'THE WHITE HARE AND THE CROCODILES' JAPNESE FAIRY TALES FOR KIDS

THE WHITE HARE AND THE CROCODILES


Long, long ago. when all the animals could talk, there lived in the
province of Inaba in Japan, a little white hare. His home was on the
island of Oki, and just across the sea was the mainland of Inaba.

Now the hare wanted very much to cross over to Inaba. Day after day
he would go out and sit on the shore and look longingly over the
water in the direction of Inaba. and day after day he hoped to find
some way of getting across.

One day as usual, the hare was standing on the beach, looking
towards the mainland across the water, when he saw a great crocodile
swimming near the island.

"This is very lucky!" thought the hare. "Now I shall be able to get
my wish. I will ask the crocodile to carry me across the sea!"

But he was doubtful whether the crocodile would consent to do what
wanted. So he thought instead of asking a favor he would try to get
what he wanted by a trick.

So with a loud voice he called to the crocodile, and said:

"Oh, Mr. Crocodile, isn't it a lovely day?"

The crocodile, who had come out all by itself that day to enjoy the
bright sunshine, was just beginning to feel a bit lonely when the
hare's cheerful greeting broke the silence. The crocodile swam
nearer the shore, very pleased to hear some one speak.

"I wonder who it was that spoke to me just now! Was it you, Mr.
Hare? You must be very lonely all by yourself!"

"Oh, no, I am not at all lonely," said the hare, "but as it was such
a fine day I came out here to enjoy myself. Won't you stop and play
with me a little while?"

The crocodile came out of the sea and sat on the shore, and the two
played together for some time. Then the hare said:

"Mr. Crocodile, you live in the sea and I live on this island, and
we do not often meet, so I know very little about you. Tell me, do
you think the number of your company is greater than mine?"

"Of course, there are more crocodiles than hares," answered the
crocodile. "Can you not see that for yourself? You live on this
small island, while I live in the sea, which spreads through all
parts of the world, so if I call together all the crocodiles who
dwell in the sea you hares will be as nothing compared to us!" The
crocodile was very conceited.

The hare, who meant to play a trick on the crocodile, said:

"Do you think it possible for you to call up enough crocodiles to
form a line from this island across the sea to Inaba?"

The crocodile thought for a moment and then answered:

"Of course, it is possible."

"Then do try," said the artful hare, "and I will count the number
from here!"

The crocodile, who was very simple-minded, and who hadn't the least
idea that the hare intended to play a trick on him, agreed to do
what the hare asked, and said:

"Wait a little while I go back into the sea and call my company
together!"

The crocodile plunged into the sea and was gone for some time. The
hare, meanwhile, waited patiently on the shore. At last the
crocodile appeared, bringing with him a large number of other
crocodiles.

"Look, Mr. Hare!" said the crocodile, "it is nothing for my friends
to form a line between here and Inaba. There are enough crocodiles
to stretch from here even as far as China or India. Did you ever see
so many crocodiles?"

Then the whole company of crocodiles arranged themselves in the
water so as to form a bridge between the Island of Oki and the
mainland of Inaba. When the hare saw the bridge of crocodiles, he
said:

"How splendid! I did not believe this was possible. Now let me count
you all! To do this, however, with your permission, I must walk over
on your backs to the other side, so please be so good as not to
move, or else I shall fall into the sea and be drowned!"

So the hare hopped off the island on to the strange bridge of
crocodiles, counting as he jumped from one crocodile's back to the
other:

"Please keep quite still, or I shall not be able to count. One, two,
three, four, five, six. seven, eight, nine--"

Thus the cunning hare walked right across to the mainland of Inaba.
Not content with getting his wish, he began to jeer at the
crocodiles instead of thanking them, and said, as he leapt off the
last one's back:

"Oh! you stupid crocodiles, now I have done with you!"

And he was just about to run away as fast as he could. But he did
not escape so easily, for so soon as the crocodiles understood that
this was a trick played upon them by the hare so as to enable him to
cross the sea, and that the hare was now laughing at them for their
stupidity, they became furiously angry and made up their minds to
take revenge. So some of them ran after the hare and caught him.
Then they all surrounded the poop little animal and pulled out all
his fur. He cried out loudly and entreated them to spare him, but
with each tuft of fur they pulled out they said:

"Serve you right!"

When the crocodiles had pulled out the last bit of fur, they threw
the poor hare on the beach, and all swam away laughing at what they
had done.

The hare was now in a pitiful plight, all his beautiful white fur
had been pulled out, and his bare little body was quivering with
pain and bleeding all over. He could hardly move, and all he could
do was to lie on the beach quite helpless and weep over the
misfortune that had befallen him. Notwithstanding that it was his
own fault that had brought all this misery and suffering upon the
white hare of Inaba, any one seeing the poor little creature could
not help feeling sorry for him in his sad condition, for the
crocodiles had been very cruel in their revenge.

Just at this time a number of men, who looked like King's sons,
happened to pass by, and seeing the hare lying on the beach crying,
stopped and asked what was the matter.

The hare lifted up his head from between his paws, and answered
them, saying:

"I had a fight with some crocodiles, but I was beaten, and they
pulled out all my fur and left me to suffer here--that is why I am
crying."

Now one of these young men had a bad and spiteful disposition. But
he feigned kindness, and said to the hare:

"I feel very sorry for you. If you will only try it, I know of a
remedy which will cure your sore body. Go and bathe yourself in the
sea, and then come and sit in the wind. This will make your fur grow
again, and you will be just as you were before."

Then all the young men passed on. The hare was very pleased,
thinking that he had found a cure. He went and bathed in the sea and
then came out and sat where the wind could blow upon him.

But as the wind blew and dried him, his skin became drawn and
hardened, and the salt increased the pain so much that he rolled on
the sand in his agony and cried aloud.

Just then another King's son passed by, carrying a great bag on his
back. He saw the hare, and stopped and asked why he was crying so
loudly.

But the poor hare, remembering that he had been deceived by one very
like the man who now spoke to him, did not answer, but continued to
cry.

But this man had a kind heart, and looked at the hare very
pityingly, and said:

"You poor thing! I see that your fur is all pulled out and that your
skin is quite bare. Who can have treated you so cruelly?"

When the hare heard these kind words he felt very grateful to the
man, and encouraged by his gentle manner the hare told him all that
had befallen him. The little animal hid nothing from his friend, but
told him frankly how he had played a trick on the crocodiles and how
he had come across the bridge they had made, thinking that he wished
to count their number: how he had jeered at them for their
stupidity, and then how the crocodiles had revenged themselves on
him. Then he went on to say how he had been deceived by a party of
men who looked very like his kind friend: and the hare ended his
long tale of woe by begging the man to give him some medicine that
would cure him and make his fur grow again.

When the hare had finished his story, the man was full of pity
towards him, and said:

"I am very sorry for all you have suffered, but remember, it was
only the consequence of the deceit you practiced on the crocodiles."

"I know," answered the sorrowful hare, "but I have repented and made
up my mind never to use deceit again, so I beg you to show me how I
may cure my sore body and make the fur grow again."

"Then I will tell you of a good remedy," said the man. "First go and
bathe well in that pond over there and try to wash all the salt from
your body. Then pick some of those kaba flowers that are growing
near the edge of the water, spread them on the ground and roll
yourself on them. If you do this the pollen will cause your fur to
grow again, and you will be quite well in a little while."

The hare was very glad to be told what to do, so kindly. He crawled
to the pond pointed out to him, bathed well in it, and then picked
the kaba flowers growing near the water, and rolled himself on them.

To his amazement, even while he was doing this, he saw his nice
white fur growing again, the pain ceased, and he felt just as he had
done before all his misfortunes.

The hare was overjoyed at his quick recovery, and went hopping
joyfully towards the young man who had so helped him, and kneeling
down at his feet, said:

"I cannot express my thanks for all you have done for me! It is my
earnest wish to do something for you in return. Please tell me who
you are?"

"I am no King's son as you think me. I am a fairy, and my name is
Okuni-nushi-no-Mikoto," answered the man, "and those beings who
passed here before me are my brothers. They have heard of a
beautiful Princess called Yakami who lives in this province of
Inaba, and they are on their way to find her and to ask her to marry
one of them. But on this expedition I am only an attendant, so I am
walking behind them with this great big bag on my back."

The hare humbled himself before this great fairy Okuni-nushi-no-
Mikoto, whom many in that part of the land worshiped as a god.

"Oh, I did not know that you were Okuni-nushi-no-Mikoto. How kind
you have been to me! It is impossible to believe that that unkind
fellow who sent me to bathe in the sea is one of your brothers. I am
quite sure that the Princess, whom your brothers have gone to seek,
will refuse to be the bride of any of them, and will prefer you for
your goodness of heart. I am quite sure that you will win her heart
without intending to do so, and she will ask to be your bride."

Okuni-nushi-no-Mikoto took no notice of what the hare said, but
bidding the little animal goodby, went on his way quickly and soon
overtook his brothers. He found them just entering the Princess's
gate.

Just as the hare had said, the Princess could not be persuaded to
become the bride of any of the brothers, but when she looked at the
kind brother's face she went straight up to him and said:

"To you I give myself," and so they were married.

This is the end of the story. Okuni-nushi-no-Mikoto is worshiped by
the people in some parts of Japan, as a god, and the hare has become
famous as "The White Hare of Inaba." But what became of the
crocodiles nobody knows.