Full grown dogs are seldom friendly or considered as pets; but puppies, small chickens, parrakeets, pigs, and baby carabao make excellent playfellows, and suffer accordingly.  From the day of its birth, the young carabao is taken possession of by the children, who will fondle and tease it, ride on its back, or slide off over its head or tail.  Soon they gain confidence, and find similar amusements with the full grown animals.  These huge beasts are often surly or vicious, especially around white men, but they recognize their masters in the little brown folk, and submit meekly to their antics.  In fact, the greater part of the care of these animals is entrusted to young boys.

When not engaged in some of the amusements already mentioned, it is probable that the youngster is one of the group of naked little savages, which races through the village on the way to the swimming hole, or climbs tall trees from the top of which sleeping pigs can be easily bombarded.  Should the children be so fortunate as to possess a tin can, secured from some visiting traveller, they quickly convert it into a drum or gansa, and forthwith start a celebration.  All can dance and sing, play on nose flutes, bamboo guitars, or Jew’s harps.

In addition to songs of their own composition, there are other songs, which are heard whenever the children are at play.  They make a swing by tying ropes to a carabao yoke, and attach it to a limb; then, as they swing, they sing: 

“Pull swing.  My swing is a snake. 
Do not writhe like a snake.  My swing is a big snake. 
Do not turn and twist.  My swing is a lizard. 
Do not tremble or shake.”

When a group gathers under a house to pop corn in the burning rice chaff, they chant: 

“Pop, pop, become like the privates of a woman. 
Make a noise, make a noise, like the clay jar. 
Pop, pop, like the coconut shell dish. 
Sagai, sagai, [75] make a noise like the big jar.”

When the smoke blows toward a part of the children, the others sing over and over: 

“Deep water here; high land there.”

A favorite game is played by a number of children.  Part stand on the edge of a bank, part below.  Those above sing, “Jump down, where the big stone is, the big stone which swallows people.  Big stone, which swallows people, where are you?” To this the children below reply, “I am here.  I am the big rock which swallows men.  Come down here.”  As those on the bank jump down, they are piled upon, and a free-for-all tussel ensues.  In the midst of this, one of the players suddenly sings out, “I am a deer in—­, I am very fat.”  With this he starts off on a run, and the rest of the party, now suddenly transformed into dogs, take up the chase, yelping and barking.  When the deer becomes tired, he makes for the water, where he is considered safe; but if he is caught, he is rolled and bitten by the dogs.