266 BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. [ Chap. required for the marriage ceremony, Laksmindara fell asleep. But Behula, though equally fatigued, sat near him on the bed and watched him—for he appeared to her asa priceless treasure and she must not trust too much to her good fortune. After a while, Laksmindara awoke and said to Behula, ‘“ My darling, I am very hungry; can you prepare some rice for me ?” Saying this he again fell asleep. Behulg did not know what to do. How could she prepare rice there ? But her resources. never failed 7 her. ‘The plate required for the sacred ceremony contained some cocoanuts; there were also rice and some coloured earthen cups there. She took three cocoanuts and made a hearth with them. One earthen cup was filled with the sweet milk of a co- coanut and rice was placed in it. She took a silken robe and with that kindled a fire to prepare the rice. There she sat, like Annapurna, cooking rice for her husband. At this moment Manasa Devi called to her all her snakes,—great reptiles and venomous adders,—and asked who would undertake to bite Laksmindara. The difficulties were great, and many hesitated; but the snake Bankaraj, whose poison was as drops of liquid fire, came forward, and obeying the com- mand of the goddess, glided towards mount Santali. A mys- All of a sudden Behula saw that a mysterious terious = opening was being made in the steel wall, and a opening . 2 : nad 2 snake entering the room. She took a cup of milk, snake. | with a ripe plantain in it, and offered it to the veno- mous intruder. The snake stooped low to drink the milk, and Behula, with a golden hook, caught it fast and made it a prisoner. While again watching
