A timid hare was resting one day in a grove of palm-trees, and a strange thought came into his head.
“What should I do if an earthquake occurred?”
At that moment a gust of wind shook the palm-trees, and some ripe fruit pattered down.
“An earthquake is beginning!” cried the timorous hare. And, starting up, he fled without daring to look behind him. A deer met him as he was racing along.
“What is the matter?” said the deer, catching up with him and running by his side.
“An earthquake is destroying the forest!” the hare gasped out.
The terrible news quickly spread among the hares, deer and rabbits, and they scampered away in wild terror. As they went on, they were joined by elks, buffaloes, elephants, tigers, and rhinoceroses.
“What is the matter?” said each animal in turn, as he joined the fugitives.
“An earthquake is destroying the forest!” they panted, rushing on, and never stopping to see if it were so. At last the line of frightened animals extended across the country for a full mile. All the smaller beasts standing in the path of the army of fugitives were unable to ask any question; they had to race ahead to avoid being trampled down. But as the maddened host was sweeping blindly down to the bank of a great river, which looked like being choked up with dead bodies, a lion came up, and stopped the frightened beasts with a terrible roar.
“What is the matter?” he said to the tigers.