d
observed that he _stood_ while eating, whereas a true rabbit always
crouched comfortably near the ground while taking his food. In the
matter of voice, too, they flattered themselves there was a _wide_
difference. However, all this might be changed or improved by judicious
training, except the feet. The hoofs they despaired of. The tail they
proposed to nibble off at a proper length from the body. This operation
the donkey positively refused to submit to, but finally consented to
hold his tail up over his back as much like a rabbit as possible, and,
moreover, would at once set about his lessons to learn their ways, so
that he might the sooner adapt himself to their habits, and become one
of them.

Accordingly, one of the cleverest of their number was charged with his
instruction, and immediately began with the important art of sitting on
the haunches with his tail curled up upon his back. In this, though he
strained every nerve to perform it, he made an ignominious failure. He
could only maintain the position for a moment, and then pitch forward or
fall backward, seeming to rock over on his curved tail, and cutting such
a ridiculous figure that it made all the rabbits laugh. This made him
very angry, and he began to use his heels in a most vigorous and
unrabbitlike manner. All ran for their lives, but not all escaped
unhurt. The "spraggly" forms of two or three of those nearest to him
showed dark against the moon-lit sky before they limped off, and,
joining their fellows, gathered in a little knot at a distance from
their fractious pupil, and discussed his merits with great freedom. They
voted him an ill-natured brute, a stupid dolt--in short, a perfect
donkey. Scarcely had they arrived at this unanimous conclusion,
when--pop! pop! bang! bang!--four loud reports, and four little rabbits
lay in the agonies of death.

The farmer and his son, seeing by the moonlight strange movements in the
field, had stolen upon them, in the unguarded moment of their
excitement, with their double-barrelled guns, and, as the boy expressed
it, bagged four rabbits and a donkey; for poor little donkey stood
paralyzed with fear. He had never looked upon death before, and was an
easy captive. Without troubling himself to inquire who the rightful
owner was, the farmer took him for his own, housed him that night in a
stall by himself, where he passed almost the entire night,
notwithstanding the fatigues of the day, in such reflections as he w