Adventures of Piang the Moro Jungle Boy

by Mrs. Molesworth

  SIXTH ADVENTURE

  THE JUNGLE MENACE

  Dato Kali Pandapatan had declared a three days' holiday in honor ofPiang's safe return from his long journey to the haunt of Ganassi,the wonder man. That one so young had accomplished the difficult taskproved to the tribe conclusively that Piang was indeed the chosen ofAllah, the charm boy by divine right. Kali was glad of the opportunityto plunge his people into gaieties, for a mysterious shadow had hoveredover the barrio for a week, and he hoped to dispel the effects of arecent disaster by merriment and fiesta. In the night an infant haddisappeared from its hammock under the mango-tree and no trace of ithad ever been found. The mother, who had been sleeping on the groundnear her babe, told a strange story of being awakened by a suffocatingpressure on her chest; as she stretched out her hand in the dark,she encountered a cold, clammy mass that moved under her touch. Shemust have fainted, for when she was able to scream for assistance,her baby was gone, and there were no tracks in the sand. The riverwas searched, but the crocodile pickets were intact; no monster fromthe river had broken through the barriers.

  The ominous whisper, "Bal-Bal," passed from lip to lip. Only thatsupernatural jinn could have whisked the infant from their midst;only Bal-Bal, with his demon body, sailing through the air onenormous wings, could have descended upon them so silently, sostealthily. Fearfully the wise men kept watch for the return ofBal-Bal, whose fateful visits were believed to come in pairs.

  At first the news of the fiesta failed to rouse the people from thelethargy into which they had sunk, but gradually their pleasure-lovingnatures responded, and preparations were begun for the three days'play.

  "Goody-goody!" exclaimed Papita, the little slave girl, dancing about,clapping her hands. "We are to have the macasla fiesta, Piang. Justthink, we are to go to the ocean to-morrow!" Piang's newly acquireddignity would not permit him to respond to Papita's levity, but hesecretly rejoiced, too, over the prospects of fun and excitement atthe macasla.

  Runners were sent into the jungle to procure the all-importantmacasla herb, and that night the mixture was prepared. Macasla,chilli-peppers, carot, and tobah shrub were pounded together in anold dug-out canoe. Wood-ashes, earth, alcohol, and water were added,and the mixture was allowed to ferment. Early the next morning nearlyall the inhabitants embarked upon the short journey to Parang-Parang,their seaport barrio. Every available boat was filled with the merrythrong, and the river sang a soft accompaniment to their chatter;pet monkeys, parrots, and mongoosen joined in the hubbub, and thedin echoed through the forest, to be taken up by nature's wildchildren. Bal-Bal was forgotten, for the moment, by all except thebereaved parents, who had remained behind with the aged, to mourntheir loss.

  "I see the ocean! Oh, I saw it first!" cried Papita, nearly upsettingthe banco in her glee. "Piang, do stop being so solemn and look--overthere--through the trees!"

  "I saw the ocean long ago, Papita," answered the boy with exaggerateddignity.

  With a sigh the girl turned away, despairing of drawing him intosociability. Piang, the playfellow, had vanished, and Piang, thecharm boy, was so superior, so awe-inspiring. Out of the corner ofhis eye Piang watched her. He longed to frolic and play, as of old,but the weight of the tribe was on his young shoulders, and he mustput aside childish things. With folded arms he watched the revelers;his heart beat violently, but, to the envy and admiration of all,he retained his dignity and rigidity.

  The travelers gave a shout as they rounded a bend and came upon thesea. The curving coast line seemed to be ever smiling as the waveswooed it with cajoling and caressing whispers.

  The tide was on the turn; not a moment was to be lost. Men, women,and children assembled about the dug-out, carrying wicker basketswhich they filled with the macasla mixture. Scattering quickly alongthe extensive shoals, they ran into the water, waist deep, immersingthe baskets, jerking them about until the macasla was all washed out;slowly they retreated to the shore. Impatiently they waited five,ten minutes; then things began to happen. Crabs abandoned their holesand scurried about aimlessly; children, wild with delight, pursuedand captured the bewildered creatures, tossing them into a brass potof water over the fire. Small fish came gasping to the top; finallylarge ones began to show signs of distress. Screaming and laughingat the top of their voices, the Moros pursued; the men harpooningthe largest fish, the women skilfully dipping up the smaller oneswith nets. Helplessly the beautiful, rainbow-tinted creatures floatedabout, their opalescent hues fading soon after the Moros took them fromthe water. Monsters over a yard long fought for their freedom; giantcrabs and shrimp struggled in the nets. A _liendoeng_ (water-snake),brilliantly striped with red and black, made the women scream withfright. Dashing among them, laughing and yelling as merrily as theother boys, Piang pursued the offending reptile, here, there, andfinally grabbed the wriggling creature and ran to the beach.

  "Ah la la la lele!" he cried, dancing and jumping about, waving thesnake above his head.

  "Oh, goody! Piang has come back to us," cried the delightedPapita. "You will not frown and scowl again, will you, Piang?"

  A shadow fell upon the manly young brow of Piang. He had transgressed;he had forgotten his responsibility for the moment and had allowedhis glee to banish the dignity of his calling: Throwing the snakeinto the basket, he quietly walked away from the merry-makers.

  Crowds of friendly natives swarmed along the beach, hoping thekill would be great enough to supply food for all. At other timesthe Moros would have preserved any surplus fish, but those caughtunder the influence of macasla cannot be cured or dried, as theysoon putrify. The macasla only blinds them temporarily, however,and those fortunate enough to escape soon recover, suffering no illeffects. Ten canoes, full of splendid fish, were the reward of themacasla fiesta. A huge fire was built on the beach, and the smallfish, stuffed into green bamboo joints, were thrown in the ashes;larger ones were sprinkled with _lombak_ dust (seasoning) and wrappedin pisang leaves. Weird instruments made their appearance: drums ofbell-metal, jew's-harps of bamboo. The _gansas_, a flute that theperformer plays from one nostril, would have distracted an American'sattention from the music, holding him in suspense, anticipating thedire consequences of a sneeze.

  Gradually the monotonous music stirred the savages to action. Solemnlythey formed a circle around the fire, arms extended, lightly touchingeach other's finger-tips. To and fro they swayed in time to thecrude music, and when the drums thundered out a sonorous crescendo,they crouched to the earth, springing up in unison, uttering fearfulyells. When the individual dancing commenced, exhausted members beganto fall out, leaving the youth and vigor of the tribe to competefor the honors. A maiden must prevent a youth from confrontingher; the youth, while attempting to gain his position, must bewarelest the maiden present her back to him. Fast and furiously theywhirled and dodged, and a shout went up from the bystanders as eachunfortunate dancer was compelled to retire. Finally there were onlythree contestants left; Papita, Piang, and Sicto. Gracefully thelittle slave girl eluded the boys; slyly she circumvented theirattacks. Her little bare feet twinkled daintily about on the sand;her brass anklets jingled merrily; and the fireflies, confined inher hair, glowed contentedly.

  Now the hands must be held behind the back at all times duringthe dance, and when Sicto, exasperated at the girl's nimbleness,attempted to grab her, Piang protested loudly. A surly growl wasSicto's response, and during the hot dispute that followed, asthe dancers swayed and dodged, Papita caught Sicto off his guard,and to his mortification he found himself contemplating the comelyback of the girl. Over her shoulder she taunted the astonished boy,and thunderous applause greeted his defeat. Sicto slunk off into theshadow, muttering maledictions against Piang, whom he blamed primarilyfor his downfall. Papita, Piang, which would win? Breathlessly theaudience followed the agile movements of the two; eagerly they claimedthe honors for their favorite.

  The music ceased abruptly. With fear in their hearts and bated breath,the tribe waited again for the sound that had disturbed their revelry:


  "_Le le, li li._" The tribal call rang through the forest faintly.

  "_Blako ampoen_, Allah," ("I beg for mercy, Allah,") whispered KaliPandapatan, supplicatingly.

  The call was repeated, came steadily nearer. Finally from the gloomof the river shot a banco, a very old man working at the paddle. Itwas Pandita Asin from the barrio.

  "_Un-di?_" ("Whither?") called Kali Pandapatan.

  "The barrio--Bal-Bal!" gasped the exhausted old man.

  The night pressed upon them. Up the river darted Asin's slender bancowith Kali Pandapatan and a few picked warriors.

  "Asin, we shall need you, and you, Piang," the chief had said, andthe boy jumped into the boat. Far behind they left the terrified,confused throng, preparing to embark, and soon the night swallowedup the little advance party, as it hurried toward the stricken barrio.

  A white mist rose from the water, obscuring the view; a damp breezechilled the travelers, and they anxiously scanned the heavens forBal-Bal, the terrible. Obstructions in the river were numerous anddangerous. Once they grazed the side of a floating log; it immediatelyturned upon them, emitting blood-curdling bellows through gapingjaws. Piang's spear silenced the menacing crocodile, and the partyhurried on. A _taloetook_ (owl) wailed his melancholy koekh-koekh,and the mournful sound seemed to draw the handful of men closertogether. Through the jungle the river wound its serpentine way; densegrowths crowded the bank and leaned far out over the stream. Trailingvines and hanging ferns brushed the occupants of the canoe, and infear they avoided contact with them, so often did their velvety greenconceal wicked thorns and poisonous spines. Fiery eyes dotted thejungle, stealthily watching for a chance to pounce upon the intruders;rustling of the rushes warned them of invisible dangers.

  "_Karangan!_" ("Sand-bar!") cried Piang, and just in time the bancoswerved, avoiding the slimy mud that might have held them prisoners,at the mercy of prowling night terrors.

  A light twinkled in the distance; confused sounds reached the rescuers,and they pushed forward with renewed energy.

  "Ooooh, Mihing!" called Asin, in his cracked, wavering voice.

  "Ooooh!" came the answer from the barrio.

  "Piang, we look to you to protect us from Bal-Bal, to you and yoursacred anting-anting." Solemnly Kali Pandapatan made this announcement.

  The boy was the first to land. The lame and the halt crowded aroundhim, imploring him to save them. Confused, Piang wondered what wasexpected of him but suddenly he remembered what the great Ganassihad said:

  "The source of power is faith!"

  His proud little head went up; his brave eyes smiled:

  "Have no fear, my people. Piang, the charm boy, will protect you."

  A startling phenomenon had terrified the barrio. Just at dusk,old Asin had been squatting in the doorway of his hut, dreamilywatching Papita's little white fawn munching mangos under the fataltree, when suddenly he saw it rise, struggle, suspended in the air,then disappear. Its pathetic cry was heard once, high above theirheads. Then there was silence. The aged populace had been toofrightened to investigate and had hovered around the fire, afraidto venture beyond its circle of light. Asin had been despatched tonotify the head of the tribe that Bal-Bal was hovering near.

  All eyes turned toward the charm boy.

  "La ilaha illa llahoe," softly prayed Piang, scrutinizing the frowningjungle, as it closed in on all sides.

  "Kali Pandapatan," finally announced the boy, "it is given that weact as brave men. If it is Bal-Bal who has been swooping upon us,have no fear; he can come no more with Piang, the charm boy, preparedto meet him. If it is something else that is hovering near, we mustgo boldly forth and slay our enemy."

  A relieved sigh from the listeners greeted this speech.

  "Bravely spoken, little brother," said Kali Pandapatan.

  Another boat load arrived from the sea, and when the nature ofthe calamity had been explained, all volunteered to aid in thesearch. Each man bearing a torch, they went in pairs, scatteringthrough the jungle. At given intervals, Piang who remained in thebarrio at the entreaty of the aged, was to respond to the clan call.

  "Le le li li!" echoed through the somber night, giving courage to thefaint of heart and keeping the searching party's spirits up. Stealthilythe charm boy crept around the edge of the clearing, examining everypossible opening; cautiously he peered into nooks and crannies.

  The mango-tree! What was there about that old jungle veteran thatdrew the boy toward it? The babe had disappeared from under itsshelter; the fawn had been whisked from its protection. A cry fromthe circle around the fire arrested him as he approached the tree, buthe reassured them, exposing the charm, and bravely went forward. Dewon the heavy, dark foliage glistened in the firelight, and the goldenfruit peeped forth temptingly. Piang reached up on tiptoe to pluck aripe mango, supporting his body against a large vine that hung from thetree. The vine stirred, trembled, and disappeared. With a low cry theboy recoiled. The tree was bewitched, was alive. Would its huge limbsenfold him in its embrace as it had done the other two victims? Piangwas unable to move. Fascinated, he stared wide-eyed at the treewith its wealth of parasite life sapping its vitality. Trailingorchids and tree-ferns festooned its limbs; _liana_ and _bajuca_vines smothered it in death-like embrace. Coil upon coil of theseserpent-like jungle creepers, ignoring or circumventing the smudgeplatform halfway up the trunk, ascended to the tree's very crest,only to return, dangling and swinging like the ragged draperies ofa slattern, reaching out tenacious arms in search of new support.

  At any moment Piang expected to be seized by this supernaturalmonster, and yet he could not cry out or move. Where did it hideits victims? Did it inhale life or suck it into its trunk? Scarcelyrealizing what he was doing, the boy focused his gaze upon two dazzlingpoints of light that gradually came nearer, nearer. A peacefulnesscame over him, and he wondered why he had been so terrified a momentbefore. Slowly a numbness crept up his limbs; a giddiness attackedhim. On came the hypnotic, icy lights, until they were within a fewfeet of his face.

  "Le le li li!" crashed through the stillness. With the dim past Piangconnected the disturbing sounds. The gleaming lights were beautiful,compelling.

  "Le le li li!" A memory of some duty faintly stirred Piang'ssubconsciousness, and his senses tried to respond to the call. Brightand intense grew the twin fires. One instant they seemed as minuteas fireflies, the next as large as moons. Yes, the tree was alive;it was moving. A giant creeper was swaying toward him, would grasphim in its toils.

  "Le le li li!" persistently the call was repeated. "Le le li li!" Aduty! What was it? Charm boy? Who was charm boy? Involuntarily Piang'shand sought the charm on his breast and grasped it. He was saved! Witha shriek he darted back just in time. The vine lunged out, quivered,and recoiled.

  Asin, who had been curiously watching Piang for some time, rushedtoward him and caught the fainting boy in his arms.