The mass of vegetation, wrenched from
+its bed, trailed along in the water as the nomad island whirled and
+danced on the angry waves. A tree, the branches of which were hanging
+in the water, was pulled from its bed, dragging part of the island
+with it. One long vine struggled to right itself against the current,
+to gain the shelter of the island again. It seemed most lifelike, and
+suddenly Piang realized with a shudder that it was alive. A python had
+been knocked from the falling tree and was being dragged along. Only
+the end of its tail was twined about a log; desperately it strove
+to work its way back, and Piang watched with dread. Its struggles
+grew weaker and weaker, and finally its head sank below the waves,
+and it joined the unresisting creepers that were being dragged along
+to destruction.
+
+Piang leaned wearily against the only tree that remained standing;
+the fall of water, tearing down the trunk, cascaded over the jungle
+boy, and he raised his hand to shield his eyes. What had saved the
+solitary tree, Piang could not imagine, until he discovered a small
+diamond-shaped cut in the bark. He drew back with a shudder. Two
+crossed arrows were carved within the diamond. This was another Dyak
+custom so hateful to the Mohammedan; the tree was the sarcophagus of
+some Borneo chief. A century must have passed since the burial, for
+the incision was almost obliterated, but Piang knew that the mummy
+of his enemy reposed in savage dignity within the heart of the tree,
+and that the Dyak belief was that the tree could not fall or decay. He
+fought his way to the other side of the island. On it sped. Cries of
+frightened animals came faintly from the mainland; screams of birds,
+beaten to earth, pierced the din.
+
+A tremor ran through the island. There was a tearing sound as if
+strong timbers were being forced apart; the whole mass stood still,
+then came a tremendous crash. It had collided with the fleet that
+Piang had been sporting with only an hour before. Surely the stray
+bits of jungle would crush each other to bits. A gray streak flew
+past Piang, and a frightened monkey, thinking to save itself from
+the other derelict, nearly landed on the babui. Paying no attention
+to either the boy or the babui, the monkey shrank against a log and
+hid its head, whining piteously.
+
+A pale light broke through the gloom, and the rain ceased as suddenly
+as it had come. Piang's heart gave a bound as he watched the tempest
+abate. Suddenly he straightened himself and strained his ears to catch
+a new sound. What was that deep, distant rumbling? A cry so piteous
+broke from him, that even the dying babui started. The falls! He could
+hear them distinctly and realized that he was rushing toward them
+at a mad pace. Louder and clearer grew the thunder of those falls,
+and Piang's staunch little heart rebelled. He would not stand there
+like a Dyak prisoner! He would do something. He would save himself! A
+blazing flash rent the heavens and Piang caught sight of Ganassi Peak
+frowning and lowering in the clouds. Ganassi! If he only knew! No,
+it was too late. The falls roared hungrily, and nothing could keep
+the island from plunging to destruction.
+
+Slowly Piang rose to his full height, and, folding his arms, determined
+to die bravely. He could see the upper falls now, high above his
+head, and he pictured the greater falls below him--the falls that
+were waiting to swallow his island. He tried to remember the prayer
+for such an occasion, but none came to him.
+
+"There is no God but Allah!" muttered the terrified boy.
+
+The island was pitching again as obstacles caught at it, spinning it
+around and around. Each thing that it struck on its reckless journey
+tore portions from it; gradually it became smaller. The light grew
+steadily clearer, and Piang could see what awaited him. Massive rocks
+loomed up at the head of the falls, and he calmly wondered if he would
+be killed before the plunge. The side of the island where he stood
+began to give way, and, although he was to die in a few minutes,
+instinct made him move to the other side. He tried to walk, but
+the ground gave at each step. He crawled along the trunk of a tree
+and unexpectedly came upon the monkey. The little creature was still
+huddled against the log and showed no fear of Piang; it whined louder,
+seeming to sense the rapidly approaching danger.
+
+Suddenly the monkey jumped into the tree, and Piang followed it with
+his eyes. It seemed to be gathering itself for a greater leap. As
+Bruce watched the spider, so Piang, fascinated, kept his eyes on
+the little wild thing. Gradually it dawned on him that the monkey
+had discovered an avenue of escape! The island had veered off and
+was fast approaching a monster boulder that would surely break it in
+two. Growing on it were vines and trees hanging far out over the water.
+
+Piang stumbled along and somehow made his way to the burial tree. A
+moment he paused, awed by a superstitious fear of the dead, but a
+violent clap of thunder terrified him into forgetting all but his
+immediate danger. There were only a few moments left; if he could
+reach the top of the tree before the island dashed past the vines, he
+might save himself. His hands tremblingly sought the notches sacred
+to the dead; he scrambled upward. Thorns pierced his tired limbs;
+vines and creepers took vicious delight in fastening themselves upon
+him. The tree shook as the monkey jumped farther out on a limb, and
+the movement seemed to put new strength in Piang. As he struggled up,
+a calmness came to him. He carefully watched the monkey, and when
+it crouched for the spring, Piang searched the approaching vines for
+one strong enough to hold him.
+
+In a moment it would all be over. What if he jumped too soon or too
+late? What if the vine proved too frail? The monkey was crouching
+for the leap. The branch that Piang was clinging to bent under
+his weight. The monkey flashed through the air, made a desperate
+grab, and swung out of sight. In a daze, Piang prepared to follow;
+breathlessly he watched for his chance. With a prayer on his lips and
+with a mighty effort, he sprang straight out into space. His hands
+closed over something small and round. A dizziness came over him.
+
+In dismay he felt the vine give, as if uncoiling itself from a
+windlass. Down, down he fell until his feet touched the soggy earth
+of the island. Still the vine uncoiled; the island crashed into the
+boulder. Desperately Piang tried to climb the vine, but its slackness
+offered no resistance. Slowly the island began to tip, to slide
+over the falls, and Piang made one more effort to save himself. As
+he grasped the vine more firmly, it brought up with a quick jerk,
+almost breaking his hold.
+
+He felt the vine tighten, heard it creak and groan under his weight,
+and finally it lifted him clear of the island, swinging him far out
+over the abyss like a weight at the end of a pendulum.
+
+His island slid from under him, leaving him suspended in mid air;
+in the second that he hung there, he could see the cruel rocks below,
+the seething, steaming water. The stately funeral tree gently inclined
+to the fall, and, with stern dignity, took the plunge. The dying
+babui, flung far out into space, added its diminutive death-wail to
+the din. The vine trembled over the chasm. Piang felt a quick rush
+of air, a sickening feeling, as if he were rapidly falling; with a
+tremendous impetus the vine swung back, crashed into a tree, and,
+with the agility of the monkey, Piang climbed to safety.
+
+"There is no God but Allah!" came from the strained lips, and the
+boy turned his eyes toward the setting sun as it struggled to pierce
+the gloom.
+
+"_Bulutu!_" ("Rainbow!") he cried, and a faint smile flitted across
+his bruised and bleeding face.
+
+Startled by a movement at his side, Piang found the frightened monkey
+trying to thrust its head under his arm. Taking the trembling little
+creature up, Piang pillowed it against his breast. And so these
+strange companions, the timid, wild monkey and the gentle, savage boy
+crouched in the tree together, watching the typhoon beat out its fury
+on the helpless things of nature, and ever clearer grew the _bulutu_
+as it wreathed and crowned Piang's goal, Ganassi Peak.
+
+
+
+
+THIRD ADVENTURE
+
+THE HERMIT OF GANASSI PEAK
+
+
+The silence was oppressive. Piang stumbled along through the tangle of
+vines and weeds, tired and foot-sore. Would he never find the path to
+the peak? And was there really a mysterious old man who had lived up
+there for over a hundred years? Sicto was somewhere on that mountain,
+striving to reach the summit too, and the pandita had said that the
+boy who arrived first, was the real charm boy. They had both started
+from the _barrio_ (village) the same day; Sicto had plunged into the
+jungle, while Piang had chosen the river and lake. He shuddered at
+the recollection of his many narrow escapes during the journey. Where
+was his enemy, Sicto, now? Had he found an easier route, and was he
+already with old Ganassi, receiving the rites of charm boy?
+
+Unfamiliar with the vegetation on the mountain, Piang was afraid
+to touch the many strange fruits, so he contented himself with
+bananas and cocoanuts, and for water he drank dew from the enormous
+pitcher-plants. The jungle was thick, and it was difficult to decide
+in what direction to go, so Piang had to climb trees to get his
+bearings. One day just as he was starting up a tall tree, he was
+startled by a sound. Something was crashing through the bushes below
+him. Visions of terrible mountain animals flashed through his head,
+and he hastily scrambled up the tree. On came the creature, now pausing
+a moment, now plunging into the mesh of vines, tearing them asunder,
+always following the path Piang had made. Preparing himself for some
+strange beast, the boy drew bow and waited. Suddenly he started. A cold
+chill gripped him. That sound! It was a voice--Sicto's! Crouching
+against the tree, Piang hoped to escape detection, but just as
+Sicto passed beneath the tree, Piang's bow slipped and fell to the
+ground. Sicto jumped aside and looked up:
+
+"Oh, ho, my pretty Piang! So I've got you, have I?" The bully started
+up the tree.
+
+Like a flash Piang was away. As easily as any monkey he swung himself
+into the next tree, and before Sicto realized it, Piang was taunting
+him from the very top of a far-off tree. More agile and much smaller
+than Sicto, Piang could easily travel in this way, and after a few
+unsuccessful attempts to follow, Sicto jumped to the ground. Slyly
+making his way along on foot, Sicto watched his rival. When Piang
+thought he had outdistanced his pursuer, he slipped to the ground
+and started off.
+
+"Leeeeee lelelele ouiiiit!" The war-cry rang through the jungle,
+and Piang knew that his life depended on his fleet-footedness. Over
+fallen tree trunks, through dense cogon grass, Piang fled. His feet
+were pierced by wicked thorns, and everything he touched seemed to
+throw out a defense against him. Bamboo caught at his clothing and
+held him prisoner; _bajuca_ vines clutched his weapons, hurling him
+to the ground. Sicto was gaining on him. After poor Piang had made
+the path through the jungle, it was easy enough for Sicto to follow.
+
+On, up, fled the boy. He came to a clearing through which a mountain
+stream was bubbling. The sun beat down; the stifling heat rising
+from rotting vegetation took his breath away, but Piang ran on. What
+was that black hole yawning in the mountain side? With a gasp, Piang
+realized he was at the mouth of the haunted cave.
+
+The brook, flowing swiftly down the mountain, plunged into the cave
+and disappeared, to come to the surface about two miles away. It was
+the home of the most terrible reptiles and animals, and the souls of
+wicked people waited there for Judgment Day.
+
+Piang scanned the precipitous cliffs, the impenetrable jungle, in
+search of an avenue of escape. He was trapped. A gloating cry from
+Sicto decided him. Sicto was a coward and would be afraid to follow
+him, so Piang ran toward the cave. Had not the pandita said that
+Ganassi would be with the real charm boy, and was not Piang sure of
+that protection? Who but Piang was the charm boy?
+
+Piang's courage began to flag, however, as he caught the cold, damp
+odor from the cave, but he bravely plunged into the forbidding-looking
+cavern. Man had probably never set foot in that place before. Creeping
+along, he peered into the increasing darkness, but could see nothing. A
+shriek startled him, and the sight that met his eyes made his blood
+run cold. Sicto had started to follow Piang, but just as he came
+to the opening, a huge python slipped across the mouth of the cave,
+waving its enormous head from side to side. Sicto, trembling with fear,
+retreated into the jungle, and as Piang saw him disappear, he longed
+to be out again, fighting Sicto, anything, rather than penned up in
+the cave with that frightful snake and the unknown horrors. There
+was no turning back, however, for that sentinel continued to slip and
+slide across the opening, and Piang bravely faced the two miles that
+lay between him and the other end of the underground passage.
+
+The air was heavy and moldy; the sides of the cave wet and
+slippery. Once his hand touched something that moved, and he almost
+fainted.
+
+"I am the real charm boy," he whispered, "and nothing will hurt
+me. Ganassi, the wonder man, is with me. Forward!"
+
+Courageous and determined, the boy pressed on. A muffled cry resounded
+through the passage. Flattening himself against the slimy wall,
+Piang listened. He could not imagine what had made the sound, and he
+unsheathed his knife. At times he followed the bed of the stream,
+wading ankle-deep in the water, but the slippery stones turned or
+tripped him, and when he stepped on something that moved, he groaned
+and jumped to the narrow shelf-like ledge that overhung the water.
+
+A faint light stole through the gloom. Was it the end? But surely
+not, he had not gone more than a few hundred yards. He hurried
+forward. Brighter, clearer, it grew. Suddenly the brook made a sharp
+turn, and he found himself in a high, vaulted chamber, sparkling and
+shimmering in the light from above. Piang was so glad to see daylight
+again, faint as it was, that he did not stop to consider new dangers,
+and eagerly ran forward. He searched the sides for support on which
+to climb to the crevices, but the rotting vines and moss that lined
+the walls gave at his touch, and he fell back discouraged. Something
+crumbled under his body, and he discovered to his horror that he had
+fallen on a skeleton. A man had been here before him, then? But closer
+examination proved the bones to be those of a _packda_ (ape). Snakes
+and worms wriggled out of the skeleton, and Piang shrank back in
+fear. The dread hamadryad leered at him; poisonous toads and lizards
+scurried for cover. How many more of these creatures would he encounter
+before escaping from this dungeon? Would Ganassi protect him and lead
+him safely through? Something seemed to tell the boy that he was safe
+and with renewed faith, he prepared to continue the journey.
+
+Everywhere the beauty of nature asserted itself. Pale green ferns
+seemed to hold out beseeching arms toward the light; moss crept upward
+hopefully, softening the rough ledges with its velvet touch. Great
+stalagmites and stalactites, smothered in the embrace of lichen and
+creepers, accepted the homage of the plant life indifferently. Piang
+was blind to the sublimity of his surroundings, as he hurried
+on. Carefully he stepped on the ledge; warily he held out his bolo
+to ward off surprises. A sudden hiss made him leap into the stream,
+and shuddering, he plunged on, down the black path. Would the stream
+lead him to the sunlight again? Or was he burrowing into the depths
+of the earth, never again to breathe the air of life?
+
+Finally, after almost giving up hope, he heard the distant call of
+a mina-bird. The jungle! Frantically he worked his way forward,
+wondering if the mate to the sentinel at the other opening would
+bar his passage. Daylight! Faintly, at the end of the long tunnel,
+he could see the blessed green of the forest, but his cry of joy was
+stilled; his hope of safety vanished. Again that mournful cry echoed
+through the cavern, and he gave himself up for lost. The souls of
+the wicked were pursuing him, would capture him, and make him pay
+for intruding upon them! Piang reeled as he heard a splash in the
+water behind him; he caught at something for support; it writhed out
+of his hand. Paralyzed with fear, the boy scarcely breathed. On came
+the pursuer, stealthily, warily. Reaching the end of his endurance,
+Piang wheeled, and faced the cave. Something paused, whined, and a
+streak flew past him. The fetid odor of a living creature brought
+him to his senses, and his anxious eyes discerned the outline of a
+civet-cat making its way to the opening.
+
+As he struggled through those last few rods, Piang thought he had
+never worked so hard in his life, but finally he lay in the sunshine,
+safe, free, and unafraid.
+
+
+
+For two days Piang struggled upward. Everything was strange to him;
+the growths and trees were different from those of the lowlands. Scrub
+palms, covered with small buds, on which the dread packda feeds,
+began to appear, and Piang anxiously scanned the trees. There is no
+creature in the jungle that has the strength of the packda. Only the
+crocodile and the python are foolish enough to attack it, but the
+crocodile's jaws are torn asunder, and the python is clawed to pieces.
+
+"Piang!" The name echoed and vibrated through the forest. Who had
+called him? Trembling with fear, filled with apprehension, Piang
+took refuge in a tree. From the branches he scanned the surrounding
+forest. Was a spirit following him from the haunted cave, or was it
+the hated Sicto?
+
+"Piang!" It came softly this time, as if from a greater distance. The
+underbrush moved, and Piang prayed that it might not be a spirit come
+to destroy him. The bush rustled, cracked, and parted as a dazzling
+white head made its appearance. Piang shut his eyes, dreading what
+was to come. Almost swooning, he slipped, lost his hold, and went
+crashing through the branches. Stunned by the fall, it was sometime
+before he regained consciousness, but the first thing he was aware of,
+was a hot breath on his face. Slowly he opened his eyes, wondering if
+he was dreaming. There, bending over him, was a marvelous white fawn.
+
+Startled and ashamed, Piang looked at the lovely thing. He put out
+his hand and the animal laid her soft muzzle in his palm, allowing
+him to caress her. What did she want? Were some of her babies in
+trouble? With his arm about the fawn's neck, Piang allowed himself
+to be led along a well defined path, trodden by many feet.
+
+"Piang!" Again his name was called, but for some reason fear had been
+banished from his heart, and he advanced without a qualm. Presently
+they came to one of the numerous jungle clearings. The sun did not
+burn at this altitude, and Piang took a deep breath of the fresh,
+crisp air. A flapping of wings startled him, and before he could
+prevent, a brilliant mina-bird circled his head and gently lighted
+on his shoulder. A soft white mist was floating around and below
+him. The clouds! He was in them, "the breath of the wind," and he
+thought that this must be fairyland.
+
+"Piang!" This time the voice was near at hand. Both creatures responded
+to the call, and Piang suffered himself to be led onward. The fawn
+stopped near a gigantic banian-tree. It was the only tree in the
+clearing and spread over more than an acre of ground, enticing the
+surrounding creepers and orchids to its shelter. Piang had seen these
+trees before, but never such a large one. The banian is like a huge
+tent; each branch sends shoots to the ground, which take root and
+become additional trunks, and year after year the tree increases its
+acreage; hundreds of men can find shelter under these jungle temples.
+
+"Piang!" The voice came from within the tree. Astonished, Piang
+watched the mina-bird flit through the sunlight and disappear into
+the banya. The fawn paused, looked gravely into the boy's eyes,
+and with stately mien, walked into the tree.
+
+"Thank you, my little friends, for bringing Piang to Ganassi," said
+the voice from within.
+
+Ganassi! So this was the haunt! This lovely natural dwelling, the
+dread Ganassi's home! Expectantly, Piang waited. Was Ganassi a man,
+or was he only a voice, the heart of this banian-tree? While he stood
+gazing at the tree, waiting for the spirit to address him, or the man
+to appear, he was startled by a black, shiny head, and the loathsome
+coils of a python, writhing in the branches. The serpent! Piang
+had heard that it could fascinate animals, keeping them prisoner by
+its mystic powers, until ready to devour them. Ganassi was, then,
+an evil spirit in the form of a serpent! Piang uttered a low cry.
+
+"So, my little pet, you have frightened Piang, the charm boy! You
+must not do that."
+
+The snake, responding to the voice, stuck its head through the foliage
+and slipped from sight.
+
+The voice! The voice! It had called him the charm boy! Piang's fear
+abated, and he said tremblingly:
+
+"O great Ganassi, will you not show yourself to me,
+Piang?" Breathlessly the boy listened. The branches swayed, parted,
+and the mina-bird floated through. The python, head erect, followed,
+and next came the graceful white form of his first friend. On its
+neck it supported a weird creature. Bent and wrinkled, was the
+little old man; a few strands of white hair flowed from his chin,
+and his eyebrows and lashes had almost disappeared. Toothless, almost
+hairless as he was, there was that about Ganassi that precluded horror,
+for his sparkling eyes were kind, and his mouth gently curved into
+a smile. Piang fell on his knees. The hermit surrounded by his pets,
+advanced and raised the boy.
+
+"My little Piang! So you have come to Ganassi at last. He has known
+for many years that you would come. Long before you were born he knew,
+and his heart is glad to welcome you."
+
+"Is it true, O wise man, that I am the real charm boy, and that I
+shall lead Kali Pandapatan's tribe to victory?"
+
+"You have spoken, my son. It was over you, not the impostor, Sicto,
+that the mystic star hovered on the night of your birth."
+
+At the mention of his enemy's name, Piang quickly scanned the
+surrounding jungle, but Ganassi's soft chuckle reassured him.
+
+"Have no fear, child. Sicto can never harm you, nor will he ever reach
+Ganassi. The python would smother him; the mina-bird would peck out
+his eyes; the gentle fawn would lead him astray."
+
+"How do you know all this, O Ganassi?"
+
+"The question shall be answered, Piang, because you are charm boy,
+but should other lips utter it, they should never speak again. Enter."
+
+Ganassi held back the slender trunk-roots of the banian. Curiously,
+the boy looked about. All the wonder of the jungle seemed centered
+in this sacred spot. A forest of stems and aerial roots greeted his
+eyes; from overhead the graceful and rare Vanda lowii sent inquisitive
+blooms to caress his cheek; they mingled with his dark hair, scenting
+the air with their strange fragrance. From tree-ferns, nestling in
+the branches, tiny heads peeped out, and little feathered creatures
+chirruped a welcome. A civet-cat was lazily stroking its face with one
+paw. Something large and hairy stirred on a nest of dried grass, and
+sleepily a full-grown packda stretched himself and gazed at Piang. The
+python approached it, and a hairy paw was extended; his snakeship
+coiled up beside the ape, and the mina-bird flew to the ape's shoulder.
+
+Piang could scarcely believe his eyes. Here all was at peace, and
+natural enemies forgot to fight and kill.
+
+"Piang, all these creatures are going to be your friends."
+
+Piang seated himself on the soft turf opposite Ganassi; the fawn
+nosed her head under Piang's arm and sank by his side.
+
+"The charm that I am about to give you will protect you from tempest,
+danger, and deceit: no storm can destroy you; no animal can creep upon
+you unaware, and no man can lie to you. You will become the wise man
+of Mindanao, the guide of your people, the heart of the island."
+
+Solemnly the boy followed the words of the old man.
+
+"You shall be taught all the truths of the nation, and you shall pass
+them along to the generations."
+
+Piang's face brightened. At last he was to know the answers to many
+puzzling questions.
+
+"Ask what you will, boy. I will answer you truthfully and justly,
+telling you the things as they are, as they have been since the day
+of creation."
+
+"Why, O Ganassi, must Mohammedans never eat the flesh of the wild
+boar? It is forbidden that we touch pork, yet the Christians find it
+good." Ganassi's brow clouded:
+
+"Have you never heard of the Christian's God? Do you not know that we
+hate Christians because they believe a Son of God could be killed by
+man? They call him Christ, but we know that the Almighty is Toohan,
+omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. Their prophet Isa [Jesus]
+once visited the great Mahomet, and when Mahomet demanded that he
+divine what was in the room beyond, Isa refused, saying that he had
+no wish to show power.
+
+"'Answer correctly, or you pay for it with your life!' thundered
+Mahomet. Isa then replied that he had two strange animals in the room.
+
+"'Wrong!' cried Mahomet. 'You shall now be killed. My two beloved
+grandchildren are behind those doors!' but when they were flung
+open, two filthy boars ran out; Isa had changed the children into
+pigs! And so, Piang, no true Mohammedan will eat the flesh of the
+wild boar. Beware, lest you ever let a Christian hear this story;
+it is not for us to acknowledge that Isa is greater than Mahomet."
+
+Piang was shocked. No wonder his people abstained from the flesh of
+the boar.
+
+"Can you tell me what makes the sea rise and fall, and why the tides
+rush in and flow out again?" asked Piang.
+
+A smile broke over Ganassi's leathery features.
+
+"In a far distant sea lives a giant crab; when he goes into his
+hole, the water is pushed out, and when he comes forth for food, the
+water rushes in." It was so simple that Piang laughed heartily. The
+mina-bird, startled, squawked an admonition and fluttered to Piang's
+lap.
+
+"Where do we go when we die," asked the inquisitive boy.
+
+Ganassi scouted the Christian's belief that heaven is in the
+clouds. Were they not in the clouds now?
+
+"When a child is born, the soul enters the body through the
+opening left in the skull. This hole soon closes, confining the
+spirit within. When death comes to a household in Moroland, have
+you not seen the master of the house mount to the roof and remain
+there through the night? Well, that is to prevent the evil spirit,
+Bal-Bal, from entering. This dread creature sails through the air
+like a flying Lemur (monkey), tears the thatch from the roof with
+his terrible curved nails, scatters the defenders, and licks up the
+body with his forked tongue of fire. The soul of this deceased never
+reaches heaven. Your charm, Piang, will ward him off." The boy sat,
+mouth open, eyes staring. "A soul is guided to a cave that leads deep
+down in the earth, and there, between two gigantic trees, stands
+Taliakoo, a giant, who tends the eternal fires. Taliakoo inquires
+of the newcomer what he has to say for himself, and to the surprise
+of the soul, something within it answers. Conscience, the witness,
+replies, and according to the decree of this strange arbiter, the fate
+of the soul is decided. If nothing but ill can be said for it, it is
+pitched into the fire; if it has been good, it is allowed to pass on
+to the abode of the blessed. The soul that meets with neither fate,
+is punished according to its sins: if it has lied, its mouth pains;
+if it has been a thief, its hands itch and burn, and eventually,
+after the period of punishment is over, it precedes to heaven,
+cleansed of its sins."
+
+The big ape, sleeping soundly, emitted a snore so human, that Piang
+laughed.
+
+"Why does the packda look so like a man, Ganassi?"
+
+"Because he once _was_ a man," was the startling reply. "He
+was lazy and, instead of working, climbed trees and hunted minas
+(monkey-nuts). A companion, becoming vexed, uttered a curse on him
+and threw a stick at him. These things clung to the lazy man: the
+stick became a tail, and the curse deprived him of speech. Ashamed
+of himself, he and his family took to the trees, never to return."
+
+Many questions were put to the wise old hermit, and his ready answers
+astonished, but satisfied, Piang. Night came on, and the strange
+company lay down together under the shelter of the banian and slept.
+
+Piang was very happy. He had reached Ganassi, was proclaimed the
+real charm boy, and was at last to receive the glorious charm. Some
+said it was a star tossed to Moroland by the Creator, that it was the
+emblem of power, and that he who wore it would be filled with a divine
+understanding. Others believed it to be the great diamond of Borneo,
+captured many years before from the pirates of that fierce land. Piang
+did not care which it proved to be, as long as it shone and sparkled
+with beauty. All agreed that its brilliance dazzled the eye, that its
+magnificence was unrivaled. Ganassi had waited a hundred years for
+the charm boy who was destined to wear it, and at last the star had
+proclaimed Piang to be the lucky boy. Through Piang's dreams flitted
+the visions of shimmering jewels of gold, and the happy smile on the
+boy's lips made old Ganassi's heart glad.
+
+
+
+"Up, up with you, sleepyhead!" called Ganassi. "The sun will catch
+you napping if you do not hurry."
+
+Piang sleepily rubbed his eyes and sat up. Horror and fright seized
+him as he beheld the body of the python curled up beside him and the
+packda contemplating him with indifference. From the doorway Ganassi
+smilingly watched him.
+
+"Come, my subjects are assembling; they will all assist in the ceremony
+of the sacred charm." The charm! Piang remembered and jumped to his
+feet. Creatures from all over the mountain were answering Ganassi's
+weird call; the air was full of fluttering birds, and monkeys came
+swinging toward them. Ganassi gave to each a sweet or a fruit.
+
+"Piang, no dato can boast of a grander court than Ganassi,
+eh?" chuckled the old man.
+
+It was indeed marvelous. Ganassi seemed to reign among the jungle folk
+as royally as any king. He chastised, praised, petted, and scolded;
+and one and all the beasts loved their wizened little master. Solemnly
+Ganassi went about his task. From his bosom he took a small object,
+smoothed, and caressed it. Piang trembled with excitement. Ganassi
+called each animal, and they responded to the beloved voice.
+
+"Piang, my creatures approve my action. This is the sacred charm. One
+and all the animals have blessed it, and through your life, if you
+have faith, nothing will harm you." Piang's eyes darted around the
+strange circle, and, indeed, the animals accepted him as naturally
+as they did Ganassi.
+
+"The time has come, Piang. The heavens have watched over you from
+babyhood, and you have proved your worth and bravery many times. I
+am ready to reward you. Come!"
+
+Trembling, the boy advanced. Kneeling before the hermit, Piang clasped
+his hands and prayed that he might be worthy of the great honor about
+to be bestowed upon him. Gently the wise man laid his hands on Piang's
+head; softly he muttered a few words; then something dropped around
+the boy's neck.
+
+"You may rise, Piang. You are now invincible!"
+
+Bounding to his feet, Piang clasped the charm.
+
+"I cannot see it, Ganassi. May I unclasp it to behold its beauty
+and splendor?" Keenly the old man looked into the face of the boy,
+measuring him, studying him.
+
+"And if it is not beautiful, shiny, and bright, boy, what then?"
+
+"Oh, but it must be, Ganassi! It is the most valuable thing in
+the world!"
+
+"You may unclasp it, Piang."
+
+Clumsily the boy fumbled with the fastenings; eagerly his eyes sought
+the charm. His face went blank; tears sprang to his eyes. He was
+holding a tiny gourd, no larger than a monkey-nut, suspended from
+a necklace of polished crocodile teeth. His disappointed eyes met
+Ganassi's, still studying him.
+
+"Are you not satisfied, Piang? Are you then unworthy of the great
+honor bestowed upon you? Do you think that to be of value a thing must
+sparkle and shine?" Piang gathered himself, hid his disappointment,
+and bravely answered:
+
+"I am satisfied."
+
+"Shake the gourd, Piang."
+
+A hollow rattle came from the immature growth, and Piang's face
+brightened.
+
+"Its worth may be inside. Who knows? Only Ganassi, the wonder man,
+and he will tell no one." The keen old eyes twinkled as they watched
+Piang's face.
+
+The mystery! It was again established, and Piang was happy. Maybe
+the precious stones were inside and some day would be revealed to
+him! As if reading his thoughts, Ganassi said:
+
+"The charm must remain intact to wield its spell; if the gourd should
+ever be broken or stolen, both you and the charm lose the mystic power
+lately bestowed upon it. Piang, the source of power is faith! Believe,
+be honest, be true, and the world holds naught but joy for you and
+Kala Pandapatan's people."
+
+A silence fell upon them all. The solemn words had sobered Piang,
+and he gazed into the eyes of the wise man.
+
+"Begone, boy. The sun rises, and you have many miles to go. To-night
+I will light the signal fires and tell your tribe that you have come
+and gone, that Piang is charm boy of Kali Pandapatan's people forever."
+
+
+
+
+FOURTH ADVENTURE
+
+THE FIRE TREE
+
+
+The velvety dusk of the jungle was pierced here and there by the
+brilliant, crimson buds of the fire-tree. For weeks all Moroland had
+waited for their coming, the heralds of the combat season. During
+the harvest time there is a truce in these turbulent islands, but
+when the crops have been gathered, the natives become restless and
+long to sally forth to conquer. The myth that victory comes only
+to the tribe whose fire-tree has bloomed is implicitly believed,
+and impatiently the Moros await this announcement of the combat
+season. Paying no heed to their capital city, Manila, these merry
+little isles revel in intrigue, and there is no sport in Moroland that
+can compare with the combat. Tribes go forth to conquer and enslave
+others; the men look forward to it as an opportunity to prove their
+prowess; the women thrill at the possibility of capture. True, they
+may become the slaves of some unscrupulous dato, but there is always
+the romantic chance that they may fall into the hands of the hero of
+their dreams and become the favorite of his seraglio.
+
+"Where is Piang?" Dato Kali Pandapatan addressed a copper-colored
+slave who salaamed and replied:
+
+"In the jungle, O most high one, searching for the blooming fire
+branch."
+
+"It is well." Kali Pandapatan, with folded arms, paused in the
+doorway of his hut, watching expectantly the only opening into the
+frowning jungle.
+
+"He comes! He comes!" rippled through the barrio.
+
+The eager inhabitants gathered to learn if the time was yet ripe. Into
+their midst ran a slim, bronze lad, waving above his head a branch,
+almost bare of green, but aflame with crimson blossoms. There was
+a hush. Women gathered their children to them; men grasped their
+weapons more firmly, and the young boys looked with longing eyes at
+the fortunate Piang.
+
+"_Ooola!_" exclaimed Piang. Every lip repeated the word; every knee was
+bent, and the tribe lay prostrate at his feet; only old Kali Pandapatan
+remained standing, eyeing Piang with satisfaction. For a full two
+minutes the crowd remained motionless. The palm-trees whispered and
+crackled above them, and the river sent a soft accompaniment to the
+jungle music. To and fro above their heads Piang majestically waved
+the branch, until finally one bold voice demanded:
+
+"_Anting-anting!_" ("The charm, the charm!") Piang defiantly bared
+his breast, exposing the sacred charm suspended from his necklace of
+crocodile teeth. There was moaning in the crowd, sobs of excitement,
+and protests of impatience, but every head remained lowered until
+the august relic was again covered. Piang began to chant in a high,
+nasal voice, and the others rose and joined in creating a weird,
+monotonous drawl. Like a statue stood the boy, holding the branch
+high above his head while they circled round and round him. Faster,
+faster they whirled; in a frenzy they shrieked; some fell and others
+tramped them in their excitement. Suddenly the boy stamped his feet,
+uttering a sharp cry. Every eye turned toward him.
+
+"To the river!" he cried and lead the way. Two boys hurried forward
+and were on their knees in a twinkling, hollowing out a place in the
+sand, dog fashion. With many incantations and prayers, the branch was
+planted in the hole, the damp sand laid carefully around the base,
+and the two proud boys left to watch. If the flowers of the fire
+tree faded before the scorching sun set, it was destined that the
+tribe would be unsuccessful in its ventures for the season; should
+the blooms defy the rays of the sun until the dews of evening rested
+on its petals, old Kali Pandapatan could sally forth unafraid to meet
+his fierce brothers of the jungle.
+
+Patiently they waited through the long, hot day; many eyes were
+anxiously turned toward the sacred emblem, but none dared approach. The
+little Moro boys, in whose care the branch had been left, squatted in
+silent patience. No butterfly was suffered to light on the delicate
+petals, no droning bee allowed to gather the honey of its cups. On
+dragged the sweltering afternoon. Piang and the dato were the only
+ones allowed to know that the branch was still fresh, but only Piang
+knew that its flowers had been dipped into a cool stream before it
+came to the tribe to foretell its victories or defeats.
+
+"Allah, il Allah!" the call rang through the village. Sunset, the
+hour of prayer! Now, now they would know. Solemnly old Pandita Asin
+led the chant while the Moros prostrated themselves in supplication,
+and the dying sun slipped over the mountains, touching every tree
+and flower with its gold.
+
+There was great feasting and celebration in the barrio that
+night. Women donned their most brilliant sarongs, tinted their
+silver-tipped finger nails with henna, and streaked their brows
+with splotches of white rice paste. The men twisted their hair up in
+gorgeous head-cloths, and the knot bristled with creeses. Suspended
+from their many-colored sashes were barongs, campilans or bolos, and
+tiny bells were fastened into the lobes of their ears. The brilliantly
+striped breeches seemed likely to burst, so tightly were they drawn
+over shapely limbs.
+
+The branch had not withered. It had withstood the scorching rays of
+the sun. Kali Pandapatan was invincible.
+
+
+
+"Piang!" called Kali Pandapatan.
+
+The noises of the barrio were hushed. Their dato had spoken. The
+name was repeated, and gradually the call reached the charm boy,
+idly dangling his feet in a clear brook, attracting and scattering
+the curious fish. He sprang to his feet, listened, and darted off. His
+sleek, well fashioned limbs glistened in the sunlight, and the sarong
+that was gracefully flung over one shoulder floated out behind like a
+flame fanned by the wind. Twined in his long black hair was a wreath
+of scarlet fire flowers; every face brightened as he fled past.
+
+"You have again brought the sign, Piang. When do we fight?" asked
+Kali Pandapatan.
+
+"Not until we have delivered the _siwaka_ (tribute) to the sultan at
+Cotabato. The fire-tree has not yet bloomed in the enemy's country,
+and we may yet pass through safely," Piang replied.
+
+"You have spoken," said the dato and laid his palms on the youth's
+head.
+
+Though the latent passion of battle stirred in the Moros' breasts,
+they were compelled to heed. Piang had proved a wise charm boy, and
+the tribe must obey him. Each season the siwaka must be carried over
+the steep, treacherous trail down to the coast, and those detailed
+to accompany the slaves who carried the bags of rice and _comoties_
+(sweet-potatoes), dreaded the trip. Added to the pitfalls of the
+obscure trail, were hostile territories to be traversed, and if the
+enemies' fire-tree had bloomed, they would surely be attacked and
+probably despoiled of their cargo.
+
+"We will need warriors to guard the siwaka, chief," Piang reminded
+Kali, and the chief nodded and gave a quiet order. Every man
+disappeared from the streets. When they returned, in place of the
+gaudy, tight trousers, they were wearing loose, black pantaloons,
+the garb of battle. The women, true to the feminine nature, wailed and
+cried aloud, but in their hearts they, too, were glad that the quiet,
+monotonous days were over, and that before nightfall they might sleep
+in some strange cota (fort), slave or wife of the victorious dato.
+
+"Piang," murmured a soft voice at the charm boy's elbow, and he turned
+to find the little slave girl, Papita, timidly looking up at him.
+
+"_Chiquita?_" ("Little one?") he questioned.
+
+"Sicto goes with you. Beware of him, for he would kill you!"
+
+"I am not afraid," proudly answered Piang, "but why would Sicto
+kill me?"
+
+Solemnly the little girl touched Piang's breast where lay hidden the
+sacred charm.
+
+"He would kill you so that he might be charm boy of the tribe,"
+whispered the girl. Piang laughed gaily, patted his little friend on
+the arm, and bounded to the head of the forming column. Nevertheless
+he noticed Sicto's sly, surly glance as the slaves and warriors bent
+before him.
+
+Amid beating of tom-toms, wails of women, and howls of dogs, the
+column, single file, dipped into the jungle and was lost to sight.
+
+Anxiously Piang watched for signs of the fire-tree as they slipped
+along through the enemies' country, but as yet the buds had not
+stirred, and he was thankful that the warm rains had not come to coax
+them into glow. That whole day the party toiled silently through the
+dense cogon grass that covered the mesa. High above their heads waved
+the wiry, straw-colored spines. Its sharp edges cut into the flesh,
+tore through cloths, stinging and paining old wounds. Not a breath of
+air reached them through the impenetrable mass, and the sun beat down
+on them mercilessly. For long stretches the path tunneled through the
+grass, boring deeper into the tangle, and they were almost suffocated
+by the choking dust that stung their nostrils.
+
+"_Iki!_" ("Beware!") called Sicto. Every bolo was out, every savage
+ready, but the word was passed along the line that the leader,
+Sicto, had stepped on a snake. Entirely surrounded by the cruel
+grass the column paused. The heat, increased by the oven-like
+tunnel grew steadily worse, and those in the rear gasped and fought
+for breath. They could hear the scuffle as the leaders fought the
+reptile, and the fetid odor of the dread creature added to their
+discomfort. Sicto had been swinging along ahead, stepping lightly on
+the mattress-like turf, when he felt something move under his foot. It
+was well under the matted grass, but it was wise to despatch the
+creature if possible. Piang came to his assistance, and the snake,
+probably gorged with rotting meat, exuded a terrible odor as it was
+stabbed to death. Kicking the wriggling remains out of the path the
+column pushed on, wondering if they would ever come to the end of
+the stifling tunnel.
+
+"Will it rain soon, Piang?" panted Tooloowee, as he toiled along
+behind the charm boy.
+
+"I cannot tell yet, but by sunset we shall know."
+
+Toward evening the grass thinned perceptibly, and the steaming,
+aching bodies felt the cool air rustling through the stalks.
+
+"We are near the jungle; soon we shall be cool," sighed Kali
+Pandapatan. Yes, it was growing cooler; they could breathe again,
+but Piang knew that before morning they would be shivering with cold,
+that the rain would come in the night. He smelled it, the rain that
+would not come to help them through the arduous day.
+
+When it came, there was a shout of joy. Kali looked anxiously at his
+sweating tribesmen. After the terrific heat of the day, this rain would
+chill them, and fever would surely follow; he must keep them on the
+move. There was a murmur of protest as the order was given to move;
+they had rested a scant two hours. By nine o'clock they were under
+way again, struggling with the jungle as they had fought the mesa. The
+downpour was straight and steady. It burrowed through the thick foliage
+and ran down the tree trunks in torrents. The footing became uncertain,
+and Piang warned Kali to look out for broken limbs. For many yards the
+path lay along fallen tree trunks, slippery with moss and mold. The
+footing became so treacherous that the order was given to crawl on all
+fours, and the progress was painfully slow and tedious. Frequently
+they strayed from the path and were forced to halt. The torches at
+the head of the column twinkled and flickered fitfully, but they only
+seemed to make the darkness more visible; they sputtered and flared,
+but the flames resisted the rain, and to the weary Moros they seemed
+like good spirits sent to guide them through the terrible jungle night.
+
+Palm leaves, strewn in the path, had long clusters of needle-like
+spines at their bases that pierced their feet, and the cry "_tinick!_"
+("thorns!") rang out frequently through the night. Finally it became
+necessary to march close up, in solid line, each man with his hand on
+the shoulder of the man in front. When the leader warned "_Cajui!_"
+("Log!"), each repeated it as he stumbled over the obstacle, and if
+one fell, half the line would be bowled over.
+
+"_Tubig Malakee!_" cried Piang. ("The big water!") Yes, the dull
+murmur of the river was plainly heard through the dripping rain,
+and they all quickened their pace in the desire to rid themselves of
+the jungle. Piang attempted to guide them across, but he walked into
+the water and sank from sight, and there was a cry of horror, for it
+seemed that one of the many crocodiles had dragged him under. When
+he came up sputtering and splashing, none the worse for his dip,
+he chided them for their little faith and pointed significantly to
+his charm. He had miscalculated in the blackness of the night and
+could not locate the ford. A drizzling rain was still falling; great
+hairy-legged spiders skated over the water, making things grewsome;
+the large lily-pad leaves moved suspiciously, so Kali gave the orders
+to camp for the rest of the night.
+
+Silently the Moros prepared their camp. Deftly the ends of low-lying
+branches were pinioned to the ground with forked sticks; over these
+supports hemp and banana leaves were strewn to shield the sleepers
+from the heavy dew and rain. After many attempts a fire was coaxed
+into life, much to the dismay of the jungle folk. A beautiful golden
+fly-catcher, probably mistaking the glare of the fire for dawn, awoke
+and began to sing at the top of its tiny voice; a parrot screamed
+lustily. A venerable old monkey, sleepily rubbing its eyes, shook
+its fist, muttering profanely. Sicto, exasperated at the persistent
+maledictions, raised his bow.
+
+"Do not kill the monkey, Sicto," warned Piang. "It is not good to
+kill in the jungle except for food or self-protection!"
+
+A scowl was the only reply, but the big mestizo lowered his bow and
+turned over on his bed of leaves.
+
+"Kali, we are no longer safe," Piang whispered as he crouched over
+the improvised bed of his chief.
+
+"Sssshhhh," he warned, finger on lip. "Do not wake the others." Then
+he pointed toward a spot where hoards of fireflies clustered around
+one tree, twinkling and swerving to and fro. It was a beautiful sight,
+but far from a novel one to these two.
+
+"The fire-tree!" muttered Kali.
+
+"Yes," answered Piang. "The rain has brought the blooms to the valley,
+and we will be attacked to-morrow!" Silently they gazed at the strange
+tree. Fireflies abandon every tree and shrub for the fire-tree the
+moment it puts forth its buds, and nothing can coax them away until
+the ominous scarlet blossoms have drooped and fallen to the ground.
+
+"We dare not cross the river now, Kali," said Piang, "but we can
+build rafts and float down to Cotabato."
+
+And so it was decided. Early in the muggy dawn the warriors set to
+work constructing rafts out of bamboo and ratan (palm), and soon the
+siwaka was loaded and the journey continued by water.
+
+Arrogantly Piang rode at the head of the procession, his proud little
+head crowned with a wreath of fire-tree blooms, the corners of his
+raft decorated with sprigs of the flaming buds. Cautiously they
+poled down the swift stream, avoiding treacherous logs and snapping
+crocodiles. Piang chuckled with delight as they stole along, for the
+enemy would not discover the ruse until they were far away.
+
+It was some time before Sicto was missed. His name was passed from
+raft to raft, but none had seen him that morning. At first it was
+feared that one of the crocodiles had pulled him from a raft, but
+something seemed to tell Piang that the wily half-breed had stolen
+away to warn the enemy of Kali's strategy. Once the news of the rich
+booty to be captured and the prisoners to be taken had reached the
+valley people, nothing could keep them from pursuing, now that their
+fire-tree had bloomed. A solemn conclave was held.
+
+The river is almost inaccessible from the jungle except at one point,
+the Big Bend. This is a favorite camping-ground of the valley people
+during the combat season; here their sacrifices are offered, their
+victims thrown to the crocodiles; they exercise full control of the
+river. If Sicto succeeded in warning the enemy before Kali reached
+that point there would be little hope of escape. Another force would
+surely be posted where he had embarked, cutting Kali off from his
+reinforcements at home. It was too late to attempt a retreat, however,
+hampered as they were with the cumbersome siwaka. Reach that bend
+first, they must.
+
+"The charm, Piang," whispered Kali. Springing to his feet, the boy
+uttered a fierce "Oola." Every head bowed, and the sacred talisman
+was exposed.
+
+"Forward, brothers!" he cried. "Forward with all your strength!"
+
+The sun came out, and the dripping jungle began to steam. Palm leaves
+were constructed into hats to guard against sunstroke. Toward sunset
+they drew near the danger point. What was that monotonous sound dully
+vibrating through the jungle? Anxiously all eyes turned toward Piang.
+
+"It is well, brothers," bravely comforted the boy. "Yes, that is the
+tom-tom of your enemy. Sicto has betrayed us, but have no fear. Piang,
+the charm boy leads you; take courage, and Allah, the Merciful, will
+give you victory." Piang commenced a murmur of prayer, and the Moros,
+joining in, filled the fast-settling night with whispered invocations
+which drifted off through the jungle.
+
+Another council of war was held.
+
+"Piang, if they have had time to lay the boom, what shall we do?"
+
+"Go forward, Kali. Fight your way through the blockade," answered the
+charm boy. "I will remain here with a few men to guard to siwaka. Do
+you hide at the first bend until the moon gives you light, then
+strike!"
+
+The astonished warriors looked with misgiving from one to the other,
+but Kali answered firmly:
+
+"It shall be so, Piang."
+
+The Moros were quickly assembled for the advance, and Kali paused by
+the side of Piang's raft:
+
+"If we are driven back, Piang, I will give three calls of the
+mina-bird. Answer likewise and retreat as quickly as possible."
+
+"Forward, Kali Pandapatan," answered Piang with great dignity. "We
+will not retreat."
+
+Like ghosts in the night the little handful of men parted from their
+fellows and courageously faced the river and its dangers. The stream,
+swerving to the left, flows on to the apex of the Big Bend. As
+if regretting its departure from the true course, it doubles back
+and returns to take up its original direction at a point separated
+from its first departure by only a few rods. Between the two points
+is a waste of murky soil and sand, covered by dense growths of the
+jungle's choicest variety of obstacles. Gloomily Piang contemplated
+the morass that lay between him and freedom. Long he sat, looking into
+the distance where he could almost see the river as it completed the
+curve and swept on to the ocean. What would he not give to be safely
+on the other side? Suddenly he sat up very straight. Why not? The
+sand was soft, the current swift. If he could only make a narrow ditch
+across the flats. Pulling his raft up to the right side of the river,
+he jumped to the bank, but when he sank ankle-deep in the soft, sticky
+earth, he climbed hastily back. Poling along he searched for a solid
+footing, but everywhere the marshy soil gave, and he abandoned his
+attempts to land. The night grew deeper, blacker.
+
+"Why not, why not?" he whispered again. The others came scurrying up
+in response to his excited call.
+
+"My brothers, Allah has sent me wisdom," he announced. "It is your
+duty to obey me!" Eagerly they listened, glad of any distraction,
+but when Piang explained that he wanted them to abandon their safe
+bamboo floats for the treacherous flats, home of crocodiles and vermin,
+there was a murmuring protest. Anger blazed in Piang's eyes.
+
+"Am I not charm boy?" he demanded. "Any one who refuses to obey me
+will be thrown to the crocodiles!" Gradually the dominant nature
+overruled their timidities, and the protests subsided. Following
+Piang's directions, strips of bamboo were cut, and the charm boy
+constructed light frames for his feet. They looked like snow-shoes,
+and when he bound one securely to each foot and jumped lightly to the
+bank, there was a cry of surprise. Piang, the wonderful, was indeed
+sent by Allah to guide them!
+
+In a twinkling each Moro was supplied with similar mud-shoes, and
+like giant land-crabs, they flitted off across the marsh. Too wise
+to begin before reconnoitering, Piang led his men to the banks of
+the stream below to Big Bend. After hasty calculations he set them
+to work digging toward the head waters, following a line of ratan
+which he stretched to guide them.
+
+Faster, faster flew the scoops and broad knives; deeper, wider grew
+the ditch that was to form a new river-bed. Piang was everywhere. He
+flew about on his light frames as lightly as a faun, directing the
+construction of new tools, calculating and measuring for the ditch.
+
+Once he heard a call from the man guarding the rafts. A troop of wild
+hogs, attracted by the comoties, was trying to reach the rafts. Piang
+lighted a torch and hurled it among them. Crocodiles lurked near,
+and he ordered torches kept burning to frighten them also.
+
+New difficulties confronted Piang. Would the water not at first rush
+through the ditch with such force that the rafts would be dashed
+to pieces? He held a branch in the current; it was torn from his
+grasp. With great foresight, he ordered all the floats to be taken
+up the river and securely moored. Back to the ditch he flew. Yes,
+yes, it was going to be successful! Before the attack was made by
+Kali Pandapatan, Piang would have the rafts through the cut-off,
+safely on their journey to the estuary. How surprised the dato would
+be when Piang advanced against the enemy from the other side of the
+Big Bend! He laughed softly, hugging himself in boyish delight.
+
+Away he pattered toward some men who were apparently in difficulty.
+
+"_Halamantek!_" ("Leeches!") they called. They were pulling the
+slothful creatures off each other, but as soon as they freed themselves
+from the pests, more fell from above or crept up from the mud. Piang
+had foreseen this difficulty and had supplied himself with a small
+gourd filled with cocoanut oil, strongly saturated with cinchona
+(quinine). Offering some of his small store to the men, they gratefully
+rubbed the mixture into their flesh and bent to their task again. Piang
+exhorted them to work, warning them if the ditch was not completed
+before moonrise, all would be lost, and off he danced blending in with
+the night and its secrets like a picturesque _pampahilep_ (jungle imp).
+
+Only Moros could have accomplished so difficult a task in the
+dark. With a will they sturdily plied the crude tools and before
+the blackness of the night had been lifted by the rising moon, the
+excited little party was crowding around Piang as he examined the few
+remaining feet to be accomplished. Like a general meeting a crisis,
+Piang sharply gave his orders:
+
+"Tooloowee, take your pole and stand on the far side of the ditch. When
+I give the signal, push the dyke with all your might." He stationed
+another powerful Moro opposite Tooloowee.
+
+"Bungao, do you hasten to the rafts and prepare to resist the first
+flood that will sweep through the ditch."
+
+When all was ready Piang raised his hand and the struggle began. Little
+by little the soft mud was worked away, and the current, feeling
+the banks weaken, seemed to lose interest in its natural bed. At
+first the stream only caressed its new-found outlet, but gradually
+it concentrated its forces, and, with a mighty rush, attacked the
+slight remaining resistance and went thundering off into the ditch. A
+smothered cry went up from the Moros:
+
+"Piang! Piang!" How they loved their wise little charm boy!
+
+But the work was not yet completed. Piang let go his anchorage and
+headed for the mouth of the ditch. The water was rapidly widening
+the work of their hands, but in places the cut-off was barely wide
+enough to let the long slender floats by, and the water was rushing
+through with terrific force. The moon trembled on the brink of the
+jungle. Would they reach the other side in time to aid Kali? Suppose
+he was driven back before Piang and his men could attack from the
+other side?
+
+"_Ala! ala!_" ("Quickly! quickly!") Piang called softly. His raft
+came up with a sudden jerk, almost throwing him into the seething,
+muddy torrent. Other rafts bumped into his, and soon a blockade was
+forming as the swift current bore them down upon him. Piang cut and
+slashed at the banks, tearing away protruding vines and accumulating
+driftwood. The moon, the moon, would it wait? Frantically he toiled
+while Tooloowee held off the other rafts with his long pole. When
+Piang's float was finally released, it bounded joyously along, nosing
+first one bank, then the other. The river! He could see it! Only a
+few rods more!
+
+At the mouth of the ditch there was more trouble. Mud and debris had
+collected along the sides, but these were quickly worked through and
+they passed into the main river. Little short of a miracle had been
+performed. The ditch was growing wider and deeper every moment and
+judging from the enormous flow of water, it would not be long before
+the river deserted its circuitous route in favor of this direct one.
+
+"Quick! quick!" whispered Piang. "Bungao, bind the siwaka rafts
+together and head for Cotabato. We will overtake you before
+sunrise." A faint cry reached them. Kali had begun the attack. In
+an agony of suspense the brave Moros worked their way up toward the
+Big Bend. Suddenly Piang grasped Tooloowee's arm and pointed toward
+a streak that ran across the river.
+
+"The boom! We must cut it!" They made a dash toward the obstacle that
+stood in Kali's path, but an arrow whizzed by their heads.
+
+"Tooloowee, we have been discovered. I go to cut the way!" and before
+the astonished Tooloowee could prevent, Piang had dived into the
+water and disappeared.
+
+"Piang, the crocodiles, the crocodiles!" wailed Tooloowee, but the
+charm boy could not hear as he slipped up the muddy river, swimming
+easily under water. Just as Kali was preparing to retreat, driven back
+by the fierce storm of arrows, he gave the signal that had been agreed
+upon. Three loud calls in imitation of the mina-bird went wailing
+through the night. What was Kali's surprise to hear the answer a few
+yards in front of him! And what was that dark shape bobbing up and
+down on the boom?
+
+While he watched, amazed, the big clumsy logs divided, and swung slowly
+out, leaving the channel clear. Piang had severed the ratan thongs.
+
+"Leeeee lelele ouiiiiii!" crashed through the night, and Kali
+recognized his tribal war-cry.
+
+"Piang! Piang!" he cried. The dark shape, clinging to the drifting
+boom answered, and Kali rushed toward it. Before the enemy could
+gather their scattered wits, the whole party was sweeping by, on
+toward freedom. As Kali bore down on Piang, the boy raised himself
+to meet the raft. It was coming at a terrific rate, and he feared it
+would knock him off the boom; measuring the distance, he prepared to
+leap. On came the raft, Kali leaning far over the side, arms extended
+to grab the boy. When Kali was only a few yards off, Piang screamed:
+
+"_Boia! boia!_" ("Crocodile! crocodile!") The men on the raft saw the
+water stir and hurled spear and arrow, but they glanced off the scaly
+hide. It was a race with death, and what a miserable death for Piang,
+their idol! The boy grew cold and sick as he waited. Suddenly the raft
+paused, held in check by Kali's pole. Piang almost fainted. What was
+his chief doing? In a moment he realized that the quick action had
+saved his life. The raft swerved, bumped against the crocodile, and
+came between it and Piang. The next moment Piang was in Kali's arms.
+
+In the light of the gray dawn, Sicto watched these two as they gazed
+into each other's eyes; they swept triumphantly by, heedless of
+flying arrows. The radiant fire-tree blooms still clustered around
+Piang's head, and his sacred charm gleamed in the early light. Firmly
+believing that spirits had aided Piang in his remarkable feat, Sicto
+trembled with fear, and, with a last glance at the victorious charm
+boy, he turned and fled into the jungle.
+
+Wonderingly, Kali Pandapatan and his followers viewed the new cut-off
+as they floated by. Amazed, they listened to the marvelous tale. Old
+Dato Kali Pandapatan laid his hands once again on his favorite's head:
+
+"Little brother," he said, "this shall be known as Piang's
+Cut-off. Some day you will be the greatest dato in Mindanao."
+
+
+
+
+FIFTH ADVENTURE
+
+RIDING THE CATARACT
+
+
+News that a strange craft had put into Cotabato reached Piang in his
+mountain home. Hurriedly he gathered his few weapons together and
+started down the trail. He passed many traders and venders, who had
+also heard of the boat, and he hastened his steps in his desire to
+be there early.
+
+"_Un-di?_" ("Whither?") called Sicto as Piang trotted past him.
+
+"To the barrio," replied Piang. Sicto hurried to keep up with him,
+but Piang had no wish to be in company with the ne'er-do-well Moro
+boy, and he did not try to conceal his feelings. The natural dignity
+of the Oriental kept Sicto from displaying his anger at the repulse,
+but he sullenly slackened his pace and registered a black mark against
+this haughty Piang.
+
+Piang loved to be alone; his playmates were too noisy, too talkative;
+he, too, loved to chatter and play games at times, but now in the
+jungle, as the morning light slowly broke through the damp foliage,
+he wished to be alone and watch nature unfold to the coming day. It
+seemed to him that the huge elephant ears lifted their dew-weighted
+leaves and shook themselves in the gentle wind. The monkeys peeped out
+at him and continued to make their toilet undisturbed. Other travelers
+startled the little creatures into watchfulness, but Piang came upon
+them so silently, so peacefully, that they scarcely noticed him.
+
+There was one spot, half-way down the trail which he wanted to reach
+alone; there the jungle seemed to part, as if to grant a glimpse of
+the harbor below. He quickened his stride, and as he passed a party
+of men one of them called to him, "You will be first to-day, little
+fleet one." So there was none before him. He was glad, and when he
+came within sight of the clearing, he rejoiced in his solitude. He
+wondered if the boat was a vinta from Borneo, or if it was loaded
+with copra for Japan. There now, when that mist lifted, he would know.
+
+As the beautiful harbor broke upon his sight, Piang paused, holding
+his breath, for out of the boat, the only one in view, smoke was
+pouring. It was on fire! But why were the people not trying to save
+the cargo? A huge black stick standing in the middle of the hull was
+belching smoke. While he was regretting that he would be too late
+to assist at the rescue, he was startled by a thin white stream
+spurting out of the mast-head. Gradually he connected it with the
+shrill whistle that pierced his ears.
+
+Piang wanted to run back, to warn the others that some strange monster
+had sailed into their midst; but he saw that his brothers in the barrio
+were calmly watching the thing, and as it did not seem to hurt them,
+he took courage and dashed on down the trail into the jungle. All the
+rest of the journey he strained his ears to catch that shrill voice,
+which he was now sure came from the boat. As he flew through the silent
+forest he recalled the tales of the demons that the wise men talked
+about, and he decided to approach the thing with caution. Finally he
+stood on the shore, and there before his eyes was a boat that seemed
+to be alive. It was breathing. But where were its sails? How did it
+move? Clusters of natives, their fear stilled by curiosity, watched
+the approach. Breathlessly they waited. It was coming toward the tiny
+wharf, and just as it settled alongside, a piercing screech from it
+sent them tumbling over each other in a mad attempt to get away. From
+the safety of trees and huts they waited. Big men, pale and straight,
+walked from the boat and beckoned them to descend. Cautiously the
+more daring ones responded, and soon the whole population was gathered
+around the visitors.
+
+Curious to see what the strangers were showing the dato, Piang slipped
+quietly up behind and caught sight of the most beautiful colored
+cloth he had ever seen. "Bandana," the pale man called it. Piang
+longed to possess it for his mother; how she would love to wear it
+for her gala head-dress! The sailor then produced a tiny object that
+glistened and sparkled in the sun; it was about as large as the palm
+of Piang's hand and very thin. The Moros were very much excited over
+it, and when Piang reached up on tip-toes to peer through the crowd,
+he cried aloud, for there, staring back at him was a boy he had
+seen somewhere. The little brown face and the piercing black eyes,
+the long hair twisted in a knot with the ends flying loose, were all
+strangely familiar. It was--Piang! "Mir-ro," he repeated after the
+white man when his scattered wits permitted, and the crowd had ceased
+its merriment at his expense. The Moros were more interested in the
+knives, tobacco, and strange food that the strangers had brought than
+in the red bandana handkerchief and the toy mirror; but Piang longed
+to carry the two things that had caught his eye back to his mother,
+and he was silently gazing at them when Sicto, attracted by Piang's
+admiration, picked the mirror up to look at it.
+
+Before Piang realized it, Sicto was negotiating with the owner,
+offering in trade his brass buyo, or betel-box, used for containing a
+preparation of the betel pepper, extensively chewed in the East. Why
+had Piang not brought his brass? He would run and fetch it; but the man
+would not wait. Just as he saw the things about to pass into the hands
+of his rival, he remembered his ring. Attracting the attention of the
+trader, he quickly unscrewed the tiny center and proudly displayed a
+few glittering flakes; Piang did not know that they were gold dust;
+but the trader whistled a low note of surprise and called one of
+his shipmates aside. The Moro boy had seen the Japanese trade whole
+shiploads of copra for the shiny stuff, so, when he had found some
+in the sand one day, he had gathered it.
+
+When the trader made it clear to Piang that he could have the
+treasures for more of the flakes, he was delighted, and without a
+moment's delay started off up the trail, not deigning to glance at
+the disappointed Sicto.
+
+
+
+Up, up, he climbed. Heat, thirst, nothing slackened his pace. Arriving
+at his home, he flew to the lake, and, without a word to any one,
+jumped into his banco and pushed out into the water. Sweat poured
+down his face; mosquitos buzzed around his head: but he had no time
+to build a smudge. He must hurry, or the strange boat would leave
+the island and take forever the treasures Piang so coveted.
+
+Soon he struck the current, and when he felt the boat settle into
+it he dropped over the side, holding on to the outriggers, and let
+the boat pull him through the cool water. He noticed another banco
+in the distance and wondered what brought another person out on the
+lake in the heat, but the mosquitos occupied all his attention, and
+he dived and swam under the water to avoid them, soon forgetting the
+other boatman.
+
+Which stream had he paddled up before, when he had found the bright
+sand? He examined the shore carefully as he climbed into the boat. It
+must be there. Yes, he remembered the orchids in that tree. Cautiously
+he guided the banco to the mouth of the creek, and he shuddered as he
+caught sight of a shiny black object slipping into the water. It was
+a harmless snake, but Piang did not like snakes and he hurried past
+the spot. Gradually he lost sight of the lake and the sun; overhanging
+vegetation and fallen trees engulfed him. At times he could not use
+his paddle, and cautiously avoiding the thorns and poisoned things,
+he pulled the boat along from above. Soon this little stream would
+take him into the big river where he had found the pretty sand.
+
+Piang was startled by a sound behind him. Surely he had heard a
+paddle. But all was silence when he paused to listen. When he came
+to the river he shouted with delight, for his journey was half over,
+and there in the sun sparkled his treasure. Taking his gourd from
+the boat, he filled it with sand and then started the long process
+of washing it away. Always in the bottom would be left a few of
+the bright grains. These he poured on a leaf, but he discovered in
+dismay that they stuck there, and when he tried to brush them off,
+they sank into the leaf.
+
+While he was pondering on his predicament he heard the chatter of a
+hablar-bird, and he chuckled to himself. He searched his banco for
+his bow and arrows, but was astonished to find only the bow. What a
+misfortune! He must have lost the arrows on the trail. Nothing daunted,
+little Piang set about his task in another manner. Scattering a handful
+of parched corn in a clearing, he laid the noose of his rope around
+it, and taking the end of it in his hand, silently withdrew into the
+thicket and waited.
+
+Soon the big bird discovered the handy meal and, loudly proclaiming
+its rights to possession, flapped its way to the earth and lighted
+right in Piang's noose. The hablar-bird fluttered and chattered as it
+settled to the task of filling its craw with the good food. Cautiously
+Piang watched his chance and, with a deft twitch of the rope, secured
+the noose around the bird's foot. Such screaming and flapping! "Now
+you be good bird, and I no hurt you," Piang admonished. Catching hold
+of the creature behind the head, Piang held it firmly and quickly
+plucked three large feathers from its brilliant plumage. He then set
+it free and laughed to see it searching for its lost glories.
+
+Piang would have enjoyed watching it, as it scolded him from a high
+limb, but he could not delay and he set about his task quickly. Cutting
+off the end of each quill, he scraped it clean inside and washed the
+pithy part out. He had seen his father prepare a quill in this way
+for packing tobacco-powder.
+
+When these receptacles were ready to receive the gold-dust, he
+began washing the sand again; and when he had secured enough to
+fill all three quills he stuck a piece of green banana on the ends
+for a stopper. Now he would have the treasures for his mother--that
+beautiful cloth and the funny, thin thing that played pranks on you
+when you looked into it.
+
+What was that sound? Surely some one was spying on him. In a
+flash he remembered the banco on the lake, the other sounds he had
+heard. Also he remembered that Sicto wanted the same treasures that
+he coveted. He had been followed by the bully, and now, without his
+bow and arrows, he was helpless. To gain the lake again, he must
+pass through that treacherous creek, and he knew that Sicto would
+think nothing of robbing him and hastening to the village to buy
+the treasures with Piang's hard-earned bright sand. Somewhere those
+wicked eyes were watching him from the foliage, but Piang bravely
+covered his misgivings.
+
+There were two trails to the village; one lay to the west through
+the lake that he had crossed; the other was straight ahead, down the
+river. But there were cataracts on this river, and Piang wondered if
+he could make his way on foot from the head of the first one to the
+right trail. He decided to take the risk and quickly headed his banco
+in that direction. As he started down the river, he heard a howl of
+rage, and glancing back, saw Sicto preparing to follow.
+
+So! It was to be a race! Piang had foiled the bully, and his little
+heart beat faster as he realized the consequences if Sicto should
+catch him. Piang had a good start, but the river was so treacherous,
+the eddies so powerful, that sometimes his boat seemed to stand still
+or almost turn around when it was caught by the counter-current. How
+he loved his slim little craft! Whenever possible, it obeyed his wish,
+and he chuckled to see Sicto struggling with his heavy boat. If he
+could only reach the first head-water and land on the opposite shore,
+he would not fear defeat. For who was more fleet-footed than Piang,
+who more able to ferret his way through the almost impenetrable jungle?
+
+Cautiously he watched the shore; he had been this way only once before,
+and wondered if he could remember where the trail began at the water's
+edge. The current was so swift here that it was hardly necessary to
+paddle at all; so he rested to examine the shore.
+
+But what was the matter with Sicto? Why had he stopped paddling? In a
+flash it came over Piang that the cataract was near, and he started to
+back water with all his might. To his horror he found that he could not
+control the boat; fight as he would, it paid no heed to his struggle,
+but dashed on toward the waterfall. At first Piang thought he would
+swim, but realized that he would be swept over just the same. There
+was only one thing to be done--he must ride the cataract. Sicto was
+left far behind, clinging to the bank, watching with a sneer the boy
+going as he thought, to his death. He wondered why Piang was standing
+up in the banco; surely it would be best to lie flat in the boat and
+cling to the bottom.
+
+Gracefully Piang poised his body for the dive. The feathers were safely
+thrust into his long hair, and his bolo secured in his belt. With hands
+outstretched above his head, he waited for the great moment. He knew
+that if he was skilful he could clear the dangerous waters below the
+falls and either swim to the shore or reach his banco. Faster, faster
+went the boat, and his little heart thumped so that he feared it would
+burst. He tried to remember that this was not such a dangerous feat;
+others had accomplished it, and he could, if he was careful. The drop
+was only a few yards, but the danger lay in the shoals at the foot of
+the falls. What a beautiful sight Piang was, poised on the brink of
+that foaming cataract, the black jungle for a background! As he felt
+the banco quiver and twist he prepared for the dive. Finally the boat
+reached the crest and, with a lurch, shot from under the boy as he
+sprang far out into space. It seemed an eternity to Piang before he
+plunged into the waters below; then he sank down, down. The roaring
+and thundering deafened him, and he wondered if he should ever stop
+tumbling over in the water. It tossed him, tore from his hands any
+support he was able to grasp, and finally, after almost depriving
+him of breath, left him floating on the surface of a calm pool. How
+delicious the rest seemed! How tired he was! As he lay there on his
+back, he watched the water pour over the rocks above his head, and
+marveled that he had accomplished it all so easily.
+
+Gradually Piang regained his composure, and his first thought was for
+the quills. Yes, they were still safe, and he must hurry. Not fearing
+Sicto's interference any more, he began to wonder how he should
+find the trail. Searching the river for his banco, he discovered
+it caught by some reeds near the shore. It was easy to swim on that
+side of the river; so he slowly made his way to the overturned canoe,
+deftly righting it, and in a moment was over the side, searching for
+the extra paddle he always kept tied in the bottom. Fortunately it
+had not been torn away, and avoiding the rapids, he hugged the shore
+and finally resumed his journey down the river.
+
+What a wonderful experience Piang had had! How he would boast of his
+bravery, Moro fashion, and maybe the wise men would praise him. As
+he paddled down the river he kept his eyes open for trails; and when
+he heard the next cataract thundering its menace in the distance, he
+decided to land and search the jungle for a path. Beaching his banco,
+he hid it in the undergrowth, and, carefully avoiding the stinging
+vines, crept into the shadow of the jungle.
+
+The great silence was everywhere, and Piang wondered if he could
+trust his instinct to lead him aright. The heavy vines obstructed his
+passage, and he was forced to cut and hew his way through the edge of
+the forest. Nature does her best to protect the jungle, for always, on
+the edges, bamboo, and _bajuca_ (pronounced bah-hoo-kah) vie with each
+other in forming an impenetrable wall; but after the first few yards
+the obstinacy of the vines seems to relax, their sentinel duty over.
+
+Luckily for Piang, the jungle was well supplied with paths here, and
+he soon found the one leading down to the barrio. His heart was light,
+now, and he threw back his head and shouted with glee as he remembered
+Sicto, pale with terror, lest he too be swept over the cataract. Very
+quickly his exultation subsided, however, when he realized that Sicto
+could easily be on this same trail, and he redoubled his efforts as
+he imagined he heard twigs snapping behind him. What if the boat had
+already gone. What if its coveted treasures were lost forever?
+
+From his customary trot Piang broke into a run, and, panting and
+sweating, pushed forward. Soon the trail joined the one he had
+taken that morning, and in a moment he would come to the clearing
+where he had first seen the strange boat. Yes, there it was;
+ugly, cross-looking, without one of those bright-patched sails that
+decorated all the boats Piang had ever seen. But--was it moving? With
+a cry, Piang started forward as the white smoke appeared, and the
+shriek echoed and reechoed through the jungle. Fury, resentment, and
+determination flashed across his face; with a howl he darted down the
+trail. There was only a little way to go now, and he would run like the
+wind. Friends and strangers tried to speak to him as he approached them
+on the trail, but he brushed them aside impatiently and rushed onward.
+
+With his last bit of breath he stumbled through the barrio, but the
+boat was steadily moving out to sea. He threw himself on his face and
+beat the wharf with his clenched fists. All was lost--the beautiful
+"ban-da-na" for his mother, the "mir-ro," too! An exclamation from
+one of the men arrested his attention, and he sprang to his feet in
+an instant. The boat had stopped; and--could he believe his eyes?--the
+man with the treasures was getting into a small skiff and was beckoning
+to Piang!
+
+Quickly the boy responded. Making sure that the precious quills were
+safe, he dived into the sea and struck out toward the approaching
+boat. When they pulled him over the side, a cheer went up from
+the Moros on the bank and was answered by another from the strange
+boat. Eagerly Piang searched the boat for the two objects so dear to
+his heart, but the trader silently tapped the ring and waited. Slyly
+the boy considered. Finally he drew forth one quill and offered
+it to the man. He handed Piang the red calico handkerchief, saying
+"ban-da-na." Eagerly the boy grabbed it. Guardedly the two contemplated
+each other. The trader reached into his pocket and produced the
+toy mirror, surrounded by colored pins; Piang offered to trade for
+another quill, but the man shook his head. Piang resolutely shook
+his, and the owner intimated that the trade was over by slipping
+the mirror back into his pocket. Piang could not stand the suspense,
+despite his passion for making a good trade, so he thrust the other
+quill into the stranger's hand, grasped the treasure, and, saluting
+them in his dignified fashion, slipped over the side and was off.
+
+
+
+When Sicto slunk into the hill barrio that night he was anxious to
+avoid Piang, but our hero was not concerned about him at all. Around
+the great fire in the center of the village were seated all the
+important members of the tribe, and Sicto's envy was complete when he
+saw that Piang's mother was the object of adoration. There she sat,
+the coveted "ban-da-na" crowning her stately head, and around her neck
+was suspended the funny thing that laughed back at you. Silently she
+offered each member of the circle one of the colored pins, and when
+all were supplied, they fell to the task of picking their teeth,
+at intervals reverently examining the instrument. When the allotted
+period had elapsed, Piang's mother again extended the mirror, and
+when each one had gazed into the depth, the pin was replaced, later
+to be handed on to a new comer.
+
+Sicto had joined the less fortunate persons who were watching the
+ceremony from a distance. Only the elect were permitted to approach
+the circle. From his place of honor Piang glanced loftily in their
+direction, and as his eyes met Sicto's, his triumph was complete. Under
+Piang's steady gaze, the bully quailed and, dropping his eyes,
+shambled off into the darkness.
+
+
+
+
+SIXTH ADVENTURE
+
+THE JUNGLE MENACE
+
+
+Dato Kali Pandapatan had declared a three days' holiday in honor of
+Piang's safe return from his long journey to the haunt of Ganassi,
+the wonder man. That one so young had accomplished the difficult task
+proved to the tribe conclusively that Piang was indeed the chosen of
+Allah, the charm boy by divine right. Kali was glad of the opportunity
+to plunge his people into gaieties, for a mysterious shadow had hovered
+over the barrio for a week, and he hoped to dispel the effects of a
+recent disaster by merriment and fiesta. In the night an infant had
+disappeared from its hammock under the mango-tree and no trace of it
+had ever been found. The mother, who had been sleeping on the ground
+near her babe, told a strange story of being awakened by a suffocating
+pressure on her chest; as she stretched out her hand in the dark,
+she encountered a cold, clammy mass that moved under her touch. She
+must have fainted, for when she was able to scream for assistance,
+her baby was gone, and there were no tracks in the sand. The river
+was searched, but the crocodile pickets were intact; no monster from
+the river had broken through the barriers.
+
+The ominous whisper, "Bal-Bal," passed from lip to lip. Only that
+supernatural jinn could have whisked the infant from their midst;
+only Bal-Bal, with his demon body, sailing through the air on
+enormous wings, could have descended upon them so silently, so
+stealthily. Fearfully the wise men kept watch for the return of
+Bal-Bal, whose fateful visits were believed to come in pairs.
+
+At first the news of the fiesta failed to rouse the people from the
+lethargy into which they had sunk, but gradually their pleasure-loving
+natures responded, and preparations were begun for the three days'
+play.
+
+"Goody-goody!" exclaimed Papita, the little slave girl, dancing about,
+clapping her hands. "We are to have the macasla fiesta, Piang. Just
+think, we are to go to the ocean to-morrow!" Piang's newly acquired
+dignity would not permit him to respond to Papita's levity, but he
+secretly rejoiced, too, over the prospects of fun and excitement at
+the macasla.
+
+Runners were sent into the jungle to procure the all-important
+macasla herb, and that night the mixture was prepared. Macasla,
+chilli-peppers, carot, and tobah shrub were pounded together in an
+old dug-out canoe. Wood-ashes, earth, alcohol, and water were added,
+and the mixture was allowed to ferment. Early the next morning nearly
+all the inhabitants embarked upon the short journey to Parang-Parang,
+their seaport barrio. Every available boat was filled with the merry
+throng, and the river sang a soft accompaniment to their chatter;
+pet monkeys, parrots, and mongoosen joined in the hubbub, and the
+din echoed through the forest, to be taken up by nature's wild
+children. Bal-Bal was forgotten, for the moment, by all except the
+bereaved parents, who had remained behind with the aged, to mourn
+their loss.
+
+"I see the ocean! Oh, I saw it first!" cried Papita, nearly upsetting
+the banco in her glee. "Piang, do stop being so solemn and look--over
+there--through the trees!"
+
+"I saw the ocean long ago, Papita," answered the boy with exaggerated
+dignity.
+
+With a sigh the girl turned away, despairing of drawing him into
+sociability. Piang, the playfellow, had vanished, and Piang, the
+charm boy, was so superior, so awe-inspiring. Out of the corner of
+his eye Piang watched her. He longed to frolic and play, as of old,
+but the weight of the tribe was on his young shoulders, and he must
+put aside childish things. With folded arms he watched the revelers;
+his heart beat violently, but, to the envy and admiration of all,
+he retained his dignity and rigidity.
+
+The travelers gave a shout as they rounded a bend and came upon the
+sea. The curving coast line seemed to be ever smiling as the waves
+wooed it with cajoling and caressing whispers.
+
+The tide was on the turn; not a moment was to be lost. Men, women,
+and children assembled about the dug-out, carrying wicker baskets
+which they filled with the macasla mixture. Scattering quickly along
+the extensive shoals, they ran into the water, waist deep, immersing
+the baskets, jerking them about until the macasla was all washed out;
+slowly they retreated to the shore. Impatiently they waited five,
+ten minutes; then things began to happen. Crabs abandoned their holes
+and scurried about aimlessly; children, wild with delight, pursued
+and captured the bewildered creatures, tossing them into a brass pot
+of water over the fire. Small fish came gasping to the top; finally
+large ones began to show signs of distress. Screaming and laughing
+at the top of their voices, the Moros pursued; the men harpooning
+the largest fish, the women skilfully dipping up the smaller ones
+with nets. Helplessly the beautiful, rainbow-tinted creatures floated
+about, their opalescent hues fading soon after the Moros took them from
+the water. Monsters over a yard long fought for their freedom; giant
+crabs and shrimp struggled in the nets. A _liendoeng_ (water-snake),
+brilliantly striped with red and black, made the women scream with
+fright. Dashing among them, laughing and yelling as merrily as the
+other boys, Piang pursued the offending reptile, here, there, and
+finally grabbed the wriggling creature and ran to the beach.
+
+"Ah la la la lele!" he cried, dancing and jumping about, waving the
+snake above his head.
+
+"Oh, goody! Piang has come back to us," cried the delighted
+Papita. "You will not frown and scowl again, will you, Piang?"
+
+A shadow fell upon the manly young brow of Piang. He had transgressed;
+he had forgotten his responsibility for the moment and had allowed
+his glee to banish the dignity of his calling: Throwing the snake
+into the basket, he quietly walked away from the merry-makers.
+
+Crowds of friendly natives swarmed along the beach, hoping the
+kill would be great enough to supply food for all. At other times
+the Moros would have preserved any surplus fish, but those caught
+under the influence of macasla cannot be cured or dried, as they
+soon putrify. The macasla only blinds them temporarily, however,
+and those fortunate enough to escape soon recover, suffering no ill
+effects. Ten canoes, full of splendid fish, were the reward of the
+macasla fiesta. A huge fire was built on the beach, and the small
+fish, stuffed into green bamboo joints, were thrown in the ashes;
+larger ones were sprinkled with _lombak_ dust (seasoning) and wrapped
+in pisang leaves. Weird instruments made their appearance: drums of
+bell-metal, jew's-harps of bamboo. The _gansas_, a flute that the
+performer plays from one nostril, would have distracted an American's
+attention from the music, holding him in suspense, anticipating the
+dire consequences of a sneeze.
+
+Gradually the monotonous music stirred the savages to action. Solemnly
+they formed a circle around the fire, arms extended, lightly touching
+each other's finger-tips. To and fro they swayed in time to the
+crude music, and when the drums thundered out a sonorous crescendo,
+they crouched to the earth, springing up in unison, uttering fearful
+yells. When the individual dancing commenced, exhausted members began
+to fall out, leaving the youth and vigor of the tribe to compete
+for the honors. A maiden must prevent a youth from confronting
+her; the youth, while attempting to gain his position, must beware
+lest the maiden present her back to him. Fast and furiously they
+whirled and dodged, and a shout went up from the bystanders as each
+unfortunate dancer was compelled to retire. Finally there were only
+three contestants left; Papita, Piang, and Sicto. Gracefully the
+little slave girl eluded the boys; slyly she circumvented their
+attacks. Her little bare feet twinkled daintily about on the sand;
+her brass anklets jingled merrily; and the fireflies, confined in
+her hair, glowed contentedly.
+
+Now the hands must be held behind the back at all times during
+the dance, and when Sicto, exasperated at the girl's nimbleness,
+attempted to grab her, Piang protested loudly. A surly growl was
+Sicto's response, and during the hot dispute that followed, as
+the dancers swayed and dodged, Papita caught Sicto off his guard,
+and to his mortification he found himself contemplating the comely
+back of the girl. Over her shoulder she taunted the astonished boy,
+and thunderous applause greeted his defeat. Sicto slunk off into the
+shadow, muttering maledictions against Piang, whom he blamed primarily
+for his downfall. Papita, Piang, which would win? Breathlessly the
+audience followed the agile movements of the two; eagerly they claimed
+the honors for their favorite.
+
+The music ceased abruptly. With fear in their hearts and bated breath,
+the tribe waited again for the sound that had disturbed their revelry:
+
+"_Le le, li li._" The tribal call rang through the forest faintly.
+
+"_Blako ampoen_, Allah," ("I beg for mercy, Allah,") whispered Kali
+Pandapatan, supplicatingly.
+
+The call was repeated, came steadily nearer. Finally from the gloom
+of the river shot a banco, a very old man working at the paddle. It
+was Pandita Asin from the barrio.
+
+"_Un-di?_" ("Whither?") called Kali Pandapatan.
+
+"The barrio--Bal-Bal!" gasped the exhausted old man.
+
+The night pressed upon them. Up the river darted Asin's slender banco
+with Kali Pandapatan and a few picked warriors.
+
+"Asin, we shall need you, and you, Piang," the chief had said, and
+the boy jumped into the boat. Far behind they left the terrified,
+confused throng, preparing to embark, and soon the night swallowed
+up the little advance party, as it hurried toward the stricken barrio.
+
+A white mist rose from the water, obscuring the view; a damp breeze
+chilled the travelers, and they anxiously scanned the heavens for
+Bal-Bal, the terrible. Obstructions in the river were numerous and
+dangerous. Once they grazed the side of a floating log; it immediately
+turned upon them, emitting blood-curdling bellows through gaping
+jaws. Piang's spear silenced the menacing crocodile, and the party
+hurried on. A _taloetook_ (owl) wailed his melancholy koekh-koekh,
+and the mournful sound seemed to draw the handful of men closer
+together. Through the jungle the river wound its serpentine way; dense
+growths crowded the bank and leaned far out over the stream. Trailing
+vines and hanging ferns brushed the occupants of the canoe, and in
+fear they avoided contact with them, so often did their velvety green
+conceal wicked thorns and poisonous spines. Fiery eyes dotted the
+jungle, stealthily watching for a chance to pounce upon the intruders;
+rustling of the rushes warned them of invisible dangers.
+
+"_Karangan!_" ("Sand-bar!") cried Piang, and just in time the banco
+swerved, avoiding the slimy mud that might have held them prisoners,
+at the mercy of prowling night terrors.
+
+A light twinkled in the distance; confused sounds reached the rescuers,
+and they pushed forward with renewed energy.
+
+"Ooooh, Mihing!" called Asin, in his cracked, wavering voice.
+
+"Ooooh!" came the answer from the barrio.
+
+"Piang, we look to you to protect us from Bal-Bal, to you and your
+sacred anting-anting." Solemnly Kali Pandapatan made this announcement.
+
+The boy was the first to land. The lame and the halt crowded around
+him, imploring him to save them. Confused, Piang wondered what was
+expected of him but suddenly he remembered what the great Ganassi
+had said:
+
+"The source of power is faith!"
+
+His proud little head went up; his brave eyes smiled:
+
+"Have no fear, my people. Piang, the charm boy, will protect you."
+
+A startling phenomenon had terrified the barrio. Just at dusk,
+old Asin had been squatting in the doorway of his hut, dreamily
+watching Papita's little white fawn munching mangos under the fatal
+tree, when suddenly he saw it rise, struggle, suspended in the air,
+then disappear. Its pathetic cry was heard once, high above their
+heads. Then there was silence. The aged populace had been too
+frightened to investigate and had hovered around the fire, afraid
+to venture beyond its circle of light. Asin had been despatched to
+notify the head of the tribe that Bal-Bal was hovering near.
+
+All eyes turned toward the charm boy.
+
+"La ilaha illa llahoe," softly prayed Piang, scrutinizing the frowning
+jungle, as it closed in on all sides.
+
+"Kali Pandapatan," finally announced the boy, "it is given that we
+act as brave men. If it is Bal-Bal who has been swooping upon us,
+have no fear; he can come no more with Piang, the charm boy, prepared
+to meet him. If it is something else that is hovering near, we must
+go boldly forth and slay our enemy."
+
+A relieved sigh from the listeners greeted this speech.
+
+"Bravely spoken, little brother," said Kali Pandapatan.
+
+Another boat load arrived from the sea, and when the nature of
+the calamity had been explained, all volunteered to aid in the
+search. Each man bearing a torch, they went in pairs, scattering
+through the jungle. At given intervals, Piang who remained in the
+barrio at the entreaty of the aged, was to respond to the clan call.
+
+"Le le li li!" echoed through the somber night, giving courage to the
+faint of heart and keeping the searching party's spirits up. Stealthily
+the charm boy crept around the edge of the clearing, examining every
+possible opening; cautiously he peered into nooks and crannies.
+
+The mango-tree! What was there about that old jungle veteran that
+drew the boy toward it? The babe had disappeared from under its
+shelter; the fawn had been whisked from its protection. A cry from
+the circle around the fire arrested him as he approached the tree, but
+he reassured them, exposing the charm, and bravely went forward. Dew
+on the heavy, dark foliage glistened in the firelight, and the golden
+fruit peeped forth temptingly. Piang reached up on tiptoe to pluck a
+ripe mango, supporting his body against a large vine that hung from the
+tree. The vine stirred, trembled, and disappeared. With a low cry the
+boy recoiled. The tree was bewitched, was alive. Would its huge limbs
+enfold him in its embrace as it had done the other two victims? Piang
+was unable to move. Fascinated, he stared wide-eyed at the tree
+with its wealth of parasite life sapping its vitality. Trailing
+orchids and tree-ferns festooned its limbs; _liana_ and _bajuca_
+vines smothered it in death-like embrace. Coil upon coil of these
+serpent-like jungle creepers, ignoring or circumventing the smudge
+platform halfway up the trunk, ascended to the tree's very crest,
+only to return, dangling and swinging like the ragged draperies of
+a slattern, reaching out tenacious arms in search of new support.
+
+At any moment Piang expected to be seized by this supernatural
+monster, and yet he could not cry out or move. Where did it hide
+its victims? Did it inhale life or suck it into its trunk? Scarcely
+realizing what he was doing, the boy focused his gaze upon two dazzling
+points of light that gradually came nearer, nearer. A peacefulness
+came over him, and he wondered why he had been so terrified a moment
+before. Slowly a numbness crept up his limbs; a giddiness attacked
+him. On came the hypnotic, icy lights, until they were within a few
+feet of his face.
+
+"Le le li li!" crashed through the stillness. With the dim past Piang
+connected the disturbing sounds. The gleaming lights were beautiful,
+compelling.
+
+"Le le li li!" A memory of some duty faintly stirred Piang's
+subconsciousness, and his senses tried to respond to the call. Bright
+and intense grew the twin fires. One instant they seemed as minute
+as fireflies, the next as large as moons. Yes, the tree was alive;
+it was moving. A giant creeper was swaying toward him, would grasp
+him in its toils.
+
+"Le le li li!" persistently the call was repeated. "Le le li li!" A
+duty! What was it? Charm boy? Who was charm boy? Involuntarily Piang's
+hand sought the charm on his breast and grasped it. He was saved! With
+a shriek he darted back just in time. The vine lunged out, quivered,
+and recoiled.
+
+Asin, who had been curiously watching Piang for some time, rushed
+toward him and caught the fainting boy in his arms.
+
+
+
+Quietly Piang gave his orders; unquestioningly he was obeyed. After his
+mishap he had not regained consciousness for two days, and during his
+illness he had prated senselessly about trees that were alive and vines
+that had eyes, much to the disturbance of Kali Pandapatan and Asin. But
+when he whispered his suspicions to his chief, Kali gave a low whistle.
+
+Asin and Tooloowee were taken into the secret, and they set to work
+to develop Piang's plan. A wild boar, which had been captured for
+crocodile bait, was fastened to a pole in the middle of the _campong_
+(clearing). Around it was built a bamboo pen, opened at one end, from
+which extended a low, fenced-in lane about forty feet long. Arranged
+in this lane, at intervals, were slip nooses of ratan, which, rising
+above the structure, looked like skeleton arches.
+
+Impatiently the Moros waited for night; fearfully they watched the
+mango-tree. There was no tom-tom serenade such as usually heralds
+the coming of night; no fires were lighted; the evening meal was
+forgotten. An ominous silence pervaded the barrio.
+
+Night came--soft, fragrant night, with its thousand wonders. The
+inquisitive moon peeped over the palm fronds, peeped again, and
+decided to remain. Papita, her anklets and bangles clinking dully,
+moved listlessly about, sorrowing for her lost pet; Sicto followed
+her persistently, annoying her with his attentions. The sulky mestizo
+took pleasure in provoking the little girl, for was she not Piang's
+favorite, and was not Piang his enemy? He moodily contemplated the
+charm boy at work on the silly-looking structure that he was not
+allowed to approach.
+
+When it was finished, Kali Pandapatan ordered every one to go to
+their homes, to lock and bar the doors, and, under pain of his
+displeasure, to make no sound. The death-like stillness was fraught
+with tension. From the window in the nearest house, Piang kept
+watch with Kali, Asin, and Tooloowee; in his hand he held the ratan
+cable that controlled the nooses in the narrow lane. Minutes, hours
+trailed by, and still the barrio watched. A gentle wind awakened the
+forest whispers and gathered its freight of seed and pollen to scatter
+abroad. The prisoner in the deserted campong protested and struggled,
+its ugly grunts disturbing the jungle peace. Dull clouds obscured the
+moon, and for a long time the barrio was in darkness. When the light
+burst suddenly upon them, the Moros started from their drowsiness
+and gazed with awe on the swaying, shuddering mango-tree. Not a leaf
+was stirring on the surrounding trees, but the mango rustled and
+trembled ominously.
+
+"See, Kali! I was right!" whispered Piang. No superstitious horror
+pervaded the hut where the four men watched, but in every other house
+Moros fell upon their faces, beseeching Allah to protect them from
+Bal-Bal. The capricious moon plunged into a shadowy cloud again. The
+next flood of light disclosed a vision so horrible that even Kali and
+his brave followers stiffened with fear. Out of the mango-tree a black,
+writhing mass crept toward the terrified squealing boar. Unfolding
+length after length, the thing advanced, until nearly thirty feet
+of sinuous, undulating life stretched between the mango tree and
+the boar's cage. Papita, sickened with fear, buried her face in her
+mother's bosom, weeping hysterically; Sicto, pale and trembling,
+grasped the window for support.
+
+"_Ular-Sawa!_" ("Giant python!") he gasped, hastily closing the
+window. A little captive monkey whined pitifully.
+
+The massive creature, distracted by the sound, paused, head up,
+forked tongue darting in and out of the open jaws, for the Regal
+Python has no ears, but hears with its tongue. That delicate nerve
+center registers sounds by vibration, and when a python is eager to
+listen, it extends its black, forked tongue.
+
+"Oh, will it go into the trap?" breathed Piang. The boar, watching
+its fate, squealed, and the python advanced. Missing the easy lane,
+it approached the cage from the side, and tried to batter it down
+with its powerful head. Failing in this, it attempted to slip over
+the fence, but the pickets had been sharpened to prevent this, and
+finally it discovered the opening.
+
+Seeming to disapprove of the symmetrical structure, it hesitated to
+thrust its enormous length into the strange-looking thing. The Moros
+were fearful lest the creature escape and continue to overshadow their
+barrio. Once the python seemed about to retreat, but at that moment
+the boar struggled so desperately that the python's natural instinct
+prevailed, and without a moment's hesitation, it writhed into the lane,
+past the first loop, past the second, until it reached the cage.
+
+"Now, Piang, now!" softly whispered Kali. Calculating the distance,
+Piang jerked the ratan cable, and the noose tightened around the
+snake's throat.
+
+In a moment the fence was lashed to pieces, and the pickets were flying
+about like so many chips, as the serpent fought and struggled. Piang
+and his helpers secured the cable to a post and rushed into the
+campong. Catching hold of the other cables, they pulled them tighter
+and tighter until the snake was unable to move.
+
+The clouds were heavy and the moon shone fitfully.
+
+"Torches!" yelled Kali, and the women scurried about in search
+of them. Piang and Tooloowee cautiously approached the monster's
+head, holding on a stick some cotton soaked with poison. Savagely
+the python bit at the extended stick, and the cotton caught on the
+long recurved teeth. Try as it would, it could not get rid of its
+mouthful. The Moros congratulated themselves, thinking the danger
+past, little knowing what the fatal consequences would be. Under the
+stimulus of the poison the python began to expand, until the loops
+of ratan creaked and snapped. The snake did not plunge or struggle,
+but quietly, steadily pulled. That python broke green ratan thongs
+half an inch in diameter, and soon twisted out of all its fastenings
+except the one about its neck. Catching hold of the mango-tree with its
+tail, it pulled until its eyes bulged from the sockets, but the ratan
+held. Releasing its hold on the tree, it flopped about the campong,
+pulling and straining at the cable.
+
+Finally it lay perfectly still, its dull, lidless eyes rolling
+upward. Without any warning, its lithe tail shot outward, swept the
+crowd of bystanders, and those fatal, living rings closed around Sicto,
+compressing the unfortunate boy with such force that he gasped for
+breath. Without a thought for the helpless boy, the women dropped
+the torches and fled screaming through the night, leaving the campong
+in darkness.
+
+Only Piang came to the none too popular mestizo's assistance. He hurled
+himself at the reptile's head, campilan raised to strike, but instead
+of falling upon the mark, his knife severed the one remaining cable
+and set the monster free. Perceiving its new antagonist, and feeling
+its freedom, the snake rapidly unwound its tail from Sicto, who fell to
+the ground with a dull thud. Darting forward with lightening rapidity,
+it caught Piang in its circular embrace, and, coiling its tail around
+the tree, flattened the boy against it, as if in a mill. Tighter,
+closer hugged those massive, chilling rings, but Piang fought bravely.
+
+"A light! a light!" screamed Tooloowee, as he dragged the insensible
+Sicto away, and, out of a nearby hut dashed a slender, graceful figure
+in response to the call, a fresh torch streaming its smoke and sparks
+around her head.
+
+"Quick, Papita," urged Tooloowee, and the girl came fearlessly to
+the aid of Piang.
+
+"Piang!" she wailed. "Why didn't you let it have Sicto!" Her
+voice seemed to put new life into the suffocating boy. With one
+supreme effort Piang managed to loosen his arm and struck once,
+twice. The python, now bleeding profusely, hissed and writhed, still
+tightening around the boy. Once again Piang thrust, at last reaching
+the creature's heart. The rings loosened, relaxed, and Tooloowee's
+well-aimed blow severed the awful head, which bounced and rolled to
+Papita's feet.
+
+
+
+When they carried the limp, lacerated body of Piang to his hut,
+there was lamenting and weeping in the barrio. Piang, their beloved
+charm boy was dead. A mournful _tilick_ (death signal) was sounded
+on the tom-toms, and the wail soon gathered volume until the jungle
+and river seemed to take up the plaint.
+
+Dead? Could Piang, the invincible, be killed? Papita crouched in the
+doorway. Kali Pandapatan bent over the still little form. Anxiously
+he watched the eyelids quiver, the lips part. A sigh of relief broke
+from the chief, and he murmured softly:
+
+"Little brother, you have the strength of a packda; the cunning of
+the civet-cat, and the wisdom of the mina-bird. May your days be long."
+
+A knowing smile flitted across Kali's face as he caught the irrelevant
+reply:
+
+"Papita--is she safe?"
+
+
+
+
+SEVENTH ADVENTURE
+
+THE SECRET OF THE SOURCE
+
+
+There had been a great drought. Plague was sure to follow such
+weather, and the Moros were already dying of starvation. "Rice,
+rice!" was the cry, but everywhere the crop had failed, and the
+natives were desperate.
+
+Piang had been more successful in foraging than the other lads had,
+and his mother was safe for a time, but there seemed to be no hope,
+and he sorrowed as he pictured her dying for want of the food that
+it was his business to provide for her.
+
+In the stifling heat of midday, the village was startled by the
+appearance of several white men on the biggest animals they had ever
+seen. Tiny ponies, straying about the village, fled to cover at sight
+of the strange creatures, and most of the women hid themselves in
+fright. The Moro men sullenly watched the strangers advance, making
+no attempt to stop them, but there was no mistaking their hostile
+attitude.
+
+"Where is the dato?" asked the interpreter, who rode in ahead of the
+men. There was no answer.
+
+"Come, where is the chief? The white men bring good news; they
+bring food."
+
+Instantly there was a change. Kali Pandapatan stepped in front of
+the others and said in his musical patois:
+
+"I am Dato Kali Pandapatan. Speak. Do not deceive us."
+
+A lengthy conversation followed, and while the two men were arguing
+and gesticulating, the strangers gradually coaxed some of the children
+toward them. Finally the women sidled nearer, and soon the entire
+population had hedged the little company in, and were gazing with
+awe at the huge American horses with their odd trappings. One mare
+stamped her foot and neighed loudly, scattering the spectators in
+every direction, greatly to the amusement of the white men.
+
+It was all very hard for the dato to understand. He explained to his
+people that some great power had sent the white men to save them from
+starvation. The interpreter had told him that the Moros all belonged
+now to some nation called the United States. A fierce murmur rippled
+through the crowd at this piece of news. The dato raised his hand
+for quiet.
+
+"Let us hear them through. We are hungry; let them feed us. We will
+fight for our freedom later, if necessary."
+
+Haughtily Dato Kali Pandapatan faced the newcomers and bade them
+speak. The interpreter explained that the men were United States
+soldiers, and that their chief had commanded them to search the
+islands for starving Moros and to relieve their suffering. The crafty
+dato pondered long before he accepted their offer, all the while
+watching for an attack. It was impossible for him to believe their
+generosity could be genuine, so used was he to the treachery of Spanish
+strangers. When the pack-train loaded with supplies appeared at the
+head of the steep mountain pass, a cry went up from the hungry people,
+and a rush was made toward it. When the supplies had been portioned
+out to each family, and suspicion banished from the minds of the
+natives, the "Americanos" were hailed as their saviors. Lieutenant
+Lewis, in charge of the expedition, was offered every courtesy, and
+the soldiers were showered with gifts of brass and trinkets. Dato
+Kali Pandapatan vowed his allegiance to the soldiers and offered the
+services of his tribe.
+
+"Ask the dato if he has heard of the mysterious rice that has been
+found on Lake Lanao, Ricardo," said Lieutenant Lewis.
+
+The interpreter addressed the dato and learned that it was a well
+known fact that rice had appeared on the surface of the lake from
+no apparent source. As it had never been grown in that district,
+the authorities were puzzled over the persistent rumors. If it could
+be cultivated there, it might be possible to supply the tribes with
+enough to avoid these frequent famines.
+
+"He says he is not sure, sir, but travelers from that section all
+bring the same tales of gathering rice in an eddy at one corner of the
+lake. The tribes are very fierce around there, and as they will not
+tolerate interference from strangers, no one has dared to investigate."
+
+"I can easily believe it. General Bushing's expedition through that
+country met with fearful opposition. It's a wonder to me that so
+many of them came out alive." The lieutenant was silent for a time,
+then said:
+
+"Ask him if he has a swift runner, some one that he can trust."
+
+Ricardo questioned the chief.
+
+"Yes, sir, he says there is a boy named Piang, who is fleeter than
+the wind, surer than the sun."
+
+"Ask him if he will send this boy for me to the lake to search out
+the truth about this rice. Offer him fifty bushels of corn for the
+lad's family and tell him I will send him twenty-five bushels whether
+he is successful or not."
+
+"Piang! Piang!" the name was on every one's lips. From out the crowd
+stepped a slender faun of a youth, slim and supple as a reed. The
+gaily-colored breech-cloth wound about his loins supported his bolo
+and small knives, and in his tightly knotted long hair, glistened
+a creese. With silent dignity he awaited his orders. No curiosity
+manifested itself in his face; no question was on his lips; he simply
+waited. Lieutenant Lewis marveled at the boy's indifference, but
+when the mission was explained to Piang, the light that sparkled in
+his eyes and the expressions of excitement and joy that chased each
+other across his face removed all doubt from the lieutenant's mind.
+
+Piang was chosen! Piang was to ferret out the secret of the lake! Piang
+was to bring honor to his tribe! When it was explained to him that
+his mother would be provided for, he abruptly turned from the dato
+and dashed off to his hut to procure weapons and scanty provisions. A
+silence held the natives as they waited for Piang to reappear. They
+all seemed to sense the dangers that were confronting the boy so
+eager to undertake the task. Hardly ten minutes had elapsed before
+he was in their midst again. He salaamed before the dato and, without
+a glance at the others, bounded up the trail, away into the jungle.
+
+"But," protested the lieutenant, "no one has given him any orders,
+any directions." The interpreter conveyed the American's misgivings
+to the dato. A smile broke over his face.
+
+"Piang needs no directions, no advice. No jungle is too thick for him
+to penetrate, no water deep enough to hide its secrets from him. Piang
+will bring you news of the rice. I have spoken."
+
+"And to think of the fuss it takes to get a few dough-boys ready for
+a hike!" exclaimed the amazed lieutenant.
+
+
+
+The jungle was terrible. Everywhere Piang came across victims of
+the drought. Little monkeys, huddled together, cried like babies;
+big birds, perched on the sun-scorched trees, were motionless. He
+stumbled over something soft. Always on the alert, his bolo was ready
+in an instant, but there was no need for it. He looked down into the
+dying eyes of a little musk-deer. Pity and misgiving filled his heart,
+and he wondered if he would be able to reach the Big Pass before he
+starved. Surely, up there it would be different; they always had rain,
+and if he could only hold out.... A snuff-like dust constantly rose
+from the decayed vegetation; it pained his nostrils, and he muffled
+his face in his head-cloth as he penetrated deeper into the jungle. He
+must reach a clearing before night; it would mean almost certain death
+to sleep in the jungle's poisonous atmosphere. There was a good spot
+further up, and he worked his way toward it, determined to reach it
+for his first night. The liana-vine that he cut for water was dry. He
+listened for the trickle of a brook. The jungle is usually full of
+little streams, but no sound rewarded his vigilance. Stumbling along,
+he began to think his journey would end there, when he was startled by
+loud chattering. A monkey settlement was evidently near, and he knew
+by their liveliness that they were not famishing for water. Spurred
+on by hope, he redoubled his efforts and was rewarded by the sight
+of a cocoanut grove in a clearing.
+
+There was a general protest from the inhabitants as he made his
+appearance, but he paid no attention to the monkey insults hurled at
+him and gratefully picked up the cocoanuts with which they bombarded
+him. Shaking each one, he tossed it from him. They were all dry. The
+monkeys were too clever to waste any nuts that had milk in them. Piang
+tied his feet together loosely with his head-cloth, and, using it as
+a brace, hopped up one of the trees as easily as a monkey. Sitting
+in the branches, he drained one cocoanut after another, and when his
+thirst was slaked, he amused himself by returning the bombardment. He
+was surrounded by monkey snipers and he laughingly rubbed his head
+where one of their shots had struck home. With careful aim he showered
+the trees, and gradually the monkeys began to disperse. He had won;
+the fun was over. He watched them scold and fuss as they retreated
+into the jungle, regretting that he had not kept them with him a
+little longer for company.
+
+The big sun was dipping into the trees now, and he descended to gather
+material for his bed. High up in the cocoanut-tree Piang built his
+couch. He selected two trees that were close together, and, cutting
+strips of ratan, bound stalks of bamboo together making a platform
+which he lashed to the trees, far out of reach of night prowlers. He
+dipped into his scanty provisions, and then, scrambling to his nest,
+covered himself with palm branches, which afford warmth as well
+as protection from the unhealthy dew. Quickly Piang sank into an
+untroubled slumber. All night long creatures fought below him for the
+few remaining drops of moisture in the discarded shells, but he knew
+that he was safe, and their snarls and bickerings did not alarm him.
+
+
+
+Piang started guiltily. He must have overslept. The sun was high, but
+for some reason the heat had not awakened him. Sitting up, he rubbed
+his eyes, sniffed the air, and uttered a shout of joy. A gentle rain
+was trickling through the foliage; the spell was broken; the jungle
+would live again. After hastily gathering a few nuts he climbed down
+the tree and prepared for his journey, thankful that the drought
+was to be broken by the gentle "liquid sunshine," as it is called,
+instead of by a violent typhoon. Eating what he wanted of the soft,
+green cocoanut meat, he tied two nuts to the ends of a ratan strip,
+and, slinging them across his shoulder, was off again, darting here
+and there to avoid the stinging vines and treacherous pitfalls.
+
+How many days was he from Lake Lanao? He counted the suns that must
+rise and set before he should arrive. There were four, if he should be
+fortunate enough to find the Ganassi trail. Piang had not lost time by
+returning to the coast to pick up the trail, but had trusted to his
+instinct to lead him aright. Surely, if he followed the sun by day,
+and the big bright evening star by night, he would come upon the
+trail the second day. He must avoid the lake people at all costs;
+they were not to be trusted, and his life would pay the penalty if
+they caught him spying. Silently the jungle child sped along. Nothing
+escaped his watchful eye; no sound eluded his trained ear. Once he
+darted aside just in time to escape the toils of the dread python as
+it swooped from above to claim its victim. Another time his bolo saved
+him, and a wild civet-cat lay at his feet. Chuckling at his prowess,
+Piang drew his knife across the animal's belly, and slipped off the
+skin, almost whole. It would be useful to him, and maybe he could
+find the herb that is used to cure pelts.
+
+It was very difficult traveling. The sun was not visible during the
+afternoon, and Piang lost his direction. Blundering here and there,
+he often came back to the same place. It was no use; he could not find
+the trail without the assistance of sun or stars. Sometimes it was
+days before either could penetrate the dense mist that accompanies
+the tropical rains. Discouraged, he threw himself on the ground.
+
+An unusual sound made him jerk his head up to listen. It came again,
+and the boy rose quietly to his feet, focusing his senses on the
+sound. Cautiously he advanced toward it. In the jungle it is always
+wiser to be the one to attack. The sound was repeated, and Piang
+breathed easier. It was made by an animal, not by his dread lake
+enemies. Gradually he crept nearer and when he parted the bushes and
+peeped through, he almost shouted in his excitement. He had reached
+the Big Pass. A broad river swept rapidly by, and along the banks
+wild carabao rolled and splashed, making queer diminutive sounds, not
+in keeping with their ungainly size. Piang was careful to keep out
+of sight, as they are apt to be dangerous when their very uncertain
+nerves are startled.
+
+For more than two days Piang fought his way through the entanglement
+of cogon grass and vicious vines, cutting and hewing his way,
+afraid to cross the river and follow the Ganassi trail. Finally,
+one rosy dawn, he came upon the lake as it sparkled and shimmered in
+the early light. The boy held his breath, delighted with the beauty
+of the view. Far in the distance mountains rose in a blue and purple
+haze. The lake was nestled in the heart of them, fed by many clear
+brooks and springs. Its bed had once been the crater of an active
+volcano, but Piang did not know this.
+
+From his retreat, built high among the dense trees, Piang watched
+the lake people ply their way to and fro across the water. Somewhere
+on that lake was the secret of the floating rice, and the boy was
+determined to discover the truth. He hid before dawn at the water's
+edge near a spot that he had noticed was much frequented. As usual,
+a swarm of natives visited it about noon. Piang watched them dip
+up gourds and cocoanut-shell cups full of water. They strained it
+through cloths, repeating and repeating the action. He was sure it was
+the coveted rice that they were gathering and he impatiently waited
+for them to go; no sooner had they departed, however, than others
+arrived to take up the task. There was nothing to do, but wait again
+for dawn, and Piang wriggled himself back to his grove and mounted
+his platform home.
+
+He was very restless all night and hardly slept at all, so anxious
+was he for the first streaks of light. As he lay with eyes upturned,
+he watched the stars grow dim: before they had entirely disappeared,
+Piang was standing by the water ready for the dive. His bolo was slung
+at his side, and in his mouth he carried a smaller knife. One never
+knows what one may meet at the bottom of an unknown lake, and Piang
+was prepared for any emergency.
+
+At last it was light, at last he could see into the clear
+lake. Climbing out on the rocks as far as he could, he let himself
+down into the cool water. How he rejoiced at the feel of it and how
+easily he slipped along toward the spot where he had watched the
+natives the day before!
+
+He looked for signs of rice. Seaweed tricked him; bubbles vanished
+and he reached to grasp them. Round and round he swam, and finally
+his hands closed over something small and slippery. Breathlessly he
+fingered it, and opening his hand as he trod water, he beheld the
+mushy rice grains.
+
+Taking a long survey, he assured himself that there was no one in
+sight. Yesterday the Moros had not come before noon; and if he worked
+quickly, he might discover the secret to-day. Taking a long breath,
+Piang dived straight down and, swimming along the bottom, examined
+the rocks carefully; but he came back to the surface none the wiser
+for his plunge. A puzzled look puckered his face. Tilting his head
+to one side, he considered. That was surely rice; it did not grow
+here, so it must come from under the water. Again he dived, but this
+time he swam nearer the surface and he saw that there was more rice
+floating by than he had imagined. It was not coming from the bottom,
+it was drifting from the center of the lake!
+
+Excitedly he headed in that direction, swimming under water whenever
+he lost the trail of the rice. It was not strange that it only came
+to the top in that one spot. There was a strong current that bore it
+upward, whirling it in an eddy before it sank to the bottom. Farther,
+farther he went, always swimming toward the center of the lake;
+and as he went, the rice grew thicker. Eagerly he plunged forward,
+keeping his eyes open, watching the rice.
+
+He stopped. What was that dark object resting on the bottom? He
+did not know how exhausted he was until he paused for breath; then,
+knowing that his next dive would take him far down, he rolled over on
+his back and floated quietly. Burning with curiosity, he could hardly
+wait to see what was there. Slowly he swam downward. Something warned
+him to be more careful, and afterward he was grateful for his caution,
+for had he plunged recklessly to the bottom, in all probability in
+would have been his last dive.
+
+He was aware of a large body moving near him and he dodged just in time
+to avoid a collision, striking out for the surface. Lying flat on the
+water, he peered into the depth and discovered several dark things
+swimming about. Frightened at first, he remembered that sharks and
+crocodiles do not live in mountain lakes. Bravely he descended, but
+this time he swam with his bolo in his hand. Down, down, and again he
+saw the queer, square things flopping about. They were huge tortoises,
+clustered around a darker object at the very bottom of the lake. Once
+more Piang came to the top. He was not afraid now; tortoises do not
+fight unless attacked, and the boy could easily outswim any of the
+clumsy creatures. But what were they doing out there in the middle of
+the lake? Tortoises live near shoals and feed on fungi and roots. As
+he plunged down once more, he was met by a strong up-current and had to
+fight his way through. Tiny particles stung him as they rushed by, and
+it seemed to him that millions of fish were darting here and there,
+snapping at something. It was rice. Gradually it dawned on Piang
+that he had reached his goal; the tortoise had reached it first,
+and the secret lay hidden in that dark thing at the bottom.
+
+Frantically, but steadily, he worked his way down, avoiding weeds and
+driftwood. The water grew calmer as he neared the bottom, the rush of
+the current less. His breath was almost gone; he could hardly stand
+it a few seconds longer, but he must see what it was there. With one
+supreme effort, he struggled and reached the hard sand of the lake
+floor. A trifle dazed, he looked about, and there, towering above him,
+was a ship.
+
+Piang was almost unconscious when he reached the air. Had he
+been dreaming? How could a ship be resting on the bottom of Lake
+Lanao? Restraining his curiosity, he forced himself to rest. Lying on
+his back again, he took long regular breaths until he was entirely
+rested. Slowly he descended and, avoiding contact with the loggy
+tortoise, circled around the dark thing. Yes, it was a boat. Piang
+had seen only one other boat like it in his life. It was only about
+thirty-five feet long, but to the boy it seemed to rise above him
+like a mountain. Fascinated, he sank lower until he was standing on
+the deck. The tortoises and fish paid no attention to him, and he
+examined it carefully. The big tube, sticking up in its middle Piang
+recognized as the thing that belches smoke, and along the sides,
+covered with slime and weeds, were small black objects. He had heard
+that these boats hurl "hot-spit" into the jungle when they are angry,
+and he supposed it must come from these ugly things. All this occupied
+only a few seconds, but to Piang it seemed like years. Making a hasty
+ascent, he again filled his lungs and prepared to explore farther. As
+he worked his way back, he crossed the current that was bearing the
+rice to the surface and remembered his mission. Following the milky
+trail, he arrived at the stern of the boat and shuddered to see the
+mass of animal life clustered there. Worming his way alongside, he
+frightened the swarming creatures, and they scattered, leaving him a
+clear view of the boat. Only one old tortoise refused to be disturbed,
+and Piang watched it pull and bite at something. He was very close
+to it, when suddenly something blinded him. He put out his hands to
+ward it off, but the rush increased, and when he found his way to the
+top his hands were full of soggy rice. The old tortoise had torn the
+end of a rice-sack, and the contents were being whirled upward.
+
+As the boy lay on the water, reviewing his remarkable discovery,
+his strength almost exhausted, he was startled into the realization
+of a new danger. Quickly he dived, but not before a man in a vinta,
+headed that way, had seen him. Piang was caught. In his excitement
+he had failed to watch for the coming of his enemies, and now he
+must fight. Swiftly the vinta approached. Piang could see it through
+the water and he watched until it was over his head. With a lunge,
+he struck at it with all his might, upsetting it and throwing the
+occupant out. With a yell the man grabbed Piang, and the startled boy
+recognized his old enemy, Sicto, the outcast, who drifted from tribe
+to tribe, a parasite on all who would tolerate him. He was making
+his home with the lake people just now and had discovered Piang's
+hiding-place. Guessing that the boy was after the secret of the rice,
+he had watched his chance and had pounced on him when he was least
+able to protect himself.
+
+Over and over they rolled, splashing and fighting. Piang was struggling
+for breath, but luckily he still had his bolo in his hand. The big
+bully was sure to win the fight unless Piang could escape soon, as
+he was already winded and exhausted. A happy thought flashed through
+Piang's mind. He watched for one of the tortoises to swim near the
+surface, and then shrieking "Crocodile," he pointed toward it. When
+the frightened Sicto shrank from the tortoise, Piang struck with all
+his might, but he was so weak and his knife was so heavy that he only
+stunned his adversary.
+
+Then he was away like a flash. Before the bully could recover, Piang
+had righted the vinta and was paddling off in the direction of the
+river. Sicto tried to follow him, but Piang only laughed and paddled
+faster. He was free again; he had a boat, and knew the secret of the
+rice. Allah was indeed good to little Piang.
+
+Rapidly he plied his paddle. The current was against him as he headed
+for the mouth of the river, but he worked steadily and soon lost
+sight of the infuriated Sicto.
+
+He paused. Coming out of the river was a flotilla of boats. They were
+the usual rice-fishers, and he must pass them to gain the outlet. What
+if they called to him? He could not speak their dialect, and they
+would surely recognize Sicto's boat. He did not think they had seen
+him, so he changed his course to the east-ward and slowly paddled in
+that direction. They soon passed behind him, paying no attention to
+the solitary boatman, and he thankfully headed toward the river. As
+soon as the men reached Sicto, he would tell them of the fight, and
+they would give chase. Piang's chances of escape were indeed slim,
+but he had a little start.
+
+Stubbornly he fought the current; patiently he worked against the
+swift water. At last he was in the river, but he knew that by this
+time the Moros were in pursuit. That they did not appear in the river
+behind him was no reason to feel safe. He was sure they would try to
+head him off by land, as the river wound round and round through the
+valleys. The odds were certainly against Piang. He was in a strange
+country, unfamiliar with the trails and hunted by the swiftest tribe
+of Moros. The Ganassi trail was out of the question. It would be
+lined with the lake people watching for him. The jungle, which he
+had worked his way through, would be searched, and his recent camping
+site discovered. Every passable trail to his home would be watched.
+
+Suddenly Piang remembered the "Americano" soldiers. They
+lived somewhere off in the other direction, beyond the terrible
+marshlands. Without a moment's hesitation, he headed toward the shore,
+pulled up the vinta, and secured it. He then plunged into the stream
+and swam to the opposite shore. When the lake people found the vinta,
+they would search that side of the jungle. Piang was pleased at
+his ruse.
+
+Bravely the boy faced his only avenue of escape. The journey through
+the marshlands and over the mountains was considered impossible,
+but Piang was not discouraged. Searching the surrounding jungle, he
+made sure that he had not been discovered, and, turning his back on
+his home as well as on his enemies, headed toward the distant peaks,
+the Dos Hermanas.
+
+
+
+"Halt!" The sentry on Post No. 4 wheeled and took aim. There was
+another rustle in the bushes. "Halt!" came the second warning. Luckily
+the man was an old soldier, whose nerves were well seasoned. There
+would be only one more warning; the bullet would come then. Tensely
+the sentry listened. In the jungle one does not wait long out of
+curiosity. Just as he was about to utter his ultimatum and emphasize
+it with lead, a slender form tottered through the bushes and fell to
+the ground.
+
+"Sure, an' he 's a-playin' dead. None of that game for yer Uncle
+Dudley." The Irishman, coming to port arms, sang out:
+
+"Corporal of the guard. Number Four!" Never taking his eyes off the
+still form, he waited.
+
+"What's up?" called the corporal, as he came running up the trail
+with his squad.
+
+"Suspicious greaser!" The sentry pointed at the prostrate
+form. Cautiously they approached it. Too many times their humane
+sympathy had been rewarded by treachery. The native did not stir. One
+of the guard poked him with his foot. There was no resistance.
+
+"Guess he's all in, all right," announced the corporal. "Heave him
+up. Never mind the leeches; they won't hurt you." The boy was lifted
+to the top of a woodpile. He bore the marks of the jungle. His hands
+and feet were scratched and torn by thorns, some of which still showed
+in the flesh. His ribs showed plainly through the tightly pulled skin,
+and leeches clung to him, sucking the blood from his tired body. The
+long hair had been jerked from its customary chignon, and was hanging
+loose around his head. His thin arms hung listlessly at his side.
+
+"Gosh, he needs a wash bad enough. Must have been starving, too." With
+his bayonet the corporal removed the black hair from the face. Uttering
+an exclamation, he bent over the boy.
+
+"Well, I'll be dinged! This is the kid Lieutenant Lewis sent up to the
+lake! How in tarnation did he get to us from this direction?" The men
+silently exchanged glances, all remembering their fruitless attempts
+to make a trail over the Dos Hermanas. Forcing water between the
+parched lips, the corporal gently shook Piang. The boy opened his
+eyes and shuddered.
+
+"You're all right now, little 'un," the corporal said, and although
+Piang did not understand the language, he responded to the kind tone
+with a weak smile. Slowly getting to his elbow, he motioned toward
+the garrison:
+
+"_Hombre!_" ("Man!") he muttered. It was the only Spanish word he knew,
+and the soldiers guessed that he wanted Lieutenant Lewis.
+
+"Give him a lift, boys," said the corporal and set the example by
+helping Piang to stand.
+
+
+
+"Why, the boy's story is incredible, Lewis. It is simply impossible
+that a gunboat could be at the bottom of Lake Lanao," General
+Beech protested as he walked to and fro in front of his desk in the
+administration building.
+
+"If you will search the records at headquarters, sir, I think you
+will find mention of three gunboats that were shipped to this island
+by the Spanish government and disappeared mysteriously on the eve of
+our occupancy."
+
+And so it turned out. Inquiries among the older natives of the barrio
+brought confirmation of the report, and weird tales of transporting
+the diminutive gunboats in sections over the mountain passes began
+to float about. Finally General Beech was convinced and gave the
+necessary orders to equip and send an investigating party to the
+lake. Piang was to be the guide.
+
+The transport _Seward_ carried the troops around to Iligan, and the
+struggle up the mountain trail to Lake Lanao began.
+
+Sicto was the first to give warning of the approach. He came upon the
+party one morning as they were breaking camp near the Marie Christina
+falls and immediately dashed off to Marahui.
+
+"The white devils are coming," he shrieked. "Piang, the traitor,
+is leading them to us!"
+
+Dato Grande assembled his council, and they awaited the coming
+of the soldiers with misgivings. They had good reason to fear the
+Americans. General Bushing had swept that district in his marvelous
+campaign, and there was many a cripple among the lake people to
+testify to the accuracy of his marksmen. But they were relieved by
+the appearance of Ricardo, the interpreter, who explained to the dato
+that the troops were not hostile, but had come to make friends with
+the Moros.
+
+Proudly Piang swung along at the head of the column, guiding them
+to his recent platform home. Camp was pitched on the shore, and the
+engineers commenced work at once. The boy impatiently waited for
+the divers to fix their cumbersome suits, and when all was ready,
+he plunged into the water and disappeared from view. The grotesque
+figures floating down with him made Piang want to laugh. They looked
+like huge devil-fish, and he wondered how they could stand the clumsy
+dress. After he had led the men to the boat he came to the top and
+swam with eyes down. If there were more boats, he wanted to find them
+first. The men on the bank were watching his agile movements with
+interest. With a shout he disappeared again. Yes, yes, there was a
+second boat. And as he circled the sunken craft he spied another near
+it. Striking out for the shore, he swam to where the general and the
+lieutenant were waiting.
+
+"What is he chattering about, Ricardo?" asked the general.
+
+"He says he has seen the other two boats, sir."
+
+"This is certainly a fortunate discovery, Lewis. I shall make a
+report to Washington on the matter, and you shall be commended for
+your sagacity."
+
+The young officer flushed with pleasure, but replied:
+
+"Thank you, sir, but I think the boy Piang deserves all the credit."
+
+It was many days before the task was completed. The rice had remained
+a mystery to the last, and the officers puzzled over the fact that it
+had not rotted entirely. The first report from the divers confirmed
+the rumor that the boats had been scuttled, presumably to prevent
+the Americans from capturing them. They had all been loaded with
+rice packed in sacks, and secured in tin-lined boxes. Until recently
+it had been protected from the water, but something heavy from above
+had fallen on them, crushing the outside coverings. The tortoise had
+done the rest.
+
+Another surprise awaited the troops. A diver brought up a handful of
+Krag cartridges.
+
+"This _is_ a mystery," said Lieutenant Lewis. "The Spanish never used
+Krags; we were the first to bring them to this part of the world,
+weren't we?"
+
+A shadow crossed General Beech's face. Quietly he ordered the divers to
+search for more ammunition. Silently they waited, and Lewis wondered
+what had brought the sad expression to his chief's face. When the
+divers brought up a wooden box half filled with cartridges, the two
+officers bent over it; on one side, branded in the wood, was plainly
+visible:
+
+"Depot Quartermaster, San Francisco, Cal."
+
+"I thought so," murmured the general.
+
+"Well, what do you know about that!" exclaimed Lewis. "The public
+has been wondering for years what became of the thousands of rounds
+of ammunition General Bushing took with him on his spectacular march
+through Mindanao. Murder will out. It is here!" He rubbed his hands
+together in glee, laughing softly.
+
+"How do you suppose this ammunition got here, Lewis?" General Beech
+asked gravely.
+
+"Why, dumped here, of course. Don't you remember the Sunday editions
+at home proclaiming Bushing a hero because he had used more ammunition
+and apparently done more fighting, than any one on record? Why didn't
+he come out with the truth?"
+
+General Beech colored at this injustice to his colleague.
+
+"The usual hasty conclusion characteristic of Young America!" said the
+General, sharply. "Do you know, young man, that General Bushing is not
+only one of our ablest soldiers, but one of the most finished diplomats
+in the service?" Lewis had never seen General Beech so agitated.
+
+"This discovery will be no news to the war department; they are
+in possession of the detailed account of the accident." He paused,
+his eyes sweeping the lake. "Lewis, this lake is the site of a most
+unfortunate accident. Out there," General Beech pointed toward the
+center of the lake, "dozens of our soldiers were lost, and the public
+will never know the tragic story of their fall. General Bushing
+was trying to transport six rafts of ammunition across the lake
+to the troops stranded at Camp Vicars. During a wild night storm,
+the handful of men set out on improvised rafts, but half-way across
+they were attacked from all sides and nearly annihilated. Only the
+wisdom and bravery of General Bushing saved the entire detachment
+from death; he ordered the ammunition thrown overboard and rescued
+his remaining men after a hard fight. That the survivors, one and
+all, have kept faith, and never divulged the story of the lost Krags,
+proves the remarkable influence General Bushing had over his command,
+for had the Moros got wind of this handy arsenal--!"
+
+
+
+The day finally came when the tiny flotilla was at last raised, and,
+gay in its paint and polished metal, gallantly rode at anchor. All the
+lake tribes were assembled to witness the celebration, and they gazed
+with wonder at the strange craft. Many Americans had been attracted to
+the lake by news of the discovery, and the camp had grown to almost
+twice its original size. Some of the officers' wives had endured the
+hardships of the journey to witness the novel sight.
+
+The boats were pronounced seaworthy and were to be tested. The
+largest boat, the flagship, was decorated from one end to the other
+with its faded pennants, but in the stern, proudly proclaiming its
+present nationality, flew the Stars and Stripes. Under the flag
+at the bow stood a sturdy, nonchalant figure, arms folded, head
+erect. Condescendingly Piang swept the crowd of wondering natives
+with his haughty eye. He paid no more attention to Sicto than to the
+others. In his supreme self-confidence Piang scorned to report Sicto
+to the authorities. He was clothed in a new dignity that put him far
+above considering such an unworthy opponent as Sicto and he silently
+cherished the hope that other opportunities to outwit the mestizo
+would be granted him.
+
+An order was given. A shrill whistle startled the jungle folk. The
+engines throbbed, and one after another the boats responded. A cheer
+went up from the banks.
+
+Piang had been given the honor of renaming the boats. The smallest
+one bore the name of his mother, Minka. The next was dedicated to the
+memory of his tribe's greatest hero, Dato Ali, and characteristically,
+on the bow of the flagship, beneath the boy's feet, glittered the
+bright gold letters, "P-I-A-N-G."
+
+
+
+
+EIGHTH ADVENTURE
+
+THE JURAMENTADO GUNBOAT
+
+
+The transport _Seward_ was approaching Jolo. Far in the distance the
+sunset tinged the coast with myriads of delicate tints, softening the
+harsh outline of the jungle. A flock of wild pigeons hovering over
+the town, suggested domestic peace, which was far from the actual
+state of affairs in that hotbed of intrigue. Glasses were trained on
+the isolated garrison, a mere speck of civilization, hurled at the
+foot of the jungle, and the excited tourists covered themselves with
+glory by their foolish questions.
+
+Queer, dark-skinned people in dirty, many-colored garments, looking
+like a rainbow fallen in disgrace, greeted the newcomers in sullen
+silence, their disapproval very evident. A quarantine officer boarded
+and asked for the young lieutenant who was to join the Siasi garrison.
+
+"Hello, Lewis! There is some uprising in Basilan. Jekiri again,
+I guess. They want you up at headquarters immediately."
+
+
+
+The chug-chug of the engine was the only sound as the trim little
+gunboat _Sabah_ slipped along. Lewis had been given command of a
+squad of cavalry and ordered to proceed to Basilan to put down any
+outbreak that might threaten. "Juramentado," was whispered, and his
+orders were not to allow the troops to become involved but to quell
+any trouble that was brewing.
+
+"A pretty big order for a shave-tail (greenhorn) Lewis," General
+Beech had said at parting, "but I bet you and that dark shadow of
+yours will make good." The hearty handclasp and kind smile warmed the
+young officer's heart. General Beech was unusually young for his post
+as division commander, and he had endeared himself to his followers
+by his kindly manner and dignified directness, and Lewis would have
+faced death for him.
+
+"Thank you, sir," was all that he said, and "the dark shadow" salaamed
+according to his custom.
+
+That night as the Americans swung along under the dome of brilliant
+stars, a question arose as to the meaning of juramentado.
+
+"Piang," Lieutenant Lewis said, "tell us about this custom of your
+people, won't you?"
+
+Bashfully the boy hung his head and wriggled his toes. He was ashamed
+of his fierce people since the good American had taken him into his
+home, but they prevailed upon him to explain, and among them they
+gathered the following story from his funny, broken English:
+
+When a Moro wearies of life and wishes to take a short cut to paradise,
+he bathes in a holy spring, shaves his eyebrows, clothes himself
+in white and is blessed by the pandita. The oath he takes is called
+_juramentar_ (die killing Christians), and he arms himself with his
+wicked knife and starts forth. Selecting a gathering, well sprinkled
+with Christians, he begins his deadly work, and as long as he breathes,
+he hews right and left. Piang told them that he had seen one strong
+Moro juramentado pierced by a bayonet, drive the steel further into
+himself, in order to reach the soldier at the other end of the gun,
+whom he cut in two before he died.
+
+The horror on the faces of his listeners made Piang pause, but they
+urged him on.
+
+"Since we are headed toward Jekiri's sanctum, I guess it behooves us
+to get all the dope goin' about these fellows," interjected a recruit.
+
+Piang's big, black eyes filled with mystery when he described how
+the juramentado rides to the abode of the blessed on a shadowy,
+white horse, taller than a carabao, just as dusk is falling. Indeed,
+he assured them that he had seen this very phenomenon himself and
+shivered at the recollection of the unnatural chill and damp that
+crept through the jungle while the spirit was passing.
+
+"Bosh, Piang, you mustn't believe those fairy tales now. You are a
+good American."
+
+"Sure, me good American, now," grinned the boy.
+
+
+
+There is nothing to differentiate the island of Basilan from the many
+others in the Sulu group. The natives seemed far from hostile, however,
+and Lieutenant Lewis remarked upon their docility to Sergeant Greer.
+
+"Don't let 'em fool you, sir; they're not to be trusted," he replied.
+
+"Oh, Sergeant, I think we are all too scared of the dirty beggars. If
+we ever stop dodging them, they will stop lying in wait for us."
+
+The old man's face did not reveal his misgivings, but he wondered
+where this young upstart would lead the men and inwardly cursed the
+war department for sending troops into the jungle under the command
+of a baby. He was soon to change his opinion of this particular "baby."
+
+Camp was pitched near the water's edge in a tall cocoanut grove that
+supplied them with food and water as well as shade. The chores over,
+liberty was granted to explore the island. The sergeant shook his head;
+he seemed to feel the inexperience of the new officer and overstepped
+the bounds of discipline when he warned him again of the treachery
+of the natives, advising him to keep the men in camp.
+
+"That will do, Sergeant," replied the lieutenant. The old man stiffened
+into a salute, wheeled, and disappeared down the company street.
+
+At sunset retreat was sounded, and after all the men had been
+accounted for, they gathered around the fires. Picturesque natives
+mingled with the jolly soldiers, bartering and arguing over trifling
+purchases. Through the warm fragrance, unfamiliar sounds kept
+reminding Lewis that he was far from home. The twilight deepened
+into night, and pipe in hand, he reviewed the strange scene. Folks at
+home were celebrating Christmas Eve. Somewhere the snow was falling,
+bells jingling, and a mother's prayers were being whispered for the
+far-away boy in the Sulu jungle. Little Piang was squatting at his
+feet, silently watching the scene, happy because he was near his
+master. Suddenly the boy jumped up, dashed into the crowd, and yelled:
+
+"Juramentado!"
+
+A tall Moro, without any warning, had begun to shriek and whirl,
+cutting to and fro with his terrible campilan, and before any one could
+prevent, he had felled two troopers. With a howl, Lewis plunged into
+their midst, pistol leveled, but before he could pull the trigger,
+the Moro buried the sword in his own vitals and pitched forward, dead.
+
+"See, another!" cried Piang.
+
+Just in time a bullet from the lieutenant's revolver silenced another
+deadly fanatic. They had slipped into the gathering, well concealed
+beneath enshrouding green sarongs, but Piang's quick eye had detected
+them before they had a good start.
+
+"Piang has saved us from a terrible row, boys," said Sergeant Greer,
+and when the wounded were cared for, the rough soldiers tossed the
+graceful boy on their shoulders and paraded through the camp, much
+to the delight of the hero.
+
+"I go to find the sultan to-morrow, sir?" asked Piang. "Him at
+Isabella, and I must give him Kali Pandapatan's message."
+
+"Well, Piang, I am with you. I'm going to face that old codger and
+tell him what I think of his fiendish tricks of killing us off by
+this beastly juramentado, when he claims to be at peace with America."
+
+Lewis learned many things during the trip, and Piang delighted in
+guiding his friends through the jungle he loved so well, through the
+grass eight feet high, under trees laden with strange fruits. Monkeys
+were swinging in the trees chattering and scolding the intruders.
+
+"You want monkey, sir?" asked Piang.
+
+"Can you catch one without hurting it?"
+
+"You watch Piang," chuckled the boy. The others hid, and Piang
+struck a match. The tree, full of curious little people, shook as
+they scampered about trying to see what Piang was doing. He paid no
+attention to them, and as he struck match after match, they gradually
+crept nearer. Shielding the flame from the inquisitive creatures,
+he excited their curiosity until they were unable to resist, and
+soon one hopped to the ground. Another came, and another. Piang paid
+no attention to the visitors, continuing to hide the flame in his
+hands. Lewis almost spoiled it all by laughing outright, for it was
+indeed a ridiculous sight to see the little wild things consumed with
+curiosity. Walking upright, their funny hands dangling from the stiff
+elbows, they advanced. One venturesome little gray form clinging to
+the branch overhead by its tail, timidly touched Piang's shoulder. It
+paused, touched it again, and finally confidently hopped upon it,
+all the while craning its neck, making absurd faces at the sulphur
+fumes. Two little arms went around Piang's neck; a soft little body
+cuddled up against him, and all the while the monkey twisted and
+turned in its efforts to discover the mystery of the flame.
+
+The click of a camera sounded like a gunshot in the intense stillness,
+and up the trees went the little band in a flash, all but the prisoner
+in Piang's arms.
+
+"Great, Piang," called Lewis. "I hope the picture will be good,
+for it was the strangest sight I ever saw in my life."
+
+"Oh, me love monkeys," replied the boy, stroking and soothing the
+frightened creature. "You want this one?"
+
+"No, let the little beast off, I couldn't bear to cage it up." A banana
+and some sugar repaid the monkey for the experiment and after he was
+free, he followed the travelers, chattering and begging for sweets.
+
+When they came to Isabella, capital of Basilan Island, Piang scurried
+off in search of the sultan. The men amused themselves watching
+the excitement they created. An American soldier is a wonderful and
+dreadful thing to these wild folk.
+
+"The sultan, he out in other barrio. Me catchim." This being
+interpreted meant that Piang would guide them to his house.
+
+When they finally came to a clearing, Lewis wondered why Piang stopped
+in front of a filthy hut, half-way up two cocoanut-trees; he was
+impatient to be off, as he wanted to reach the sultan's palace before
+dark. Piang was arguing with a dirty woman cleaning fish in the river.
+
+"Piang, what's the idea? Let's get on," impatiently said Lewis.
+
+"This His Excellency Paduca Majasari Amiril Sultan Harun Narrasid's
+house," replied Piang with awe.
+
+"Gee, what a name!" exclaimed Lewis. "And to go with that dugout,
+too. Say, Piang, I suppose we could call the old chap Pad for short?"
+
+Piang grinned, but instantly went on his knees, head touching the
+ground as a sullen, dark face, a white scar slashed across the cheek,
+appeared at the opening.
+
+"What does the beggar mean by that grunt, Sergeant?" asked Lewis.
+
+"That's the old boy himself, sir, wanting to know why you have
+disturbed his royal sleep."
+
+Lewis was dumfounded! This dirty, insignificant creature the sultan! He
+wanted to laugh, but the solemn little figure, prostrate before the
+man, made him say quietly:
+
+"Piang, get up, I want you to talk to him."
+
+Timidly the boy raised his eyes to his august lord; another grunt
+seemed to give Piang permission, for he rose and faced Lewis.
+
+"What you want Piang to say? Be careful. He not like joke and might
+chop off Americanos."
+
+Lewis realized it was no trifling matter to meet this scoundrel alone
+in the jungle, far from reinforcements. His message was simple, short,
+and impressive:
+
+"Ask him why the devil he allowed those juramentados to invade
+my camp?"
+
+With much ceremony Piang addressed the sultan, bowing and scraping
+before him. The low, ugly growls in response made Lewis furious,
+but he refrained from showing his anger. The sultan's reply amazed him.
+
+He expressed his regrets indifferently, that the camp had been
+disturbed. But (he threw up his hands to indicate his helplessness)
+who could stop the sacred juramentado? Not he, powerful sultan that
+he was. To-day was a feast of the Mohammedans. To-day was a most
+holy day, and, of course, the sultan could not be held responsible
+if some of his men had become excited. True, many good Americans had
+met their death in this way; it was most unfortunate, but how could
+it be stopped? Did the Christians not have their Christmas, and did
+they not kill turkeys and cut trees? The Moros are a fierce people
+and celebrate their feast days in a more violent manner.
+
+Poor Lewis! Thoroughly exasperated, he tried to argue through Piang,
+but finding it hopeless, he told the boy to finish Kali Pandapatan's
+business with the sultan as quickly as possible.
+
+Discouraged, he started back through the jungle, wondering how many
+more fanatics had broken loose during his absence. The sultan was
+deliberately picking the troops off, a few at a time, always insisting
+that he was at peace with the Americans. The war department, many miles
+away, was unable to understand the situation. Orders required that
+the Moro receive humane treatment, and forbade any drastic measures
+being taken against the juramentados, saying time would cure it. It
+was outrageous, and intelligent men were being made fools of by the
+sultan, who understood the state of affairs perfectly.
+
+The jungle began to irritate Lewis; it was a constant fight. The
+terrible heat, the tenacity of the vines and undergrowth seemed
+directed toward him personally, as he stumbled and fought his way
+along. How impossible to deal with the crafty sultan according to
+Christian standards! He should be given treatment that would bring
+him to terms quickly, and Lewis longed to get a chance at him.
+
+Suddenly an idea flashed into his head. He hurried Piang, bidding
+him find a shorter cut home, as night was gathering.
+
+"Sergeant Greer, come to my tent immediately," ordered the lieutenant
+when he had looked over the camp and found everything safe.
+
+"Allow no one to enter, orderly," he said and closed the flaps.
+
+"Sergeant, I have a plan and I need your experience and advice to
+carry it out. That old sultan is a fiend, and I am going to get him!"
+
+"That's been tried many times, sir, and he is still ahead of the game."
+
+But after Lewis had talked rapidly for a few minutes, disclosing
+the plan that was slated to best his majesty, a smile broke over the
+weather-beaten features of the sergeant, and he slapped his thighs
+in appreciation.
+
+"Well, sir, we can try it, and if it does work, headquarters will
+flood you with thanks; if it fails, and I warn you it might, you will
+be cut into hash either by the sultan or the war department." This
+was good advice from the old soldier.
+
+"I know it, Sergeant, but I am going to take the risk if you are with
+me." The enthusiastic young man dashed out of the tent to make the
+necessary preparations for the great event.
+
+
+
+Christmas morning dawned sultry and heavy. The mist lifted after
+reveille and the troops were astonished that the _Sabah_ had
+disappeared. Their surprise was greater to find a corporal in charge
+of the camp. There was a positive order that no trooper should enter
+the barrio, and an air of mystery hung over the whole camp. Where
+was the gunboat, the lieutenant, the sergeant, and the interpreter,
+Piang? The corporal shook his head to all these questions.
+
+Suddenly rapid firing was heard in the direction of the barrio,
+and every soldier seized his gun and ran into the company streets,
+but the corporal, calm and undisturbed, dismissed them.
+
+Nervously the men wandered about; the two wounded men became the center
+of attraction and related for the hundredth time their sensations
+when the juramentado had struck them down. They were not seriously
+wounded, but the cruel cuts were displayed, and they did not prove
+an antidote to the tenseness of the situation.
+
+The firing had ceased after about ten minutes, and new sounds took
+its place: wails and shrieks, the crackling of bamboo, told the story
+of the burning village. But who had attacked the town? The corporal
+smiled to himself, quietly.
+
+Cheerily a whistle rang out, sending the men running to the beach;
+there was the _Sabah_, tripping jauntily through the water toward
+her recent mooring-place, and on her deck, smiling and waving, were
+the missing men.
+
+"Merry Christmas," Lewis greeted the men, as he walked down the
+company street. Stopping at the cook's tent, he inquired what there
+was for dinner.
+
+"Beans, bacon, and hardbread," was the reply.
+
+"Tough menu for Christmas, eh, cook?"
+
+Since their arrival, every turkey and duck had disappeared, and the
+barrio offered nothing to enhance their limited ration. It was an
+old trick; the natives objected to sharing their food with soldiers,
+and as soon as any troops landed on the island, ever possible article
+was spirited away into the jungle.
+
+It was a bad day for every one. Most of the men were homesick, and
+they all felt the shadow of impending disaster; only Lewis and his
+confidants realized the seriousness of the situation, however.
+
+"Corporal, take four men with bolos and cut six banana trees," called
+Lewis. "Plant them in a row down the company street."
+
+Curiosity and amusement were mingled with indifference as the men
+started toward the thicket to execute the order. What had come
+over the lieutenant? Obediently the trees were brought, and Lewis
+superintended the planting. The squad was kept busy cutting ferns
+and palms, and it began to dawn on the astonished men that they were
+preparing for a holiday. The spirit was taken up generally, and the
+gloom was gradually dispelled.
+
+"Here, Jake, hang this mistletoe up over the folding doors," commanded
+the corporal, handing him a bamboo shoot, and pointing to the tent
+door. "Now when she comes asailin' in to dinner, all unaware of your
+presence, smack her a good one, right on the bull's eye."
+
+Laughter and shouts greeted this order, and when Kid Conner offered to
+impersonate a lovely damsel and, with mincing step and bashful mien,
+appeared at the opening, Jake was game, and a skuffle ensued. Shrieks
+of merriment coming from the cook tent aroused Lewis's curiosity, and
+even his weighty matters were forgotten when he beheld Irish cooky
+on his knees before the incinerator arranging a row of well-worn
+socks. Solemnly folding his hands he raised his eyes in supplication:
+
+"Dear Santa, don't forget your children in this far-away jungle. We
+are minus a chimney on this insinuator, but we are bettin' on you and
+the reindeers just the same, to slip one over on us and come shinnin'
+down a cocoanut-tree with your pack. Never mind the trimmin's and
+holly, just bring plenty of cut plug and dry matches."
+
+And so the day worn on. Toward noon the storm broke; runners announced
+the approach of the sultan, and Lewis was far from calm when he gave
+the order to admit him to camp.
+
+"Piang," he said, "there is the deuce to pay, I know, but you stick
+by your uncle, and we will pull through."
+
+No insignificant nigger greeted Lewis this time. The sultan had come
+in state. Where he had gathered his train, the men could not imagine,
+but there he was, garbed in royal raiment, attended by slaves and
+retainers. Solemnly the procession advanced. Advisers, wives, slaves,
+and boys with buyo-boxes followed his majesty, who was arrayed in a red
+silk sarong, grotesquely embroidered with glass beads, colored stones,
+and real pearls. His hair was festooned with trinkets strung on wire,
+and on his fingers were fastened tiny bells that jingled and tinkled
+incessantly. They got on Lewis's nerves, and he quaked inwardly when
+he realized why he was honored by this visit.
+
+Finally when the members of the court had arranged themselves around
+their master, he loftily signaled for his buyo; Lewis, nothing
+daunted, motioned to his striker. Amid smothered laughter he produced
+the lieutenant's pipe and tobacco, using a tin wash-basin for a
+tray. Mimicking the actions of the royal slave the man salaamed before
+Lewis and proffered the pipe. Lest the sultan should despise his barren
+state, minus slaves, advisers, and wives, Lewis summoned Sergeant Greer
+and directed him to remain beside him to share the honor of the visit.
+
+When Lewis caught Irish cooky, arrayed in apron and undershirt, with
+a basting spoon and a meat ax held at attention, making faces at his
+old sergeant, the humor of the situation came over him, and he smiled
+to himself as he looked at the scene before him: the banana-trees,
+loosely flapping their wilted leaves, the socks idly waiting to
+be the center of merriment again, the troop drawn up at attention,
+regardless of the variety of uniform, and beyond, the _Sabah_, sole
+reminder of civilization, bobbing at anchor.
+
+Never removing his eyes from Lewis's face, the sultan completed
+the ceremony of the buyo, and after deliberately rolling a quid of
+betel-nut, lime-dust, and tobacco leaves, the august person stuffed
+it into his mouth.
+
+The trees rang with silence. Lewis thought his ears would burst as
+he strained them to catch the first sound that was to decide his
+fate. Faithfully Piang remained by his friend's side, despite the
+angry glances directed toward him from the sultan's party; the lad
+was fearful of the outcome of this tangle.
+
+Finally the spell was broken. Women giggled, slaves flitted about,
+administering to the wants of the party, and the interpreter rose to
+deliver the complaint.
+
+Had there not been a treaty of peace signed between Moroland and
+America?
+
+"Yes," replied Lewis. "And I am happy to serve a government that greets
+the Moro as brother." The sultan stirred, perplexed by the reply.
+
+"Then what right had that boat," asked the interpreter, pointing to
+the _Sabah_, "to shell the barrio, destroying property and killing?"
+
+This question was received by Lewis and the sergeant with grave
+surprise. Solemnly they exchanged inquiring glances, then in
+mock indignation glowered at the _Sabah_. The _Sabah_ disturb the
+peace? When had that happened?
+
+Insolently the interpreter related the story of the attack, and a
+rustle of surprise and delight ran through the troop. Sorrowfully
+Lewis and the sergeant shook their heads, and the sultan, puzzled
+at first, began to realize that he was dealing with a new kind of
+"Americano." The two men's heads bent lower and lower as they sorrowed
+over the misdemeanor of their little boat. Weighed down with grief,
+Lewis signaled Piang to prepare for his reply to the noble visitor.
+
+How could he (Lewis) appease the powerful sultan for this mishap? What
+amends could he make for the treachery of his little gunboat? Not
+even he [his hands went up in imitation of the sultan's own gesture
+of the day before] could help it, powerful officer though he was. It
+was Christmas, a most holy day, and doubtless before dawn the truant
+craft had slipped out of the harbor without permission and had gone
+juramentadoing.
+
+"Attention!" commanded Sergeant Greer, startling the troop into
+rigidness. Their delight had almost expressed itself in a whoop.
+
+With exaggerated gestures, Lewis continued.
+
+Did the Moro not have similar customs? And did the sultan
+not sympathize with him in his inability to stop this dreadful
+practice in the Celebes Sea? American boats are dangerous on their
+feast days, and no one can tell when they may go juramentadoing to
+celebrate the occasion. That is the only custom they could celebrate
+to-day. Look! [He pointed at the pitiful banana-trees.] There are no
+gifts to adorn them with, no turkeys to kill; and the soldiers' hearts
+are sad. But the _Sabah_ evidently appreciated her capabilities,
+and doubtless before night she would again honor her country by
+recklessly shelling the jungle.
+
+At this moment from the _Sabah_ a shrill whistle echoed through the
+forest, scattering the assembled guests in all directions. Some took
+to trees, others threw themselves face down, on the ground.
+
+The sultan was furious. He gruffly ordered his subjects back, and his
+beady eyes glared at the impostor, but he was too much of a diplomat to
+display his feelings further. The soldiers had been amused at first,
+but they realized the danger of trifling with the sultan. Every tree
+and corner of the jungle would respond with an armed savage, eager
+to destroy them, should the order be given, and uneasy glances were
+directed at the irate potentate. All the recent good humor and mirth
+had vanished; only the sergeant and the lieutenant retained an air of
+utter indifference. They quietly continued to smoke, gazing off into
+the far horizon, oblivious of their surroundings. Were they pushing
+that huge American bluff too far?
+
+After long deliberation, the sultan apparently reached his
+conclusion. He whispered an order, and several runners disappeared into
+the jungle. Lewis heard the sergeant catch his breath, but the old
+man preserved his dignity admirably. More silent waiting and smoking
+followed. The sultan growled his displeasure as an adviser attempted to
+give some piece of advice, displaying a far from lovely temper. Piang
+valiantly stood his ground, ready to fight and die by his friend.
+
+Finally sounds of the returning slaves reached the gathering. What was
+coming? Armed savages? Or had he ordered his poison reptiles to be let
+loose among the soldiers? The stillness was oppressive. No one moved,
+and the sultan continued to study the averted face of the officer.
+
+A sound floated to them, nearer, nearer. The men braced themselves
+for a fight. But the sound? It was one they had all heard, a familiar,
+homelike sound.
+
+"Gobble-gobble!" It was answered from all directions. Gradually the
+truth dawned on Lewis. He had won, and the warm blood rushed through
+his tired limbs.
+
+"Turkeys, by gosh!" shouted a recruit, and the cry was taken up by
+the whole command, for slaves were pouring in with fowls of every
+description. The sergeant vainly tried to establish order in the ranks,
+but the reaction was too great. All the good humor and excitement of
+the morning was restored, and the innate childishness of the soldier
+began to assert itself.
+
+"Here, Jake, hang this fellow up on that tree so he can salute his
+majesty in true turkey fashion," shouted one man, and Jake, game as
+usual, tossed a big gobbler up in one of the mock Christmas-trees. From
+this point of vantage the bird made the jungle resound with its
+protests, while the troop screamed with laughter as Jake undertook
+to interpret the creature's address.
+
+"Piang, what will we say to the old codger now?" asked Lewis.
+
+"I ask for gift for _Sabah_; it keep her good," grinned the boy,
+and when he delivered that message to his majesty, a smile nearly
+destroyed the immobility of his features. A slave handed Lewis a
+package done up in green leaves, and when he curiously loosened the
+wrappings, a handful of seed-pearls, beautiful in luster and coloring
+fell in his palm.
+
+"Thank him for the _Sabah_, Piang. I guess this will ease her restless
+spirit, all right. Tell him it will also serve as a balm for the
+wounds of the men who were attacked by the juramentados."
+
+Regally the old potentate rose to take leave. Lewis wanted to slap
+him on the back in that "bully-for-you-old-top" manner, but the farce
+must be completed. When the sultan paused opposite Lewis, measuring
+him with those cruel, steely eyes, Lewis's only indiscretion was a
+wavering of the eyelid, just one little waver, but it was very much
+like a wink. There was undoubtedly a response in the other's eyes,
+but that is between the sultan and Lewis.
+
+As solemnly as they had come, the procession disappeared into the
+jungle. The giant trees, smothered by vines and noxious growths,
+swallowed the brilliant throng and seemed to symbolize the union
+of the savage and the jungle. The sergeant's great, brawny hand was
+extended and grasped by Lewis in appreciation of what they had been
+through together.
+
+Excitement reigned everywhere. The bedlam of fowls about to be
+decapitated and the shrieks of the troopers vied with each other for
+supremacy. Piang was being lionized by the men, toasted and praised
+in high fashion.
+
+When Lewis inspected the Christmas dinner, the old Irishman winked
+a solemn wink, as he reminded the lieutenant of the discarded menu.
+
+"You knew it all the time, sor; why didn't you put me on?" With a
+noncommittal smile, Lewis proceeded on his usual inspection tour. After
+he had returned to his tent and was settling himself to enjoy the
+hard-earned meal, he was startled by an unusually loud outburst among
+the men. It gradually dawned upon him what it was. "Three cheers
+for the lieutenant! Three cheers for Piang!" was the cry that was
+disturbing the jungle twilight.
+
+
+
+
+NINTH ADVENTURE
+
+THE BICHARA [1]
+
+
+Piang was about to land for the first time at Zamboanga. His tribe
+had looked with distrust upon the overtures made by Governor Findy,
+and although they obeyed his command to appear at the _bichara_, they
+were prepared to fight if necessary. Pagans, Mohammedans, Catholics,
+and Protestants were ordered to assemble at Zamboanga to establish
+peaceful trading relations, a thing that had never been dreamed
+of in the belligerent Sulu Isles, and Americans as well as natives
+were fearful of the outcome. The governor was severely criticized
+for his experiment, but he had made a deep study of the Moros,
+and was willing to run the risks of the present in his desire to
+bring the light of freedom and peace to the misguided savages. After
+centuries of oppression and outrages against them, the Moros had of
+necessity become suspicious and cautious. Preyed upon by Jesuits,
+Filipinos, and Spaniards, they had long ago found a ready bolo the
+safest argument. Governor Findy had sent them word that they were
+to be protected from their enemies, and that Americans were their
+friends, but disturbing whispers of traps and bondage made the wild
+folk hesitate to obey the summons.
+
+Thus, a strange scene was being enacted at the Zamboanga wharf. From
+all directions weird crafts made their way hesitatingly toward it. The
+sentries were distrustfully scrutinized, but not a soldier was armed.
+
+"See, Kali Pandapatan, I told you the new governor was good. He trusts
+us and permits us to enter his barrio as friends." Proudly the tribe's
+charm boy sprang from the war-prau, and, to the astonishment of the
+soldiers, as well as the Moros, strutted up to the sergeant in charge
+and offered his hand, American fashion.
+
+"I'll be dinged, if it ain't Piang!" exclaimed Sergeant Greer. "Is
+this your old man, Piang?" he asked genially, pointing to Kali
+Pandapatan. The old chief stiffened at the apparent familiarity.
+
+"Him big chief! Him Kali Pandapatan," hastily corrected Piang.
+
+"Excuse me, sor; no hard feelings, I hope. Had a rough trip over,
+I hear; how did you leave the missus?"
+
+When the remark had been interpreted, a murmur rippled through
+Kali's ranks, and hands flew to hips. No Moro permits his women to
+be spoken of.
+
+"What's all the fuss, kid?" asked the sergeant, innocently.
+
+With an impish grin, Piang replied:
+
+"Him no like talk about missus; him got twenty."
+
+"The deuce he has!" laughed the sergeant. "Some old scout!"
+
+The good-natured Irishman finally gained the confidence of the ruffled
+potentate, and when Piang explained that he and the soldier were old
+friends, Kali solemnly acknowledged the union with a stiff handshake.
+
+"Ver' good," said the savage with a grin. Piang glowed with pride at
+Kali's display of English.
+
+"Now what do you know 'bout that?" commented Greer.
+
+The savages were for all the world like packs of wild animals brought
+to bay. Gaudy Bogobos from Davao brushed shoulders for the first time
+with Sabanas and Kalibugans, and their snarls and bickerings boded
+ill for the success of the bichara; but finally the natives huddled
+together, linked by the common suspicion of their Christian enemy.
+
+Before entering the town, every visitor was required to place
+his weapons in the _lanceria_. Now a weaponless Moro is the most
+embarrassed of men, with the possible exception of the dreamer who
+finds himself at a party in pajamas. A Moro's idea of his costume,
+arranged in order of its importance is: first, weapons; second, hat;
+third, shirt, and, incidentally, trousers.
+
+The timid creatures slunk along, looking suspiciously behind them, but
+as the soldiers paid no attention to them, they gradually forgot their
+enmity toward civilization and became engrossed in the new delights:
+pink lemonade, pop-corn, toy balloons. They were beside themselves
+with joy. When ice-cream was introduced, and they had been assured
+that it would not burn them, their admiration was unbounded. Piang
+surreptitiously slipped some of the heavenly sweet into his wallet
+for future consumption and was dismayed a little later to find a thin
+stream trickling down his leg and an empty wallet.
+
+Governor Findy watched with interest the mingling of the many alien
+people. Wily Chinamen behind their bamboo street-stalls ministered
+to the wants of the throng, taking in trade bits of gold-dust and
+trinkets of brass; Filipinos offered their wares, cooling drinks and
+sweets. The Filipino's costume is very different from that of the
+Moro. He wears stiff, white trousers, carefully creased and immaculate
+shirts which hang outside the trousers. He wears no shoes, and his
+short black hair is oiled and brushed very carefully.
+
+"Now, it's many times I've been wonderin' what the advantage is in
+wearin' your shirt outside your trousers," said Sergeant Greer to a
+sentry. "That's what I call practical," and he pointed to an ice-cream
+vender, industriously wiping a spoon on the tail of his shirt, before
+offering it to a new customer.
+
+There was great excitement over the coming _baile_ (ball). That night
+savages and Christians were to enjoy the festivities side by side, and
+marvelous tales of preparation were being circulated. Piang and Kali
+Pandapatan wandered about the village, pausing here and there, filled
+with awe at the novel sights. The value of garters as necklaces had
+been discovered, and a brilliant crimson pair decorated the chief's
+neck (he had gladly parted with five dollars' worth of gold-dust
+for the treasure). Gilt collar buttons were forced into the holes
+in his ears. Safety-pins and their surprises had to be investigated,
+and an admiring throng crowded around, marveling at Kali's daring.
+
+"Kali!" Piang exclaimed suddenly. "Look!"
+
+Seated at a table in front of a Chino cafe, were three men in
+earnest conversation: Alverez, a Filipino mestizo, who had acquired
+by deception the Moro title, Dato Tamangung; his cousin Vincente; and
+the Moro malcontent, Sicto. The two Filipinos were disloyal employees
+of the government, already suspected of being the instigators of
+unrest among the Moros. Sicto was a deserter from Kali's ranks and
+was wanted by that august chief for many serious offenses. Dato Kali
+Pandapatan scorned to report Sicto to the authorities. A Moro dato
+is supreme and has the right to punish his subjects according to his
+own lights. A woman, mingling with the gala bichara throng had a mere
+stump for an arm; she was a thief and her hand had been severed to
+prevent it from offending again. A man with face half covered showed
+the savage justice dealt a liar; his mouth had been split from ear
+to ear to permit easier passage of the truth. Sicto would be handled
+according to Moro law, but not here.
+
+Kali and Piang exchanged a knowing look, and Piang wandered off,
+apparently seeking new pleasures, but furtively watching the three
+men. He wormed his way through the crowd intent on a game of chess,
+played by two venerable old Chinamen. A sudden "Sssshhh" from Sicto
+interrupted Alverez's excited whisper, but not before Piang had caught
+a few significant words:
+
+"The baile--juramentado--Findy."
+
+The little charm boy's heart beat violently, but his face never
+changed expression. Juramentado! So some poor misguided fanatic
+had been persuaded to assassinate the governor. He and Kali must
+prevent the outrage, for had they not sworn allegiance to this new
+chief? Piang feared that Sicto suspected the words had been overheard,
+so he carefully avoided Kali and strolled on among the people. A
+glance at his chief had warned Kali that trouble was in the air.
+
+Sicto, Alverez, and Vincente moved off toward the dock.
+
+"Sicto, did Piang hear what I said?" asked Alverez.
+
+"Does the jungle hear the trumpeting of the elephant?" angrily
+retorted Sicto.
+
+"He hasn't spoken to any one yet," said Vincente, significantly. "We
+had better get rid of him before--"
+
+A whispered conversation followed, and Alverez finally exclaimed:
+
+"I'll do it! Wait here. Watch Piang." Then he hurried off.
+
+Without approaching Kali, or divulging the secret to any one, Piang
+followed the men to the dock, and Sicto laughed softly as he watched
+the unsuspecting boy walk into the trap. The little gunboat _Sabah_
+was bobbing at her moorings, and Piang joined the crowd that was
+gazing in wonder at the strange craft. A shrill whistle, signifying
+the _Sabah's_ intention of immediate departure, so terrified the Moros
+that some took to their heels while others sought the safety of tall
+lamp-posts. Piang was laughing merrily when he was startled by a noise,
+and turning, he saw Alverez and a soldier running toward him.
+
+Instantly everything was confusion, and Piang realized that he was
+the center of the excitement.
+
+"Are you Piang?" asked the soldier, cautiously approaching him.
+
+"Sure, me Piang."
+
+"Hike! Beat it!" said the man, pointing to the _Sabah_.
+
+What did he mean? Was Piang to be allowed to go aboard the boat?
+
+The soldier made it very plain, finally, that such was the case, but
+Piang insisted that he could not depart on a pleasure ride without
+getting his chief's permission.
+
+"_Sigi_, beat it, I tell you, _pronto_!" said the soldier impatiently,
+emphasizing the command with a push. Almost before Piang realized it,
+he found himself on the gunboat, which was slowly moving out toward
+the channel. In his hand was a crumpled piece of paper which the
+soldier had gingerly thrust into it.
+
+"Here's your passport, kid," he had said with a grin. Piang carefully
+unrolled the paper and stared at the queer American characters. A
+sailor offered to translate it for him, but when he glanced over the
+paper, he uttered a low whistle.
+
+"Say, you go away back and sit down! Don't you come near me or any
+one else, sabe?"
+
+Piang recoiled before the look of disgust on the sailor's face. What
+was the matter with every one? Why were they all afraid to come near
+him, and where were they taking him? He summoned up enough courage to
+ask who had written the letter, and when he was told that it was signed
+by Governor Findy, he felt reassured. Surely if the good governor was
+sending him somewhere, it would be all right. Disconsolately, Piang
+crouched in a corner, watching sharks and dolphins sporting in the
+foaming wake. He wondered how long the boat was going to be out, if
+it would return in time for him to save the governor. When he started
+toward a group of men to ask for information he was met with a shout.
+
+"Get out of here, you!" they yelled, and poor Piang hurriedly retreated
+to the stern. Much talk of the coming baile seemed to indicate that
+the sailors expected to return before evening, so Piang patiently
+squatted on a coil of rope, wondering when the mysteries of his errand
+would be revealed to him.
+
+The ocean is dotted with many lovely islands off Zamboanga. Somber,
+lowering Basilan guards its secrets to this day; Sacol, home of Dato
+Mandi, invites and then repels the intruder; tiny clumps of vivid
+green rise out of the channel in the most unexpected places, as if
+timidly wishing to investigate before adding their emerald mite to
+crown the Celebes. The island toward which the _Sabah_ was making her
+way seemed blacker and denser than its more frivolous neighbors. Two
+staccato whistles warned the islanders of the _Sabah's_ approach,
+and the beach was soon the scene of lively commotion. The engines
+stopped, and the gunboat slid along easily. A boat was lowered. The
+sailors were speaking in low voices; one looked toward Piang and
+shook his head sadly.
+
+"My task is not to be an easy one," thought the charm boy, but his
+head went up proudly. These sailor men should see how a brave Moro
+executed the commands of his superiors.
+
+"Come on, kid," called a jacky, and just as Piang stepped over the
+side a kindly sailor slipped a quarter in his hand. It was evidently
+a gift, and the boy grinned appreciatively.
+
+"Wastin' your coin, man," remarked another sailor with a harsh
+laugh. "He's not likely to need _dinero_ (a silver coin) soon." Piang
+wondered again at the pitying looks that were cast at him, but he only
+held his head higher and climbed into the boat. The men seemed in a
+great hurry; they landed far up the beach, and bags and provisions
+were hastily dumped on the sand.
+
+"Here you are, young 'un," said a sailor, and Piang looked up eagerly.
+
+"Me, here?"
+
+"Yep, this is your place," replied the man, looking away quickly from
+the soft brown eyes.
+
+Obediently the jungle boy jumped out, awaiting instructions. The
+sailor in charge pointed to the paper in Piang's hand and waved toward
+the barrio.
+
+"For dato?" Piang asked, with a puzzled look.
+
+"Sure, the dato," replied the man evasively, and Piang turned and
+started off through the jungle, following a well defined path.
+
+"Plucky kid, that," said the sailor who pushed off. "Wonder if he
+knows what's up? Half the time they don't tell the poor devils. Row
+over toward the patrol-boat, and I'll warn them to watch carefully
+to-night in case he tries to escape. When they first land here they
+kick up a terrible row and usually try to make a get-away or commit
+their particular brand of hari-kari [suicide]."
+
+Piang was in a great hurry. There was no time to be lost and whatever
+the business in hand might be, it must be finished quickly. He wondered
+why some of the sailors had not come with him. Americans are always
+so curious and never lose an opportunity to visit a strange barrio. He
+ran on swiftly.
+
+Two sounds broke simultaneously on his ears. What was there in them
+to strike a chill to his heart, to fill him with forebodings? That
+shrill whistle! It was surely the _Sabah's_, and as Piang came to
+a small clearing, he caught a glimpse of the harbor. A cry broke
+from him. The _Sabah_ was sailing away. Before he could fully
+realize the calamity, that other sound, ominous and terrible, came
+again from the barrio. A low rumbling, punctuated with shrieks and
+screams, came nearer, nearer. Suddenly from out the dense undergrowth
+protruded a face, shoulders, and finally a woman, old and bent, crept
+through. Spell-bound, Piang watched her. Wisps of unkempt gray hair
+straggled around her head; filthy rags hung from her lean, stooping
+shoulders; sunken eyes, sly and vicious, glared at Piang. Tremblingly
+the boy watched her creep toward him. There was something about the old
+hag that turned his blood cold. The distant rumble became individual
+howls, and Piang suddenly realized that he was being hunted. But why,
+and by whom? The innocent paper in his hand crackled. The old hag
+was very near, was about to touch him. With a shriek, Piang jumped
+back. Her hands were festered; her face and neck were covered with
+white splotches.
+
+"A leper!" cried the boy and suddenly he realized that he had been
+trapped by that villain, Sicto. Not Sicto, but Alverez had filched
+the order for the confinement of a leper, had erased the name, and
+substituted Piang's. He flung the damning paper from him.
+
+As the boy darted off through the jungle, the old woman yelled. The
+cry brought the others, and when Piang caught sight of them, he
+almost lost hope. Would he be able to escape the contamination
+of this island? With mad shrieks, the lepers gave chase, eager to
+lay hands on one so lately relegated to their colony. Was he not a
+leper too? What right had he to scorn them, his brothers? Hotter,
+fiercer grew the chase. The island was so small that it afforded
+little refuge for the hunted boy. Sounds from all sides indicated
+that the chase was almost over; it was only a matter of minutes now,
+and never again could he leave the dread colony.
+
+A rustle at his feet startled him, and some animal scurried off
+into the bush. A dark hole from which it had evidently crawled
+attracted Piang's attention, and without an instant's hesitation,
+he flung himself on the ground and wormed his body into the welcoming
+shelter. Pulling a fallen branch in front of the opening, he shrank
+farther back into the cave. Cave? No, he had taken refuge in a fallen
+tree trunk, hollowed out by the persistent ferreting of termites
+(ants).
+
+"He was here, here," screamed the old woman. The pursuers flocked to
+the spot, and Piang listened as they beat the bush, clamoring for their
+victim. They were so infuriated at the new arrival's unsociability
+that they would probably kill him if they found him.
+
+Piang crouched back in his cramped quarters. The tiny white ants
+announced their disapproval of the intrusion by vicious stings, but
+Piang did not move. A sudden jolt made his heart beat wildly. Some
+one had jumped on the other end of the log, and the rotting wood had
+caved in. He expected each moment to be his last. Over his head the
+pattering of bare feet, running along the trunk, sounded like thunder.
+
+When the lepers moved off into the jungle, Piang was not deceived. They
+would lie in wait, and their revenge would be the more terrible for
+the delay. Sweat poured down Piang's face; his body ached where the
+ants had stung him. He tried to plan some means of escape, but none
+came to his tired brain.
+
+"There is no God but Allah," whispered the charm boy, and a peace
+seemed to fall upon him.
+
+Many weary hours went by before a squawk penetrated the death-like
+stillness. Fruit-bats! It must be night. Very slowly he made his
+way toward the opening. Unfortunately for Piang the full moon was
+rising, making the soft, tropical night a wonder of beauty and
+loveliness. Cautiously he thrust his head through the branches that
+shielded his retreat. He was very near the ocean; the other end of the
+fallen tree, in which he had found refuge, was lying in the water, and
+the rising tide was gradually creeping up over it. The gentle swish
+of the sea comforted Piang. It was his friend, the only friend that
+could help him escape from this island of decay. His practised eyes
+discerned the shadowy forms of watchers squatting along the beach;
+beyond, the patrol-boat moved about restlessly, and in the distance
+twinkled the lights of Zamboanga.
+
+"If I could only get past the lepers and the boat, I could swim back,"
+thought Piang, and he looked with longing at the oily smoothness of
+the water. Nothing could slip past the boat on that sea of glass in
+the bright moonlight. He remembered the schools of sharks he had seen
+in the _Sabah's_ wake and shuddered; but even that was better than
+being doomed to die here. He pillowed his head on his arms and leaned
+against the trunk; his hand closed over a piece of dry bamboo. Lifting
+it to his eye, he idly squinted through it; it was smooth and clean.
+
+Piang fell to soliloquizing. How many times, surrounded by his
+friends, he had swum in the moonlight. He remembered one night in
+particular. How they had sported with bamboo sticks, blowing the
+spray high in the air, laughing as it fell upon each other! Piang
+could swim miles with arms folded, pushing through the water like a
+fish, rolling over on his back or sides, when tired. He had fooled
+the tribe by staying under water for three minutes, breathing easily
+through his hollow, bamboo tube. Kali had given him a prize.
+
+Piang's eyes widened, brightened. With the bamboo stick--could he? He
+blew through it softly and laughed. But how to get into the water
+without being detected? The approaching tide, lapping the other end
+of the fallen log, seemed to be caressing it in pity. Piang examined
+it closely. Dared he crawl along the trunk? His eyes fell upon the
+hole just above the water where one of his pursuers had broken through.
+
+"Allah, I thank Thee," breathed the excited boy. He had found his
+chance, had discovered a possible means of escape.
+
+Crawling back into the log, he tested the heart of the tree and to
+his joy, it crumbled under his touch. With a smothered cry, he began
+to cut his way through the pithy, dust-like wood, and as he gradually
+worked quantities of the soft fiber loose, he tossed it behind him. If
+he could work his way through the rotted trunk before the tide turned,
+it would be an easy matter to slip through the hole into the water.
+
+It was suffocating in the damp inclosure, as the discarded pith
+began to fill the opening. Tiny apertures let in just enough air,
+but Piang was panting and dripping with sweat. As he struggled on
+toward the hole, he could feel the water under him, as it swayed the
+log gently. Only a little further!
+
+The moonlight bathed Piang in its soft light; a cool breeze blew
+across his face. One of the watching lepers stood up suddenly.
+
+"There are many crocodiles to-night," he finally said, pointing toward
+the log where a slight ripple, widening into vanishing rings, closed
+over a dark form.
+
+
+
+"That's a queer kind of fish!"
+
+The sailors on the patrol-boat crowded around the speaker, glad of
+any excitement to break the monotony of their vigil. A thin stream of
+water had spurted up, disturbing the perfect calm of the surface, and
+a small black object could plainly be seen, hurrying through the water.
+
+"Now what the deuce?" said the captain. Two bells were loudly sounded,
+and the boat bounded forward.
+
+"Look out, don't run it down. Steer to one side."
+
+The search-light, turned full upon the strange object, revealed to
+the puzzled sailors a slim bamboo tube, sticking upright, propelled
+by a strong force from below.
+
+"Now, why don't that stick float, instead of sailing along like a
+periscope?" pondered the captain.
+
+As suddenly as the phenomenon had appeared, it sank from sight and
+the chase ended abruptly.
+
+"Look at our visitors," said a sailor, pointing over the side. Long
+streaks of phosphorescence darted back and forth in the shadow of
+the boat.
+
+"That's a pretty bunch of shovel-nosed man-eaters, for you," remarked
+the mate. "Gosh, wouldn't you hate to give the hungry devils a chance
+at you, though?"
+
+
+
+The baile was in full swing. The bichara was proving a great
+success. Governor Findy graciously accepted the savages' allegiance
+to the new government and their promises to make the trading system
+a success. The small park in the center of the garrison was teeming
+with life. On one side the American band gave the first notes of
+civilized music that the Moros had ever heard; opposite, rows of brass
+tom-toms responded mournfully. Gaudy lanterns festooned the tall trees
+and swung between, describing graceful curves. Flickering moonlight
+and fireflies added their bit. At one end of the park a platform had
+been erected for the officers and their families. The savages crowded
+around as the Americans swayed to the waltz, and their surprise was
+no less than that of the Americans, when the tom-toms stirred the
+Moros to the dance and they whirled and crouched in native fashion.
+
+Governor Findy was surrounded by his personal guard; burly Irishmen
+shared this honor with stalwart Moros, thus proving the governor's
+trust in the wild people.
+
+Dato Mandi, Dato Kali Pandapatan, and Governor Findy were conversing
+on the steps of the dancing platform.
+
+"Kali says that Piang mysteriously disappeared about noon to-day,"
+explained Mandi in excellent English.
+
+"Who is this Piang, Mandi?" asked the governor.
+
+"Piang is the idol of the Buldoon tribe. He is Kali Pandapatan's
+famous charm boy, friend of General Beech and Lieutenant Lewis,"
+replied Mandi.
+
+"Strange that one so well known should disappear. Yes, I have heard
+much of this boy's loyalty and sagacity." The two Moros turned quickly,
+warned by a startled look on the governor's face. Far down the smooth
+shell road a figure was staggering, wavering toward them.
+
+"Trouble, trouble," muttered Findy.
+
+The music ceased with a discordant jar, there was a slight stir among
+the spectators as Sicto and his companions attempted to retire, but to
+their surprise, Kali's faithful men closed about them significantly. On
+came the figure, lithe, slim, and brown.
+
+"Piang!" cried Kali Pandapatan, and instantly his eyes sought out
+the cowering Sicto.
+
+The heavy, labored breathing became audible as the exhausted boy
+stumbled through the crowd. A sentry started forward to seize him,
+but the governor waved him aside. Dripping and panting, Piang staggered
+toward his chief.
+
+"Juramentado--gobernador!" faintly whispered Piang.
+
+A wild shriek crashed through the intense stillness; a green sarong
+was torn off, and the white-clad figure of a juramentado rushed at the
+governor. But Kali Pandapatan was quicker, and just as the assassin
+raised his barong, a slender kriss glistened in the moonlight and
+descended. The juramentado lay bathed in his own blood.
+
+Jumping up to the platform, Kali Pandapatan raised his hands.
+
+"My brother chiefs," he cried, "did any of you know of this foul plot?"
+
+"No, no!" came the quick response from every Moro, and although the
+Americans could not understand his words, they began to realize that
+Kali was exhorting his people to disclaim knowledge of the outrage.
+
+"Viviz Gobernador!" came from the full, savage throats, and the cry
+was taken up by the multitude.
+
+The dazed governor looked down at the prostrate figure at his feet,
+looked long, and sorrowed.
+
+"But for the brave Piang I should have been lying there," he murmured.
+
+Piang supported by Kali watched this new chief.
+
+"Come here, Piang," said the governor. Fumbling with the collar of
+his white uniform, he loosened something.
+
+"My lad, I thank you for your bravery," he said, his voice shaking
+slightly. "For your timely arrival, and your courage. Your name shall
+be sent to the great chief at Washington."
+
+The words were repeated to the jungle boy, and his manly little chest
+swelled with pride.
+
+"Piang, I am about to decorate you with the emblem of our government;
+these infantry cross-guns I shall pin on your breast." The dignified
+governor reached forward to make good his words, but he paused
+in embarrassment, the noble speech dying on his lips. He gazed in
+dismay at the naked little savage, standing straight and expectantly
+before him.
+
+"I shall _place_ this emblem." The officer began again. There was a
+titter among the spectators.
+
+Piang, eagerly eyeing the treasure, wondered why the governor
+delayed. Suddenly a gleam of understanding broke over him, and he
+grinned, broadly. With the tip of his finger he touched the shining
+cross-guns, then his necklace of crocodile teeth. The situation
+was saved.
+
+Amid thunderous applause the smiling governor fastened the guns to
+the indicated article of dress, and loud and clear rose the shout:
+
+"Piang! Piang!"
+
+
+
+
+TENTH ADVENTURE
+
+PIANG'S TRIUMPH
+
+
+Two years had passed since the bichara. Prosperity and honor had come
+to Dato Kali Pandapatan and his people under the rule of General Beech
+and Governor Findy, and Piang had been raised to the post of official
+interpreter. Sicto, the disturber, had been seized in Zamboanga
+on the charge of complicity in the plot on Governor Findy's life;
+he had attempted to escape, and there were varying reports as to the
+results. Some said that he had been killed by a crocodile, others that
+he had escaped and swum to Basilan; but the tribe had not heard of him
+since the bichara, and they were relieved to be rid of his bullying
+presence. Especially the little slave girl, Papita, whom Sicto had
+annoyed since infancy, was glad that he was gone. Sicto's father had
+captured the little maid in a raid on the Bogobo country, and the
+boy seemed to think it his special privilege to abuse and torment her.
+
+Along the steep mountain trail, dividing the jungle as a river might,
+crept a slow procession. A lumbering carabao swayed lazily forward,
+and on each side walked four stalwart Moros, ever heedful of the
+dignified figure astride the beast. Dato Kali Pandapatan rode in
+silence. Occasionally he gazed down into the deep valleys or off in
+the direction of Ganassi Peak, but the sorrowful, patient expression
+never left his face.
+
+Where was Piang? For three days the boy had been missing, and Kali
+guessed only too easily what had taken him away in such haste. A
+few days before little Papita had mysteriously disappeared. It was
+whispered that the notorious Dato Ynoch (Ee-nock) had kidnapped her,
+and Kali was already preparing an expedition against the marauder. He
+felt the strain of civilization for the first time, for he had given
+his word never to assemble his warriors without the permission of
+the white chiefs at Zamboanga. But Piang, the impatient, the valiant,
+could not brook the delay, and had in all probability started after
+his little friend alone. Kali's messengers should return to-day,
+and he had ridden far out to watch for their coming.
+
+The procession reached the clearing that gave a full view of the
+sea. In the distance the eye could discern the curving coast of tiny
+Bongao; Kali was impervious to the summer beauty and youth of the
+sparkling ocean, to the charm of the dainty island so gaily chatting
+with the garrulous waves. He did not see the graceful, white rice-birds
+or the regal aigrets flitting about among the trees; he saw only the
+vast, restless ocean. There were no boats in sight.
+
+Slowly the willing carabao was turned homeward, and the aged monarch
+sorrowfully gave up hope of sending succor to Piang that night. The
+recent storm had probably delayed his envoys, and he must wait the
+_Sabah's_ monthly visit, which would come the next day.
+
+At the door of his hut Kali Pandapatan was helped from the royal
+beast's back and up the steep ladder entrance into the cool dusk of
+the interior where industrious women squatted at their several tasks.
+
+"I miss the child's lively chatter," Aioi was saying sadly.
+
+"She was a trying pupil, I can tell you," remarked the woman at the
+loom, "but a winning child." She leaned closer to Aioi and whispered:
+
+"Did you know that Papita had been asked in marriage?" The surprised
+look on Aioi's face made an answer unnecessary.
+
+"Our chief is said to have spurned the offer. You know he has always
+hoped to prove Papita's noble birth; he wanted Piang to have her,
+so when the terrible Dato Ynoch's offer came--"
+
+"Who speaks the name of our enemy in my house?" thundered Kali,
+glowering at the chattering women. "Bend to your tasks and have done
+with idle gossip."
+
+
+
+What difference did it make to Piang if he was alone, if he had only
+the barest clue to Papita's whereabouts? He was going to follow up
+that clue, and something seemed to tell him that he was on the right
+track. The jungle was dripping and steaming after a three days'
+downpour; monkeys and birds were huddled in the trees, melancholy,
+but patient, knowing that their friend, the burning tropic sun, would
+come to them again, some day. Piang trudged on through the sticky,
+slippery jungle. An occasional fresh track or recent camping site
+made him push forward eagerly. What he should do when he did overtake
+the kidnappers, he had no idea, but something always happened to help
+Piang. He reverently touched his sacred charm.
+
+The deluge through this lower jungle must have been terrific. Piang was
+glad that he had been in his mountain barrio during the tempest. Strewn
+everywhere were branches and enormous tree-ferns; a dead hablar-bird
+lay in his path. Leeches, hiding on the backs of leaves and twigs,
+caught at Piang as he brushed by, clinging and sucking their fill,
+before he could discover them. He raised one foot quickly and yelled:
+
+"_Tinick!_" ("Thorn!") While he was searching for the thorn his
+other foot began to ache and pain. Piang was too wise to hesitate
+a moment, so he swung up to a low branch and sat there nursing his
+feet. He was puzzled; there was no thorns in them, and he could find
+no cuts. Gradually the soles of the feet began to swell and take on a
+purplish hue. Piang gave a low whistle and bent to examine the ground.
+
+"_Badjanji!_" ("Bees!") he exclaimed. The ground was yellow with
+the little bedraggled, stupified creatures. They had been beaten
+down by the storm and would remain there until the sun came to coax
+them into industry again. Swinging lightly from one tree to another,
+Piang reached one of the numberless brooks that ramble aimlessly
+about through the jungle, and, dropping to its banks, buried his
+feet in the healing clay. After a short time the pain grew better,
+and he continued his journey.
+
+He was nearing Dato Ynoch's domain on the banks of Lake
+Liguasan. The outlaw had chosen his lair well, for it was one of
+the most inaccessible spots in Mindanao. On all sides treacherous
+marsh lands reached out from the lake, and it was almost impossible
+to tell when one might step from the solid jungle into a dangerous
+morass. A few hidden trails led to the barrio, and by great good luck
+Piang discovered one. Quietly he crept along into the ever-increasing
+twilight, for the trail led deep into the jungle's very heart where
+daylight and sunshine never penetrate. Sounds came faintly from the
+barrio; tom-toms and many drums beat a monotonous serenade. A fiesta
+must be in progress. A fiesta? Piang's face grew hot, and his black
+eyes flamed. Could it be that the fiesta was poor Papita's wedding? He
+broke into a run and, panting and sweating, pushed farther into the
+darkening jungle; but the trail was evidently an abandoned one, for
+it brought up suddenly against a wall of thorns and closely woven
+vines. Throwing himself on the ground, Piang wriggled through the
+offensive marsh weeds, and finally found himself almost on the edge
+of Lake Liguasan. From his retreat he could plainly see the village
+streets. The barrio was certainly preparing for a fiesta and no
+ordinary one, either, for elaborate and barbaric decorations shrouded
+huts and street. Raised on two posts at the entrance of the village,
+was a carcass of a mammoth crocodile, in its opened jaws a human
+skull. Piang shuddered. He had heard that Dato Ynoch's followers were
+gathered from among the renegade Dyak pirate head-hunters, who fled
+to Mindanao from Borneo justice. The human skull confirmed the rumor,
+for there are no cannibal tribes among the Moros.
+
+It was certainly a marriage feast that the women were preparing. A
+raised platform in the middle of the campong (common), tastefully
+decorated with skulls small, skulls large, and skulls medium,
+formed the altar, and a large black bullock was already tied to the
+_sapoendoes_ (sacrifice post). Piang flushed with excitement at an
+unusually loud beating of tom-toms; the chief was coming. Piang had
+long wished to see this terrible Ynoch. Weird stories of his terrible
+personality, his disfigured countenance were widespread. That so
+powerful a dato could have sprung up so suddenly puzzled the Moros,
+and Ynoch's identity still remained a mystery.
+
+Down the center of the street advanced a gaudy procession headed
+by a barbaric priestess. From her head protruded massive horns
+decorated with flaming red flowers. Around her loins was strapped a
+crimson sarong; her body swayed and twisted to the savage rhythm of
+the tom-toms. A tall, amazingly fat man stepped to the platform. His
+back seemed oddly familiar to Piang, as well as the slinking gait, the
+shambling step. Straining his eyes, Piang waited. Dato Ynoch raised
+his hand for silence and turned toward the waiting populace. Piang
+nearly cried out as he caught sight of the face.
+
+Oily of hair, oily of eye was this Dato out-law. His shifting glance
+wandered restlessly over the heads of the people, meeting no man's
+eye. Beneath the pomp of his trappings, the fat, overfed body protruded
+grotesquely, and his movements were slow and clumsy. One almond-shaped
+eye had been partly torn from its socket, leaving a hideous, red
+scar. An ear, which appeared to have slipped from the side of the
+oily head and lodged on a fold of the fat neck, had in reality been
+neatly carved from its proper place by an enraged slave and poorly
+replaced by a crude surgeon. A bamboo tube had been inserted in the
+original ear-drum.
+
+"Sicto!" gasped Piang. The mysterious Dato Ynoch, was Sicto, the
+mestizo.
+
+That Papita had been dragged to the barrio, Piang now had no doubt,
+and his nimble wits began to look about for a way of escape. He was
+near the banks of a creek that led to the Cotabato River and thinking
+that the most likely escape, he wormed his way toward it. Along the
+bank were canoes of every description. The swift ones seemed to be all
+four-oared, and he knew that he must have a fleet, light vinta to elude
+the Dyaks. He spied a tiny white boat tied to a gilded post, and his
+heart nearly stopped beating when he read the name "Papita" on the bow.
+
+"Papita!" Piang scornfully whispered. "Papita, indeed!" His lip curled,
+and he glared through the rushes at the hideous Sicto.
+
+"Well, it shall be Papita's after all!" Piang said and he smiled. He
+crept toward the little craft to see if there were paddles in it. There
+were two, and Piang suddenly remembered that part of the Dyak betrothal
+ceremony takes place upon the water.
+
+Long Piang pondered as he watched the preparations for Papita's
+betrothal. He examined the _cotta_, counted the praus, and his keen
+eyes followed the creek to its sharp turn. He crawled past the bend
+to make sure that the stream was navigable. Satisfied that he could
+escape through its waters, Piang began to cut rushes, and, squatting
+in the protecting undergrowth, busily worked while he indignantly
+listened to the loquacious Sicto telling his followers that Papita
+was no slave, but a maiden of royal Bogobo birth. He and his father
+had kept it secret because they intended her for his wife, and at
+last he had captured the girl from Kali Pandapatan. Faster and faster
+flew Piang's fingers, and finally a basket began to shape itself out
+of the rushes. Soon Piang had two perfect baskets, and he slung them
+over his shoulder. While Sicto and his villains were celebrating the
+coming wedding, Piang quietly slipped back through the jungle, back
+to the brook where the medicinal clay had cured the bee stings. When
+he returned later, he handled the baskets with great care and chuckled
+softly to himself.
+
+A second beating of tom-toms thundered through the barrio. The bride
+was coming. Down an avenue made for her by hostile looking women,
+crept a tiny, terrified figure. It was draped in the softest Eastern
+stuffs; jeweled anklets and bangles tinkled merrily. A gauzy veil of
+wondrous workmanship swathed the figure, but through it all Piang
+recognized his beloved Papita. Slowly she approached the altar;
+fearfully she raised her eyes to the man who awaited her there. Her
+little feet faltered, and the priestess supported her. Papita leaned
+heavily against the woman. Three soft notes of a mina-bird floated
+over the barrio, and Papita became suddenly alive. Again the notes
+stole through the jungle. The bride threw back her veil.
+
+"The unwilling maid seems to have forgot her woe," said one scornful
+woman to another. "Now that she is about to become our chief's first
+wife, she does not weep and cry to be taken home."
+
+The priestess commenced the ceremony that was to last all
+night. Chants, prayers, admonitions, all, Papita responded to with
+renewed vigor, and her eyes furtively glanced toward a spot near the
+curve of the creek where a slender reed swayed unceasingly. After
+many hours the priestess led the way to the water and Ynoch placed
+Papita in her gala vinta and pushed her out into the stream. He got
+into another, and the two boats nosed each other while the crowd
+showered them with oils and perfumes. When the command came to part,
+each boat shot off in an opposite direction. A maiden and a bridegroom
+are each supposed to meditate for the last time on the advisability of
+the union before the final ceremony; so reads the Dyak marriage laws.
+
+As indifferently as a queen, Papita plied her paddle, paying no heed
+to the unfriendly eyes and mutterings of the Dyaks; she seemed in no
+haste and managed her vinta with amazing skill for one so small. Only
+once she seemed to lose control; her vinta cut deep into the tall
+rushes near the bend of the creek. Had the Dyaks been less intent on
+exhibiting their scorn, they might have noticed that when the boat
+drew back from the rushes it rode deeper in the water, and the little
+figure labored harder at the paddle as the vinta turned the bend and
+passed from sight.
+
+"Piang! is it you?"
+
+As Papita spoke, the form lying in the bottom of the vinta slowly
+unfolded like a huge jack-knife. The merry eyes twinkled, the youthful,
+firm mouth curved at the corners, and Piang, the adventurer, smiled
+up at the astonished girl.
+
+"But yes, Chiquita, did you think that Piang would suffer the outcast
+Sicto to kidnap his little playmate?" Piang took up the paddle and
+the vinta shot forward. Silently the two bent to the task, every
+moment increasing the distance between them and their enemies.
+
+"Will they catch us, Piang?"
+
+"Of course not, my Papita. Piang, the charm boy comes to rescue
+you." The proud head went up with arrogant superiority.
+
+"But there are many hidden cut-offs and creeks between us and the
+river, Piang; Sicto will surely trap us." The terrified expression
+in the girl's soft eyes touched Piang's heart.
+
+"Have no fear, Papita. Let Sicto overtake us and he will be sorry. Put
+your ear to the baskets."
+
+As the girl bent over the two baskets, lying in the bottom of the
+vinta, a frown puckered her brow. A dull hum, like a caged wind
+protesting in faint whispers, rose from them. Gradually a smile broke
+over her face, and she laughed softly.
+
+"Yes; Sicto will be sorry if he overtakes us," she whispered.
+
+Through the deepening night, a roar came to the fugitives. A deep,
+cruel howl; tom-toms beat a ragged and violent alarm; savage war-cries
+rent the air, bounding back from one echo to another. Papita's hand
+wavered at her paddle. Piang's stroke grew swifter, surer. The outraged
+bridegroom had returned from his meditations to find himself brideless.
+
+"How will they come, Piang?" Papita's voice trembled.
+
+"Some by water, some by land. Work, Papita."
+
+And so the deadly tropic night closed about them. The little
+nut-shell sped down the river, past snags, skulking crocodiles,
+and many unseen dangers. The jungle came far out over the water,
+dangling her treacherous plant-life above them, ready to drag them
+from the vinta: it crept beneath them, shooting up in massive trees
+that obstructed their passage--trees loaded down with parasites,
+intertwined, interlaced in hopeless confusion, each trying to crush
+and climb over the other in the fight for supremacy.
+
+Where the creek empties into the Cotabato River, Piang paused; there
+were suspicious-looking shadows close to the bank, and he reached
+for his precious baskets.
+
+"Work slowly, Papita," he whispered, and the trembling girl kept
+the vinta just moving. From its ominous silence, the jungle crashed
+into chaos.
+
+"Le le le le iiiiiio!" shrieked the echoes.
+
+Piang was ready.
+
+"Le le le le iiiiiio!" he tauntingly replied.
+
+Kneeling in the bow of the vinta, he hastily lighted a green resinous
+torch and stuck it upright. It gave forth the pungent, heavy perfume
+of the jungle pitch. Waiting until his enemies were almost upon him,
+Piang raised one basket above his head and opened the trap. A sudden
+buzz and whirl filled the air; Piang reached for the second basket and
+held it in the smoke of the torch, ready to open. For a few moments,
+nothing happened, but the enemy slackened their pace, and the war
+cries were silenced. Finally yells of rage and pain broke from them:
+
+"Badjanji!" they screamed. The little insects, infuriated at the
+treatment they had received, fairly pounced upon the defenseless
+Dyaks. No jungle pest is so dreaded as the enraged honey-bee. Its
+envenomed stings are poisonous, deadly, and often cause more painful
+wounds than bolos. The men fought desperately. Tauntingly Piang
+laughed, swiftly he and Papita paddled, and the smoke from the torch
+enveloped them in its protecting waves. Coming abreast of the war-prau,
+Piang loosed the other basket of bees.
+
+On sped the vinta, and ever nearer came the great estuary that gave
+upon the Celebes Sea. The sounds of the sufferers grew fainter,
+and finally Papita and Piang were again alone in the great night.
+
+"They will return and assemble the war fleet, Papita; they will
+pursue us into the ocean. If the water is rough, we cannot cross the
+bay to Parang-Parang in this vinta. We must hide near the coast and
+make our way homeward on foot."
+
+Morning fairly burst upon them. Twilight in the tropics is a name only,
+for the sun rises and disappears abruptly, and it is day or night
+in a few moments. The early light showed the ocean in the distance,
+and at the same moment sounds behind made Piang listen anxiously.
+
+"They are coming, Papita; we must hide."
+
+As Piang headed for the bank, he noticed a thin stream of smoke
+trembling above Bongao. He paused and trained his eye on the
+blur. Suddenly he dug his paddle into the water.
+
+"Papita, quick! The _Sabah_ is coming!"
+
+Again the vinta shot forward, down through the shifting, treacherous
+delta, out into the ocean. Louder grew the beating of paddles against
+the Dyak war-praus, and Piang could hear the war chant. He knew that
+Sicto cared little for ships; he had evaded too many of them. Only
+the _Sabah_, Sicto feared, but he would probably take a chance on
+this being the Chino mail boat or a Spanish tramp. That the Dyaks
+would take the chance and follow, Piang was sure.
+
+The sea was choppy and fretful. The little bride boat danced and
+careened about recklessly. Between the _Sabah_ and Piang lay Bongao,
+and straight for Bongao he headed, skilfully keeping the vinta
+steady. A white mist rose, as if to hide the vinta from the pursuers,
+but when the fleet reached the river's mouth a yell announced that
+they had been discovered. The race was for life, for more than life,
+and the boy seemed possessed of a supernatural strength. Nearer came
+the smoke, and finally around the point of Bongao, burst the little
+gunboat. At first the Dyaks did not heed the stranger, so used were
+they to hurling contempt at island visitors, but when in answer to
+Papita's signal, as she stood up waving her disheveled wedding veil,
+there came a shrill whistle, they paused in dismay.
+
+In a very short time Papita and Piang were raised over the side of the
+_Sabah_, and General Beech and Governor Findy were questioning them.
+
+"You say that Dato Ynoch is pursuing you?"
+
+"Yes, yes, that is him in the first prau," excitedly replied Piang.
+
+"Well, Piang, it is Ynoch that brings the _Sabah_ here to-day. We
+thank you, my boy, for tempting him into the open."
+
+When the Moro boy disclosed Ynoch's identity, a grim smile settled
+over Governor Findy's face.
+
+"Man the guns, Captain!" commanded General Beech in his dignified,
+quiet way.
+
+The Dyaks were scattering in the wildest confusion, making their
+way back to the river with all speed, but the _Sabah_ relentlessly
+pursued. A sudden darkening shadow startled the captain of the _Sabah_,
+and he pointed toward the mountains.
+
+"Something queer hatchin' over there, General."
+
+A dense mist hid the hills; only old Ganassi Peak stood out, dignified
+and stern. Like a dirty piece of canvas, one cloud balanced itself on
+Ganassi's shoulder and rapidly spread itself around the peak. It seemed
+to sap the very life from Ganassi, as it enveloped it in a chilling
+embrace. Slowly the cloud loosed its hold and bounced along on the
+lower hills. In its center it seemed to bear a restless, struggling
+mass, and the passengers on the _Sabah_ watched it nervously. Strange
+things happen very suddenly in the sunny Celebes. Fascinated, they
+watched the odd cloud lumbering toward them, dipping and lifting its
+burden. It sailed over the mountains, flitted past the jungle and
+reached the ocean, where it hovered and waved as if undecided which
+way to go. At times, like canvas, it would belly down in the middle,
+almost burst, right itself, and come sailing on. Again and again the
+heavy contents pulled the cloud to earth, but valiantly struggling
+with its burden, it resisted. The cloud brought with it a death-like
+mist, damp and choking, and the sunshine was abruptly put out. The
+thing hesitated over the _Sabah_, dipping and sucking itself back,
+as if made of elastic; it wandered about aimlessly and paused over
+the fleeing Dyaks. Finally as if discouraged and strained beyond its
+endurance, it gave up.
+
+With shrieks and cries the Dyaks watched it. Tons and tons of water
+burst from the cloud, striking the sea with a hiss that sent the
+spray high in the air.
+
+"Waterspout!" yelled the captain and ordered the _Sabah's_ engines
+stopped. In horror they beheld the crazy column careen about, obeying
+its master, the capricious wind, and following any stray current;
+around and around the spiral, grinding mass of water veered and circled
+aimlessly. It danced and capered about the ocean like some malignant
+monster loosed from torment, and finally, as if by direct intent,
+started for the river's mouth. The Dyaks saw it coming, and in their
+puny efforts to escape, looked like ants before an elephant. The five
+streams, flowing through the delta of the Cotabato River, seemed to
+draw the vicious waterspout toward them, and on it went, directly
+in the wake of the doomed Dyaks. Tensely the _Sabah's_ passengers
+followed the course of the spout. The whirling Nemesis descended upon
+the pirates; their cries of anguish came faintly through the roar and
+hiss of water; crude Dyak prayers, shrieked by terrified worshipers,
+smote upon their ears, and finally, like a whirlwind, the waterspout
+pounced upon its victims. It caught at them with a thousand arms;
+it tossed them up, bore them down, tore them from the light eggshell
+praus, crushing them to bits.
+
+Through the entire fleet stalked the monster, dealing out death and
+destruction to all, and, when there remained naught to vent its wrath
+upon, like an insatiate giant, it turned toward the jungle. Straight
+up the river it marched, rooting up trees, tearing down banks, and
+gradually vanished in the distance, leaving wreckage and disaster in
+its path.
+
+Silenced by the terrible spectacle, the Americans seemed to huddle
+closer together for protection, or comfort. But two figures stood
+out alone on the _Sabah's_ deck.
+
+Papita's eyes were fastened on Piang, on the charm that dangled from
+his necklace of crocodile teeth; Piang was lost in Ganassi Peak. His
+eyes were filled with a divine awe as he silently faced his beloved
+peak, where dwelt his wonder man, the Hermit Ganassi. Every element
+of his being, his very attitude, proclaimed that his spirit was
+pouring out a thanksgiving to his patron, whose prayers to Allah,
+the Merciful, had sent the waterspout to destroy his enemies. The
+Christians, boasting a greater God, were put to shame by this artless
+exhibition of a faith that they could never feel, and their eyes were
+filled with admiration as they looked upon this Moro boy, transfigured
+in his faith, as he muttered softly:
+
+"There is no God but Allah!"
+
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+NOTES
+
+[1] _Bichara_ means meeting and corresponds to the East Indian word,
+_durbar_.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Adventures of Piang the Moro
+Jungle Boy, by Florence Partello Stuart
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