narrated by amanda morente, a tagalog from pinamalayan, mindoro. she heard the story from an old woman of her town.
many years ago, when the people of the world were still few in number and the animals took the place of servants, an old man bought a cow and a carabao from his neighbor. with these animals he travelled until he reached the top of a mountain. there they saw a cave, and the old man told his servants to enter and see if there was any danger inside. with slow and cautious steps the carabao and the cow went in, examining every corner. all at once the cow perceived something moving. in his fright he jumped back, and hid behind his companion; but the slow-going carabao did not see the figure, and suddenly he felt his hind leg seized in a strong grasp. the god of the cave had caught him. then the god of the cave spoke. his voice was terrifying, but his words were kind. he told them how for many days he had been hungry, and he asked for meat. the cow, whose courage had by this time been somewhat restored, [412]gladly offered him some of her master’s provisions, which she was carrying. in return for this kindness, the god gave each of the animals a dress: to the carabao he gave one of gold; and to the cow, one of bronze. he also invited the two to remain with him and be his servants.
some time after the two friends had been installed in their new home, the god of the cave sent them one day to gather fruits. the carabao and the cow were delighted at this prospect of a change, and they jumped with joy. they rushed out into the woods; and when they came to a pond, they took off their new clothes and plunged into the soft mud. while they were enjoying their bath, they saw their master coming. he was carrying a big stick. they knew very well that he would beat them, for they had been away the whole morning. in their haste to get their clothes back on, they made a mistake: the carabao got into the cow’s dress, and the cow into the carabao’s. after that they never exchanged their clothes, which finally became their outer skin. so to-day the carabao has a tight bronze-colored skin; and the cow, a loose golden-colored one.
