The Power Of A Rumour

A hare resting under a
banyan tree had a
premonition of doom.
“What would happen to
me if the earth were to
break up?” he
wondered. Suddenly,
there was a ‘thud’
followed by a rumbling
sound.
“It’s happened,”
thought the hare, “the
earth’s breaking up!”
He jumped up and ran.
“Why are you running?”
asked a hare who
crossed his path.
“The earth’s breaking
up!” shouted the hare.
“You’d better run too.”
The second hare ran so
fast he overtook the
first.
“The earth’s breaking
up, the earth’s breaking
up!” he shouted to
other hares he passed.
Soon thousands of
hares were scampering
through the forest.
Other animals got
caught up in the panic.
The word spread from
mouth to mouth, and
soon everyone knew:
the earth was breaking
up.
Itwas not long before
the whole jungle was
on the move. Reptiles,
insects, birds and four-
footed animals fled in
wild disorder, and their
cries of terror filled the
air.
A lion standing on a
hillock, saw the animals
coming and wondered
what was going on. He
hastened down and
positioning himself in
front of the horde called
for it to stop.
His commanding
presence stemmed the
rising tide of panic
among the animals.
“The earth is breaking
up!” shrieked a parrot,
alighting on a rock near
him.
“Who says so?”
“I heard it from the
monkeys."
The monkeys said they
had heard it from the
tigers, who said their
informants were the
elephants, who gave
the buffaloes as their
source.When the hares
were finally implicated
they pointed one to
another until the one
who had started it all
was identified.
“What makes you think
the earth is breaking
up?” the lion asked him.
“I heard it cracking with
my own ears, sire,”
squeaked the hare,
trembling in fear.
The lion investigated
the sound the hare had
heard and found that it
had been caused by a
large coconut falling
from a tree. It had
landed on a pile of
rocks, causing a minor
landslide.
“Go back to your
homes,” said the lion to
the animals who had
been running away, and
who were now looking
very foolish. “The
earth’s safe. Next time,
check a rumour before
acting on it.”