The party having brought them, showed them to the King and the seven Princes. The King and the seven Princes being pleased with those persons after they had shown the portraits, the King of that city, on the very day appointed as the date for setting out for the marriage, having decorated an elephant for the King and Queen, and both of them having mounted on it, and having decorated seven other elephants for the seven Princes, the party made ready to go.
Then the youngest Prince of all, having placed his sword on the back of the elephant, and made obeisance to his father, said, “I will not go. Should the Princess come after being married to the sword, let her come. If not, let her simply stop there.” Having said this he did not go; he sent only the elephant, and the elephant and all the other persons went.
Having gone there the six Princes were married to the six Princesses. Then the King whose Princesses they were, asked, “Is there not a Prince for the youngest Princess?”
When he asked this, the King whose son was the Prince replied, “There is my youngest Prince. He has not come. If she will come after being married to the sword placed on the back of this elephant, he said she is to come; if not, he said that she is to remain here.”
The King whose Princess she was, was not satisfied with that. What of that? The youngest Princess was contented, and said, “Even a deaf man or a lame man would be good enough for me. Therefore I must be married.” So having been married to the sword she came away with the others.
The Prince who did not go, but stayed at home, knew that there was a pool on the way, and that there was also a Cobra which had charge of that pool. The Prince was well aware that if the people who went to the marriage came there, and being thirsty drank the water, that Cobra would ask for a human offering. How was that? A deity came to the Prince in a dream and told him. Having learnt this, the Prince went, and at the time when they were coming hid himself near the pool, and remained there.
Then all the party having come there drank the water. Having drunk it, when they were setting out to come away, a large Cobra which had been in a rock cave near by, came out, and said, “Because you drank water from my pool one person must remain here as an offering to me. If not, I shall not permit even one of you to go.”
After that, the youngest Prince who had gone near and hidden himself came forward, and saying, “I will stay as the human offering; go you away,” he started off all that marriage party, and sent them to their village. He said to the Princess who had come after being married to his sword, “Until whatever time it may be when I return, go and stay at the palace of mine which is there. There are servants at it. Set the party of them to work, and eat and drink in great contentment just as though I were there.” After he had said this, the party returned to the city, and the youngest Prince went with the Cobra to the cave.
After they had gone there, the Cobra said to the Prince, “There is an ulcer on my forehead. You may go after curing the ulcer. Because of your curing it I shall not require a human offering.”
The Prince said, “It is good,” and continuing to eat the things for which it provided the expenses, stayed there. Twice a day he washed and washed the ulcer, while applying medicine to it, but it did not heal.