23

“Tikgi, tikgi, Ligi, if you want us to cut rice for you, we will come to work with you,” said the tikgi birds, “Because we like to cut your rice amasi, which is mixed with alomaski in the place of Domayasi.”  Ligi said to them, “What are you going to do?  I do not think you can cut rice, for you are birds and only know how to fly, you tikgi.”  But they still asked until he let them cut his rice.  “Ala, Ligi, even if we are tikgi we know how to cut rice.”  “If you want to come and cut, you must come again, because the rice is not yet ripe.  When you think it is ripe, you come,” he said.  “If that is what you say Ligi that we shall come when the rice is ripe, we will go home and come again,” said the tikgi.  Not long after they went home.

As soon as the birds went Ligi fell sick; he wanted always to see them, and he had a headache, so he went home to Kadalayapan.  The tikgi used magic so that Ligi’s rice was ripe in a few days.

Five days later, Ligi went back to his rice field and the tikgi went also, and they arrived at the same time.  “Tikgi, tikgi, Ligi, Ala, now we have come to cut your rice amasi which is mixed with alomaski in the place of Domayasi,” said the tikgi.  “Come, tikgi, if you know how to cut rice,” said Ligi.  Not long after the tikgi went.  “We use magic so that you cut the rice.  You rice cutters, you cut alone the rice.  And you tying bands, you tie alone the rice which the rice cutters cut,” said the tikgi.  So the rice cutters and bands worked alone and Ligi went home when he had shown them where to cut rice.  He advised the tikgi to cut rice until afternoon, and they said, “Yes, Ligi, when it is afternoon you truly come back.”  “Yes,” said Ligi.

When it became afternoon Ligi went.  As soon as he arrived at the field the rice which they had cut was gathered—­five hundred bundles.  “Now, Ligi, come and see the rice which we have cut, for we want to go back home,” said the tikgi.  Ligi was surprised.  “What did you do, you tikgi?  You have nearly finished cutting my rice alomaski in the place of Domayasi,” he said. “‘What did you do’, you say, and we cut it with our rice cutters.”  “Now you tikgi, I am ashamed to separate the payment for each of you.  You take all you want,” said Ligi, so the tikgi took truly one head of rice for each one.  “Now, Ligi, we have taken all we can carry,” said the tikgi.  “All right if that is all you want, help yourself,” said Ligi, “and you come again.”  After that the tikgi flew and took with them one head of rice each.