The Donkey That Carried Salt and Sponges

A merchant owned two donkeys. He loaded one with heavy blocks of salt from the mines at Taghaza to sell in Gao. He loaded the other with light, fluffy sponges from the river. The donkey carrying the salt complained bitterly about his heavy load. As they were crossing a shallow part of the Niger River, the donkey with the salt slipped and fell into the water. When it stood up, its load was suddenly much lighter, because much of the salt had dissolved in the water. It was very pleased with this discovery. The next day, the donkey carrying the sponges, seeing what had happened, decided to try the same trick. It purposefully fell into the river. But instead of getting lighter, its load of sponges absorbed the water and became immensely heavy, ten times heavier than before. It was crushed under the weight and could not get up. The story is a classic fable used to teach a lesson about consequences: what works for one person in one situation can be a disaster for another, and a trick that seems clever can have unforeseen and terrible results.