THE HARE AND THE HUNGRY MAN.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 231, 29 September 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE HARE AND THE HUNGRY MAN.

Indian children declare : they can see a hare on the face of the moon, and this is the story of how they imagine the hare came there.

In India, long ago animals were as wise as men; they could speak, and, what is more, they could reflect—which cannot be said of every human being.

There were four creatures in particular —a hare, a jackal, a monkey and »n otter—who were very pious. They lived like hermits in a wood near Benares. They never thought of worldly excitements or selfish pleasures. They gave alms and kept the fast days Hfce good Brahmins.

One evening a poor man came through the wood, and found the jackal sitting on a log, in deep meditation.

"Good beast!" whined the man, ' your charity give me a little food!"

"With joy!" cried the jackal, jumping up. "How fortunate it is that I had luck in my hunting. I will fetch you the meat from my cave."

"I do not eat meat," said the man, and he passed on.

Presently he saw the otter sitting on a stone in mid-stream, deep in meditation. When he begged the creature gladly offered him some fish, but this, too, he refused and went his way.

By-and-bye he encountered the monkey swinging from a bough by one hind leg, deep in meditation. The beggar had hardly begun his request before the animal offered him some mangoes; but the man would not eat fruit either, and walked on again. Last he found the hare. lying in the dewy grass, with the moonlight shining through his pink ears, deep in meditation. "Charity, good sir!" whimpered the man. "[■am famishing." All the hare had to give was grass, and what use would that be to a hungry man? Ho thought, "I will give myself." The charitable animal said: "Make a fire, sir, and you shall soon have a meal." The man made a fire of twigs on large stones, and when they were red-hot the hare threw hirfiself upon them. But instead of being burned lie felt as if he lay on a bed of cool waterlilies. He lifted his head and asked the beggar: "What is this? Kindle your fire again. T do not scorch." Suddenly the beggar shot up past the tree-tops, gigantic in height and splendid in appearance. "Oh, noble little beast/' he said. "I only sought to test your charity. Tt is boundless. I will set your seal on the skies, so that Man may for ever remember your example.'' So saying, lip tore up a mountain and squeezed it till its juice ran out. Then, using its peak as a pen and the juice for ink, ho drew a picture of the hare on the full moon. Tndian children point it out. to each other to this dav.