The Story of a HareTregarthen, J. C. (John Coulson)
General
The Story of a Hare
Tregarthen, J. C. (John Coulson)
Hares -- Fiction
Graymalkin naturally thought she had seen the last of him. Leaving her
hiding-place, she went and sat by the mouth of a rabbit-hole, to try to
secure one of the occupants when it came out. She might have been there
a quarter of an hour when to her surprise she saw the jack pass on his
way to the beach. He was making straight for the rocks. Without a
moment’s hesitation she followed, so quickly that when he reached the
point of the rocks, she had gained the shore end and cut off his
retreat. Yellow though she was, it is a wonder that he did not see her
as she crossed the sand, but he did not; what first drew his attention
was the mewing noise she made whilst creeping panther-like to the spot
where the rocks contract to a narrow waist which the hare must pass.
There she stopped. At sight of the hideous creature he realised the
straits he was in, and in his terror backed involuntarily nearer and
nearer to the edge; the sea as it surged over the rock reached half-way
up his legs, the spray drenched him, but he seemed indifferent to it
all. He looked thoroughly woebegone; he was surely doomed; if the sea
did not get him, the cat would. Presently he stopped backing when only
six inches from the edge and, pulling himself together, tried to think
of a way of escape. But he found it difficult to think under the eyes of
the brute crouching there. His best chance was to swim to Genvor Beach,
but this never entered his head; the bewildered fellow was debating as
best he could whether it was better to spring over the cat or dodge her.
Had it not been for the bunch of seaweed at the very spot on which he
would alight he would have tried the spring; but in the circumstances he
decided to risk all on the zigzag ruse, at which he was an adept, having
played it with his sister on the green. Like an arrow from a bow he shot
forward as if he meant to pass to the right of the cat; as soon as his
pads touched the rock, like lightning he swerved to the left; then he
shot ahead again and so got away without a scratch. The cat, thoroughly
outwitted, had sprung for the place where she had supposed the hare
would be; but she sprang at the air and fell into the sea. Almost
immediately a wave washed her on the rocks, and there she stood silent
while, with eyes like living coals, she watched the jack disappear over
the dunes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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