犟骡子The recalcitrant mule

25° The recalcitrant mule. As one of his smaller business ventures, Thales had a salt mine up in the hills. Each day his mules came down the hill carrying bags of salt from the mine. The trail down the hill crossed a small stream, and one day while fording the stream one of the laden mules slipped and fell. In struggling to its feet, the mule chanced to roll onto its back and the salt dissolved from its bags, leaving the mule light and comfortable for the rest of the trip down the hill. The mule remembered this experience, and on the three successive days when it came down the hill it rolled about in the stream to dissolve and lose the contents of its load. Now ordinary mortals, like you and me, would have seized a stick and, with much shouting, would have beaten the animal over its hind quarters to cure it of this troublesome habit. But Thales was a "wise man," and the next time that mule came down the hill it was loaded with bags of sponges.