The Yara saw that he was wavering , and suffering herself to sway gently backwards and forwards on the surface of the river , she began to sing . The song floated through the trees , now far and now near ; no one could tell whence it came , the whole air seemed full of it . Alonzo felt his senses going and his will failing . His arms dropped heavily to his side , but in falling struck against the sea shell , which , as he had promised Julia , he had always carried in his coat . His dimmed mind was just clear enough to remember what she had said , and with trembling fingers , that were almost powerless to grasp , he drew it out . As he did so the song grew sweeter and more tender than before , but he shut his ears to it and bent his head over the shell . Out of its depths arose the voice of Julia singing to him as she had sung when she gave him the shell , and though the notes sounded faint at first , they swelled louder and louder till the mist which had gathered about him was blown away . Then he raised his head , feeling that he had been through strange places , where he could never wander any more ; and he held himself erect and strong , and looked about him . Nothing was to be seen but the shining of the river , and the dark shadows of the trees ; nothing was to be heard but the hum of the insects , as they darted through the night . -LSB- Adapted from Folklore Bresilien . -RSB- The Cunning Hare In a very cold country , far across the seas , where ice and snow cover the ground for many months in the year , there lived a little hare , who , as his father and mother were both dead , was brought up by his grandmother . As he was too young , and she was too old , to work , they were very poor , and often did not have enough to eat . One day , when the little fellow was hungrier than usual , he asked his grandmother if he might go down to the river and catch a fish for their breakfast , as the thaw had come and the water was flowing freely again . She laughed at him for thinking that any fish would let itself be caught by a hare , especially such a young one ; but as she had the rheumatism very badly , and could get no food herself , she let him go . ` If he does not catch a fish he may find something else , ' she said to herself . So she told her grandson where to look for the net , and how he was to set it across the river ; but just as he was starting , feeling himself quite a man , she called him back . ` After all , I do n't know what is the use of your going , my boy ! For even if you should catch a fish , I have no fire to cook it with . ' ` Let me catch my fish , and I will soon make you a fire , ' he answered gaily , for he was young , and knew nothing about the difficulties of fire-making . It took him some time to haul the net through bushes and over fields , but at length he reached a pool in the river which he had often heard was swarming with fish , and here he set the net , as his grandmother had directed him .
He was so excited that he hardly slept all night , and XXXXX the very first streak of dawn he ran as fast as ever he could down to the river .
as at for from of on over than to with