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 hyaenas in full pursuit uttering great cries . As he turned a corner the little hare cut off both his ears , so that they should not know him , and pretended to be working at a grindstone which lay there . The hyaenas soon came up to him and said , ` Tell me , friend , have you seen the little hare go by ? ' ` No , I have seen no one . ' ` Where can he be ? ' said the hyaenas one to another . ` Of course , this creature is quite different , and not at all like the little hare . '
Then they went on their way , but , finding no traces XXXXX the little hare , they returned sadly to their village , saying , ` To think we should have allowed ourselves to be swept away by a wretched creature like that ! '
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