The Farmer & his Donkeys

by Jeremy Taylor

Part 1
A farmer in a village in England once had two donkeys. One was called Bill and the other called Ben.

Bill and Ben lived in a square field. There was a fence in the middle of the field. On one side lived Bill. Ben lived on the other side.

Every morning the farmer fed Bill in one corner. Then he fed Ben in the opposite corner. This went on for many years.

The Test

One evening the farmer did a little test. He waited until the two donkeys were asleep. Then he tied a rope between Bill’s neck and Ben’s neck.

The farmer took down the fence. He put a big pile of oats in Bill’s corner. Then he put one in Ben’s corner. Oats are donkeys’ favourite food.

The two donkeys woke up to find a rope around their necks. ‘What’s this?’ they cried.


Part 2