  Rabbits. Once upon a time there lived a very timid little Rabbit who was always trembling for fear that something terrible was going to happen to him. One day he went to sleep under a big palm-tree and, when he awoke, he shivered and shook with fright, and said, “What if the earth should fall in? What would become of me, then?” Just at that very moment, some monkeys up in the tree dropped a big cocoanut. It fell down with a bang upon the ground. “Oh, dear me! oh, dear me! what a terrible noise!” gasped the little Rabbit. “Oh, dear me! the earth is falling in. Where shall I run and hide?” and the little Rabbit ran bouncing away through the jungle. He never looked behind him to see what had made the noise; he just ran on and on in a panic of fear. Another little Rabbit saw him running and called out, “Why do you run so fast—and where are you running?” “Oh, don’t ask me, for I cannot stop to tell you,” he shrieked, as he galloped along. The second little Rabbit ran by his side saying, “Tell me! Tell me! What is the matter!” “Run, run!” gasped the first little Rabbit. “The earth is falling in. The earth is falling in, and I am running away.” So the second Rabbit ran as fast as he could go. And soon they met another frightened Rabbit, and then they were joined by another and another, until there were hundreds of them, running as fast as they could go, and all shrieking out, “Run! Run! The earth is falling in! The earth is falling in!” They passed a Deer and the Deer called out, “Where are you all running, and what is the matter?” “Run! Run!” they cried in terror. “The earth is falling in! The earth is falling in!” “Oh, oh, where shall we run?” cried the Deer, wildly, for deer are always very timid creatures. And the Deer bounced away after the rabbits. Next they met a Fox and when he barked out, “What is the matter? Where are you running?” they called to him, “Run! Run! Brother Fox! The earth is falling in! The earth is falling in!” So the Fox ran with them. On and on they ran—faster and faster—until they met a Camel and the Fox called out, “Run! Run! Brother Camel! The earth is falling in! The earth is falling in!” So the Camel ran with them. On and on, they ran, faster and faster, until presently they met a big Elephant. He snorted at them through his long trumpet. “Why do you all run so fast, and where are you going?” “Run! Run! Brother Elephant! The earth is falling in! The earth is falling in!” called the Camel. So the Elephant joined them and went madly rushing along through the jungle, blowing a blast through his trumpet and shouting, “Run! Run! The earth is falling in! The earth is falling in!” Presently they met a big Lion and when he saw them all running in a wild panic, he roared in a loud voice three times, “Grr-rr! Grr-rr! Grr-rr! Stop at once, I command you, and tell me the meaning of this!” Now this big Lion was the Rajah Lion and he ruled over all the animals in the jungle, so that, when he ordered them to stop, they all stopped at once, and stood still, quivering with fright. “What is this that you are crying out, and why were you all running in such a panic?” roared the Lion. “Oh, great and mighty Rajah,” they answered, “the earth is falling in and we are running away to save our lives!” “But if the earth is falling in, how then can you run from it?” asked the Rajah Lion. “I see no signs to show that the earth is falling in. How do you know this, Brother Elephant?” “Why, I did not know it myself, but Brother Camel told me,” answered the Elephant. “Brother Camel, how did you hear that the earth was falling in?” asked the Lion. “Why, I did not hear it myself, but Brother Fox told me,” answered the Camel. “How do you know this, Brother Fox?” asked the Lion. “Why, I did not hear it myself, but the Deer told me,” answered the Fox. “How do you know this, Brother Deer?” “Why, I did not hear it myself, but the Rabbits told me,” answered the Deer. “Little Rabbits—little Rabbits,” said the Rajah Lion, “how do you know that the earth is falling in? Who told you this?” Then each Rabbit pointed his paw at another Rabbit and said, “That Rabbit told me.” Finally the Lion asked the little Rabbit who had first told the tale, “Is it true that you are the one who first cried out that the earth is falling in?” “Yes, Mighty Rajah,” answered the little Rabbit, trembling with fear. “Why, Brother Rabbit, what made you say that the earth is falling in? Is that the truth?” roared the Lion. “Oh, yes, Mighty Rajah,” answered the little Rabbit. “I was asleep under a palm-tree and I awoke in fright and thought ‘What would become of me if the earth should fall in?’ Then, right behind me I heard a terrible bang! I was afraid to look around, for I knew that the earth was falling in. And so I ran away as fast as I could.” “Well, little Rabbit,” said the Rajah Lion, “since you started all this running, you must come back with me to the place where you heard the sound, and we will see if the earth is falling in. All you other animals, wait here until we come back.” So the big strong Rajah Lion took the timid little Rabbit upon his back, and away they went through the jungle. When they came to the very tree where the little Rabbit had slept, the Lion looked all about and there upon the ground he saw the large cocoanut which the monkeys had dropped from the tree. “Oh, you foolish little Rabbit, it was the sound of this large cocoanut falling upon the ground that you heard. Now, you see that the earth is not falling in. We must go back and you must tell all the other animals the truth,” said the Lion. “Run! Run! The earth is falling in.” “Run! Run! The earth is falling in.” When they came back to the place where the animals were waiting, the little Rabbit stood before all the animals and said, “The earth is not falling in; the noise that I heard was made by a big cocoanut falling to the ground. I was so startled that I did not look to see what had happened. I am sorry that I frightened you, for the earth is not falling in.” The animals all began to repeat this, and they ran away through the jungle, saying to themselves: “The earth is not falling in! The earth is not falling in!” Elephant heads and flowers. |
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