ath directly
they saw her. The little daughter-in-law was overjoyed when she heard
that the snake-princes were coming to visit her. For ever since the
snake-king had pretended to be her uncle, she always thought of little
No-tail and little Cut-tail and little Dock-tail as if they had been
her own cousins. Now it so happened that the very day on which they
were expected at the little daughter-in-law's house was Nagpanchmi
Day. The little daughter-in-law was sitting in the house all alone
waiting for little Prince No-tail, little Prince Cut-tail, and little
Prince Dock-tail. They were late in coming, so to pass the time she
drew pictures of Nagoba, the snake-king, on her dining-platform and on
the wall. When she had finished the pictures, she worshipped them and
offered them milk and food. Then she prayed to the great snake-king,
"Please please, King Nagoba, guard from all hurt, wherever they may
be, my little cousins No-tail and Cut-tail and Dock-tail." And last
of all she prostrated herself at full length before the pictures
which she had drawn on the wall and on her dining-platform.

In the meantime little Prince No-tail and little Prince Cut-tail and
little Prince Dock-tail had come up without the little daughter-in-law
noticing them. But when they saw the honour which she was paying
their father, King Nagoba, and heard the prayer which she had offered
on their behalf, they no longer wished to kill or bite the little
daughter-in-law. On the contrary, they made themselves known to
her and stayed all that day in the house and were as good and as
nice as possible. When night fell, they drank the milk which she
had offered to the snake-king. And in its place they put a necklace
with nine beautiful jewels in it. Before day broke they went away
quietly and returned to their father's palace under the ground. Next
morning when the little daughter-in-law woke up she saw the lovely
necklace lying where the milk had been. She gave a shout of delight,
and putting it round her neck, she ran all over the house showing it
to everybody. And every one was perfectly charmed with it. And the
snake-princes never again came to bite any one in that household. And
the little daughter-in-law and her husband and her father-in-law and
little Prince No-tail and little Prince Cut-tail and little Prince
Dock-tail, they all lived happily for ever so long afterwards.

CHAPTER X

Parwati and the Beggar-Man

Once upon a time there was a tow