Narrated by Sancho B. de Leon, a Tagalog from Santa Cruz, Laguna. He heard the story from his grandfather.  
Once upon a time there lived a witty orphan whose name was Cecilio. His parents had died when he was six years old. After that time he became a servant of Emilio, a man of wealth living in a very lonely and desolate barrio. The boy was faithful and kind-hearted, but his master was cruel. Cecilio had no wages at all. In short, he served Emilio for four years, and at the end of that time he was given five hundred centavos as a payment for his services. Cecilio thought that he had been given too much: he was so simple-minded, that he did not know he had been cheated by his master, who should have given him ten times five hundred centavos.
 
Cecilio put his money in a new purse, and rushed out into the main road of the barrio to find his companions and tell [238]them of the reward he had received. He was so very happy, that before he knew it, and without feeling at all tired, he had reached another barrio. Suddenly on his way he met two men with drawn bolos. They stopped him, and said, “Boy, your money, or your life!” Cecilio was much amazed at these words, but was also so frightened that he gave up the money at once. He only said to himself, “Well, since I am not strong enough to defend myself, I either have to surrender my money or die.” He sat under a tree lamenting his fortune. But the two robbers were in trouble, because one of them wanted a greater share than the other. The second robber said that their shares should be the same, for they had stolen the money together; but the former answered, “I am in all respects better than you are.”—“Oh, no! for we have not yet had a trial,” said the second. At this they began to fight; and soon both fell so severely wounded, that they died before Cecilio, who had heard the noise of the struggle, could reach the place where they were disputing.
 
Now the boy was very happy again, for he had gotten his money back. As he had already travelled very far, he did not know where he was: he was lost. But he proceeded along the road until he met another man, who said roughly to him, “Give me your money, or else you will die!” Cecilio, thinking that he would rather live than try to defend his wealth, which he would lose in any case, gave his purse to the man. Then the boy went away and wept. While he was crying over his bad luck, a very old woman came near him, and said, “Why are you weeping, my boy?”
 
The boy replied, “I am weeping because somebody took my money.”
 
“Well, why did you give it up?” said the old woman.
 
“I gave it up because he said that he would kill me if I didn’t.”
 
Then the old woman said, “Take this cane with you, and whenever you see him, let it loose and pronounce these words:—
 
“?‘Sigue garrote, sigue garrote,1
Strike that fellow over there!’
“When you want the cane to stop, all you need to say is—
 
[239]
 
“?‘Stop, stop,
For that is enough!’?”
The boy then said, “Is that all?”
 
“After you have recovered your money,” said the old woman, “you must turn back here; but you had better hurry up now.”
 
Cecilio then bade the old woman good-by, and at once ran away to overtake the man who had robbed him. When he saw the man, he said, “Give me back my money, or else you now shall die, and not I!”
 
The man laughed at him, and said, “Of course I shall not give you back your money.”
 
When he heard these words, the boy said, “Is that so?” and, letting go of his can............