The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-08-04

situated at the end of the lake. Alila
said to me: Master, this neigh borhood is
much frequented by Caioui."
Caioui was known as the chief of the
most daring gang of brigands. Among
his numerous atrocities he had amused
himself, on that very day, by drowning 20
OF his fellow-countrymen. ] then de-
termined to free the country of the odiouS
assassin, and the advice of my Lieu
-cnant induced me to take a narrow path
that led us to a hut concealed in the
midst Of the woods.
| told AlIa to remain below, and to
watch, while | went to endeavor to recon
hotter the persons who inhabited it.
went up by the small ladder that leads to
Indian woman was there, quite alone.
and very busy plating a mat. | asked
her for some fire to light my cigar, and
returned to my Lieutenant.
Having accidentally cast my eyes upon
the exterior of the hut, it appeared much
larger than it did inside | ran up again
quickly and looked all around the place
i'll which the young girl was, and observed
at the extremity Of it a small door, COW
cred over by mat. | gave it a strong
push, and at the moment CaiOui, who,
with his carbine on cock, was waiting
for me behind the door fired straight at
me. The fire and the smoke blinded me,
and by a most inconceivable chance the
hall slightly graZed my clothes without
wounding M.
Alila, knowing had no firearms, hear
ing the report. thought | was killed. He
ran up to the top of the steps, and found
me enveloped in cloud of smoke, with
my dagger in my hand, trying to find my
enemy, who seeing me still standing
erect, after he had shot at me, thought
no doubt, | had about me some anten-
anten-a certain dabolc incarnation that
..nT fit,,, tn Vv,ff, hnIi
man invulnerable to all sorts of firearms.
The bandit was frightened, jumped out of
a window, and ran away as fast as he
could across the forest.
Alia could not believe what had hap
pened to me; he felt all over my body, i'm
order to convince himself that the ball
had not passed through me. When he
was quite sure that had not received
wound, he said to me:
Master, if you had not had the anten-
anten about you you would have been
killed"
My Indians always believed 1 was pos
sesSed of this secret, as well as of many
others.
INDIAN SUPERsTITIONS.
The Taeals have retained all their old
superstitions. However, thanks to the
SpaniardS, they are all Christians; but
they understand that religion nearly in
One day two young Indians stole some
poultry from one Of their neighbOrS, and
they came to sell them to my major dOmo
for about sixpence. | had them called
before me, to administer Il lecture, and to
punish them With the utmost sim
plicity they made me this answer:
1T is true, master, we have done wrong,
but we could not do otherwise; we are to
go to communion tomorrow, and we had
not money enough to get a cup of chOcO-
late"
1t is a custom with them to take cup
of chocolate after communion, and it was
considered by them a greater sin to miss
taking that than to commit the trifiing
theft of which they were guilty.
Two evil-dping demons PLAY an i'm
portant part among them, and in which
all believed before the conquest of the
Philippine Islands. One of those malevO-
lent demons is the Tic-ba Ian, which /
have already mentioned, who dwells in
the forests, in the interior of the large fig
trees
This demon can do every possible harm
to anyone who dareS not to respect him,
or who does not carry certain herbs about
his person; every time an Indian passes
under one of these fig-trees he makes a
movement towards it with his hand, say
ing: "Tavit-po," Tagal words, signifying:
"I.ordi with your permissionv The lord
OF the place is the Tic-balan.
The other demon is called AZuan. She |
presides especially over parturitiOns in an
evil manner. One of the beliefs is that
when aAchild that has not reached the