The Horse and the Donkey's Load

A proud Fulani warrior owned a magnificent Horse and a humble Donkey. He loaded the Donkey with all the heavy goods for the market—sacks of grain, pots, and tools. He placed only a single, light spear on the back of his prized Horse. As they walked under the hot sun, the Donkey grew weak. "Brother Horse," the Donkey pleaded, "please, help me carry some of this load, or I will collapse." The proud Horse replied, "That is your work, not mine. I am a warrior's mount, not a beast of burden." A short while later, the Donkey, exhausted, collapsed and died. The warrior, needing to get his goods to market, took all the heavy sacks from the Donkey and loaded them onto the Horse's back. He then skinned the dead Donkey and loaded the heavy, wet hide on top of everything else. The Horse now had to carry its own load, the Donkey's load, and the Donkey's dead weight. He groaned and thought, "How foolish I was. If I had only helped with a small part of my brother's burden, I would not now be carrying it all."