end of it. Then his heart felt glad,
and he took out his knife and dug and dug, till the little hole became
a big one, and he could wriggle himself through. And when he had got
outside, he saw a large open space in front of him, and a path leading
out of it.

He went along the path, on and on, till he reached a large house, with a
golden door standing open. Inside was a great hall, and in the middle
of the hall a throne set with precious stones and a sofa spread with
the softest cushions. And he went in and lay down on it, and fell fast
asleep, for he had wandered far.

By-and-by there was a sound of people coming through the courtyard, and
the measured tramp of soldiers. This was the King of the Snakes coming
in state to his palace.

They entered the hall, but all stopped in surprise at finding a man
lying on the king's own bed. The soldiers wished to kill him at once,
but the king said, 'Leave him alone, put me on a chair,' and the
soldiers who were carrying him knelt on the floor, and he slid from
their shoulders on to a chair. When he was comfortably seated, he turned
to his soldiers, and bade them wake the stranger gently. And they woke
him, and he sat up and saw many snakes all round him, and one of them
very beautiful, decked in royal robes.

'Who are you?' asked Hassebu.

'I am the King of the Snakes,' was the reply, 'and this is my palace.
And will you tell me who you are, and where you come from?'

'My name is Hassebu, but whence I come I know not, nor whither I go.'

'Then stay for a little with me,' said the king, and he bade his
soldiers bring water from the spring and fruits from the forest, and to
set them before the guest.

For some days Hassebu rested and feasted in the palace of the King
of the Snakes, and then he began to long for his mother and his own
country. So he said to the King of the Snakes, 'Send me home, I pray.'

But the King of the Snakes answered, 'When you go home, you will do me
evil!'

'I will do you no evil,' replied Hassebu; 'send me home, I pray.'

But the king said, 'I know it. If I send you home, you will come back,
and kill me. I dare not do it.' But Hassebu begged so hard that at last
the king said, 'Swear that when you get home you will not go to bathe
where many people are gathered.' And Hassebu swore, and the king ordered
his soldiers to take Hassebu in sight of his native city. Then he went
straight to his mother's house, and the heart of his mother was glad.