The Tiger and the Donkey

They say that in ancient times, a merchant, returning from distant travels, bought a donkey—the fattest and the dumbest. He loaded it onto a boat and brought it back to his homeland. There, he set it free to graze.

Soon, a tiger saw the donkey. It pondered and speculated, then decided: "This big, fat beast must be a dragon. Its ears are so long!" The tiger hid in the forest and began to watch cautiously. Suddenly, the donkey raised its head and let out a bray. A terrifying roar echoed. The tiger got scared, ran further away, thinking the donkey would eat it. It sat in the bushes for a long time, trembling with fear. Then it peeked out: the donkey was walking around the meadow, grazing on grass. The tiger grew bolder and crept closer. Nothing happened! Then it stepped into the clearing and let out a soft meow. The donkey flew into a rage: it flapped its ears and brayed loudly.

"Huh, you must be stupid if you get angry over such a trivial thing!" thought the tiger and meowed again.

In a fit of terrible rage, the donkey began to kick.

"Ah," exclaimed the tiger, "there's not much sense in you! Just foolishness and stubbornness." It pounced on the donkey and killed it.

And to this day, donkeys get angry over nothing, and when you try to reason with them, they kick. This is how donkeys are recognized.

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The Tiger and the Donkey

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