One day, a rich merchant said to a boatman, “I will make you very rich. But you have to ferry my belongings safely to the other side of the river.” The boatman agreed. The merchant had a lion, a goat and a bundle of grass. If the boatman took the grass first, the lion would kill the goat. If he took the lion first, the goat would eat the bundle of grass in his absence. So he took the goat on his boat first. After leaving it on the other side, he took the lion next. He left the lion on the other side and brought the goat with him. Then he left the goat on this side and took the bundle of grass to the other side. Leaving the lion with the grass, he returned to fetch the goat last. The merchant was happy. He rewarded the boatman handsomely.
The Clever Boatman
