The Herdsman and the Lost Bull
A HERDSMAN tending his flock in a forest lost a Bull-calf
from
the fold. After a long and fruitless search,
he made a vow that,
if he could only discover the thief who had stolen
the Calf, he
would offer a lamb in sacrifice to Hermes, Pan, and
the Guardian
Deities of the forest. Not long afterwards,
as he ascended a
small hillock, he saw at its foot a Lion feeding on
the Calf.
Terrified at the sight, he lifted his eyes and his
hands to
heaven, and said: “Just now I vowed to
offer a lamb to the
Guardian Deities of the forest if I could only find
out who had
robbed me; but now that I have discovered the thief,
I would
willingly add a full-grown Bull to the Calf I have
lost, if I may
only secure my own escape from him in safety.”
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