When the Musk Deer heard this she was much downhearted, and fully expected to be killed and eaten without further delay; but she begged the Tiger to give her one more chance, saying that she was fully prepared to abide by the opinion of the third person whom they met.
The Tiger consented to this, and after going on a little farther together they met a Hare, hopping quietly down the road towards them.
“Good-morning, Brother Hare,” called out the Musk Deer; “could you spare us a few moments to give us an opinion upon a point of difference which has arisen between this Tiger and myself?”
“Certainly,” replied the Hare, stopping short in the roadway. “I shall be delighted to do the best I can for you.”
“Well,” replied the Musk Deer, “the facts are as follows: I was drinking just now at a stream in the forest when I noticed this Tiger shut up in a Woodcutter’s hut. The door was bolted outside, and he was unable to come out, and was in danger of starving to death, so he called out to me, asking me to release him, promising me, if I did so, that he would spare my [[18]]life. I accordingly opened the door; but no sooner did the Tiger come out, than he seized upon me, saying that he was so hungry that he had really no alternative but to devour me on the spot. And when I reproached him for his bad faith, he replied that he did not know what good faith was, and, in fact, did not believe that such a thing existed. So we made a bargain that we would ask the first three living creatures we met whether or no there is such a thing as good faith in this world. If they say there is, then I am to go free; but if they say there is not, then the Tiger is at liberty to kill and eat me. We have already consulted two persons in the matter, and they are both of opinion that there is no such thing as good faith. You are the third and last, and on your decision depends my life.”
“Dear me,” replied the Hare, “this is a very strange story, and before giving an opinion on so momentous a matter it is necessary that I should understand exactly how it all happened. Let me see. You say that you were shut up in the Woodcutter’s hut.”
“No, no,” broke in the Tiger; “it was I who was shut up in the Woodcutter’s hut.”
“Oh! I see,” said the Hare; “then the Musk Deer must have shut you in?”
“Oh! no,” interrupted the Musk Deer. “You don’t seem to understand at all; that was not how it happened.”
“Well,” said the Hare, “it is such a complicated story that it is difficult to follow it exactly. So before giving a decision I propose that we all adjourn to the [[19]]scene of action, and there you can explain to me precisely what occurred.”