The Merchant

A long time ago, there was a merchant who had a donkey. One day he bought some sacks of salt and put them on the donkey’s back.. On the way, they had to cross a river. The donkey fell down into the water and the burden became lighter because the salt melted. It did this twice when they were in the river.
The merchant was disappointed and angry. He thought the donkey played a trick on him. Therefore, he wanted to punish it. He, then, bought the sponge rubber instead of salt and put it on its back. When they arrived at the river for the third time the donkey lay down quickly. The burden was heavier, and the donkey could not get up. The merchant forced it to stand up and continue their journey. The donkey walked very slowly because of the heavy burden. The merchant said  to himself, ”You deserve the punishment”.