The Mountains in Labour

One day the Countrymen noticed that the Mountains were in
labour; smoke came out of their summits, the earth was quaking at
their feet, trees were crashing, and huge rocks were tumbling.
They felt sure that something horrible was going to happen.  They
all gathered together in one place to see what terrible thing this
could be.  They waited and they waited, but nothing came.  At last
there was a still more violent earthquake, and a huge gap appeared
in the side of the Mountains.  They all fell down upon their knees
and waited.  At last, and at last, a teeny, tiny mouse poked¹ its
little head and bristles² out of the gap and came running down
towards them, and ever after they used to say:


"Much outcry, little outcome."