Note 5 — II MINGRELIAN TALES MINGRELIAN TALES1 I The Three Precepts

One morning he went out and found on the road a red snake; he remembered the instruction of the clever man and threw the snake into the yard. A week later, the young man noticed that on the place where he had thrown the snake, it had laid a multitude of precious stones.5 It is no wonder that the youth was greatly pleased at this. He gathered up the snake and the precious stones in the skirt of his garment, and put the snake in a nest in his own house. Every day the snake laid him a precious stone. The youth became wealthy: he built himself a fine house, took a wife, and lived like a lord. Still the snake went on laying precious stones, the youth became richer and richer, and gave himself up to gladness. One day his wife said to him: ‘Young man! who has made thee so fabulously rich, for thou wast formerly poorer than any one on earth.’ ‘Who? God gave me wealth,’ said the husband, following the clever man’s advice, not revealing his secret. But the woman gave him no peace; day and night she always asked the same thing: ‘How didst thou become wealthy?—thou must tell me, thou must.’ The youth had no way of escape, she wearied him out, and at last made him tell her all about the snake. Since there was nothing else to be done, the young man took his wife and showed her the snake that laid precious stones. After this, it happened that the snake ceased to lay precious stones; the young man’s wealth began to diminish, and nothing was added to it.