Barter in Panay

MED A N T N A A TYR DED A V N I W A MAKATUN ING K A M S U TH BRUNEI, IFE L ' S U T A THE D R ENDANGE

ATU D Y B EAD L ' S U HE T T A D S S E O H T ACR D E L I A FOR E C A L PUTI S DAP N I F O TAY SEA T S O T THEM

THE TEN BORNEAN CHIEFS RUSHED TO THE LAND...

BUT THER STOOD MARIKUDO, THE CHIEF OF THE AETAS

WHAT DO YOU SEEK HERE IN OUR PEACEFUL LAND?

I AM DATU PUTI, LEADER OF THIS TRIBE. WE ARE NOT PIRATES FOR WE HAVE OUR WIVES AND BABIES ON BOARD.

IF IT IS WAR, THEN I, CHIEF MARIKUDO OF THE AETAS, SEND THIS ARROW TO YOUR THROATS!

YOUR WORDS SHOWS THAT YOU ARE A TRUE MAN.

I SHALL GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO STAY HERE

CHIEF, PUT ASIDE AND HAVE A FEAST ON OUR RESOURCES. YOUR BOW FOR WE DID NOT COME HERE FOR WAR. WE ARE BUT FOR THE LAND I WILL HERE TO SEEK NOTIFY THE ELDERS THAT SHELTER! GRANT US YOU WISH TO BUY IT WITH HOSPITALITY GOLD.

AND MOST OF ALL, BARTER US LAND FOR GOLD. MAY YOUR GODS GIVE YOU THE GIFT OF PROSPERITY.

ALL MARVELLED AT THESE WORDS, CHIEF MARIKUDO LOWERED HIS ARROW.

give me a hostage as a guarantee so that i could assure that while i am gone, you will not do anything to harm my people now datu, choose your man for guarantee.

How dare he make those terms? Why don't we kill him?

Shall we let one hostage to that chief i hear in there are cannibals.

if we kill him, it will start a war, in which we cannot afford considering our state.

We'll not abuse our privilege to stay.

Among the group of boys on the boats stood one taller than the others. He was palbare. A lad willing to be the hostage.

No, son. I promised your parents that i shall protect you. Now, go back to your playmates, lad. but pardon sire, i fear him not.

If he was not kind he would Well spoken like a scion of a have send us back to the sea. chief. I'll let you go with marikudo.

sire, let me the hostage for the aetas.

Don't you have any older hostage?

palbare strode toward the chief

He may be young yet scion to a chief. Make sure that no harm will befall on this lad.

The kinky chieftain strode away along with the youth palbare.

The borneans suffering while on the sea ended and is now enjoying their life on the island.

Kapinagan, sumakwels wife looked at the sea with pensive eyes, thinking about the missing link that could make here life whole since she was married a guy that is 20 years older than her own.

Why he d idn't me p tell erso nall y?

Maliksi, who is known to you was sent by me to spy on the aeta chief.

With that a dark man dressed in skimpy coin cloth, stood fronting the circle of the chiefs. It was maliksi.

i followed marikudo and palbare. I watched beiind her. I saw an old man that i later recognized as the former i did not fear the words of palbare chief polpulan. When the charming interlude was done, they began to but it made chief marikudo and speak weighteir tainos. others.

I saw nearly a thousand warriors there, twice our number atleast.

what are the black men doing in the guns?

Maybe they had sensed us sir, or they hide, urged by a strategy.

Do you know how many men marikudo could muste in a fight?

And are there soft lemons.

there are thousands butas for settlements i see none.

JUST ONE MORE QUESTION.

IS THERE A CHANCE?

THAT THESE AETAS ARE CANNIBALS AND THAT PAIBARE WILL COME TO HARM?

NO SIRE. THESE BLACKS ONLY EAT THE HEART OF ANIMALS THEY HAVE HUNTED, AND THE YOUTH ARE SAFE.

THIS LAND HAS HUNDTED ME IN MY DREAMS. I SAW IT ALL. THIS FERTILE LAND, AND FLOWERING HERBS, AND HERE WE ARE. I DARE PROFECY

WE SHOULD PAUSE BROTHER. THE BLACK TRIBE HAS THE TITTLE OF THIS LAND. WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

WHAT SUDDENTHOUGHT ROSE YOUR CONSCIENCE, AND IN THIS CASE, THE MIGHT IS OURS. OUR SWORDS WILL WRITE NEW TITTLE TO THIS LAND.

caution is best. If we start a feud now, we shall make an enemy.

Why make him an foe when we can make a friend?

have we grown weak? Let's not listen to bangkaya's words!

YOU GURONG-GURONG, EVER RUSHED WITH WORDS. YOUR TOUNGE THINKS FASTER THAN YOUR BRAIN.

Let me answer I raise to ask some questions. dumalogdon here but, is there a need for Clarify my mind but what if the blacks also trap us with? violence? This tack of dark strategies is unworthy of the maharlika breed.

You hit the vital spot, kinsman let us Not think of the blacks because t hey are strange to us. we nust presume them as friends untilthechiefs show the inselles as enemies

We must build a law for brown and black, buy the mat of amity and make room for our differences. i pledge my word to be Followed that weshall barter and not murder. now, Go, and bulalakaw grant us peace!

We too, thinks that we should make up our minds about the terms go the black people

Dong,go to the boat and bring some food.

Dong hurried to fetch the food.

Let us sit down, sumakwel How does she take this trip?

She’s young she might find this exciting Don’t let appearance decieve you.for i feel so strained

Thank you, my lord.I already told my wife that i will not be joining her.

As usual, you have shown great calmness during this time.

the situation in brunei smarts in my mind. I wish the death of my first wife to witness the fall of the lingers on my mind. Her hateful tyrant makatunaw. touch that i missed. You understand sumakwel?

I do my lord. Our religion teaches i thank you for your us that dead are not dead, they understanding friend. She lent move about us like the air. For me, a rent in my own heart. A she was like a mother. She was my woman's love grows in our confidant. She was the rarest heart. woman I have known.

give your wife time. that is the boon. I ask the gods With your firmness, for me that i should sharp life use also gentleness with my wife. My wife is young - but now, enough of though here love twines round this. There are my heart.U weightier matters that awaits.

Guide us in our settlement, sir.

I even heard maliksi say that things from chinese merchants sail along these coasts.

But what if the blacks betray us?

I have a salakot of gold and my wife also has abatya, pure ore. We could use it as barter.

You and the rest can carry on, you are strong.

Save strong songcuyan and dumangsol for a we sailed they may find a land to match for dreams.

My guess is marikudos's trive wants peace.

good, good, Sumakuel. those will be enough. As for the watch, you order all tge Chiefs to guard. Women and children should aboard. Now, let's rejoin the rest.

sumakwel was busy with his thoughts, thinking about his interview with rishi lakshman.

Holy lakshman, i have come to seek your aid for you can read the future.

Truth has unmanned most men with awful shapes, so do not lift the veil.

I'll help you venture daring one. Now, hold my hand yo you, not for myself, but for my tribe. My tribesman plan my sone because, i, too, am to cross the seas. I have come to seek the high will involved. of the gods.

Your fortune is a blend of dark and light.

Your tribe will later grow to multitude. I see bold warriors pursuing them.

Your face will taste life's bitterness, but find future happiness. Now, all the curtains are closed.

the rishi rose and bade sumakwel leave.

Sumakwels thought drifted to kapinangan.

His young and lovely wife.

so, i will experience bitter happenings but can't i taste what he can't see? Shall i be less than what I am more?

young sumakwel fell inlove once, but later on, the young princess died.

Kapinangan could be that princess but he doesn't feel anything towards her.

But he stop thinking of these things for he half pressing works at hand.

that night amonh the watchmen, there was gurong-gurong, a great sumakwels guide

Well, too bad for guronggurong. He is B etter to Man, that surely not as pay gold brilliant as than pay with was some plan. his maste r. lives.

AS GURONGGURONG PEERED THROUGH THE NIGHT, HIS THOUGHTS WERE FULL OF ENVY TOWARDS SUMAKWEL

it could have worked.

The watchmens talked about the days debate. It centered on gurong-gurong.

once in a hunt, sumakwel cast his fear but instead of killing the boar, he missed and killed the wolf. The boar started to attack him.

In marikudo’s house, the fiders sat. They waited for their honored chief to speak.

Gurong-gurong saved him by throwing his spear but it seems like the chief forgot his gratitude. it was short lived

In that time gurong-gurong plotted against sumakwel. He was going to steal his wife!

I call this council to state the foreigner’s desire. Now, i want many your frank thought areHow they sire? about this matter are they armed?

Good question. I saw ten huge ships and six hundred men. All i saw was their sword as for their height, i merely reach tehm!

That may not be easy as it sounds. I warn you of the consequences.

Afraid of taller men, chief? We can attack them in cover of the night.

MARIKUDO'S FATHER PULPULAN, DIED BECAUSE OF WHAT GIRUM SAID. MY FATHER SPOKE THE TRUTH BEFORE HE DIED.

Have mercy on us, our lord!

BURY MY FATHER WITH RITES. LET GIRUM BE PECKED

BY DOGS AND CROWD, AND KIDLAT AND BALUT TO DEATH.

FOR THEY DRAW THEIR KNIVES AT THEIR LORD.

You have begged mercy yet you tried to kill me. braves whip them full of stripes.

Now, let us give proper burial to the dead.

KAPINANGAN COMPARED HER UPTIGHT HUSBAND AND YOUNG GURONG-GURONG. UPON THINKING ABOUT THE RASCAL, SHE WAS JOINED BY THE OTHER WOMEN

WHAT A LOVELY BROOCH COUSIN IT MATCHES YOUR EYES

KAPINANGAN SUDDENLY FELT SHY AND DROPPED HER EYES

Chief, i suggest that we should barter land for this land is too big.

The strangers will

surely multiply.

What will happen when the food is scarce, uran?

ue r t e b E t H h T g i O m T d s i E s a C e s c A um ee ac PE r i R g E r T f t R e a Wh e hav US BA Why sell to strangers w T t E u L when we also need this b O S land?

SEA why give up a paradise

without a fight? hunger sparks us later on!

Girum and balud you mean well but those strangers come in peace. we should show them hospitality Old age had made you a coward, sire. let us plan ambush!

Your eyes are bright today, my dear kapinangan; and , wow, those pearls! My brother must have givenyou quite a night.

The chat ended when the guards announced paibares return.

Thanks god that you’re safe.

I am safe and seen a lot, sire I have a news. chief marikudo promises to grant our wish in exchange for gold.

This was confirmed by the messenger and said that marikudo wants for the bornean’s to take in peace.

Say to your mighty chief thaT I accept and we are all un-armed.

You are agreeable but my people wish an outlet to the sea.

The blacks and the browns mingled as they have a fest.

Chief marikudo. we wish to live here peacefully to barter for gold.

The aetas were served of the large batya and ask of pinangpangan’s necklace.

King marikudo told his life story. How his mom died from laboand how he killed his first boar.

after chief marikudo tell his life story, it was datu puti’s turn to tell. he told the aeta chief about the adventures and why they flee from brunei.it was because of the bloodthirsty Tyrant makatunaw.

Sumakwel and kapinangan got closer and started something intimate, although kapinangan thoughts are still on the rascal.