Gulari once found some snakes fighting. As he came near and looked at them he saw that one snake had been killed. He reproved them. He said, “Go away.”

One snake gave him a charm, saying, “By means of this charm you will hear all things. When the rat talks, you will hear it. When the cow talks, you will hear it. You will hear everything that is said.” The man passed on. He came to the village.

At night Gulari’s wife Wadda locked the house so that there was no open place. All was quite dark. She and her husband Gulari lay down to sleep. A mosquito came to the door. It examined the house and found no way in. The mosquito exclaimed, “They have locked the house very tightly. How can one get in?”

The Gulari understood and laughed.

“What are you laughing about?” asked Wadda his wife.

“Nothing,” said Gulari.

Later, a rat came. He examined the door. He found it fast closed and left it. Then he tried the eaves of the house and got in. He searched everywhere. He wanted butter but he found none. He said, “Oh, where has that woman stored her butter?” Gulari laughed.

His wife Wadda asked him, What are you laughing at?”

He answered, “Nothing.”

In the morning Gulari went to his barn. He let the cattle out. When it was nearly milking time his wife Wadda came to milk. When she arrived the cow said, “Of course you come, but you will not milk me today. I shall withhold my milk. My calf will drink it afterward.” Gulari laughed.

Wadda asked him, “what are you laughing at?”

He answered, “Nothing.”

Wadda left the cow. She returned to the village. Then the calf sucked its mother.

The next day Wadda again came to milk. The cow again with held its milk. In the afternoon Wadda’s child was ill for want of milk. She brought it to the barn and she talked to Gulari. She said, “That calf will kill my daughter.”

The cow interrupted, “What! My daughter will kill your daughter?”

Gulari laughed.

Wadda asked him, “What are you laughing about?”

He answered, “Nothing.”

When it was nearly sunset his wife said, “I shall get a divorce.”

She called all the people. They came to her husband’s place. They seated themselves. They said to the wife:

“You Wadda and your husband Gulari talk. We will listen.”

Wadda talked. She said to the people, “When we lie down to sleep, my husband Gulari always laughs at me without any reason. When I ask him why he does it he hides the reason from me. That is why I object to him?”

Then they asked Gulari, “Why do you laugh at Wadda? Tell us.”

He answered, “Nothing.”

They said again, “Tell us.”

He answered, “Men, if I tell it, I will die.”

They said, “Tell it Gulari! Do not hide it.”

He replied, “Oh, men, I will not tell it. I will surely die if I do.””

They urged him. When he was worn out he told them. Gulari said to the people, “This is the reason why I laughed when we were lying down in the house. After a while at night the mosquito would talk. It would say, “Who is this woman that has locked up her house so tightly?’ Where can one get in?” That is why I laughed.”

Gulari died, as he had said. The people cried. Some of them dug a grave. As they were about to bury the body a certain snake hastened to the desolate spot. It wrapped itself around the body. It stuck its tail in the nose of the dead man Gulari. He sneezed. the people were amazed. Some of them said, “Is it his god?”

Others replied, “Why ask who it is?”

When Gulari stood up the snake left.

When Guklari had quite recovered he travelled through the desolate places. He found the snake under a tree. The snake said, “But why did you tell? Long ago when I gave you that charm I told you it would make you hear all things.”

Gulari replied, “They urged me, so I told them.”

The snake said, “Oh!”

Then the snake gave him another charm, saying, “You will hear the words of the birds which eat the corn, if another bird came near, the first one would say, “Bird! Do not come. We shall be seen. I am eating quietly. This is my place. Let us separate. The field is large.”

After a while another bird would reply, “What! I shall be found out?” A third would break in, “How will you get out? Perhaps they will find us.”

“Let him go.” cried one bird.

“I am not going,” said another. Gulari laughed there in the corn field.

Man always held that snake sacred as his god.