This happened in ancient times, when the lion was the ruler of the jungle. The lion did not doubt at all that there was no one in the world stronger and smarter than him, and therefore he ordered that the forest creatures send him one of their brothers for lunch every day. Every inhabitant of the jungle shuddered as soon as he remembered that the day would come when he would have to go to be devoured by a bloodthirsty lion. The animals were very sorry for the one who had the unlucky lot to go to the lion. Each time they came to say goodbye to the poor man, and each, as best he could, consoled the unfortunate man.
And then one day it was the hare’s turn to go to the lion’s den. Many animals came to say goodbye to the hare. Among them were a gray tiger, a white tiger, an elephant, a deer with branchy antlers, a spotted deer, a roe deer, a fox, a wild dog, a squirrel, and a mouse. Everyone crowded around the hare's hole, everyone looked sadly at the bunny and sighed sadly. Only the hare, apparently, did not lose heart: he looked at his friends, and he gobbled up delicious grass on both cheeks, and at the same time his face broke into a smile. The old monkey could not stand it and asked in surprise: .
- Dear hare! Let me know how you manage to maintain such a calm, imperturbable appearance? Think about it, you have very little time left to live. We are all heartbroken here, but you don’t seem to have a clue!
The hare stopped chewing the grass, put his hands on his hips and answered:
- Honorable monkey! My dear friends! Let it be known to you that I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and deal with the bloodthirsty lion. By what right did he declare himself ruler of the jungle? Enough patience! Soon all the inhabitants of our beautiful jungle will live easily and freely. It’s a pity that my turn came so late, otherwise I would have delivered you from this villain long ago, and we wouldn’t have had to part with many of our brothers. I have conceived a great thing, and therefore there is joy in my heart. Well, why are you all hanging your noses? Why are you standing there with such a gloomy look, as if you were about to bury me?
The animals made noise and began to shout:
- Honorable hare! Really, this villain has killed so many of our brothers - I can’t count them! If you really manage to deal with him, we will proclaim you the ruler of the jungle, we will honor you as our savior! But it’s just not up to you. Somehow I can’t believe that you will be able to defeat such a ferocious beast. It's a lion!
The hare, of course, was offended, but did not show it. He laughed and said in response:
“Of course, a lion is a very strong animal, but rest assured, I will keep my word.” Please know that we will be parting for a while. I'll be back soon with good news.
The hare bowed to his friends and slipped into the bushes. He jumped out onto the path that led to the lion’s cave, stopped, thought about it, and then slowly trotted on. He stood for a while under a large fig tree, listened to the birds singing, and finally sat down to rest on the bank of a mountain river and looked at the water.
The hare looked at his reflection in the water for a long time, then suddenly jumped up and jumped merrily.
- Amazing! How did such a simple thought not occur to me before? Well, bloodthirsty lion, hold on!
The hare did not rest anywhere else, did not stop, but galloped straight to the lion’s den. Meanwhile, he was impatiently waiting for who would be sent to him for lunch today. The lion saw a hare near the cave, he puffed himself up and roared terribly:
- Hey, oblique! How dare you be late? However, your self-interest is small. And who would even think of sending such a runt to me! May I satisfy my womb with one hare! Hurry back and tell these idiots that I need a bigger and meatier animal for dinner!
The hare listened and answered with dignity:
- Highly revered ruler of the jungle! I'm not meant to be your lunch. I was sent to you on a mission by the venerable tiger and bear. Of course, it would never even occur to them to treat you to just anything - any kind of hare! As you deigned to say, I really am small and skinny. I was just ordered to take you to where you will see an amazing beast. He is a hundred times larger than me and, excuse me, three times larger than you. If the highly respected lion agrees, I will show the way right now. Otherwise, you might miss a rare opportunity.
The lion heard this and became furious, because he was accustomed to consider himself the largest, strongest, bravest of all animals. And as soon as this impudent hare turned his tongue to say that in the jungle there lives an animal that is three times larger than a lion!
- Don't talk nonsense! - the lion roared in a voice that was not his own. - Let it be on your nose: there is no stronger or bigger beast in the world. than I, the lion, ruler of the jungle! Where does this beast come from in our area, which, according to you, is three times larger than me? You, hare, have messed something up. Come on, take me to him, to this beast! We'll face off with him!
That's all the hare needs. He grinned contentedly and thought: “Growl, growl, you old glutton, soon your end will come!”
The hare quickly galloped forward, the enraged lion set off after him. Soon they came to a mountain river with clean, transparent water, the same one near which the hare was resting and admiring its reflection. They walked for a short time, but still the lion was very tired, because he was old and, moreover, his stomach was growling from hunger. The lion was breathing heavily, he was completely exhausted from the heat, and the hare easily jumped onto the boulder and shouted, pointing to the water:
- Here it is, this beast! Look there, revered lion! Swims in the water and is not at all afraid of you! Look how huge it is! You are probably, if not three, then at least two times smaller than him. Look, look how fat he is! Isn't this a magnificent, hearty lunch for the lion, ruler of the jungle?
The lion became furious, and his stomach was giving out from hunger; he jumped onto the boulder towards the hare, peered into the water, and saw that the very animal the hare was talking about was indeed sitting there. Large, fat, looks at the lion, makes fierce faces. The lion became even more angry than before and - crash! - threw himself into the water with a flourish.
The greedy lion completely forgot that he didn’t know how to swim, and went to the bottom with an ax. A mountain river picked him up, carried him downstream, and swirled him in a whirlpool. Once or twice the lion tried to surface and jump ashore, but that was not the case. And so the fast water carried away the bloodthirsty lion.
The hare saw that the lion was finished and danced for joy. In one fell swoop he overcame all nine forest clearings, did not get stuck in any of the nine forest thickets - he ran as if he were flying. After all, the hare carried happy news to his friends. And they patiently waited for the hare near his hole.
- No! No more lion! - the hare shouted from afar. The animals heard that the cruel lion had found his end at the bottom of a mountain river, they rejoiced and began to dance.
From that day on, they stopped trembling with fear. None of them had to go to be devoured by an insatiable lion. And to thank the hare for his intelligence and courage, the animals declared him the ruler of the jungle.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru