One particular day, Shuddapatta was wandering in the jungle, where he came across a dead tiger. He at once struck an idea.
He thought, "It is my luck that I have a dead tiger. I will skin the tiger and take the skin home. I will cover the donkey with the tiger's skin and let him graze in the nearby barley fields after sunset. The farmers will not dare to come near him fearing my donkey as a tiger. This way, he will be able to eat as much as he wants."
The washerman did so after sunset, and the donkey returned unharmed after he had eaten to his heart's content.
From then onwards, the washerman would cover his donkey with the tiger's skin every night and lead him to the fields. The farmers did spot him, but mistook it for a tiger. They did not even venture out of their homes in fear. All the time, the donkey ate as much as he liked and returned home. In the morning, he would stand in the washerman's stall without anybody suspecting anything.
