The Panic in the Forest
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.
“The buffaloes told us that an earthquake is coming,” said the tigers.
“Who saw it coming?” said the lion.
“We don’t know,” said the tigers. “The elephants know.”
“The rhinoceroses told us,” said the elephants.
“And we heard it from the buffaloes,” said the rhinoceroses, panting for breath.
The buffaloes heard it from the elks; the elks heard it from the deer; and at last it got down to the timid hare.
“Do you mean to tell me,” roared the lion, “that you have all been frightened to death by a timid little hare? Let us go to the grove of palm-trees, and witness this terrible earthquake.”
When they arrived there, the fruit was still pattering to the ground.
“Now, you see,” said the lion, “what comes of following the lead of the most timorous creature on earth. He has made you all more cowardly than he is himself. You ran away without even hearing the noise that frightened him. Henceforward avoid the gossip of the crowd, and trust to your own judgment.”