The Wolf and the Shepherd

The shepherd saw the wolf on the first morning, trotting along behind his flock. He gripped his stick and watched him all day. And the wolf did nothing.

The next day the wolf was back. He walked beside the sheep. He lay down when they lay down. The shepherd watched and watched, and the wolf did nothing. A week went by, and then a month, and the wolf did nothing.

"Well now," said the shepherd, scratching his chin. "Perhaps I was wrong about you. You are more of a guard than a thief." And he put his stick away.

One morning, he had to go to the city. He looked from his sheep to the wolf, lying quietly by the gate. "Mind them for me," he said, and he set off down the road.

The wolf watched him go. He waited until the shepherd was out of sight. Then he stood up.

When the shepherd came home, the hillside was silent. Only a few sheep were left, pressed against the wall, and tufts of wool blew across the grass. He put his head in his hands. "It serves me right," he said. "Why did I trust my sheep to a wolf?"