Soon the washerman’s donkey began to look plump and healthy. He was not exhausted carrying his master’s loads on his rounds. The farmer to whom the corn fields belonged was not very happy. He would find his corn had been grazed every day. He began to keep watch at night, holding a stout cudgel. Soon he found that a tiger crept into his field at night. ‘Tigers don’t eat corn!’ thought the farmer, puzzled. But he kept watch regularly. He put a guard, armed with a bow and arrow, to watch his field. One day when the donkey was grazing in the field, the guard saw him. The donkey saw some movement and thought it was a female donkey coming to make friends. He brayed loudly. The guard was furious, finding that it was a donkey and not a tiger grazing in his cornfield. The guard shot an arrow and killed the donkey immediately.
The Poor Donkey’s Fate
