SI KABAYAN PAYS HIS DEBTS

Si Kabayan was so deeply in debt to an Arab usurer that it made him giddy even
to think of it. How could he ever pay his debts when he no longer possessed a
single thing that he could sell to obtain even a part of the amount he owed? He
thought and thought, and at long last he hit upon a plan.

Finally ! he said to his wife.

Now I know what to do !

His wife agreed to his proposal, in fact welcomed it with great enthusiasm, and
proceeded to help him carry it out. First she filled a washtub with palm wine
and spread kapok all over the floor next to the tub. Si Kabayan bathed in the
wine, and rolled his wet body around and around in the kapok until he was
white an furry all over. Then he crawled into a large chicken coop.

Shortly afterwards the Arab came to Si Kabayans house to claim his due.

Kabayan is not at home, said his wife to the Arab.

Where is he ? asked the Arab.

Hes gone to appear before the King.

The King ? asked the Arab in great astonishment. What has happened ?

Hes gone to report to the King that he has found and caught a very rare bird.

A rare bird ? What kind of bird? The Arab indicated his desire to see the
strange bird, but Si Kabayans wife refused. Kabayan was going to present this
rare and wonderful specimen to the King, and if she let the Arab see it, she said,
Kabayan would be very angry, because Kabayan had said specifically that no
one else was to see the bird before the King himself.

This explanation merely increased the Arabs desire to see Kabayans bird, and
he prevailed upon Si Kabayans wife to show it to him.

Allowing herself to be persuaded, Kabayans wife took the Arab to the back of
the house, where she pointed to a chicken coop covered with a piece of the
cloth. Full of curiosity, the Arab lifted the edge of the cloth. As he raised it a
little higher, Si Kabayan burst out of the cage, and crying ba-ra-ka-tak-tak; ba-
ra-ka-tak-tak, he ran out of sight.

Si Kabayans wife began to weep. Oh, oh, she sobbed. Look what youve
done! What will I tell Kabayan, and what will the King say. Ill have to tell him
that its all your fault that his bird got away. And then Kabayan will have to tell
the King. Oh, oh!

The Arab was frightened.

Please dont, he pleaded. Please dont tell Kabayan and the King .

And the exchange for her promise not to tell Kabayan, he cancelled all
Kabayans debt. *