"How, then, shall we send our message?" said they.

"I caught a hare to-day," said one man, "and hares are very swift of foot, you know. Why not let him carry it?"

"Very good," said all; "we will get the letter ready and we will tell the hare the right way to go and he shall carry it."

So the letter was written and sealed and tied to the hare's neck. "First you go to Nottingham," said they to the hare, "and then you go straight on by the main highway to York, and the letter is marked for our landlord who lives near York Cathedral. You can ask when you get there which house is his. Commend us to him and give him the letter."

The hare, as soon as he was out of their hands, left the road and ran off across a field, and some of the men of Gotham cried out after it, "Stop! stop! You must go to Nottingham first."

"Let the hare alone," said one of those who was in the company. "He can tell a nearer way than the best of us all. Let him go."

"Yes," said another, "that is a clever creature. Let him alone. He will not keep the highway for fear of dogs."