"I like you much," she said,
"but if you want to have me again you must make my father and mother alive
again." "I will do that," he answered, "if you first will restore to life
my father and mother." They were both antohs, so there was a general
return to life, and the people from the two kampongs to which the families
belonged came together and made the kampongs into one.
15. THE WOMAN, THE BIRD, AND THE OTTER
(From the Saputans; kampong Data Laong)
Many young men courted Ohing Blibiching, but she was difficult to please.
Finally, she favoured Anyang Mokathimman because he was strong, skilful in
catching animals, brave in head-hunting. She said: "Probably you have a
wife." "No, I am alone," he said, and her father and mother having given
consent, they then lived together.
After a while he said: "I want to go away and hunt for heads." She said:
"Go, but take many men with you. If you should be sick, difficulties would
be great." She then made rice ready in a basket, calculating that on a
long journey they would depend more on the sago found in the utan. They
would also kill animals for food, therefore, in addition to their parangs,
the men took sumpitans along.
"If we have any mishaps," he said, "I shall be away two months. If not, I
shall be back in a month." She remained in the kampong guarded by her
father, mother, and other people, and after a while many young men began
to pay her attention, telling her: "He has been away a long time. Maybe he
will not return." One day at noon when she was filling her bamboo
receptacles in the river as usual, taking a bath at the same time, she saw
a fish sleeping, and caught it. She then lifted on her back the big-meshed
rattan bag which held the bamboo receptacles, all full of water, and went
home, carrying the fish in her hand. Before cooking it she went to husk
paddi.
The bird Teong, who had heard she was beautiful, saw her and he liked her
much. He flew to a tree from which he could get a good look at her where
she was husking the paddi. In admiration he jumped from branch to branch
until a dead one broke which fell down and wounded young Otter in the
river under the tree. The mother of Otter became angry with Bird Teong for
the injury. "I have been in this tree quite a while," Bird answered,
"because I like to look at that woman. I did not know Otter was
underneath.
