THE LIZARD

A FOLKTALE OF IILANEN MANOBO
The Lizard
(Si Pelaas)
There we are with Lizard. This Lizard had a relative who just like a sister to her, for whatever they did, they always did together. This relaive was a Deer. To show you how they close were it was just the same as though the Deer was this Lizard’s sister. For whatever the Lizard had she would share with this Deer, no matter how little it was, even just a mite; they shared everything.
Sometime later this Lizard became pregnant. My, the way this Lizard was taken care of by the Deer was really something, for it was very difficult for her to get around.
Said the Deer: “You just stay with me, Lizard, for you are heavy already. I will go and look after food,” promised Deer.
So the Lizard stayed at home and waited each day to her friend the Deer to come home. And the Deer would give everything she brought home to the Lizard.
Finally, after some time, the Lizard gave birth. And what should she have but several children. And so the Lizard remained at home looking after her children for the Deer had become too busy to look after them.
As the Lizard was finally gaining back her strength she asked: “Deer, what I would like you to do today is to sty at home and look after my children. I would like to go fishing for stil feel sluggish, not having done any walking lately.”
“All right,” agreed the Deer, “if you think you will be all right, go right ahead.”
“Oh, I’ll be all right,” replied the Lizard. And with that the Lizard began to ready her fishing gear, and hear basket for holding the fish. Theb she set out for the big river.
As soon as the lizard arrived at the river she dived right in. And it wasn’t long before she caught a big shrimp.
“Ih,” said the Lizard, “I’ve good luck today!” And so she went on cacthing shrimp. But when the Shrimp realized that someone was after them, one took to flight. And as the shrimp ran, the Lizard ran after him, so we can just image how the water was churned up by the lizard going after the Shrimp. Up and down the river this shrimp and the Lizard chased each other. What finally happened was the lizard gave up when she [found out her] couldn’t catch up with the Shrimp.
A little later, as the shrimp continued his flight, he bumped into a turtle sitting in a corner. The Turtle, feeling the Shrimp’s blow, said: “I’d better run this dangerous with him carrying his weapons!” So the Turtle got out of the water and began running away. But he hadn’t gone far before he has noticed by a crocodile in the distance.
“My,” said the Crocodile, “why is the turtle running away carrying her House? Perhaps there is trouble.” And as the turtle pased by, Crodile asked: “What is going on, Turtle?”
“Don’t datain me, there’s trouble afoot.”
“Oh, what kind of trouble?”
“Well. Shrimp is carrying his spear, and I don’t know what he is running away from. He is escaping from something and I’m afraid of getting armour and spread it out in the sun to dry. “I’d better dry this,” said Crocodile, “for if someone should come, I couldn’t put it on the way it is now, as it is heavy water. I’d better dry it out first.” And with those words the crocodile came out of the water to dry out his warrior’s cloak.
And there we vare now with a wood, who lived in a hole in the tree. For that’s where the woodpecker made her home. On this day the woodpecker looked out of her hole in the tree, and what she saw was this coat of amour belonging to the crocodile, which was dying in the sun.
“Ih,” said Woodpecker, “why did out his warrior’s cloak when the water is on so cloudly? Perhaps there is trouble over there. Perhaps Crocodile is on alert for somet6hing.
Again she looked out and there was Turlte carrying her house.
“Ih, Ih,” said Woodpecker, “this deserves some serious thought. I’d better sopund my gong.
Aand so Woodpecker got her gong and began beating it and the result was that the deer was awaklened suddenly by the sound of Woodpecker’s gong. The gong startled the deee, who livwed just below the woodpecker, so that the der began moving around, prancing back and forth. And while prancing, she trod on all the children of the lizard, with the result that all little lizards wre killed while their mother was out fishing.
When the deer realized what swhe had done, she too ran away. There was nothing else for her to do but keep on running, whether she moved across well-trodden paths or through high grass, whether it was mountains or valleys which she had to jump across.
Let us return now to the lizard, who said: “Well, I can’t cacth anything here; all the fish I’ve nibble at my bait have gotten away.” And with that the lizard went home. But when hew arrived home, she found her children all dead.
“Babeba!” said the lizard, “I have no children left: just wait, this will even take the time to put down her fishibng-basket, but just carried it along with her. Said the Lizard: I must hurry so that the chief can do something to help me.’ And so the lizard continued her journey.
When the luizard arrived at the house of the chief she didn’t even call out before going up the house-ladder. Entering the house she said: “Your Highness, here I am.”
“Well, what’s the matter now?” asked the chief. “What’s on your mind?”
“Well, it’s something big. I’ve come because my children are all dead. The reason I’ve come is to ask you to help me cacth Deer for she is the one who killed my children while I wzas out fishing,” said the Lizard.
At that the chief called to his followers to search for the deer. And it wasn’t very long before the chief’s messengers returned. And who should they have with them but the deer, all of them arriving together.
Said the chief: “Come here, Deer.” And she approached the chief. “Why, “she asked, “has his report about you been brought to me?”
The deer replied: “What has been reported to you?”
“Well, it was reported by lizard that you have killed all her children.”
“But,” said the deer, “I didn’t do it on purpose; in just accidentally stepped on them. What I did was step on them when the woodpecker suddenly beat her gong; for I was under her house and I become frightened of Lizard accidentally trod on them .and so it happened that the children of Lizard wre killed.”
“So that’s it,” replied the chief, “then call the woodpecker.” And so the wood0pecker was summoned by the chief.
When Woodpecker arrived the chief said: You’ve been sent for because of a report brought to me.”
“And what’s the report about?” asked the woodpecker.
“Well, whatrv was reported to me by lizard is trhat her children were killed by the deer. And trhe deer explained that she stepped on lizard’s children because you beat your gong.”
“Well,” replied the woodpecker, “that’s all rights, Chief. However, the reason why I beat my gong was to call the people and make them aware that I had seen some danger approaching.”
“Oh,” asked the chief, “what did you see that frightened you?”
“Well, what I saw was the turtle going by, carrying her house and Crocodile coming out of the water with all his equipment; he was wearing his warrior’s coat,” continued the woodpecker, “for he was worried because of the murkiness of the big river. That’s why I alerted everyone so as to help them escape.” This is what Woodpecker told the chief.
“Well,” replied the chief, “call the crocodile.” And so the crocodile was summoned.
“Now,” said the chief, “Crocodile, a report about has reached me.”
“Oh, and what is that?” asked the crocodile.
“Well, it was reported to me that the deer killed the children of lizard by stepping on them. The reason given was the woodpecker had suddenly beaten her gong when he saw turtle running off, carrying her house, because turtle had noticed how the water of the river had become roiled up.”
“That’s when I got my warrior’s coat because of the danger that wads expected,” replied the crocodile “I was getting ready for that. I might have been killed had I nit been able to get out my warrior’s coat.”
“Call Turtle.”
When turtle arrived she was asked: “Why, turtle, are you going around carrying you house?” asked the Chief.
“Now, don’t you carry your own house around with you?” replied turtle. “I was sitting in a corner when I was suddenly stepped on by Shrimp, and I ran away because Shrimp was carrying weapons-a spear! In fact, Shrimp, had two spears, quite sharp too, and I might have been struck by them. So I hgot my house; in case there was going to9 be any fighting, I would then have my house.”
Said the chief: “Call Shrimp.”
And so Shrimp came out of the water, and you can see how big he was for his claws looked really like spears. It would be an exaggeration to say they were vas large as a person’s legs; however you can see how big Shrimp was. He came out of the water and was brought to the Chief.
“Now,” said the chief, “you have been sent for, Shrimp.”
“Oh, what for?” asked the Shrimp.
“Well, the reason you were called is that there is a report that Lizard’s children wre killed because Deer stepped on them when she became frigthened by Woodpecker beating her gong. And the reason Woodpecker suddenly beat her gong was that she had seen Turtle, along with Crocodile, running away with her house. And Crocodile had gotten out his warrior’s coat in preparation for all the troble expected,” said the chief.
“Well,” answered the shrimp, “all I did, was to take along my spesr when I ran away.”
“And why were you running away?”
“Because Lizard was after me to catch me. I ran away and she followed; I was chasedf by her!” said Shrimp. “You can just image her racing up and down the stream after me. Ah, and if I hadn’t run faster than her, I would have been caugth.” That’s what Shrimp told chief now.
When she had finished speaking, the chief kept quiet thinking over all he had heard about those who wre involved in the case, for he had heard all they had done in realtion to thye death of Lizard’s children.
After some time the chief replied: “It’s this, Lizard: All your children died, it is true; howerever, it is your own fault that they are dead. There is no one else to blame except yourself for it was your own folly!” said the chief. “Shrimp was made to flee, and so was the turle who fled when the Woodpecker beat its gong, all because you were out to catch some of your companions.”
“I did it because,” said Lizard, “I had no milk for my children.”
But the chief continued: “You have no one else to blame but yourself. It’s like this, Lizard; there is nowhere else to take the blame excet back to you. You can’t involve anyone else in it for it was your own foolishness. What happened is just like what happens when a Lizard has just been caught by a hunter. When a man catches a Lizard he bends its tail back to meet its own tail serve as means to carry it.”