364 
BOOTCHUANA TALES. 
The next time the lioness went from home, the hare 
killed a second young lion, and continued this practice 
till only one was left alive. The lioness had always been 
accustomed, on her return, to send the hare with the 
young lions to drink ; but as only one now remained, 
he was obliged to bring it back, in order to conceal from 
the lioness what he had done. At length the hare ven- 
tured to kill the only remaining young lion ; but to his 
great confusion, on the return of the lioness, she sent hira 
to fetch his young brothers to be fed. The hare came back 
alone, saying that the young lions, instead of coming, 
bad scratched him and driven hira away. Hearing this, 
the lioness immediately ran in quest of them, when the 
hare, conscious of his guilt, fled to the bushes, and took 
refuge in the hollow part of a mimosa tree. The lioness, 
not finding her whelps, returned ; but as the hare was 
also gone, she suspected his guilt in the business, and 
discovering him concealed in the hollow of the tree, in- 
quired if he had seen the young lions. The hare replied 
that he had not. The lioness retired on receiving this 
answer, and the hare seized the opportunity to flee to 
some place of greater security. He chose to take refuge 
under the wing of an ostrich. The hare, not returning 
home as the lioness expected, she went again in search 
of him. Falling in with a flock of ostriches, she inquired 
of them if they had seen the hare. They said they had 
not ; on which she went to one who was feeding alone, 
under whose wing the hare was concealed, and asked if 
she had seen him? The ostrich gave a similar reply. 
The lioness then commanded her to lift up her wings, 
that she might see what was under them. On hearing 
this command, the terrified hare jumped from under the 
wing, and fled towards the side of the Great River. The 
lioness coming up, and seeing something lying on the 
bank, which appeared like a stone, she took it up and 
threw it, not, as she intended, into the middle of the 
river, but to the other side. This happened not to be a 
