The Rabbit was a great runner, and everybody knew
it. No one thought the Terrapin anything but a slow traveler, but he
was a great warrior and very boastful, and the two were always
disputing about their speed. At last they agreed to decide the matter
by a race. They fixed the day and the starting place and arranged to
run across four mountain ridges, and the one who came in first at the
end was to be the winner.
The Rabbit felt so sure of it that he said to the Terrapin, "You know
you can't run. You can never win the race, so I'll give you the first
ridge and then you'll have only three to cross while I go over four."
The Terrapin said that would he all right, but that night when he went
home to his family he sent for his Terrapin friends and told them he
wanted their help. He said he knew he could not outrun the Rabbit, but
he wanted to stop the Rabbit's boasting. He explained his plan to his
friends and they agreed to help him.
When the day came all the animals were there to see the race. The
Rabbit was with them, but the Terrapin was gone ahead toward the first
ridge, as they had arranged, and they could hardly see him on account
of the long grass. The word was given and the Rabbit started off with
long jumps up the mountain, expecting to win the race before the
Terrapin could get down the other side. But before he got up the
mountain he saw the Terrapin go over the ridge ahead of him. He ran
on, and when he reached the top he looked all around, but could not
see the Terrapin on account of the long grass. He kept on down the
mountain and began to climb the second ridge, but when he looked up
again there was the Terrapin just going over the top. Now he was
surprised and made his longest jumps to catch up, but when he got to
the top there was the Terrapin away in front going over the third
ridge. The Rabbit was getting tired now and nearly out of breath, but
he kept on down the mountain and up the other ridge until he got to
the top just in time to see the Terrapin cross the fourth ridge and
thus win the race.
The Rabbit could not make another jump, but fell over on the ground,
crying mï, mï, mï, mï, as the Rabbit does ever since when he is too
tired to run any more. The race was given to the Terrapin and all the
animals wondered how he could win against the Rabbit, but he kept
still and never told. It was easy enough, however, because all the
Terrapin's friends looked just alike, and he had simply posted one
near the top of each ridge to wait until the Rabbit came in sight and
then climb over and hide in the long grass. When the Rabbit came on he
could not find the Terrapin and so thought the Terrapin was ahead, and
if he had met one of the other terrapins he would have thought it the
same one because they looked so much alike. The real Terrapin had
posted himself on the fourth ridge, so as to come in at the end of the
race and be ready to answer questions if the animals suspected
anything.
Because the Rabbit had to lie down and lose the race the conjurer now,
when preparing his young men for the ball play, boils a lot of rabbit
hamstrings into a soup, and sends some one at night to pour it across
the path along which the other players are to come in the morning, so
that they may become tired in the same way and lose the game. It is
not always easy to do this, because the other party is expecting it
and has watchers ahead to prevent it.
