Long, long ago, there was an old fig tree near a river, and an old widow who had three daughters to support came to the tree every morning to pick up the figs which had been blown down by the wind during the night.

One morning, however, there was not a single fig lying on the ground, and the old woman exclaimed in anger, "It must be a low-down thief who would rob a poor widow."

At these words there came an angry hiss from above, and on looking up the old woman saw a big snake on the tree. She was afraid of the snake's wrath, and pleaded, "My lord, if you want my eldest daughter, please drop me a fig."

One fig was dropped. She pleaded again, "My lord, if you want my middle daughter, please drop me a fig."

Again one fig was dropped. She became bolder, and said loudly, "If you want my youngest daughter, Mistress Youngest, drop me a fig."

This time the snake shook the branches, and all the figs fell on the ground. The woman gathered all the figs and went away quickly towards her home.

On the way she passed by the tree stump. "What a lot of figs you have in your basket!" exclaimed the tree stump.

"Yes, yes," the old woman replied hastily, "and I will give you one if you will tell the snake, who might be following me, that I never came this way."

"All right," said the tree stump. Giving him a fig, the old woman went away hastily.

Then she passed by the hillock. "What a lot of figs you have in your basket!" exclaimed the hillock.

"Yes, yes," the old woman replied hastily," and I will give you one if you will tell the snake, who might be following me, that I never came this way."

"All right," said the hillock. Giving him a fig, the old woman went away hastily.

Then she passed by the cowshed. "What a lot of figs you have in your basket!" exclaimed the cowshed.

"Yes, yes," replied the old woman hastily, "and I will give you one if you will tell the snake, who might be following me, that I never came this way."

"All right," said the cowshed. giving him a fig, the old woman went away hastily. Then she reached her home, and laughed to herself, thinking that she had cheated the snake.

But the snake was following her. He passed by the tree stump. "Hello," said the snake. "Did an old woman pass this way?"

"I have not seen any old woman today," replied the tree stump.

"Go on," said the snake, "I see a fig in your hand, and I know that you are a liar."

The tree stump became frightened, and pointing with his hand he said, "Yes sir, yes sir, she went that way."

The snake then passed by the hillock. "Hello," said the snake, "did an old woman pass this way?"

"I have not seen any old woman today," replied the hillock.

"Go on," said the snake, "I see a fig in your hand, and I know that you are a liar."

The hillock became frightened, and pointing with his hand he said, "Yes sir, yes sir, she went this way."

Then the snake passed by the cowshed. "Hello," said the snake "Did an old woman pass this way?"

"I have not seen any old woman today," replied the cowshed.

"Go on," said the snake. "I see a fig in your hand, and I know that you are a liar."

The cowshed became frightened, and pointing with his hand he said, "Yes sir, yes sir, she went that way."

So the snake reached the old woman's house, and slipping into the kitchen hid himself in the big earthen jar where the old woman kept her rice.

The old woman came into the kitchen and put her hand into the jar to get some rice. The snake twined his body round her hand in a series of coils.

"My lord," said the woman in great fear, "if you want my eldest daughter, please undo one coil."

The snake did as she requested.

"My lord," again pleaded the woman, "if you want my middle daughter, please undo one coil."

The snake did as requested. The woman now became bolder and said loudly, "My lord, if you want my youngest daughter, Mistress Youngest, undo one coil."

At this the snake uncoiled itself completely and let go of the woman's hand. The old woman realized that the snake would harm her if she did not marry him to one of her daughters. So she said to the eldest daughter, "Will you please marry the snake for my sake?"

"What! Marry a snake?" the eldest daughter replied with contempt. "Certainly not."

So the woman said to the middle daughter, "Will you please marry the snake for my sake?"

"What! Marry a snake?" replied the middle daughter with contempt. "Certainly not."

So the woman said to her youngest daughter, Mistress Youngest, "Will you please marry the snake for my sake?"

Mistress Youngest replied, "Of course, mother, I will do anything for your sake."

So Mistress Youngest was duly married to the snake.

Mistress Youngest was kind to the snake, which was not surprising as she was such a kind-hearted young lady. She gave the snake rice and milk, and when night fell, she put the snake in a basket beside her bed.

She had a strange dream that night. She dreamt that a handsome young prince came and shared her bed. The dream was repeated the next night, and so in the morning Mistress Youngest told her mother about it.

The mother was puzzled by the dream, and so that night, without telling Mistress Youngest, she waited and watched in the dark. When midnight approached she heard a rustling noise from the basket and then saw a young prince suddenly appear. She watched the prince get into her daughter's bed, and then she stealthily took the basket into the kitchen. As she expected, she found in the basket the cast-off skin of the snake, and she threw it into the fire.

At once the young prince came into the kitchen crying, "Give me my skin," and then he fell on the floor moaning, "Oh I am hot. I am burning."

Mistress Youngest rushed into the kitchen , and seeing the prince in pain threw a pot of water on him. The prince was now eased of his burning sensation, and as he had lost his skin he was no longer able to transform himself into a snake again. He came to be known as the Snake Prince, and lived happily with his wife, Mistress Youngest.
The tragic ending

Mistress Youngest and her Snake Prince were so happy that the two elder sisters became jealous. Now they also wanted snake husbands. The old mother begged them not to be in such a hurry to find husbands, as the right husbands would come to them of their own accord in time. But it was no good trying to make them see reason, and they worried and worried the poor old woman until she in turn worried her son-in-law the Snake Prince.

But the Snake Prince pointed out that, as he was no longer a snake, his old snake companions would not know him anymore, and, moreover, not every snake was a prince. The old woman, therefore, had no other course left to her but to go into the nearby forest with a big basket, in search of a snake.

However, all the snake seemed to have disappeared, and the day was far spent when at last she found a snake. It was a huge python who had fallen asleep, and he did not wake up when he was put into the basket.

When the woman reached home the two elder daughters fought over it, so the old woman asked the python, "Do you want the younger or the elder?"

But, as the python went on sleeping, she herself had to make the choice, and she gave the python to the eldest daughter.

The eldest daughter went to bed hugging the basket with the python in it. At midnight the python, who was of course only an ordinary snake and not a snake prince, woke up and, feeling famished after his long sleep, started to swallow the girl from the feet upwards.

The girl woke up and cried out, "Mother, mother, the snake has swallowed me up to my ankle."

"Go on," laughed the mother, "Your husband loves you and is merely teasing you."

"Mother, mother, he has swallowed me up to my knees."

"Your husband loves you and is merely teasing you."

"Mother, mother, he has swallowed me up to my waist."

"Your husband loves you and is merely teasing you."

"Mother, mother, he has swallowed me up to my neck."

"Your husband loves you and is merely teasing you."

After that no more complaint came from the daughter, and the old woman laughed to herself, "Ha, ha, my daughter no longer fears her husband."

When morning came, the old woman found the python stretched on the bed full length and asleep, but of her daughter she could see no sign. However, on careful scrutiny she noticed that the python's stomach was bulging, and she guessed her daughter was inside. She moaned and wept, and asked the Snake Prince to cut open the python's stomach.

"Madam," said the prince, "Please ask one of the neighbors to do that, for if a single drop of snake blood falls on my body, disaster will follow."

But the old woman was adamant. She raved, and she cried. She said that as the Snake Prince was the only man in the family, it was his duty to protect his womenfolk, and she pointed out that she would become the laughingstock of the village if the neighbors should come to know that she had married an ordinary snake to her eldest daughter.

At last the Snake Prince seized a sword and cut open the python's stomach. Blood splashed out, and the prince's hand became stained with the python's blood.

The eldest daughter came out of the python's stomach none the worse for her adventure, but the prince was at once retransformed into a snake. The snake gave a glance of sorrow to his wife, Mistress Youngest, and slowly glided away from the house into the forest. And, although Mistress Youngest moaned and waited, he never returned.
The happy ending

Mistress Youngest and her Snake Prince were so happy that the two sisters became jealous and were always trying to quarrel with their youngest sister. So Mistress Youngest and her prince went and lived in a little cottage by themselves. Later a son was born to them.

One day a merchant ship from overseas stopped at their village, and the prince said to his wife, "Dearest Youngest, I want to become rich for your sake, and so I must go overseas in the ship as a merchant."

He stored in the cottage enough firewood, enough rice, enough dried fish, and enough water to last for many months, so that his wife should not have to go out during his absence. Then he made his wife promise never to leave the cottage until his return, because he was anxious lest her two sisters should do her some injury. After that he went away in the ship.

When the two elder sisters learnt that the prince had gone on a voyage leaving his wife by herself, they plotted to kill her so that one of them should become the prince's wife in her stead. They went to the cottage and suggested to Mistress Youngest that they should go and gather some firewood.

"But I have enough in my cottage," replied Mistress Youngest.

Then they suggested to Mistress Youngest that they should go out together and fetch some rice. "But I have enough in my cottage," replied Mistress Youngest.

Then they suggested to Mistress Youngest that they should go out together and fetch some fish. "But I have enough in my cottage," replied Mistress Youngest..

"Surely there cannot be enough water in your cottage, "said the elder sister, "so let us go out together and fetch some water."

"But I have water also," replied Mistress Youngest, and the two wicked sisters went away in a temper.

The next morning the two sisters passed by the cottage laughing and singing. Mistress Youngest looked out of the window and shouted to them, "Why are you so merry?"

"We are going to play on the swing under the mango tree by the sea," replied the sisters. "You remember how we used to play on it last year?"

"I wish I could come too," sighed Mistress Youngest.

"We don't want you," replied the sister, "for you have become too proud to be our playfellow since you married the prince."

Mistress Youngest had been suspicious the day before as the sisters were so eager to make her go out with them, but now she thought there could be no plot against her as they did not seem to want her to come at all. So she rushed out of the cottage with her child in her arms, and followed them to the mango tree by the sea.

As it had always been their custom when playing on the swing, the eldest sister first sat on the swing, and the other two sister had to rock it. Then it was the middle sister's turn to sit on the swing. Finally, it was Mistress Youngest's turn, and as she innocently sat on it with her child in her arms the two wicked sisters gave the swing such a push that Mistress Youngest lost her balance, and she and her child were thrown off the swing into the sea.

Luckily, however, there was a huge stork nearby who was catching fish with his big beak, and he picked up Mistress Youngest and her child. He took them to his nest high up in a tree on an island. The silly old bird looked upon Mistress Youngest as his wife, and her child as his own child That afternoon when Mistress Youngest put the child to bed, she sang:

Hush a-bye, my baby,
Son of the Snake Prince.

At this the old stork shouted, "Shall I give you one peck, two pecks, with my big beak?"

Mistress Youngest was frightened of the stork, and she sang:

Hush a-bye, my baby,
Son of the stork bird

and the old stork was so pleased that he shouted, "Ha, ha, ha, ha." This happened every day, for Mistress Youngest could never forget her Snake Prince, and wanted to sing out his name.

One day, the ship which was bringing back the Snake Prince passed by the island, and the songs of Mistress Youngest and the shouts of the stork were heard by the sailors, who thought sea spirits were trying to frighten them. They wanted to sail on, but the prince, recognizing his wife's voice, ordered them to drop anchor. The sailors obeyed, and the prince went ashore to investigate. The stork, seeing the prince from the treetop, flew towards him with his big beak raised for a fight, and the prince drew his sword.

Mistress Youngest now saw the prince, and shouted, "Don't fight, but please listen to me first."

So the stork lowered his big beak, and the prince lowered his sword. Mistress Youngest explained to the stork that the prince was her husband, and she explained to the prince how the stork had rescued her and her baby from the sea.

"Thank you, stork," said the prince, "and now I will take my wife and child away."

"No, no," replied the stork. "I rescued her, and so I am entitled to have her."

"Stork," said the prince, "don't be stubborn. You know I can kill you with my sword, and moreover I have five hundred sailors to come to my help. However, I don't want to kill you because you saved the lives of my wife and my child."

But the stork remained stubborn and challenged the prince to a duel. The prince, not wanting to kill the silly old thing, tried to persuade him not to be so obstinate, but it was of no avail. At last the prince asked, "Stork, which will you have, my wife or five hundred medium-sized fishes?"

"Five hundred medium-sized fishes, of course," replied the stork, his beak watering.

So the prince ordered the sailors to cast their nets and catch five hundred medium-sized fishes. The fishes were duly caught and given to the stork, who as once surrendered Mistress Youngest and her child. So the prince took them on board his ship and sailed away.

Mistress youngest now told the prince in detail how she fell into the sea, and the prince was very angry with the sister for their treachery.

"I will kill them at once when I get back to our village," said the prince, but Mistress Youngest, being a kind-hearted young lady, begged for their lives.

"Then I must at least shame them before the neighbors," replied the prince. With this end in view, he put Mistress Youngest and the child in a very heavy chest, just as the ship was casting anchor at their village.

The ship had been seen approaching and the two sisters, after dressing themselves in fine raiment, rushed to welcome the prince. The prince came down from the ship and, with an anxious look, asked after his wife and child.

"Oh, she and her child fell into the sea," replied the two sisters.

"Very sad no doubt, but don't you fret, Snake Prince, for you can take one of us or both of us."

The prince said that the news had made him weak and faint, which was rather unfortunate because there was a chest with gold and jewels so valuable that he ought to carry it himself instead of trusting it to the sailors. "Now I will have to ask the sailors to carry it," the prince went on, "and I only hope they won't run off with it."

The sisters saw with gaping eyes bales of silk and brocade and heavy iron-bound chests being taken down by the sailors from the ship to the prince's cottage, and they thought, "That chest must be a thousand times as valuable as the other chests now being handled by the sailors."

So, out of sheer greed, the sisters offered to carry the chest themselves. "You are so kind," said the prince, "and I am very grateful. Moreover, sisters, you can take the chest to your own cottage, for now that Mistress Youngest is dead I suppose you are entitled to all my wealth."

So the two sisters carried the chest between themselves, and it was so heavy that they puffed and sweated. They refused all offers of help from the neighbors, because they were afraid lest they should have to give them a share of the treasure for their help.

At last they reached their cottage and, no longer able to restrain their curiosity, they opened the box. Mistress Youngest and her child came out, and the two sisters had naught to do but to ask for her forgiveness. The neighbors saw all this through the window, and they jeered at the two sisters.