Harvest Festival Series ~ The Lungun, the Bobog and the Monkeys

The Lungun, the Bobog and the Monkeys

The Lungun (a type of bird similar to a stork) was watching at its nest one day and fell asleep, and while he was sleeping, monkeys came and pulled out all his feathers. Then the Lungun cried, for he could no longer fly in search of food. After a time his mate came and brought him food and asked him how he had lost his feathers. The Lungun explained how the monkeys had come while he was asleep, and that when he awoke they were plucking out all his feathers. After about two months the Lungun was able to fly, for his feathers had grown again. He thought and thought in what way he could revenge himself upon the monkeys, but he could find none.

One day, however, when he was walking about, he met the Bobog (a little tortoise) and he told him how the monkeys has stolen all his feathers and how he had not been able to fly for two months, and he asked the Bobog how he could take his revenge upon them.

“I will help you,” said the Bobog, “but you must go and hunt for a boat first.”

“What is the use of that?” said the Lungun, “I am not clever at rowing.”

“Never mind,” said the Bobog, “just get it, but it must be one with a good large hole in it.”

So the Bobog and the Lungun agreed to meet again in seven days, and the Lungun set out to look for a worn-out boat with a hole in it. He was not long in finding one, and at the end of seven days the Bobog and the Lungun met at the place where the boat was lying.

Then the Bobog crept into the hole so that the water could not get in anymore, and the boat started away down-stream with the Lungun standing on it. The monkeys saw the boat with theLungun on it, and called him, asking him where he was going. And the Lungun replied that he was going for a sail. Then the monkeys asked the Lungun if they might come with him. TheLungun replied, “Certainly,” for he recognized among them many of the monkeys who had pulled out his feathers. So the monkeys, twenty in all, got into the boat, and when they were enjoying themselves, drifting in the boat, another monkey called from a tree, and he and his companions, twenty-one in number, also got into the boat. Many other monkeys called to them, but theLungun would not let any more come on board, for he said that the boat would not hold more than forty-one.

When the boat had drifted out from the river into mid-ocean, it was struck by the waves, and theLungun told the monkeys to tie tails together, two and two, and sit on opposite sides so that it should not roll. The the monkeys tied their tails together because they wished to stop the rolling, but the forty-first monkey, who had no tail and only one hand, had no companion.

When they were all tied up, two and two, the Lungun called, “Bobog, I'm going to fly off.”

“Very well,“ said the Bobog, “I'll swin off too.”

So the Lungun flew up, and the Bobog coming out of the hole, the boat sank. Then the monkeys tried to swim, but could not do so because their tails were tied together. So the fish ate them, and the only monkey who escaped was the forty-first, who had no companion tied to him. As for the Lungun he flew away, saying, “Now you know what you get for pulling my feathers.”