Atondido Stories
The Spider Man soon grew tired of this strange diet, for it did
not satisfy his hunger to live always on water. It filled his belly
and swelled him to a great size, but it brought him little nourish-
ment or strength. So he said, "There must be good food some-
where in the world; I will go in search of it."
That night when all the world was asleep he took a large bag,
and crept softly away from his four wives and set out on his
quest for food. He did not want any one to know where he was
going. For several days he travelled, living only on water; but he
found no food, and the bag was still empty on his back. At last
one day he saw birds in the trees and he knew that he was near
the border of the Hunger-Land. That night in the forest when he
stopped at a stream to drink, he saw a tiny gleam of light far
ahead of him through the trees. He hurried towards the light
and soon he came upon a man with a great hump on his shoul-
ders and scars on his face, and a light hanging at his back, with a
shade on it which he could close and open at his will. The Spider
Man said, "I am looking for food; tell me where I can find it."
And the humped man with the light said, "Do you want it for
your people?" But the Spider Man said, "No, I want it for my-
self." Then the humped man laughed and said, "You are near to
the border of the Land of Plenty; follow me and I will give you
food." Then he flashed the light at his back, opening and closing
the shade so that the light flickered, and he set off quickly
through the trees. The Spider Man followed the light flashing in
the darkness, but he had to go so fast that he was almost out of
breath when he reached the house where the humped man had
stopped. But the humped man only laughed when he saw the
Spider Man coming puffing wearily along with his fat and swol-
len belly. He gave him a good fat meal and the Spider Man soon
felt better after his long fast. Then the humped man said, "You
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