The Sailor and the Snake

Part One

A sailor was on a big ship. Then a big storm came.

The waves were tall. The ship broke. The sailor held on to a plank.

The sea carried him to an island. He lay on the sand, wet and tired.

Nobody was there. He found figs and grapes, and he ate and ate.

Then the ground began to shake. Out of the trees came a giant snake!

It was as long as a ship. Its skin shone like gold.

The sailor was so scared. He could not say a single word.

But the snake was kind. It carried him, very gently, to its home.

"Do not be afraid," said the snake. "You will be safe here."

"A ship will come for you," it said. "You will go home."

And one day, a ship came! The sailor knew the men on board.

The snake gave him many gifts. The sailor said, "Thank you, kind friend!"

The sailor sailed home. He told the king about the kind snake.