Hare’s split lip

Once, a hare was hopping along the path when it came face to face with a huge tiger. The tiger seized the hare and said that he was going to eat the hare.

“Please, please! Spare me” said the hare holding up his thumbs in supplication. “Please don’t eat me. I am only a very small animal and will make a very insufficient meal for a mighty creature like you. If you spare my life, I will take you to where you can find much bigger, fatter meal for your supper”

“Very well,” said the tiger. “I agree to do that but if you don’t show me a much bigger animal than you, I shall certainly be obliged to eat you”

The hare lead the way and as they walked along, night began to fall and when it started getting quite dark, the hare began smacking his chops and making sound as if he was eating something very nice.

“What are you eating, brother hare?” asked the tiger. “I am eating my eye” replied the hare. “I have taken it out and eaten it; it is very tasty and it soon grows again”. The tiger was very surprised on hearing that but he was getting very hungry so he proceeded to scrape out his own eye and ate it up.

They kept on walking and after going a little further, the hare again began smacking his lips again. “What are you eating now?” asked the tiger. “I am eating my other eye” replied the hare, “It is even better than the first”. The foolish tiger scraped out his other eye and ate it too. The tiger was now completely blind at the mercy of the hare and the hare lead him along the brink of a deep abyss, where he advised the tiger to sit and rest for a while. After the tiger was seated, the hare asked “Don’t you feel cold? Shall I light you a fire?” “Yes, please. I think the fire would be very pleasant” said the tiger.

The hare lighted fire in front of the tiger and when it was blazing up he kept on adding more wood so that the tiger was obliged to keep edging further and further away towards the edge and then he fell.  Half a way down the abyss was a tree that had grown in a cleft in the precipice. As the tiger passed this tree, he seized one of the boughs with his teeth and so arrested his fall.

The hare peeping over the edge saw what had happened and called out, “Hey! What’s wrong? How did it happen? From where can I get help? Are you alright?”

The tiger was afraid to open his mouth to reply and all he could do was growl. “Oh, uncle tiger, is that all you can say? I am afraid that you might be badly hurt. Just say ‘Ah!’ and I shall know that you are alright” shouted the hare.

The tiger, anxious to please the hare, opened his mouth to say “Ah!” and instantly fell to the bottom of the abyss where he fell upon the rock and was killed

The next morning, the hare went hopping down the path where he met a man driving along lot of horses. “Good morning, dear man” said the hare. “Would you like to know where you can find a good tiger’s skin?” “Yes, brother hare” said the man. The man thought that he could sell the skin for a lot of money.

The hare pointed out where the dead tiger lay in the ravine and the man hastened off to skin it after asking the hare to take care of his horses while he was away. As soon as the man was out of sight, the hare saw two ravens perched on a branch overhead and called them. “Brother Raven, look here! There are lots of horses with no one in-charge. Why don’t you come down and feed on the sores on their backs?” The ravens thought that was a very good idea and flying down, they perched on the horses’ back and began to dig their beaks into the sore places. The poor horses in fear and pain, soon stampeded and galloped about all over the countryside.

The hare then hoped on little further down the path and came upon a boy tending sheep. “Good morning, young lad” said the hare. “Would you like to know where you can find Raven’s nest full of eggs?” “Yes, please, brother hare,” replied the boy. The hare pointed out to him to the tree where the ravens’ nest was and the boy ran off to get the eggs after asking the hare to take charge of the flock of sheep for him while he was away.

The hare soon spied a wolf on the hill-side not far off, so he went up to him and said, “Brother wolf, did you know that there is a fine flock of sheep quite unguarded down there? If I were you, I would have taken advantage of this opportunity.” The wolf at once rushed down the hill into the middle of the meadow where the sheep were grazing. Seeing the wolf approaching, the sheep scattered in every direction but the wolf managed to kill some of them.

Meanwhile, the hare proceeded to the top of the hill from where he could survey the whole scene. From there he was able to discern the dead tiger lying in the ravine with the man stripping off its skin, the horses galloping all over the countryside with the ravens pecking at the sores on their back, the boy robbing the raven’s nest; the sheep pursued by the wolf, scattered all over the meadow.

The sight amused the hare so much that he leaned back on a handy stone and laughed to such an extent that he actually split his upper lip. And it had remained split to this very day.