3. Crossing the River
Once, they had to cross a river. Halfway through, Boltu asked, "How deep is the water?"
Poltu dipped his walking stick into the water, and it slipped from his hand and sank. He cried out, "It's incredibly deep! My stick disappeared instantly!"
Boltu laughed and said, "Don't worry about your stick! Look at me—I'm so tall that my feet are still touching the ground!" (He didn't realize he was actually standing on a large submerged rock).
The Moral: Greed and a lack of common sense lead to self-destruction.