45 [344]

In the first times, the old men saw the stones traveling together down the river.  Above them flew many blackbirds.  Then the people went down to the river and watched the stones on their journey.  After that they caught them and put them near to the gate of the town, where they still remain.

46

The evil spirit Ibwa once had a body like a man and used to visit the people.  In those days they kept the body of the dead person seven days, and when the fat ran from the body they caught it and placed it in the grave. [345] One day when he visited a funeral, a man gave Ibwa some of this fat to drink.  Since that time he has always been bad and always tries to eat the body of the dead and steals his clothes.  He comes to the funeral with another evil spirit Akop, who has a large head, long slim arms and legs, but no body.

Kaboniyan has told us how to keep the evil spirits away, but if we fail to do as he said, they always make trouble.

47

A man died.  He had a wife and married son.  They buried him under the house and made bagongon. [346] After that his wife was in the field and was watching their corn.  His daughter-in-law was in the house watching her baby.  While she was swinging the baby, the dead man said, “Take this saloyot [347] to Gadgadawan.”  The girl took it.  The spirit said to her, “Let me swing the baby and you cook the saloyot in Gadgadawan.”  When she cooked it, the spirit ate it, and he asked, “Where is your mother-in-law?” She said, “She is in the field watching the corn.”  The spirit went there.  When he reached there, his wife was afraid of him, but she did not run.  He slept there that night with his wife, and he did what he wished with her that night.  In the daytime he went away.  His wife got big stomach, but had no baby, and died.  The spirit did that because the fire for the dead man was not out yet and she had gone from the town before the kanyau [348] was past.

48

One man in Solay [349] said to another, “Tomorrow we meet on the mountain to get wild carabao.”  The other man agreed, and early the next morning the first man set out on horseback.  The second man died that night, but the first man did not know this.  When he got to the place agreed, he said “Sh-sh” through his teeth, and the spirit of the dead answered a little way off.  The man went towards the answer and signalled again.  The spirit again answered, and then the man saw the spirit of the dead, which was very big, was running to catch him.  He ran his horse at full speed, but the spirit was gaining when the lasta [350] on the saddle caught on a dead limb and was jerked away.  “Very good that you leave that or I would take your life,” said the spirit.  Then the man ran his horse until he got to Solay.  When he got there, he could not get off his horse, for his legs were stuck very tight to each side of the horse, so a man had to pull each leg loose and lift him from the saddle.  That is why we know that the spirits of the dead men sometimes do harm and go places.