Two men were lost in the desert, and after walking for hours under the scorching sun, they were near the point of collapse. Just as they were about to give up hope, they stumbled upon what appeared to be an oasis.
Excited at the prospect of finding water and shade, they hurried towards the oasis, only to find a small shack with an old, weather-beaten man sitting outside on a rocking chair.
"Please, sir, can you help us?" one of the men gasped. "We've been lost in the desert for hours, and we're in desperate need of water."
The old man looked at them for a moment and then said, "I have water, but I can only give it to you under one condition."
Desperate, the men agreed to whatever condition the old man had in mind.
The old man pointed to a water well behind the shack and said, "You see that well over there? You both need to jump in it, and if you survive, I'll give you all the water you need."
The two men were hesitant at first but realizing they had no other choice, they reluctantly climbed up to the lip of the well and jumped in.
As they plummeted down, they braced themselves for impact, only to find themselves landing in a pool of water at the bottom of the well.
Amazed and overjoyed at their luck, they drank their fill of water and then climbed out of the well. The old man was waiting for them with a grin on his face.
"Congratulations, you both passed the test," he said. "You see, the only condition I had was that you needed to be able to swim. I never said anything about the water being shallow."
Relieved and grateful, the two men thanked the old man and went on their way, knowing they had narrowly escaped a dire situation with their wits and a stroke of luck.