"I knew, dear friend, that they were safe with you and that you would bring them some day."
Then the Beggar put his arm over the Poor Man's shoulder and led him through the Garden showing him the wonderful golden fruits and beautiful flowers. They sat them down beside a fountain of crystal water and while they listened to the songs of glorious birds they talked together and the Poor Man asked about the strange things he had seen along the road.
"All those animals," the Beggar said, "were once human beings who instead of fearing God and being kind to their fellowmen passed all their time fighting and cheating and cursing. The two sows were two sisters-in-law who hated each other bitterly. The two bulls and the two rams were neighbors who fought for years and years over the boundary lines of their farms and now they keep on fighting through eternity. The two bitches were two sisters who fought until they died over the inheritance left them by their father. The old man whose hair the oxen eat was a farmer who always pastured his cattle on his neighbors' fields. Now he has his reward. The man at whose eyes the ravens peck was an ungrateful son who mistreated his parents. The man with the awful thirst that can never be quenched was a drunkard, and the one at whose lips the apples turn to ashes was a glutton."
So they talked on together, the Poor Man and the Beggar, until it was late afternoon and the Beggar said:
"And now, dear friend, you will sup with me as I once supped with you."
"Thank you," the Poor Man said, "I will. But let me first go out and see how my donkey is."
"Very well," the Beggar said, "go. But be sure to come back for I shall be waiting for you."
So the Poor Man went out the garden gate and looked for his donkey. But the donkey was gone.
"He must have started home," the Poor Man thought. "I'll hurry and overtake him."
So he started back afoot the way he had come. He went on and on but saw no donkey. He crossed the golden bridge and the silver bridge and the copper bridge and the iron bridge and the stone bridge and last of all the wooden bridge, but still there was no donkey.