The True History of the Hare and the Tortoise by Lord Dunsany

"books it bedtime by calming anxiety, the true history of the hair and the tortoise, by Lord Dunsany. For a long time there was a doubt with acrimony among the beasts as to whether the hair or the tortoise could run the swifter. Some said the hair was the swifter of the two because he had such long ears. And others said the tortoise was swifter because anyone who shell was so hard as that should be able to run hard too and low.

The forces of a strangement and disorder perpetually postponed a decisive contest. But when there was nearly war among the beasts, at last an arrangement was come to and it was decided that the hair and the tortoise should run a race of 500 yards so that all could see who was right. Ridiculous nonsense said the hair and it was all his back as could do to get him to run.

The contest is most welcome to me said the tortoise. I shall not shirk it and know how his back is cheered. Feeling ran high on the day of the race, the goose rushed at the fox and nearly pecked him. Both sides spoke loudly of the approaching victory up to the very point of the race.

"I am absolutely confident of success," said the tortoise. "But the hair," said nothing. He looked bored and crows. Some of his supporters deserted him then and went to the other side who were loudly cheering the tortoises in spuriting words.

But many remained with the hair. We shall not be disappointed of him," they said. Abused with such long ears is bound to win. "Run hard," said the supporters of the tortoise.

And run hard became a kind of catchphrase with everyone repeated it to one another. Hard shell and hard living. "That's what the country wants. Run hard," they said.

And these words were never uttered but multitude cheered from their hearts. And then they were off and suddenly there was a hush. The hair dashed off for about a hundred yards. Then he looked around to see where his rival was.

It is rather absurd, he said, to race with the tortoise. Then he sat down and scratched himself. "Run hard, run hard," shouted some. Let him rest, shouted others.

And let him rest became a catchphrase too. And after a while his rival grew near to him. "There comes that damn tortoise," said the hair. Then he got up and ran as hard as he could so that he should not let the tortoise beat him.

Those ears will win, said his friends. Those ears will win. And establish upon an incontestable footing the truth of what we have said. And some of them turned to the backers of the tortoise and said, "What about your beast now?

"Run hard," they replied. "Run hard." The hair ran on for nearly three hundred yards, nearly in fact as far as the winning post. When it suddenly struck him, what a fool he looked running races with a tortoise who was nowhere inside.

And he sat down again and scratched. "Run hard," said the crowd and let him rest. Whatever is the use of it, said the hair, and this time he stopped for good. Some say he slept.

There was desperate excitement for an hour or two, and then the tortoise won. "Run hard," shouted his backers. Hard shell and hard living. That is what has done it.

And then they asked the tortoise, "What is achievement signified?" And he went and asked the turtle. And the turtle said, "It is a glorious victory for the force of swiftness." And then the tortoise repeated it to his friends.

And all the beasts said nothing else for years. And even to this day, a glorious victory for the forces of swiftness is a catchphrase in the house of the snail. And the reason that this version of the race is not widely known is that very few of those that witnessed it survived the great forest fire that happened shortly after. It came up over the wheeled by night with a great wind, the hair and the tortoise, and a very few other beasts saw it far off from a high hill that was on the edge of the trees.

And they hurriedly called a meeting to decide what messenger that should send word for the beast in the forest. They sent the tortoise.