The Villagers and the Boy

Some people who lived in a village had many fine sheep. But there was a wolf who lived in the forest. The wolf was always trying to catch the sheep and eat them up.

So the villagers gave money to a boy and said, “Watch the sheep in the fields all day. If you see the wolf, shout to us for help.”

Very soon the boy ran to the village. “Help!” he called. “Wolf! Wolf!”

Some men were working on a farm. They heard the boy’s shouts.

“We are coming!” they shouted in answer.

But when they came to the boy, they could not see the wolf. The sheep were eating grass.

The boy laughed as much as he could. “That was a good joke,” he said. “There are no wolves here. You have run for nothing.” The men were very angry with the boy.

The next day, the boy took the sheep to the other side of the village. When he wanted to lie in the grass, he saw a wolf. “Help!” he shouted. “Help! Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is attacking the sheep!”

The boy ran to the village, shouting “Help! Help!” But nobody came.

“This is another joke,” they all said.

The wolf killed many of the sheep. The men caught the boy and punished him for losing the sheep.