A merchant had a Donkey that carried loads of salt to the market every day. The Donkey was not very fond of hard work.

One day, while crossing a small river, the Donkey accidentally slipped and fell into the water. When he got up, he noticed that the load of salt on his back felt much lighter! The salt had dissolved in the water.

"Aha!" thought the clever but lazy Donkey. "This is a wonderful trick!"

From then on, every time they crossed a river, the Donkey would deliberately slip and fall into the water. Each time, his load of salt would become lighter, and he would happily carry the reduced weight.

The merchant noticed this repeated "accident" and understood the Donkey's trick. He decided to teach the Donkey a lesson.

The next day, instead of salt, the merchant loaded the Donkey's back with big bags of cotton. As they crossed the river, the Donkey, as usual, slipped and fell into the water.

But this time, when he got up, the load did not feel lighter. Instead, the cotton had soaked up all the water and became incredibly heavy! The Donkey struggled and groaned under the immense weight. He could barely move!

The Donkey finally understood that his trick had backfired. From that day on, he carried his loads diligently and never tried to play tricks again.