The Herdsman and the Lost Bull

英语自学网

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."