In Banaras, there lived a washerman who had an ass and a dog. The ass was always complaining because he was kept tied to a post, whereas the dog was free to walk around wherever he pleased. One night, when the washerman was fast asleep, a thief crept into the house. The ass was very concerned because the dog didn’t bark. So he prodded the dog to bark. “You leave me alone!” said the dog, “The master doesn’t feed me properly. If something gets stolen, he’ll realise the value of having a dog to guard his house.” “You selfish fellow!” said the ass, “You are being disloyal. I will wake him up!” And the ass began to bray loudly. His master woke up in a rage. The thief ran, so the washerman did not see him. He picked a cudgel up and beat the poor ass to death!
The Washerman’s Ass
