There was a washerman who owned a donkey. All day long the donkey carried heavy loads of laundry. He was always tired, always hungry, never given enough to eat.
The washerman also had a tiger's skin lying around his house. One day an idea came to him. He draped the tiger's skin over the donkey. From a distance, the donkey looked just like a tiger.
Each night the washerman let the donkey loose in the farmers' fields. The farmers and their families were terrified. No one dared come near. All night long the donkey grazed happily on the green crops.
This trick worked well for several days. The donkey grew fat. The washerman was pleased.
But one night the donkey heard a female donkey braying somewhere in the distance. His heart leaped with joy. He lifted his head and brayed loudly — Hee-haw! Hee-haw!
The farmers heard it at once. They looked at each other — that was no tiger. It was a donkey! They grabbed their sticks and came running. The donkey was given a thorough thrashing.
Wearing a tiger's skin does not make anyone a tiger. A true nature cannot stay hidden.