The Hare and the Crocodile's Skin

The Hare wanted to make a magnificent drum, and he knew the toughest and most resonant skin belonged to the Crocodile. He went to the Crocodile and said, "Great King of the river, I have heard you are the greatest dancer of all, but no one on land can see your skill." The Crocodile was very vain. "It is true," he said. "How can they see me?" The Hare replied, "I will host a great dancing competition on the riverbank in your honour. But to dance properly on land, you must remove your heavy, cumbersome skin." The foolish Crocodile, eager to show off, shed his entire skin on the riverbank and began to dance, naked and vulnerable. While he was dancing, the Hare grabbed the magnificent skin and ran away with it. The Hare made the finest drum in the world, whose beat could be heard for miles. The Crocodile was left without his skin, a soft and helpless creature, until he could grow a new, inferior one. He was so ashamed he has hidden under the water ever since, a lesson against the dangers of vanity.