33 lines
1.9 KiB
Plaintext
33 lines
1.9 KiB
Plaintext
THE DONKEY THAT THOUGHT HE WAS CLEVER
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Once upon a time . . . a donkey thought he was very clever. Every day, his
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master harnessed him to a cart loaded with goods. They always went the same
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way to the village: along a wide path through the wood, down a gentle slope
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into farmland, then along the river to the ford and over the plain to the
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village.
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Since the route was always the same, the donkey's master had got into the
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habit of having a snooze on top of the cart while the donkey, who knew the way
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by heart plodded on.
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Feeling unwell one day, the man decided to risk sending the donkey by
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himself with a load for urgent delivery. When the animal returned, he was
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given a double ration of oats as reward.
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"Since you're so clever at remembering the way," the man said, "I'm going
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to send you alone always, then I can do other jobs!" And from then on, in all
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kinds of weather, the donkey travelled to the village by himself. His master
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was delighted.
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However, one morning, when the donkey reached the river, he decided to
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shorten his journey by wading across the water. But he entered the river at a
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deep spot, much deeper than the donkey expected, and he had to swim against
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the current.
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Luckily, he was carrying a load of salt day, and some of it dissolved in
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the water, easing the donkey's load, so that he reached the other side without
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much difficulty. "I am clever," said the donkey, pleased with himself. "I've
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found short cut."
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Next day, the man loaded the cart with sponges, and the donkey set off as
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usual. When he arrived at the river, he again thought he would take the short
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cut, and entered the water as he had done the day before. But this time, the
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sponges soaked up the water and made the cart heavy, so that the poor animal
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could not keep his head above water. And in spite of all his efforts, the
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donkey that thought he was so clever, sank below the surface of the water
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together with his load.
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