Goha Counts his Donkeys

Goha noticed that the merchant life was a good life. He decided he would become a merchant and buy and sell donkeys.

Happily, he went off to the market place, where he looked over many donkeys. Finally, he bought twelve of the best. Now, he thought, I will take them home. Tomorrow I will become a merchant.

So, he climbed on to one of the donkeys, prodding the others in front of him. He thought, I might as well count my donkeys. So, he counted. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven … Eleven donkeys!

But he had just bought twelve donkeys. Shaking his head, he climbed down from his donkey and counted again. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven … twelve! Now there were twelve. That was better.

Happy again, he climbed back on to the donkey he had been riding. Just to make certain, though, he counted his donkeys again. There were only eleven! Again, he climbed down and counted – there were twelve.

He scratched his head. Sometimes there were eleven and sometimes there were twelve. "But," he said, "if I walk I gain a donkey, which is better than riding and losing a donkey."

So he walked all the way to his house behind the twelve donkeys that he bought in the market.