I was an ass in all other


 



respects, but I had the heart and mind of a man
-the same Loukios, but not his voice. Well,
heaping silent reproaches on Palaistra for her
mistake, and chewing my lip, I went off to where
I knew my horse was stabled, together with another ass, a real one, belonging to Hipparchos.
When they saw me coming in to join them they
feared that I was going to share their feed, so
they put back their ears and made ready to defend their bellies with their heels. I grasped the
situation, and taking my stand at a distance from
the manger, burst into a laugh, but my laugh was
a bray. Then I said to myself: "Confound my
untimely curiosity! What if a wolf should come
in, too, or some other wild beast! The chances
are that I shall be killed, though I have done
nothing wrong." But though I reflected thus, I
had no idea, poor devil! of the evil that awaited
me. 
When the night was already far advanced, with
its great silence and sweet sleep, there was a
noise from without as though the wall were being broken through, and so it was. There was a
hole already large enough to admit a man, and
one man after another made his way through it
promptly until a number were inside, swords in
hand. Then they tied up Hipparchos and Palaistra and my man in their rooms, and so stripped
the house fearlessly, carrying out the money and


 


the clothes and the furniture. When there was
nothing more left in it, they took me and the other ass and the horse, saddled us, and strapped all
they had stolen onto us. Laden with these heavy
loads, they drove us up the mountain by an untrodden road, beating us with clubs, and bent on
escaping. I am not able to describe the feelings
of the other beasts, but I, for my part-barefoot,
inexperienced, treading on sharp stones, and bearing so much stuff-was ready to die. Every now
and then I stumbled, but I was not at liberty to fall
down, for some one from behind would instantly
give me a blow across the haunches with a club;
and when I frequently longed to cry, "O Caesar!"
I could do nothing but bray. I could bring out
the "O" full and loud, but the "Caesar" would
not follow. And even for this they clubbed me,
because they thought my braying would betray
them. So, when I found that my cries were in
vain, I resolved to go on in silence, with the gain,
at least, of not being beaten.

 
After this day came, and we had already climbed
many mountains. They muzzled us so that we
might not browse along the road for our breakfasts and thus be caught; so for that day, too, I
remained an ass. At high noon we halted at a
sort of farm-house belonging to people who were
friends of the robbers, to judge from what happened, for they greeted each other with kisses,


 



and the owners of the house bade the others halt,
and set breakfast before them and gave us animals barley. The others breakfasted, but I fasted in misery. Since I had never at that time
breakfasted on raw barley, I looked around to
see what I could eat. I saw a garden there behind the court-yard, full of fine vegetables, and
above these I saw roses. In the house they were
all occupied with their breakfast, and I managed
to give them the slip and get to the garden, partly to eat my fill of raw vegetables, and partly for
the sake of the roses, for I calculated that if I ate
those flowers I should certainly become a man
again. When I had made my way into the garden I stuffed myself with lettuces, and radishes,
and parsley, such vegetables as men are wont to
eat raw; but those roses were not real ones, they
were such as grow on the wild laurel. The plant
is called rose-laurel, and it makes a poor breakfast for any ass or horse, for it is said that if they
eat it they die on the spot. 
In the mean time the gardener perceived me,
snatched up a club, and ran into the garden.
When he saw the enemy, the destroyer of his
vegetables, he seized me as a severe master seizes
a thieving slave and pounded me with his club,
sparing neither ribs nor thighs. He even crushed
my ears and mangled my face. When I could
stand it no longer I kicked with both feet,


 


knocked him on his back on top of the vegetables, and ran for the mountain. Seeing me making off at a run he shouted that they were to loose
the dogs on my trail. The dogs were numerous
and large enough to fight with bears, and I knew
that if they caught me they would tear me to
pieces. So after I had made a short detour I
decided that the proverb is right, "better run
back than into trouble," and accordingly I started back and made my way to the farm again.
They captured the dogs who had been chasing
me, and tied them up, but me they beat and did
not stop until in my agony I had cast up all the
vegetables. 
When it was time to take to the road again they
also heaped most of the booty and the heaviest
on me, and this having been arranged we set out.
I was soon exhausted, what with my beating and
with carrying my load, and my hoofs were crushed
by the road. At this point I made up my mind.
to fall down where I was and never get up again,
though they beat me to death, for I hoped great
gain from this if my plan should work. My idea
was that they would give up in despair, divide my
load between the horse and the mule, and leave
me to lie there for the wolves. But some jealous
divinity perceived my plans and made them work
just the other way. For the other ass followed the
same train of thought as mine and fell down in the


 



road. First they took to beating the poor wretch,
bidding him get up; but as he did not respond at
all to the blows, some of them took hold of his
ears and some of his tail and tried to rouse him.
When they were unsuccessful in this, and he lay
like a stone in the road, utterly worn out, they argued among themselves that their efforts were
useless, and that they were wasting their time for
escape sitting by a dead ass; so they took all the
gear he had been carrying and divided it between
me and the horse. As for the wretched partner
of my captivity and burdens, they laid hold of
him, cut the sinews of his legs with a sword, and
thrust him still quivering over the precipice, and
down he went, dancing the death-dance.