Page 171 - 8th-language-english-2

ThE EaRThQuaKE

- a folk tale

1. The story I am telling you happened pretty long ago. The place was
Not to be republished
close to the Western Sea. There lived a hare under a small palm
shrub at the foot of a bel tree. One day, as the hare was bringing
food to its habitat, an earthhole, a strange fear struck him. ‘If the
earth were to fall to pieces, what would become of me?’ thought he,
©KTBS
almost shivering. It so happened, that at that very moment, a huge
ripe bel fruit fell right on top of the palm shrub. At this, the little

animal jumped straight up into the air, being quite sure that the
earth was indeed falling to pieces around him. He fled madly away
without even looking behind him. Another hare that saw him fleeing
asked him : ‘Why are you running away looking so terrified?’ ‘Don’t
ask me,’ said the hare without even looking back. ‘But why, but
why?’ the other repeated, racing after him. ‘ The earth is falling to
pieces behind us’, said the first hare, still running.

2. So the other fled after him. In the same way, another saw him and
yet another, until a hundred thousand hares were all fleeing after
him. Then a deer saw them, and a boar, and an antelope, and a
buffalo, and a gazelle and a rhinoceros, and a tiger, and an elephant

and all asked : ‘ What is this?’ ‘The earth is falling to pieces!’ was the
reply, so they all joined in the stampede followed by the whole race
of each species. In this way gradually, the line of animals stretched
out over a distance of about three miles.

3. Then a huge lion appeared and he saw the wild flight of animals. He
shouted at them. ‘What is all this? Are you all out of your senses?’
When he was told that the earth was falling to pieces, he thought:
‘There is no question of an earthquake, but I suppose they must
have misunderstood some sound they heard and if I do not make
some great effort, they will all come to destruction. I must save

their lives’ With this he sprang with a terrific speed to the foot of
a hill in front of all the animals and roared thrice at the top of its

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