'The fable of the lame hare'; a 19th century fable from Siam
A fierce-looking, wide-eyed dog sits in the shadow of a boulder next to a horse track on the edge of the jungle north of Ban Lao. He hears the voices of two animals about to emerge from the jungle: a monkey and a hare; the latter is lame and holds a forepaw in the air. They stand trembling in front of the dog they immediately recognize as their master and from whom they will accept judgment on their dispute.
'What are your names?' asks the dog judge. The monkey replies 'Simoie, Your Excellency'. And the hare says "Tuftie, Your Honor." "And where are you going, complaining friends?"
The hare says 'I'm on my way to the durian plantation near Koh Yai to get kernels that are in that fruit. This monkey, which I met on the way, is arguing with me and kicking my front leg for insisting on my right to go to Koh Yai. Oh fair judge, can't I go there?' The judge, who wants to devour the hare deep in his heart, makes the following decision:
'There are two roads to Koh Yai; the monkey takes the lower route and the hare the higher route. Whoever arrives first does what he has to do there, whoever arrives last comes straight back to me to complete his task.'
The hare, well aware of the dangers he runs, immediately decides on a ruse that he hopes will save his life. "Come on, away with you!" cries the dog, assuming that the nimble monkey will get there before the lame hare.
The hare, knowing that every other hare looks just like him, goes as fast as he can with his lame little leg. As soon as he meets another hare, he tells his story and asks him to save his life. He orders to run to Koh Yai and always change with another hare, as long as the last hare sits there with one leg up….. And all hares help their brother!
The monkey is perplexed when he comes rushing up; he finds his despised comrade sitting there with one paw up, chewing durian's kernels. He doesn't see through the ruse but lectures himself: 'You can't be sure of anything these days'.
The crippled hare thus saves his life and goes back to his family where he teaches other hares for days not to look for quarrels.
Source: internet. A fable from the 19e century or earlier, Siam. Translation and editing Erik Kuijpers.