1) Version in English

Once there was a young man; there were also some girls. These girls all loved the young man so much that they squabbled over him. But the young man didn't love them. All these girls loved him so much and squabbled over him. Then, the young man chose a girl and got engaged to be married to her. When he asked for the girl's hand in marriage, her parents agreed.

There was a girl who loved the young man very much, who was very sad and angry when the young man asked for the girl's hand in marriage. And so, setting a day, the young man and that girl married. When they were married, they went to live with the girl's parents.

Then, because the young man didn't marry her, that other girl said to her father: "Father, I loved that young man very much, I was engaged to him. And now he hasn't married me, but another girl." Then she said: "I will go and complain to the witchdoctor ("curandero, jampeq, layqa"), the witchdoctor will sort him out for me... he will have his soul seized to make him marry me." And her father said: "Alright, go then, go and complain; the witchdoctor will know what to do."

Then that girl rushed off to speak to the witchdoctor. When she found him, she said: "I was engaged to that young man, but he doesn't love me. He married another girl. That's why I want to make that young man return to me... I want to take that woman from him. I want to marry him, I want to live with him. Make him return to me by seizing his soul."

The witchdoctor replied: "Alright, I will seize his soul; if that doesn't work, I will make the River Man drown him... He will live in the water with devils." And the girl said: "Yes, please do this for me. I want to take revenge on him, I want to do him harm just as he has done me harm."

After saying that, the girl left the witchdoctor's house, saying to herself: "Let him do that for me!"

That young man lived with his father-in-law. Living there, he used to go with his wife to bathe in the river. One day when he was bathing, he didn't know what someone wanted from him: that instant a huge wave pressed against him, a huge wave from the middle of the river, he didn't know why. Then a River Man appeared, who said: "Are you young Gabilán?" "Yes, I am." answered the young man. "Now I'm going to take you down into the water; I have been looking for you everywhere. You have to live with me under the water. I live in the water. They call me the "River Man".

"You certainly won't take me!" the young man said. "Now I'm going to shoot you with my shotgun." When he heard this, the River Man was afraid and went away.

From then on, every time he bathed, the wave pressed against him. Full of fear, that young man went to live on his farm ("chacra"), where there was no huge wave. He bathed in a well, his wife brought him water.

Looking for him everywhere, the River Man caught up with him there. There too, every time he bathed, the huge wave pressed against him again. It surged up from the middle of the well... Then the young man was very afraid. The River Man wanted to drown him.

Then the young man said to his wife: "Now I will no longer bathe in the well. The River Man wants to take me with him... he loves me, he hates me. Now bring me water, I will bathe in the house. I will no longer bathe in the well. Bring water in an earthen jar on your head!" And so his wife brought water so he could bathe in the house. That man bathed in his house.

Then, forgetting meanwhile, he went again to bathe in the river. Then, when he went to bathe there, after looking for him everywhere, the River Man caught up with him. A mass of waves pressed against him, and were already drowning him... He waved goodbye to his wife, saying: "I'm going now! I'm going now!" His wife shouted: "Why are you leaving me, my dear Gabilán? Fly! Don't let yourself be taken!" Then her husband the young man leapt quickly towards her. He leapt from the middle of the river. Flying he arrived at her side. And hugging him his wife took him home. Although they were happy, they were afraid.

Such being things, the young man said: "Now I won't bathe any more, I'll stay in the house without bathing."

Then the River Man even appeared in the earthen jar of water. He wanted to drown him in the earthen jar. So, very afraid, the young man said: "Now I won't take water from the earthen jar. Pour me out water into a gourd, to drink. I'm afraid of the earthen jar, the River Man wants to drown me in it."

And so at every mealtime his wife poured water into a gourd. Her husband drank from this. But even in the gourd the River Man wanted to drown him. From then on, that River Man appeared in any water there was, hating him, wanting to drown him even in the gourd. Then, one day, that River Man took him away, he drowned him in the water in the gourd.

People didn't know where he'd disappeared. But his wife knew. Nobody believed that he had disappeared inside the gourd. But really he did disappear inside the gourd.

His wife went to notify her parents: "Father, your son-in-law has disappeared in a gourd of water. I can't see him anywhere. While he was eating, he disappeared completely. I saw it! He drowned in the water in the gourd. The River Man took him away... The River Man drowned him, made him disappear... took him with him... Now he lives with the water devils in the water. Now I no longer have a husband. He was a good husband. He served on me. Those women, those women who hated him, they've done that to him. They had him taken away, in the water, going to the witchdoctors to complain... scheming with them, asking, giving them money... they had him taken away." So that woman was without a husband again. That's how she lived, harmed in every way. She lived with her parents, never again did she marry.