Narrated by Pedro D. L. Sorreta, a Bicol from Virac, Catanduanes, where the story is common.  
Many years ago there lived in a little village near a thick forest eight blind men who were close friends. In spite of their [44]physical defects, they were always happy,—perhaps much happier than their fellow-villagers, for at night they would always go secretly to one of the neighboring cocoanut-groves, where they would spend their time drinking tuba4 or eating young cocoanuts.
 
One evening a severe typhoon5 struck the little village, and most of the cocoanut-trees were broken off at the top. The next afternoon the joyous party went to the cocoanut-grove to steal fruits. As soon as they arrived there, seven of them climbed trees. Juan, the youngest of all, was ordered to remain below so as to count and gather in the cocoanuts his friends threw down to him. While his companions were climbing the trees, Juan was singing,—
 
“Eight friends, good friends,
One fruit each eats;
Good Juan here bends,
Young nuts he takes.”
He had no sooner repeated his verse three times than he heard a fall.
 
“One,” he counted; and he began to sing the second verse:—
 
“Believe me, that everything
Which man can use he must bring,
No matter at all of what it’s made;
So, friends, a counter you need.”
Crrapup! he heard another fall, which was followed by three in close succession. “Good!” he said, “five in all. Three more, friends,” and he raised his head as if he could see his companions. After a few minutes he heard two more falls.
 
“Six, seven—well, only seven,” he said, as he began searching for the cocoanuts on the ground. “One more for me, friends—one more, and every one is satisfied.” But it was his friends who had fallen; for, as the trees were only stumps, the climbers fell off when they reached the tops.
 
Juan, however, did not guess what had happened until he found one of the dead bodies. Then he ran away as fast as he could. At last he struck Justo, a lame man. After hearing Juan’s story, Justo advised Juan not to return to his village, lest he be accused of murder by the relatives of the other men.
 
[45]After a long talk, the two agreed to travel together and seek a place of refuge, for the blind man’s proposal seemed a good one to the lame man:—
 
“Blind man, strong legs;
Lame man, good eyes;
Four-footed are pigs;
Four-handed are monkeys.
But we’ll walk on two,
And we’ll see with two.”
So when morning dawned, they started on their journey.
 
They had not travelled far when Justo saw a horn in the road, and told Juan about it. Juan said,—
 
“Believe me, that everything
Which man can use he must bring,
No matter at all of what it’s made;
So, friend, a horn too we need.”
The n............