would sink down into hell, and through fear of his enemy, the king had
become as dry and as thin as an old bit of stick. One day the king, in
despair, assembled all his subjects and ordered them to seek out and
kill Nandanbaneshwar. All the subjects said, "Certainly, certainly,
O King," and began to search everywhere for Nandanbaneshwar. Now in
Atpat there lived a poor woman who had one son. On hearing the orders
of the king, he said to her, "Mother, Mother, give me some bread,
for I am going out to kill the king's enemy." The old woman said,
"Do not be silly; you are only a poor boy, and people will laugh
at you. Here, take this bit of bread and go and eat it behind a
tree." The boy said, "Very well," and took the bread. But, after
taking it, he joined the other villagers and went at their head to
seek out and kill Nandanbaneshwar. But when evening fell they had
not yet met Nandanbaneshwar, so all the villagers returned home. And
when the king heard of their ill-success he was greatly grieved. But
the old woman's son stayed in a wood outside the village. And lo
and behold! just about midnight the serpent-maidens from Patâla [7]
and the wood-nymphs came close to where he was and began to worship
Mahalaxmi. The boy was at first terribly frightened, but at last he
plucked up courage enough to ask, "Ladies, ladies, what does one gain
by worshipping Mahalaxmi?" "Whatever you lose you will find," said the
serpent-maidens from Patala; "and whatever you want you will get." The
boy resolved that he too would worship Mahalaxmi. And he joined the
serpent-maidens from Patâla and the wood-nymphs, and all night long
they blew on earthen pots to do the goddess honour; and the woods
echoed and re-echoed with the deep-booming noise which they made. [8]

At dawn Mahalaxmi revealed herself, and all of them, the boy included,
prostrated themselves before her and asked for her blessing. She first
blessed the serpent--maidens from Patâla and then the wood-nymphs. And