|
 |
4. After the meal, the vagabond went into the
village temple and hid behind the clay idols. Before long he saw a glow
of light entering the temple. It was the snake crawling over the temple
wall with a shining pearl in its mouth.
|
 |
5. Once in the temple, the snake put the pearl
aside and started to eat the food sacrifices placed before the temple
idols. Then it began to look for a person to eat. The vagabond very
cleverly covered the pearl with his hat. The snake could not see
anything in the dark and started searching frantically for its pearl.
All night long the snake searched for its pearl in the dark. By
morning, the snake had become so exhausted that it could no longer move
at all. It had worn itself to death.
|
 |
6. When the villagers heard the news, they were
extremely glad. They would no longer need to sacrifice a person each
year to the evil snake. Now they could live in peace and safety. The
villagers asked the vagabond what he would like as a reward. “Just let
me keep this pearl and I will be satisfied,” he replied.
So the vagabond took the pearl and left that village. He had saved
the
villagers from the evil snake and had become their hero.
|
Previous
Based on a traditional folk tale told by Cha
Shicheng in the Western Mountain Lalo dialect (Western Yi), Dali
Prefecture,
Yunnan Province, illustrated by Lu Zhaolin.
|
