FIFTH ADVENTURE
RIDING THE CATARACT
News that a strange craft had put into Cotabato reached Piang in hismountain home. Hurriedly he gathered his few weapons together andstarted down the trail. He passed many traders and venders, who hadalso heard of the boat, and he hastened his steps in his desire tobe there early.
"_Un-di?_" ("Whither?") called Sicto as Piang trotted past him.
"To the barrio," replied Piang. Sicto hurried to keep up with him,but Piang had no wish to be in company with the ne'er-do-well Moroboy, and he did not try to conceal his feelings. The natural dignityof the Oriental kept Sicto from displaying his anger at the repulse,but he sullenly slackened his pace and registered a black mark againstthis haughty Piang.
Piang loved to be alone; his playmates were too noisy, too talkative;he, too, loved to chatter and play games at times, but now in thejungle, as the morning light slowly broke through the damp foliage,he wished to be alone and watch nature unfold to the coming day. Itseemed to him that the huge elephant ears lifted their dew-weightedleaves and shook themselves in the gentle wind. The monkeys peeped outat him and continued to make their toilet undisturbed. Other travelersstartled the little creatures into watchfulness, but Piang came uponthem so silently, so peacefully, that they scarcely noticed him.
There was one spot, half-way down the trail which he wanted to reachalone; there the jungle seemed to part, as if to grant a glimpse ofthe harbor below. He quickened his stride, and as he passed a partyof men one of them called to him, "You will be first to-day, littlefleet one." So there was none before him. He was glad, and when hecame within sight of the clearing, he rejoiced in his solitude. Hewondered if the boat was a vinta from Borneo, or if it was loadedwith copra for Japan. There now, when that mist lifted, he would know.
As the beautiful harbor broke upon his sight, Piang paused, holdinghis breath, for out of the boat, the only one in view, smoke waspouring. It was on fire! But why were the people not trying to savethe cargo? A huge black stick standing in the middle of the hull wasbelching smoke. While he was regretting that he would be too lateto assist at the rescue, he was startled by a thin white streamspurting out of the mast-head. Gradually he connected it with theshrill whistle that pierced his ears.
Piang wanted to run back, to warn the others that some strange monsterhad sailed into their midst; but he saw that his brothers in the barriowere calmly watching the thing, and as it did not seem to hurt them,he took courage and dashed on down the trail into the jungle. All therest of the journey he strained his ears to catch that shrill voice,which he was now sure came from the boat. As he flew through the silentforest he recalled the tales of the demons that the wise men talkedabout, and he decided to approach the thing with caution. Finally hestood on the shore, and there before his eyes was a boat that seemedto be alive. It was breathing. But where were its sails? How did itmove? Clusters of natives, their fear stilled by curiosity, watchedthe approach. Breathlessly they waited. It was coming toward the tinywharf, and just as it settled alongside, a piercing screech from itsent them tumbling over each other in a mad attempt to get away. Fromthe safety of trees and huts they waited. Big men, pale and straight,walked from the boat and beckoned them to descend. Cautiously themore daring ones responded, and soon the whole population was gatheredaround the visitors.
Curious to see what the strangers were showing the dato, Piang slippedquietly up behind and caught sight of the most beautiful coloredcloth he had ever seen. "Bandana," the pale man called it. Pianglonged to possess it for his mother; how she would love to wear itfor her gala head-dress! The sailor then produced a tiny object thatglistened and sparkled in the sun; it was about as large as the palmof Piang's hand and very thin. The Moros were very much excited overit, and when Piang reached up on tip-toes to peer through the crowd,he cried aloud, for there, staring back at him was a boy he hadseen somewhere. The little brown face and the piercing black eyes,the long hair twisted in a knot with the ends flying loose, were allstrangely familiar. It was--Piang! "Mir-ro," he repeated after thewhite man when his scattered wits permitted, and the crowd had ceasedits merriment at his expense. The Moros were more interested in theknives, tobacco, and strange food that the strangers had brought thanin the red bandana handkerchief and the toy mirror; but Piang longedto carry the two things that had caught his eye back to his mother,and he was silently gazing at them when Sicto, attracted by Piang'sadmiration, picked the mirror up to look at it.
Before Piang realized it, Sicto was negotiating with the owner,offering in trade his brass buyo, or betel-box, used for containing apreparation of the betel pepper, extensively chewed in the East. Whyhad Piang not brought his brass? He would run and fetch it; but the manwould not wait. Just as he saw the things about to pass into the handsof his rival, he remembered his ring. Attracting the attention of thetrader, he quickly unscrewed the tiny center and proudly displayed afew glittering flakes; Piang did not know that they were gold dust;but the trader whistled a low note of surprise and called one ofhis shipmates aside. The Moro boy had seen the Japanese trade wholeshiploads of copra for the shiny stuff, so, when he had found somein the sand one day, he had gathered it.
When the trader made it clear to Piang that he could have thetreasures for more of the flakes, he was delighted, and without amoment's delay started off up the trail, not deigning to glance atthe disappointed Sicto.