The golden image of Sri Visaya

Title

Creator

Bryant, Alice Franklin

Language

English

Subject

Children's conduct of life

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

[Continued from September 1936 Issue]

Fulltext

256 THE YOUNG CITIZEN Octobcl", 1936 The Golden Image of Sri Visaya :J3y ALICE FRANKLIN BRYANT (Con!tnued from September Issue) NOT more than five yards away from him stood a short black boy with kinky hair. His white teeth showed in a broad smile, but Pablo saw at a glance that he held a bow and arrow in such a way that he could aim and shoot instantly. Pablo was ')O frightened that his hearc almost stopped beating. If he ever got home again, he would stay there! He did not know what to do. With the Ncgrito boy so near it was impossible for him to get up and run away-to try to do so might be a signal for the boy to shoot. And, even if he could get started, he r~alized that he would have no chance to escape from the Ncgrito, to whom the forest was more familiar than the multiplication table was to him. But the Neg::-ito boy was not slow in noticing Pablo· s expression of foar. He dropped his bow and arrow into an easier position and laughed as though the whole situation were a huge j?ke. ''Don't be afraid," he said. "I wont shoot you. But ·what are you doing here? People like you never come here. All this forest belongs ·to my folks, and all the things to eat in it belong to us. But, if you are hungry, I will give you something to eat. And ;1gain he laughed. Pablo heaved a deep breath of relief-fortune was smiling on him. after all. in what had seemed his darkest moment. "Thank you.'' he said. "You are very kind. To tell you the truth, I'm terribly hungry. I haven't had a bite since Yesterday noon, and nothing but a green coconut then." .. We can soon find something," his new friend replied. picking up from the ground a wild chicken he had already· shot that morning. "Suppose you clean this chicken and make a fire while I look around a little." The boy starred away, stepping lighcly and noiselessly through the forest, and Pablo set to work ~vith the help of his bolo to clean, 5kin, and cut up the chicken. Then he made a fire and put the chicken an.d some water in his can over the fire to boil. Surely this was a good and very interesting world to live in. It was even pleasant to be hungry now that he knew he would soon have something to eat. And this boy with the kinky hair who had fright· ened him so-wh~t a good scout he seemed to b~! It would be fun to get acqu:1inred with him. Scarcely had Pablo put the chicken on to coOk wheh the boy returned carrying a huge wild camote all rough and covered with little roots like coarse hair. He cut this into pieces and removed the can of chicken from the fire while he buried them in the ashes, then replaced the can: Up to this time the two boys had been too busy ·to do much talking, but now, having collected J. little pile of fuel. they sat down and pro::ceded ro get acquainted. Each of them was a great curiosity to the other. Once or twice in his life Pablo had seen Negritos in his town: but they had worn clothes-ragged ones, indeed-and Pablo had never so much as spoken to one of them. Now this boy wore nothing at all except for a belt of braided rattan and a loin cloth made of the soft inner bark of a tree. In his belt was thru<;t a bolo-the same kind Pablo had brought with hipi. On the other hand, the Ncgrito lad had never seen a boy like Pablo, and was equally curious about him. At first they were both a .trifle shy and ill at case with each other, but within a few minutes they began to feel pi!rfcctl y at home. The Negrito boy _said his name was Ulan. Rain. "Because," he said, "it rained very hard the nigh!" I was born." He lived in the little setclement thal Pablo had passed through the day before. Octobe1·, 1.998 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 257 Pablo told him abouc his home with all the cousins .and uncles and aunts, and his father's salary cut and the depression-though I am afraid Ulan did not underst;md salary cuts and depressions very well-and about his coming into the interior in quest of gold and about his getting lost and finding hiS corn all eaten and scattered by the monkeys. Ulan listened sympathetic~lly, even when he did not understand: and Pablo finally told him that, if he would help him to find gold. chey could each share equally in all the wealth th2t would come from it. Ulan thought he had never seen any gold. but suggested that lfter breakfa.St chey might rernrn to the settlement or camp where he lived and ask the old ones if they knew where gold might be found. At first Pablo had a little difficulty in understanding Ulan. He spoke Visayan, the language Pablo always spoke at home and with his playmates. But Ulan pronounced some .of the words a little differently, and occasionally' used a word that was strange to Pablo. Soon, however, each grew used to the pronunciation of the other, and there were few words to be explained.* It took a long time for the· yams to cook, and before the boys raked them out of the ashes they had come down to such details as Pablo's cloth(!S * So far as is known the only place in the world whe1·e pygmies or Negrito:;; have a language of their own is the Andaman Islands. Elsewhere they speak the languages of their nearest neighbol's. and the marks that had been burned on Ulan's arms. Ulan was parcicularly delighted with the institution of pockets. What a convenience! He had always had JO carry things in his hand or in a basket, or if they were small enough, stick them in his ear. Otherwise-except that they. looked nice-he did not think he would like clothes. They would always be catching on the branches and making such a noise you could never get nea~ enough to an animal to shoot it. It would be fine 'to have the pockets withouc the clothes! The marks on his arms were burned there, he said, to cure him of a fever. "Did it really cure your fever?" asked Pablo. "Why, yes, of course it did," replied Ulan, "and it was a very bad fever, too." Then he took a bunch of leaves to use as a holder, lifted che can of chicken from the fire, and raked out the pieces of camote. Using their ever useful bolos, they speared pieces of cbicken from the steaming soup· and laid them on leaves until they cooled enough to be beaten. Thereupon they- feasted heartily, and were entirely too busy to indulge in further conversation. After that thty picked up the pieces of camote that were left and started for the Negrito encampment. When they were about half w~y. they heard, som.J distJnce ~o their right, a horrible squealing and i.hreshing about. For the second time that morning Pablo was frightened, but being with Ulan gave him a feeling of safety. This forest was Ulan's homehe would know what to do. He motioned Pablo to fol1ow him, then plunged noiselessly into the foust on their right. Pablo tried to walk quietly, but he did not succeed very well. His new friend was annoyed ~ith him,. and motioned him to be more careful. Now the frightful squealing was very near them. and they walked more carefully than ever. Ulan carefully pulled aside some vines that hung from the branch of a tree and motioned Pablo to approach and look through the tiny opening. (To be continued) Answers to questions on "This ~arth of Ours": I. planet. 2. studying bones a~d stones under the ground. 3. outer part. 4. a mixture of broken rock and decayed matter.

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256

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