HIS FIRST PARTY.
ALILA was not two hours old before friends began to arrive to see him.
But they did not enter suddenly! That would have been the height of
rudeness. As they reached the doorway, each in turn stood for a long
time on the outside, making many complimentary remarks to Alila's
family. That was their way of showing themselves well-mannered and
polite.
The Tagals, for that is the name of this tribe of people, never do
anything suddenly. They do not appear to believe in surprise parties.
When all the fine speeches which seemed proper had been made, they
entered the little house and came to the side of the new baby. They
made the young mother very proud by the praise they gave her tiny son.
[Illustration: "HIS MOTHER HAD BATHED HIM IN THE WATER OF THE RIVER"]
But she and her husband were not the only ones pleased. There was
Alila's grandmother, who was always the most honoured one in the
household; there was also an aunt who made her home here as she was
too poor to have one of her own; and beside these, there was a lame
old man, a friend of the family, who had come to them for shelter. The
Tagals are so hospitable they will never turn any one from their homes.
As one visitor after another arrived, the little house became crowded.
If it had not been for the high, dome-shaped roof, the air would have
grown heavy and impure. As it was, Alila and his mother soon grew very
tired and closed their eyes in sleep.
"That is good," said the grandmother, "we must let her rest. We will go
out under the cacao-trees and talk, and I will bring some cocoa wine
and betel to you there."
This old woman was certainly not pretty, although good and thoughtful.
As she stood talking to the visitors in low tones, one could see how
short she was. Her coarse, black hair grew down upon her forehead
almost to her eyebrows; her wrinkled skin was dark brown; her eyes were
large and round and, like her baby grandchild's, ever turning in a new
direction.
She was dressed in a short skirt much like those of the other women of
the party; it was of three colours,--green, white, and bright red. Over
this she wore a large piece of blue cotton cloth, cut in the shape of
an oblong, tucked in at the waist and hanging over her skirt almost
down to her knees. No shoes or stockings covered the bare legs or feet,
but she did not seem to miss them.
She was as straight as an arrow, even if she were a grandmother.
Perhaps it was because she had been used to carrying jars of water and
baskets of fruit upon her head ever since she was a little child.
She moved softly about the hut as she got the entertainment ready for
the company. From one corner she drew forth a large bamboo with a grass
stopple in it. This held the wine the guests would sip so sparingly,
for the Tagals are a sober people and seldom drink enough fermented
liquor to hurt them. The old woman next got some cocoanut shells
together. These were the only drinking-cups the family ever used.
But the betel which she now placed beside the other things,--what is
that, you ask? It is not a food, and yet it often takes the place of
food; for a Tagal can work a long time without eating if he can chew
all of this he wishes. It is prepared from the nut of the areca palm,
one of the most beautiful trees in the world. A palm of this kind
grows right beside Alila's home, and, now that he is a big boy, he
climbs the tall tree himself and brings down the nuts which grow at the
top under the tuft of glossy green leaves.
The nuts are cut into thin slices and wrapped in the leaves of a
singular plant called buyo. But, before they can be used for this
purpose, these leaves are coated with lime made from oyster shells and
then folded up.
Alila's grandmother prepared a quantity of betel before the new baby
was born.
Just as she was going out to offer refreshments, another visitor
arrived. It was a friend who had come from a distance, but the mother
and child must not be wakened. Oh, no! that was not to be thought of.
The souls of people leave their bodies and go away while they are
sleeping, the old woman believes; and if any one should arouse them
suddenly, they might never return to their bodies.
So, of course, the visitor, who also had this belief, wouldn't have
disturbed the sleepers for anything in the world. She quietly turned
away and joined the other guests in the garden.