He travelled day and night with the flower until he arrived at the cave

ONCE UPON A TIME, there was a cave in the middle of a deep forest near Mount Tadusmadi, where an old woman lived quite alone, for she was an enchantress.  During the day she changed herself into a munsang  (wild cat) or a puvok (owl),  but in the evening she became an ordinary woman again.  She was able to entice birds and animals to come to her cave, and she would kill and cook them.

        If any youth found himself within a hundred yards of the cave, he became rooted to the spot and could not stir until a woman set him free.  If a pretty girl came inside the magic circle, the old enchantress changed her into a bird and locked her up in a strong bamboo cage.  She had ten thousand such cages in the cave, each containing a rare bird that had once been a happy, carefree young village girl.

        Now, there was once a maiden called Umpong-Umpong, who was very beautiful.  She was betrothed to a youth named Babakud, and their greatest delight was to be together.  One summer evening the two went for a walk in the forest.  It was calm and peaceful under the trees, and the fading sunlight glinted on the dark green leaves.  "How beautiful this place is!" sighed Babakud.  "But we must be careful not to come too close to the tombiruoh's (witch) cave."

        They wandered on, hand in hand, and without knowing why, they began to feel sad and forlorn.  In a nearby tree a hornbill sang its plaintive lament.  They looked around, quite confused, for they did not remember their way home.  Umpong-Umpong began to weep and sob, overcome by a strange fear.  Babakud tried to comfort her, but he, too, felt something ominous in the atmosphere around them.

        Half the sun was still above the mountain and half had dropped behind it when Babkud looked through the treees and saw the huge entrance of the witch's cave near them.  He was terrified.  In the last rays of the setting sun, Umpong-Umpong sank to the ground and began to sing:

    "Tombolog Tokoroh Ku Aragang Kopizoh Oh Liaw Limbai. . . . .  Tosusah, Tosusah, Tosusah;                    Lumimbai ehzaw di Kukuruk Todoroh Napatai, Limbai Tosusah, . . . . .  Ohwow, Ohwow, Ohwow!"

        Babakud looked at Umpong-Umpong.  Right before his eyes she was changing into a tuvow (peacock), and was singing:  "Ohwow, Ohwow, Ohwow."  An owl with glowing eyes flew three times around her and screeched thrice:  "Whook, Whook, Whook".  Babakud could not weep nor speak, or move his hand or foot.

        Now the sun had disappeared.  The owl flew into a bush, and immediately an old bent woman came out of it.  She was red-skinned and thin and had large red glowing eyes and a hooked nose which met her chin.  She muttered to herself, caught the tuvow (peacock) that had once been Umpong-Umpong, and carried it away in her hand.  Babakud stood speechless and motionless until at last the woman returned and said in a gruff voice,  "Greetings, young man.  When the moon shines on the pot outside my cave you will be freed."  And suddenly the moon broke through a cloud and Babakud was free.  He fell on his knees before the old woman and beg her to give him back his Umpong-Umpong again, and then she went away.  He called after her;  he wept, but it was all in vain.  "What is to become of me?"  he cried.

        After a while he found a way out of the forest and came to a strange village.  There he took employment as a keeper of buffaloes and stayed on looking after buffaloes for a long time.  He often went back to the cave but never came too close.  Then one night he dreamt that he found a blood-red flower, in the centre of which was a beautiful pearl.  He plucked it and took it with him to the cave.  Everything he touched with the flower in the cave was freed from the enchantment and thus he rescued his lovely Umpong-Umpong.

        When Babakud awoke he set out to find such a flower.  He roamed through woods and valleys and crossed steep mountains in his search.  For nine days he did not give up hope, and on the tenth, early in the morning, he found it.  In the centre of this flower was a large dewdrop, as big as the most lovely and expensive pearl.  He travelled day and night with the flower until he arrived at the cave.  This time, when he came within a hundred yards, he still able to move, and he continued on till he reached the entrance.  Delighted at his success, he touched the great gate with the flower, and it sprang open.  He entered, passed through the main opening and then stopped to listen for the singing of the birds.

        At last Babakud heard their melodious chirping and followed the sounds until he found himself in the middle of the Great Cave.  And there was the enchantress, and with her were thousands of birds in their strong bamboo cages.

        When she saw Babakud she went into a rage and breathed out poison and blew at him, but she could not move a step towards him.  He took no notice of her and looked at the thousands of cages filled with different kinds of birds.  How was Babakud to find Umpong-Umpong among them?  While he was considering, he saw the old ugly witch pick up a cage and steal towards the door.  Babakud sprang after her and touched her and the cage with his flower, making her powerless to work enchantments ever again.  Then the tuvow (peacock) stepped out of the bamboo cage, and became Umpong-Umpong, more beautiful then before.

        Then Babakud walked all over the cave, touching each cage with his magic flower.  One by one the birds were released and turned back into lovely maidens.  When they were all freed, Babakud went home with Umpong-Umpong, and they lived a long and happy life.