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"All this can be done," said Balatama. "My uncles will give all save the statue of gold, and that I shall give myself. But first I must go to my father's town to secure it." At this they were angry and declared that he had made sport of them and unless he produced the statue at once they would kill him.
All the head men consulted together regarding who should be sent, and at last it was decided that Bantugan's own son, Balatama, was the one to go. Balatama was young but he was strong and brave, and when the arms of his father were given him to wear on the long journey his heart swelled with pride.
"All this can be given," answered the boy. And the sister of the Princess said: "The gifts must be as many as the blades of grass in our city." "It shall be granted," said Balatama. "You must give a bridge built of stone to cross the great river," said one. And another: "A ship of stone you must give, and you must change into gold all the cocoanuts and leaves in the Sultan's grove."
The Sultan and his courtiers were so frightened that they decided to give his daughter to the General, the next full moon being the date set for the wedding. In the meantime Bantugan had been preparing everything for the marriage which he expected to take place at the appointed time. But as the days went by and Balatama did not return, they became alarmed, fearing he was dead.
It was not long after this, however, before Balatama had made known his errand to the Sultan, and that monarch, turning to his courtiers, said: "You, my friends, decide whether or not I shall give the hand of my daughter to Bantugan in marriage." The courtiers slowly shook their heads and began to offer objections.
Then Balatama prepared to return home, promising that Bantugan would come in three months for the wedding. All went well with the boy on the way home until he came to the fence surrounding the stone in the form of a man, and there he was detained and compelled to remain four months.
"If I give you the statue now," said he, "there will come dreadful storms, rain, and darkness." But they only laughed at him and insisted on having the statue, so he reached in his helmet and drew it forth. Immediately the earth began to quake. A great storm arose, and stones as large as houses rained until the Sultan called to Balatama to put back the statue lest they all be killed.
"You would not believe what I told you," said the boy; "and now I am going to let the storm continue." But the Sultan begged him and promised that Bantugan might marry his daughter with no other gifts at all save the statue of gold. Balatama put back the statue into his helmet, and the air became calm again to the great relief of the Sultan and his courtiers.
This made Balatama cry, but he protected himself with his father's shield and prayed, calling on the winds from the homeland until they came and cleared the air again. Thereupon Balatama encountered a great snake in the road, and it inquired his errand. When told, the snake said: "You cannot go on, for I am guard of this road and no one can pass."
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