Narrated by Pacita Cordero of Pagsanjan, Laguna. She says, “This story is common among the Tagalogs. It was told to me by my nurse when I was a little girl.”  
Once there was a king in Casiguran named Luis. King Luis had three beautiful daughters, but the youngest was the fairest of all. One day the three princesses went to the orchard to amuse themselves. It happened that on that day the wind blew very hard, and they were swept away. The king felt very sad over the loss of his daughters; and he issued proclamations in all parts of his kingdom, saying that any one who could find his daughters within three days would be allowed to choose one of the three for his wife.
 
At that time there was also in the neighboring kingdom of Sinucuan a king who had a brave son named Alberto. When Alberto heard of the matter, he went to the king, and said that he would look for his lost daughters. King Luis accepted his offer. Prince Alberto now began his search. He walked and [292]walked until he came to a large forest where he found two boys fighting. “What are you fighting about?” he said. The one answered that the other boy was taking his boot away from him. Alberto then said to the other boy, “Why don’t you give the boy his boot? The boot is old.” The boy said that the boot, if worn by any one, would carry him to whatever place he wanted to go, provided he kicked the ground. To settle the contest between the two, Prince Alberto took the boot from them, and said, “Go over by that large tree, and the one who can run here first shall have the boot.” While the boys were walking towards the tree, the prince put on the boot and kicked the ground. He was at once carried far away. When the boys got back to the original place, Alberto had disappeared.
 
At the place where the boot carried him Alberto found two young men fighting over a rusty key. He said to them, “Why do you fight for such an old rusty key? You are not children: you are young men. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.” The elder of them answered that the key, if it were knocked against a stone, would open the stone, however hard it might be. The prince took the key from them, and said, “Go to a certain place, and face back here. The one to reach here first shall have the key.” The two agreed, and started away. While they were gone, Alberto kicked the ground, and the boot carried him to another place. When the young men came back, the prince was no longer there.
 
This time Prince Alberto found two old men fighting. He asked them the same question as he had asked the others; and one of them answered, “If that hat is worn by any one, his body will be invisible; he will not be seen.” The prince secured the hat from these old men by telling them the same thing he had told the others. While they were running their race, he put the hat on and kicked the ground.
 
The boot now brought him before a huge rock which had a small hole in it. Alberto put the key in the hole, and the rock suddenly opened. When he entered it, he found a street leading to a palace. He went up to the palace; and when he entered the door, a beautiful princess met him. Before Alberto could say a word, the princess told him to go away; for she said that a seven-headed monster was living with her. “If that is the case,” said the prince, “show me his sword, and I will kill him.” The princess pointed to the sword, which was hanging [293]on the wall. The prince went to get it, but it was too heavy for him: he could not even move it. Then the princess gave him a pail of water to drink. She said that that was the water the monster always drank before touching his sword. The prince drank the water, and then sat down on an iron chair, and the chair broke. The princess now told him that he was strong. Soon steps were heard on the stairs. Prince Alberto put on his hat, and stood by the door, sword in hand. When the monster came up, he thrust one of his heads through a window near the door, and said, “I smell something human!” The prince cut off that head. “Somebody must be here!” cried the monster; but the princess answered that there was no one there with her. The prince then cut off the monster’s heads one af............