The Kingdom of Keboklagan

Part 1. Timoway, a datu of Sirangan, had a wife who was about to give birth. But he wanted to go to other places "to sharpen the tools" of chiefs and increase his income. His wife refused to allow him to go because there would be no one to assist her in her labor. But her husband insisted since they did not have anything to support their child with. So the wife finally consented.

Timoway left the kingdom with Kasanggolan (a datu of lower rank who acts as an assistant to a higher datu) and fifteen of his men. At the seashore, he and his men got into a boat but the boat would not move. They took this as a sign that a sacrifice was called for. Timoway then beheaded one of his companions and after that the boat glided fast over the sea.

They dropped by the village of Sakabandar whose wife was also pregnant. Despite her condition, he also left her and went with Timoway.

While they were on the deep sea, they were seen by Diwata Pegderaman, goddess of wind, lightning and thunder. She invited them to her abode but they refused. Pegderaman got angry and she sent out the wind and the thunder. Big waves appeared on the sea and their vessel broke into two. They all perished.

The boat, although broken and with no passengers, sailed back to Sirangan and informed Timoway's wife of the incident. The wife wept capiously until she felt labor pains. She gave birth to a baby boy, at the same time that the wife of Sakabandar also gave birth to a baby boy.

Part 2. Timoway's son (Taake) grew fast at night and became handsomer at daytime. At seven months, Taake cried aloud without stopping and this disturbed the whole population of Sirangan. "Gagongs" were beaten and so each one came to render assistance. Just then the baby spoke and asked his mother if he had a father; and if he had, what his occupation was, what he did daily, and whether his death was caused by an offense committed by someone. When the boy learned the real story, he was glad that his father had died without being killed by anyone.

His mother later gave Taake the hook and line, his inheritance from his father. With this he went fishing in their own waters. With the help of supernatural powers, he caught plenty of fish. He was soon famous for fish.

But a time came when he asked his mother for better clothes because he had decided to go fishing in distant waters. This surprised the mother since this was the first time he had ever asked for clothes. He told her he was ashamed to have no decent clothes whenever he met some Visayan or Muslim girls.

Thus clothed he ventured out to fish again. This time he drifted to the deep sea. There he saw a fish as big as a hill with golden scales. He hooked the fish but it fought fiercely. It pulled him for seven months. In the seventh month Taake heard the explosions and roar of the big waves. He was then on the deep sea. An eel barred his way. The eel told him to go home for the place was dangerous and added that it was willing to conduct him home back to Sirangan. He strucked the eel instead with his sword and the eel drowned. Big waves came and later Taake lost his balance and fell into the sea. He went down, down until he saw a horse with his hook and line in its mouth. He ran after the horse with his "karisan" (sword-like knife) but it ran away.

Part 3. Here at Keboklagan he looked around and saw a high tower. He ran up the ladder made of golden rungs till he reached the top of the tower. There he saw a beautiful girl almost naked. When she saw him, the lady of Pintawan invited him in and offered him "mamaq". They chewed, and day after day he wooed her. After seven days of wooing, she consented to his offer of marriage and they lived together.

Part 4. The news about the coming of the Suban-on was soon known by two men named Towan Salip Satoron Domatong. Angered, they summoned the people through their gagong to kill Taake and offer him as a sacrifice.

The lady of Pintoqan, who was like a sister to the lady of Pintawan (wife of Taake), advised Taake and his wife to return to Sirangan. Taake refused on the ground that he had not done anything wrong. He wanted to face the datus and explain his presence there. But the people of Keboklagan were already preparing to kill him. So he had no other recourse but to fight, and he did so with his natural strength assisted by his supernatural powers.