One day Soongoo'ra, the hare, roaming through the forest in search
of food, glanced up through the boughs of a very large calabash tree,
and saw that a great hole in the upper part of the trunk was inhabited
by bees; thereupon he returned to town in search of some one to go
with him and help to get the honey.
As he was passing the house of Boo'koo, the big rat, that worthy
gentleman invited him in. So he went in, sat down, and remarked:
"My father has died, and has left me a hive of honey. I would like
you to come and help me to eat it."
Of course Bookoo jumped at the offer, and he and the hare started
off immediately.
When they arrived at the great calabash tree, Soongoora pointed out
the bees' nest and said, "Go on; climb up." So, taking some straw with
them, they climbed up to the nest, lit the straw, smoked out the bees,
put out the fire, and set to work eating the honey.
In the midst of the feast, who should appear at the foot of the tree
but Sim'ba, the lion? Looking up, and seeing them eating, he asked,
"Who are you?"
Then Soongoora whispered to Bookoo, "Hold your tongue; that old
fellow is crazy." But in a very little while Simba roared out angrily:
"Who are you, I say? Speak, I tell you!" This made Bookoo so scared
that he blurted out, "It's only us!"
Upon this the hare said to him: "You just wrap me up in this straw,
call to the lion to keep out of the way, and then throw me down. Then
you'll see what will happen."
So Bookoo, the big rat, wrapped Soongoora, the hare, in the straw,
and then called to Simba, the lion, "Stand back; I'm going to throw
this straw down, and then I'll come down myself." When Simba stepped
back out of the way, Bookoo threw down the straw, and as it lay on the
ground Soongoora crept out and ran away while the lion was looking up.
After waiting a minute or two, Simba roared out, "Well, come down,
I say!" and, there being no help for it, the big rat came down.
As soon as he was within reach, the lion caught hold of him, and asked,
"Who was up there with you?"
"Why," said Bookoo, "Soongoora, the hare. Didn't you see him when I
threw him down?"
"Of course I didn't see him," replied the lion, in an incredulous
tone, and, without wasting further time, he ate the big rat, and then
searched around for the hare, but could not find him.
Three days later, Soongoora called on his acquaintance, Ko'bay,
the tortoise, and said to him, "Let us go and eat some honey."
"Whose honey?" inquired Kobay, cautiously.
"My father's," Soongoora replied.
"Oh, all right; I'm with you," said the tortoise, eagerly; and away
they went.
When they arrived at the great calabash tree they climbed up with
their straw, smoked out the bees, sat down, and began to eat.
Just then Mr. Simba, who owned the honey, came out again, and,
looking up, inquired, "Who are you, up there?"
Soongoora whispered to Kobay, "Keep quiet;" but when the lion repeated
his question angrily, Kobay became suspicious, and said: "I will
speak. You told me this honey was yours; am I right in suspecting
that it belongs to Simba?"
So, when the lion asked again, "Who are you?" he answered, "It's only
us." The lion said, "Come down, then;" and the tortoise answered,
"We're coming."
Now, Simba had been keeping an eye open for Soongoora since the day
he caught Bookoo, the big rat, and, suspecting that he was up there
with Kobay, he said to himself, "I've got him this time, sure."
Seeing that they were caught again, Soongoora said to the tortoise:
"Wrap me up in the straw, tell Simba to stand out of the way, and then
throw me down. I'll wait for you below. He can't hurt you, you know."
"All right," said Kobay; but while he was wrapping the hare up he
said to himself: "This fellow wants to run away, and leave me to
bear the lion's anger. He shall get caught first." Therefore, when he
had bundled him up, he called out, "Soongoora is coming!" and threw
him down.
So Simba caught the hare, and, holding him with his paw, said, "Now,
what shall I do with you?" The hare replied, "It's of no use for you
to try to eat me; I'm awfully tough." "What would be the best thing
to do with you, then?" asked Simba.
"I think," said Soongoora, "you should take me by the tail, whirl
me around, and knock me against the ground. Then you may be able to
eat me."
So the lion, being deceived, took him by the tail and whirled him
around, but just as he was going to knock him on the ground he slipped
out of his grasp and ran away, and Simba had the mortification of
losing him again.
Angry and disappointed, he turned to the tree and called to Kobay,
"You come down, too."
When the tortoise reached the ground, the lion said, "You're pretty
hard; what can I do to make you eatable?"
"Oh, that's easy," laughed Kobay; "just put me in the mud and rub my
back with your paw until my shell comes off."
Immediately on hearing this, Simba carried Kobay to the water, placed
him in the mud, and began, as he supposed, to rub his back; but the
tortoise had slipped away, and the lion continued rubbing on a piece
of rock until his paws were raw. When he glanced down at them he saw
they were bleeding, and, realizing that he had again been outwitted,
he said, "Well, the hare has done me to-day, but I'll go hunting now
until I find him."
So Simba, the lion, set out immediately in search of Soongoora,
the hare, and as he went along he inquired of every one he met,
"Where is the house of Soongoora?" But each person he asked answered,
"I do not know." For the hare had said to his wife, "Let us remove
from this house." Therefore the folks in that neighborhood had no
knowledge of his whereabouts. Simba, however, went along, continuing
his inquiries, until presently one answered, "That is his house on
the top of the mountain."
Without loss of time the lion climbed the mountain, and soon arrived at
the place indicated, only to find that there was no one at home. This,
however, did not trouble him; on the contrary, saying to himself, "I'll
hide myself inside, and when Soongoora and his wife come home I'll eat
them both," he entered the house and lay down, awaiting their arrival.
Pretty soon along came the hare with his wife, not thinking of any
danger; but he very soon discovered the marks of the lion's paws
on the steep path. Stopping at once, he said to Mrs. Soongoora:
"You go back, my dear. Simba, the lion, has passed this way, and I
think he must be looking for me."