One day the Hodja tied his donkey in front of the court house and went shopping. While he was gone, the kadi sentenced a thief to wear a sign that retold his crime and ordered his assistants to cruise him around the town seated backwards on a donkey. Kadi's assistants saw Hodja's donkey in front of the court house and took the liberty to use it for the purpose of the thief's punishment. When Nasreddin Hodja came back from the market place and couldn't find his donkey, he got very upset. People around explained to him what had happened. The Hodja had to wait until the embarrassing city tour of the thief was over and the donkey was returned back to him.
Some time later, the same man was caught stealing again. The kadi sentenced him to the exact same punishment. When the kadi's aides couldn't find a donkey, they thought of the Hodja. They went to Nasreddin Hodja's house, explained the situation and asked to borrow his donkey one more time. Hodja was not willing to lend his donkey.
`Tell that criminal of yours either to give up this craft or to get his own donkey.' he said.
© 2001 Lale Eskicioglu