Despite an occasional huff or outright bray from Laurent, which the boy ignored, the ass was quickly gotten into harness and the boy began loading the heavy books in slings over the animal's back. Two books per sling and rooms for two slings on either side of the donkey's barrel-shaped trunk.
Laurent felt the weight and found it difficult to even lift his hooves off the barn floor. He couldn't even imagine trudging all the way to the port, which was at least a two-day journey. What had Claudia gotten him into?
The boy tightened the straps that kept everything fastened to Laurent's asinine form. The transformed man felt the leather straps dig into his hide. Once the boy finished loading up the books, he continued with some other chores as Laurent trotted himself toward a trough of water. Other animals had drunk from the trough, which had lowered the level of the water, but his thirst compelled him to ignore the fact that other disgusting animals had put their mouths into the water before him.
He was so intent on drinking water he didn't pay close attention to the lad as he went about his chores, which included feeding the merchant's horse. The steed was a fine specimen of horse flesh, a proud stallion with a spirited mien.
The boy noticed the sack slung over the railing and drew it open. Spying the oats inside, he lifted the bag and proceeded to dispense them into the horse's feeding trough.
Only when he heard the noise of the oats pouring into the trough did Laurent jerk his head from the watering trough to trumpet an alarmed bray. "Don't do that!" Laurent brayed. "I need those!"
The hungry horse lowered its snout and began munching the oats.
Desperate, Laurent lunged forward, hoping for a mouthful of the precious oats, only to get attacked on two sides. The greedy stallion neighed angrily and nipped at the ass, which didn't appear to know its proper place.
The boy, however, grabbed the bridle and tugged hard, forcing Laurent's snout away from the trough. "You surly beast," the boy berated the ass. "You think you're the equal of my master's grand steed?"
Laurent did, in fact, consider himself an equal, as he yet had avoided any rude introductions to his new reality. He tried to swing his head back toward the trough, but the boy kept a firm hold on the bridle and forced him to leave. He heard the horse continue to dispose of the oats infused with the means of getting Laurent back onto two legs.
And then matters got worse. The merchant, now fed and impatient to depart, returned. He inspected the books packed atop the ass. "Good job, boy. I'm ready to get underway."
"Aye, master."
The merchant looked at the railing where he'd left the oats.
"Did you move a sack of oats, boy?"
The boy nodded. "I fed them to your horse, master."
"My horse?" The merchant turned and saw the horse polish off the last of the oats and thought to himself that was more proper. The woman had been awfully presumptuous to even try to dictate what he fed her animal while it was in his care.
"Help me get mounted," the merchant said.
Together, merchant and boy succeeded in getting the man's bulk atop his well-fed steed. "Lash that ass to us, boy, and I'll get underway."
Soon, as the merchant rode his stallion out of the barn, Laurent was forced to trudge behind the horse's ass. There wasn't going to be any quick resolution. Claudia's plan had failed. He was stuck a donkey until the man transported his books to the port and then returned Laurent to Claudia. He was sure that she would be able to get him back into human form, but that was now six or seven days in the future, and not a day's journey ending with a clandestine return to his human shape at the merchant's expense.
Lacking any other recourse, he brayed in protest at the unfair twist of fate. The merchant ignored him and turned his horse onto the high road.