Filipino Popular Tales, by Dean S. Fansler

Ruined because of Invidiousness

Narrated by Facundo Esquivel, a Tagalog from Jaen, Nueva Ecija,

who was told the story when he was a boy.

In time out of memory there lived two brothers, Pedro and Juan. Pedro

was rich, for he had a large herd of cattle: consequently he did not

have much use for his younger brother, who was very poor. Juan had

nothing that he could call his own but a cow. One day, disappointed

over his life of poverty, he killed his cow, and some days afterward

he set out to find his fortune. He took nothing with him but the

hide of his cow. When he reached the next town, he saw large piles of

cattle-hides in front of a butcher's shop. Late that night he stole

out secretly and put the skin of his cow in one of the piles. The

next morning he went to the shop to talk with the butcher.

"Mr. Butcher," he said, "I have come here to look for my lost cow. Have

you not killed a cow with a mark J on the right hip?"

"No," answered the honest man, "all the cows which were killed here

came from my herd out there in the mountains."

Juan stood musing for a few moments, and then said, "Let us look

through these piles of hide to see whether you killed my cow or not!"

"All right," answered the butcher, and so they began the investigation.

When they found the hide which Juan had put there, he began to quarrel

with the man. "You must pay me five hundred pesos for my cow, or else I

shall bring a law-suit before the court against you," he said angrily.

"I wonder how this could have happened!" the butcher exclaimed.

"There is no use of wondering," said Juan impatiently. "You stole

my cow, and now you have to pay for it." The man, who was very much

afraid of being brought before the court, gave Juan the five hundred

pesos; and Juan went away with the money in his pocket, and the hide

on his head.

On his way home he came to a tree standing at a cross-roads. He was

very tired and thirsty, but he could not find a house where to ask

for water. He climbed the tree to look for a place to go to, but,

instead of a house, he saw a company of armed men coming down the

road. The men stopped under the tree to rest. Juan was so terrified

that he hardly knew what to do. As he was trembling with fright, the

hide fell down from the tree and frightened the men away. They thought

that it was a curse from heaven because of their misdeeds. When Juan

realized that the men were gone, he recovered from his fright and

quickly descended. There on the ground he saw a number of sacks full

of money, and, loading a horse with two of the sacks, he started for

his home town.

As soon as he reached his house, he went to his brother's to borrow a

salop. [66] Then he inserted several pesetas and ten-centavo pieces

in the cracks of the salop, and returned the measure. When Pedro saw

the coins sticking in the cracks of his measure, he said, "What did

you do with the salop?"

"I measured money," said Juan.

"Where did you get the money?" Pedro demanded.

"Where did I get the money?" retorted Juan. "Don't you know that I

went to the neighboring town to sell my cowhide?"

"Yes," said Pedro. Then he added, "The price of hides there must be

very high, I suppose."

"There is no supposing about it," said Juan. "Just think! one hide

is worth two sacks of money."

Pedro, who was envious of his brother's good fortune, killed all

his cattle, old and young, and threw the meat into the river. The

he started with several carretons full of hides; but he

was disappointed when he came to the town, for nobody would buy

hides. Discouraged and tired out, he returned. He found Juan living

comfortably in a fine new home. Thus Pedro lost all his property

because of his invidiousness.