37. Man and Rabbit

37. MAN AND RABBIT (71)

Rabbit ate some vegetables in a garden but the owner did not know it was he. The master of the garden thought, "I will watch and find out who it is." So he sat watching in the field and saw Rabbit follow along the rows eating peas. The master of the field saw him going about eating. He was very angry with Rabbit and thought, "I will kill him." He sat watching him eat, and when day came saw him start off. Then he ran quickly, circled around, and came back toward him.

When Rabbit saw the man coming he kneeled down beside a big tree. He was bracing himself against it. Then the man came up and said, "I am going to kill you, Rabbit, for you have been eating out of my garden." Rabbit answered, "You can kill me but you will die also. This tree standing here braces up the earth and is going to fall down. If it falls they say the earth, the sky, and everything will be wiped out and disappear. I am standing here bracing it. I said, 'Go and get some other people to help us brace it.' So several started off and I am standing here holding the tree. Therefore, if you kill me, the earth and the sky together, and all things will pass away."

The man looked up at the tree and the sky appeared to him low as if it were going to fall. He looked closely. The tree appeared to touch the sky. The tree looked as if it were still lower and about to fall. When he saw that the man ran away. Then Rabbit let go of the trunk and ran off also.

This is how they tell it.