38. Man And Rabbit

38. MAN AND RABBIT

A man wanted a certain woman who lived on the other side of a river. He looked across at her for a long time, but did not have the courage to speak to her. By and by Rabbit while traveling about met that person. The man said to Rabbit, "I want to get a woman living over there but I do not have the courage to speak to her," and Rabbit answered, "If that is so, I will speak to her for you." "All right," answered the man.

They both started off and when they got near the house Rabbit said to the man, "You sit here, and I will start ahead and speak to that woman for you. If I am successful I will return and tell you and rem habere cum ea tibi licebit. He started off, reached the

p. 114

house, and entered. The woman was sitting inside and when Rabbit came she said, "Sit down." He sat down and the woman also sat down. Both sat talking.

The man who was waiting to learn about the woman sat for some time in the same place. Then he ran over and stood at the corner of the house listening. Rabbit was talking to that woman and he was talking for himself. The woman said, "I am not willing," but Rabbit would not stop. "Anyhow I want you to accept me," he begged. When it got pretty late the woman said, "Well, I shall simply have to take you," so Rabbit concumbebat cum ea. The man saw it, went back in anger, and sat down at the place where he had been before.

When Rabbit came back he said to the man, "I talked for you as hard as I could but that woman would not agree. I could do nothing with her and so I came back." "That is just talk," the man answered. "You did not speak to the woman for me. You spoke to her for yourself. You returned postquam concubueras cum ea." The man acted as though he were going to kill Rabbit, so Rabbit ran off and disappeared.

This is the way it is told.