摘要:一天,村里的头面人物毛拉,发现他的驴子丢失了。他本想骑驴去拜访朋友。他很生气,到处奔着寻找那头驴。
One day the Mullah, an important man in the village, found his donkey was gone when he wanted to go visit a friend. He was very angry and ran around to look for his donkey.
The Mullah ran about looking until he was too tired. He sat down to rest at his gate. A few friends came to join him. "That no-good lazy donkey!" said he. "If I ever see her again, I'll sell her for a dollar!" Selling a donkey for a dollar was just a joke.
Just then the Mullah heard the sound of his donkey's feet. He looked around. There was his donkey. On her back rode a boy. "Where did you find her?" asked the Mullah. "We couldn't find her anywhere."
"I knew where I would go if I were a donkey," said the boy. "I found her eating grass with the sheep and goats." Suddenly, the Mullah looked to one side and saw one of his friends holding up a dollar. On the other side he saw another with a dollar. "I'll buy your donkey, " said the two. "I was joking!" said the Mullah.
"You didn't sound as if you were joking, " said the two.
The Mullah couldn't break his word. That would be wrong for an important person in the village. He certainly didn't want to sell his donkey for a dollar. So he said, "Meet me at the donkey fair on Saturday. I shall sell her at that time. I shall sell my donkey to the one who will treat her most kindly."
Everybody was kind to animals in the village. So the Mullah thought out a plan. He wanted to keep his word and also to keep his donkey. |