wonderful power of the leaves might also be exercised upon a human
being.

So he picked up the leaves and laid one of them on the mouth and the
other two on the eyes of the dead woman. And scarcely had he done this,
before the blood began to circulate in her veins, then it mounted and
brought colour back to her white face. Then she drew her breath, opened
her eyes, and said, 'Ah! where am I?' 'You are with me, dear lady,' he
answered, and told her all that had happened, and how he had brought her
to life again. He then gave her some wine and bread, and when all her
strength had returned she got up, and they went to the door and knocked
and called so loudly that the guards heard them, and told the King. The
King came himself to open the door, and there he found both happy and
well, and he rejoiced with them that now all trouble was over. But the
young King gave the three snake-leaves to a servant, saying to him,
'Keep them carefully for me, and always carry them with you; who knows
but that they may help us in a time of need!'

[Illustration]

It seemed, however, as if a change had come over the young Queen after
she had been restored to life, and as if all her love for her husband
had faded from her heart. Some time afterwards, when he wanted to take a
journey over the sea to his old father, and they were on board the ship,
she forgot the great love and faithfulness he had shown her and how he
had saved her from death, and fell in love with the captain. And one day
when the young King was lying asleep, she called the captain to her, and
seized the head of the sleeping King and made him take his feet, and
together they threw him into the sea. When they had done this wicked
deed, she said to him, 'Now let us go home and say that he died on the
journey. I will praise you so much to my father that he will marry me to
you and make you the heir to the throne.' But the faithful servant, who
had seen everything, let down a little boat into the sea, unobserved by
them, and rowed after his master while the traitors sailed on. He took
the drowned man out of the water, and with the help of the three
snake-leaves which he carried with him, placing them on his mouth and
eyes, he brought him to life again.

They both rowed as hard as they could night and day, and their little
boat went so quickly that they reached the old King before the other two
did. He was much astonished to see them come back alone, and asked what
had happene