376 FOLK LORE 



After eating he gnawed a piece of charcoal, and 

 went and rejoined his friend the Uon. "What 

 have you had to eat ? " inquired the latter, with a 

 suspicious glance at the hare's bulging sides. " Oh," 

 replied the hare, " I have had nothing but a little 

 piece of charcoal." "Charcoal," said the lion, 

 " how can anybody live on charcoal ? Show me 

 your teeth." So the hare showed his teeth, all 

 blackened by the charcoal he had gnawed. Several 

 days passed thus, the hare supported in the mean- 

 time by his grateful parent ; but at length the lion 

 began to feel surprised that, in spite of so meagre 

 a fare as charcoal, the hare grew fatter and fatter. 

 So he made up his mind to follow and see for 

 himself in what the mystery lay. The next 

 morning, therefore, he put his project into execution, 

 and from the summit of a neighbouring hill he saw 

 the hare enter his mother's cave, and afterwards 

 come forth carrying a large quantity of food which 

 he proceeded leisurely to eat. " Ah," said the lion, 

 " he has deceived me, and did not kill his mother 

 after all." So when he saw the hare depart, the 

 lion went quietly to the door of the cave, and after 

 knocking, said in a soft voice, " Open, mother." 

 " How is this ? " answered the hare's mother ; " you 

 have only just finished your food, and you are 

 hungry again." " Open, mother,'' repeated the lion 

 in a still more silky voice. The door was finally 

 opened, and the poor hare's mother drew back 

 appalled at the sight of the lion. " Are you the 

 hare's mother ? " he asked in a terrible voice. 

 " Yes, I am," she faintly rephed. " Well, I shall 

 kill and eat you, because your son deceived me," 



