Then the Gosain told the Raja’s son, that further on in the jungle he would find a pair of snakes living in a bamboo house; and they had a daughter whom they never allowed to come out of the house; he must fix the sharp shield in the door of the house and hide himself in a tree, and when the snakes came out they would be cut to pieces; then, when the snakes were dead, he was to go to their daughter and she would show him where to find the golden animals.  So the Raja’s son set out and about noon he came to the home of the snakes, and he set the shield in the doorway as the Gosain had said, and at evening, when the snakes tried to come out of the house, they were cut to pieces.  When her father and mother were dead, the daughter came out to see what had happened, and the Raja’s son saw that she was very beautiful.  He went to her and began to talk and it did not take them long to fall in love with each other.  The snake maiden soon forgot her father and mother, and she and the Raja’s son lived together in the bamboo house many days.

The snake maiden strictly forebade him to go anywhere to the west or south of the house, but one day he disobeyed her and wandered away to the west.  After going a short distance he saw golden leopards dancing, and directly he set eyes on them, he himself was changed into a golden leopard and began to dance with the others.  The snake maiden soon knew what had happened, and she followed him and led him back and restored him to his own shape.

A few days later, the Raja’s son went away to the south and there he found golden snakes dancing on the bank of a tank and directly he saw them, he too became a golden snake and joined the dance.  Again the snake maiden fetched him back and restored him to his own form.  But again the Raja’s son went out to the south-west and there he saw golden monkeys dancing under a banyan tree, and when he saw them he became a golden monkey; again the snake maiden brought him back and restored him to human shape.

After this the Raja’s son said that it was time for him to go back home.  The snake maiden asked why he had come there at all, and then he told her all about the Raja’s dream and said that as he had found the animals he would now go home.

“Kill me first” said the snake maiden; “you have killed my parents and I cannot live alone here.”  “No, I will not kill you, I will take you with me” answered the Raja’s son, and the snake maiden gladly agreed.  Then the Raja’s son asked how he was to take the golden animals with him, for so far he had only seen where they were.  The snake maiden said that if he faithfully promised never to desert her, nor take another wife, she would produce the animals for him when the time came.  So he swore never to leave her and they set out for his home.

When they reached the place where the third Gosain lived, the Raja’s son said that he had promised to visit the Gosain on his homeward journey and show him the golden animals; but he did not know what to do, as he had not got the animals with him.  Then the snake maiden tied three knots in his cloth and bade him untie them when the Gosain asked to see the animals.  So the Raja’s son went to see the Gosain, and the Gosain asked whether he had brought the golden leopard and snake and monkey.