The Goat and the Ass

More hay for the donkey. Less for the goat. Every evening the goat watched their master fill the mangers, and every evening he grew more jealous.

So one night he put his head over the fence. "How badly they treat you!" he said in a kind voice. "All day you grind at the mill. All day you carry heavy loads. You need a rest."

"I do," sighed the donkey. "But how can I get one?"

"Easy," said the goat. "Pretend you are ill. Go dizzy, and fall into the ditch. They will have to let you lie down."

The donkey thought this was clever. The next day he rolled his eyes, wobbled his legs and tipped himself in. But the ditch was deep and full of stones. He came out bruised from nose to tail. His master sent for the doctor, who looked at the wounds and shook his head. "I know just one cure," he said. "Lay the lungs of a goat on them."

The master went straight to the goat's pen. By morning the goat was gone, and before long the donkey was well. There was only one manger to fill.