Every morning each hyaena thought to himself , ` To-day he is certain to eat me ; ' but several days went by , and they were all still alive . At length , one evening , the little hare , looking round for something to amuse him , noticed a great pot full of boiling water , so he strolled up to one of the hyaenas and said , ` Go and get in . ' The hyaena dared not disobey , and in a few minutes was scalded to death . Then the little hare went the round of the village , saying to every hyaena he met , ` Go and get into the boiling water , ' so that in a little while there was hardly a male left in the village . One day all the hyaenas that remained alive went out very early into the fields , leaving only one little daughter at home . The little hare , thinking he was all alone , came into the enclosure , and , wishing to feel what it was like to be a hare again , threw off Big Lion 's skin , and began to jump and dance , singing -- I am just the little hare , the little hare , the little hare ; I am just the little hare who killed the great hyaenas . The little hyaena gazed at him in surprise , saying to herself , ` What ! was it really this tiny beast who put to death all our best people ? ' when suddenly a gust of wind rustled the reeds that surrounded the enclosure , and the little hare , in a fright , hastily sprang back into Big Lion 's skin . When the hyaenas returned to their homes the little hyaena said to her father : ` Father , our tribe has very nearly been swept away , and all this has been the work of a tiny creature dressed in the lion 's skin . ' But her father answered , ` Oh , my dear child , you do n't know what you are talking about . ' She replied , ` Yes , father , it is quite true . I saw it with my own eyes . ' The father did not know what to think , and told one of his friends , who said , ` To-morrow we had better keep watch ourselves . ' And the next day they hid themselves and waited till the little hare came out of the royal hut . He walked gaily towards the enclosure , threw off , Big Lion 's skin , and sang and danced as before -- I am just the little hare , the little hare , the little hare , I am just the little hare , who killed the great hyaenas . That night the two hyaenas told all the rest , saying , ` Do you know that we have allowed ourselves to be trampled on by a wretched creature with nothing of the lion about him but his skin ? ' When supper was being cooked that evening , before they all went to bed , the little hare , looking fierce and terrible in Big Lion 's skin , said as usual to one of the hyaenas ` Go and get into the boiling water . ' But the hyaena never stirred . There was silence for a moment ; then a hyaena took a stone , and flung it with all his force against the lion 's skin .
The little hare jumped out through the mouth with a single spring , and fled away like lightning , all the XXXXX in full pursuit uttering great cries .
day days evening hyaena hyaenas left minutes morning night reeds