“The hare, proud of being called ‘friend’ by this fine gentleman, told how he had deceived the crocodiles. The men laughed loudly, and one of them said: ‘Since you are so clever, it is strange that you do not know the best way to cure your wounds. You should bathe in the salt sea, and then climb a hill so that the Wind Goddess can blow upon you with her cool breath.’
the princess and the hare
“The little hare thanked the strangers for their advice, and then asked them where they were journeying. They replied that they were eighty-one princes, all wishing to marry the princess of that country. She was very rich, and the responsibility of managing her wealth and kingdom was too much for her; so she had given notice that she desired to marry a wise and noble prince whom she could trust to rule for her.
“‘So wealth and power do not always bring content?’ the hare questioned.
“‘They would content us!’ the eighty princes answered. (The eighty-first was not present. He was of a kindly and gentle disposition, which caused his brothers to laugh at and impose upon him. To-day they had given him most of the luggage to carry, so he could not walk as fast as they.) As they started on the way, one of the princes called to the hare: ‘Good-by! And don’t forget to bathe your wounds in the salt sea!’ And with loud laughter they continued their journey.
“The little hare did not give himself time to forget. He hurried to the shore and let the waves roll over him, but instead of making him feel better, the biting salt water only increased his pain.
“‘I must hurry to the Wind Goddess,’ the poor hare thought.
“He climbed the high hill with difficulty and lay down on the top, hoping for relief from his suffering. But the stiff grass pricked his wounds, and the biting wind caused them to throb more painfully. At last he realized that the cruel princes had deceived him, and he crawled back to his bush by the roadside, where he lay with closed eyes.
“A gentle voice roused him. ‘Who has wounded you, little hare?’ it asked.