The Mythology & Folklore Database
So finally he came across a well. The thought came to him as he looked into the well, he saw his shader, he had a scheme to fool the lion. He had been told by the other animals that any way he could get rid of the lion, they would pay him, give him praise of being the wisest animal of the forest.
He entered the lion's room pretendin' he had been runnin', doin' all he could to get there on time.
The lion asked him why he was so late.
The rabbit began to tell him the story why he was so late. So he tol' the lion, if he didn' believe what he had tol' him, to follow him, and he would show him.
So the lion went with the rabbit to the well. The rabbit tol' the lion to get up on the curb of the well and look down into the well, and he would see what had delayed him. So he did.
When he looked into the water, he saw another face, not knowing that it was himself. He frowned, he grit his teeth, and the other lion did the same thing. The lion on top, thinking that he was master of all the beasts of the forest, jumped into the well, and that was the last of the lion.
And the rabbit got the praise of being the wisest beast of the forest.