Long ago there lived some hunters who one day took their bows and arrows
and went with their dogs to hunt in the forest.
And those hunters walked very far, looking for game, and they caught
some animals, and then a very heavy rain fell upon them. So they looked
for a place in which they could sit and take shelter until the rain was
over, and they found a very big tree with a large hollow in it. Then
those hunters and their dogs entered into that tree and sat down. Now
that hole in the tree belonged to a large snake, and that snake had gone
out to look for game.
[Illustration: Hunters]
The snake hunted and did not find any game, so it returned home hungry
and annoyed. When it got near its hole it heard the voices of men
talking in its house.
That snake was very surprised, and said to itself, "Who can it be
talking in my house?" Then it said in a loud voice, "Who speaks there in
my house?"
Those men inside were astonished, and asked one another, "Who can that
be talking outside?"
Before they could answer, or look outside, the snake itself arrived at
the entrance and blocked the way out. Then it said, "What sort of people
are you to come and sit in my house? This is my house in which I sit by
myself. Answer me quickly what you mean by going into it?"
Those men answered, "Please, sir, we have come from our village looking
for game. We went very far and only caught some small animals, and then
it rained very hard, so we came in here to escape the rain. We did not
know that it was your house. Now we have nothing to say; we only ask
your leave to go out. If you say 'go out' we will go our way at once."