_Igorot_
Once upon a time, when the world was flat and there were no mountains,
there lived two brothers, sons of Lumawig, the Great Spirit. The
brothers were fond of hunting, and since no mountains had formed
there was no good place to catch wild pig and deer, and the older
brother said:
"Let us cause water to flow over all the world and cover it, and then
mountains will rise up." [97]
So they caused water to flow over all the earth, and when it was
covered they took the head-basket [98] of the town and set it for a
trap. The brothers were very much pleased when they went to look at
their trap, for they had caught not only many wild pigs and deer but
also many people.
Now Lumawig looked down from his place in the sky and saw that his
sons had flooded the earth and that in all the world there was just one
spot which was not covered. And he saw that all the people in the world
had been drowned except one brother and sister who lived in Pokis.
Then Lumawig descended, and he called to the boy
and girl, saying:
"Oh, you are still alive."
"Yes," answered the boy, "we are still alive, but we are very cold."
So Lumawig commanded his dog and deer to get fire [99] for the boy
and girl. The dog and the deer swam quickly away, but though Lumawig
waited a long time they did not return, and all the time the boy and
girl were growing colder.
Finally Lumawig himself went after the dog and the deer, and when he
reached them he said:
"Why are you so long in bringing the fire to Pokis? Get ready and
come quickly while I watch you, for the boy and girl are very cold."
Then the dog and the deer took the fire and started to swim through the
flood, but when they had gone only a little way the fire was put out.
Lumawig commanded them to get more fire and they did so, but they
swam only a little way again when that of the deer went out, and
that of the dog would have been extinguished also had not Lumawig
gone quickly to him and taken it.
As soon as Lumawig reached Pokis he built a big fire which warmed the
brother and sister; and the water evaporated so that the world was
as it was before, except that now there were mountains. The brother
and sister married and had children, and thus there came to be many
people on the earth.