The hare was obliged to make a long circuit across the highway to
reach his favorite granary. On the highway he could hear the creaking
of the sledges, the whinnying of horses, the groaning of the seats in
the sledges.
Once more the hare paused near the road. The peasants were walking
alongside of their sledges, with their coat collars turned up. Their
faces were scarcely visible. Their beards, their eyebrows were white.
Steam came from their mouths and noses.
Their horses were covered with sweat, and the sweat grew white with
hoar frost. The horses strained on their collars, plunged into the
hollows, and came up out of them again. Two old men were walking side
by side, and one was telling the other how a horse had been stolen
from him.
As soon as the teams had passed, the hare crossed the road, and leaped
unconcernedly toward the threshing-floor. A little dog belonging to
the teams caught sight of the hare and began to bark, and darted after
him.
The hare made for the threshing-floor across the snowdrifts. But the
depth of the snow impeded the hare, and even the dog, after a dozen
leaps, sank deep in the snow and gave up the chase.
The hare also stopped, sat on his hind legs, and then proceeded at his
leisure toward the threshing-floor.
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