narrated by deogracias lutero of janiuay, iloilo. he says that the story is often heard in his barrio.

in olden days the sky was low,—so low that it could be reached by a stick of ordinary length. the people in those days said that god had created the sky in such a way that he could hear his people when they called to him. in turn, god [427]could send his blessings to earth as soon as men needed them. because of this close connection between god and his subjects, the people were well-provided for, and they did not need to work. whenever they wanted to eat, they would simply call god. before their request was made, almost, the food would be on the table; but after the expulsion of adam and eve, god made men work for their own living. with this change in their condition came the custom of holding feasts, when the men would rest from their labors.

one day one of the chiefs, abing by name, held a feast. many people came to enjoy it. a sayao, or native war-dance, was given in honor of the men belonging to the chief, and it was acted by men brandishing spears. while acting, one of the actors, who was drunk, tried to show his skill, but he forgot that the sky was so low. when he darted his spear, he happened to pierce the sky, and one of the gods was wounded. this angered god the father: so he raised the sky as we have it to-day, far from the earth.