SIIl().\(;\ FOLKLORE 399- 



Oh." said the lion. "" that's all riglit. We shall soon 

 catch him now. (jet hirn out ol the hole 



So they went into the bush and cut a lonf^ stick^vvith a hook 

 at the end ot it, and they came back, and put the stick into the 

 liole, so as to pull <^)ut the hare, who was in that hole 



They put in the stick, and as soon as they put it in, the 

 hook caught hold ot one ol tlie hare s legs. 



Then, when he saw that the hook had caught his leg, the 

 hare laughed, and said to them, ' Uh, you can do what you like. 

 You will never catch me like this, you have caught hold of a root. 

 Pull as much as you like, you are only pulling at a root. ' He 

 just laughed at them, and said, " Pull, pull all ot you, it is only. 

 a root. " 



Then they took out the stick, and put it in again, trying to 

 get hold of the hare This time the hook caught in a root inside 

 the hole. Then, when he saw that the hook was fast round the 

 loot, the hare began to cry and weep, and ask for pardon. Then 

 they thought that they had caught him, and the lion came to help 

 them, and they all pulled with all their strength, all the animals, 

 t olding one another, until the hook at the end of the stick broke,, 

 and all the animals fell down on top of one another on their backs 

 on the ground. Then the lion was very angry, and he told the 

 hare all the things he would do to him when he caught him. 



After that they cut another stick, a long one, and the same 

 things were done again. J hey caught the foot of the hare, and 

 he laughed at them. Then they thought, " We cannot have got 

 hold of the hare for he cannot laugh when we catch him." 



So they tried again. This time they caught a piece of root, 

 and the hare cried out and wept, saying, "Oh, please pardon me ! 

 I will come out if you will only stop pulling. My leg will break. 

 Please stop pulling. You are hurting me very much." 



Then all the animals came to that piece of stick, and they 

 all pulled as hard as they could> and the hook broke, ar\d they 

 all of them fell backward again on the ground. 



Then the lion became Exceedingly angry ; his first anger was 

 as nothing compared to this. He spoke, and all the animals 

 trembled. But the hare in the hole only laughed at them, saying, 

 *' Do what you like, you canhot catch me. I, the hare, am 

 greater than you all." He did this until they got tired of him. 



Then the lion said, " We will leave this miserable hare in 

 the hole. He went into the hole. Let him stop in it. Bring 

 plenty of grass, and shut up the hole, so that he cannot get out. 

 Let him be made fast in the hole That will teach him to try 

 to play with me 



So they took some grass, and shut up the hole, and went 

 away. Now when they were gone, the hare tried to pull away 

 the grass that was sliutting the hole, but there was so much, and 

 the animals had put it in so tight, that he could not. He was 



