When he had eaten the boy said: "You had better get into the swing
near my mat." Borro liked to do that and seated himself in it, while the
boy tied rattan around him and swung him. After a little while the monkey,
fearing that the father might come back, said he wanted to get out, but
the boy replied, "Father is not coming before the evening," at the same
time tying more rattan around him, and strongly, too.
The father came home and fiercely said: "You have been eating my food for
two days." Thereupon he cut off Borro's head, and ordered his son to take
him to the river, clean him, and prepare the flesh to be cooked. The boy
took Borro's body to the river, opened it and began to clean it, but all
the small fish came and said: "Go away! What you put into the water will
kill us." The boy then took the monkey some distance off and the big fish
came and said: "Come nearer, we want to help you eat him."
The sisters of Borro now arrived, and his brothers, father, children, and
all his other relatives, and they said to Ulung Tiung: "This is probably
Borro." "No," he said, "this is a different animal." Then the monkeys,
believing what he said, went away to look for Borro, except one of the
monkey children, who remained behind, and asked: "What are you doing
here?" "What a question!" the boy answered; "I am cutting up this animal,
Borro."
The child then called all the monkeys to return, and they captured Ulung
Tiung and carried him to their house and wanted to kill him. "Don't kill
me," he said, "I can find fruit in the utan." The monkeys permitted him to
do that, and told him to return in the evening, but the boy said that
first he would have to dream.
In the morning the monkeys asked him what he had dreamed. "There is plenty
of fruit in the mountain far away," he answered, pointing afar, and all
the monkeys went out to the mountain leaving their wives and children
behind. When they were all gone Ulung Tiung killed the women and children
with a stick, and went home to his father. "I killed the women and
children," he declared, "but the men had not come back." "We will watch
for them with sumpitan," said his father, and when the monkeys returned
and found that all who had remained at home were dead, they began to look
for Ulung Tiung, but he and his father killed half of them with sumpitan
and the rest ran away.
NOTE. - Ulung Tiung is the name for a boy whose mother is dead, but whose
father is alive. For the sake of convenience I have maintained the Malay
name "borro" for the cocoanut-monkey.
2. THE FATHERLESS BOY
(From the Penyahbongs; kampong Tamaloe)
Ulung Ela made a fish-trap and when he returned next morning he found it
full of fish. He put them in his rattan bag, which he slung on his back
and started for home. As he walked, he heard an antoh, Aaton Kohang,
singing, and he saw many men and women, to whom he called out: "It is much
better you come to my place and sing there." Aaton Kohang said: "Very
well, we will go there." The boy continued his march, and when he came
home he gave one fish to his mother to roast, which she wrapped in leaves
and put on the live coals. He also prepared fish for himself, ate quickly,
and begged his mother to do the same. The mother asked: "Why do you hurry
so?" The boy, who did not want to tell her that he had called an antoh,
then said that it was not necessary to hurry.
After they had finished eating, in the evening Aaton Kohang arrived with
many men and many women. They tickled the mother and her boy under the
arms until they could not talk any more and were half dead, took what
remained of the fish, and went away. The two fell asleep, but ants bit
them in the feet and they woke up and saw that all the fish were gone.
"Ha!" they said: "Aaton Kohang did this," and they ran away.
NOTE. - Ulung Ela is the name for a boy whose father is dead, but whose
mother is alive.
3. THE TWO ORPHANS
(From the Penyahbongs; kampong Tamaloe)
Two small sisters, whose father and mother had died, went with the women
to look for sago. The tree was cut and the sago, after having been beaten,
was put into the large rattan bag. The younger child, who was sitting
close to the bag, dropped asleep and fell into it. The other girl came to
look for her sister but could not find her. She had disappeared, and when
the women saw that the bag was already full they all went home. On
returning next day they found plenty of sago inside of the tree, and had
no difficulty in filling their bags.
NOTE. - Ulung Ania is the name for the elder of the two girl orphans. Ulung
Kabongon is the name for the younger. When her elder sister died the
latter became obon, and her name became Obon Kabongon.
4. THE TREE OF WHICH ANTOH IS AFRAID
(From the Penyahbongs; kampong Tamaloe)
Tabedjeh wanted to go to the place where a girl, Inyah, was living. On the
way he met an antoh in the shape of a man with whom he began talking.
Antoh said: "I am going to catch Inyah and eat her." Tabedjeh then drew
his parang and cut off his head. But a new head grew, and many more, so
that Tabedjeh became afraid and fled, with antoh running after him.
