Then the king called him back, saying: 'If nothing else will satisfy
you, open your mouth.' The man obeyed, and the king spat into it,
and said: 'Now spit into my mouth.' The shepherd did as he was
told, then the King of the Snakes spat again into the shepherd's
mouth. When they had spat into each other's mouths three times,
the king said:

'Now you know the language of beasts, go in peace; but, if you
value your life, beware lest you tell any one of it, else you will
immediately die.'

So the shepherd set out for home, and on his way through the
wood he heard and understood all that was said by the birds, and by
every living creature. When he got back to his sheep he found the
flock grazing peacefully, and as he was very tired he laid himself
down by them to rest a little. Hardly had he done so when two
ravens flew down and perched on a tree near by, and began to talk
to each other in their own language: 'If that shepherd only knew
that there is a vault full of gold and silver beneath where that lamb
is lying, what would he not do?' When the shepherd heard these
words he went straight to his master and told him, and the master at
once took a waggon, and broke open the door of the vault, and
they carried off the treasure. But instead of keeping it for himself,
the master, who was an honourable man, gave it all up to the
shepherd, saying: 'Take it, it is yours. The gods have given it to
you.' So the shepherd took the treasure and built himself a house.
He married a wife, and they lived in great peace and happiness, and
he was acknowledged to be the richest man, not only of his native
village, but of all the country-side. He had flocks of sheep, and