did understand--if the nut had
dropped on account of the nail, the wheel would come off for want of
the nut. He had scarcely comprehended this, when crack! the wheel fell
into the dust and was left behind the cart.

The cart moved on awhile upon three wheels, then it upset, breaking
the pole in two. Now they were in a bad fix.

"There it is," cried Jack in terror, "didn't I say that would happen?"

We will waste no more words on this subject! The farmer was in _such_
a rage! To be in the middle of the road with a broken pole is no joke.
The farmer seized Jack, gave him another sound thrashing, and then
told him to be off that he might cause him no more trouble. He was
really in the wrong, for he had himself forbidden Jack to speak. But
Jack was to blame, too--if he had always obeyed, he would have learned
long before just how far such an order went. He had been too obedient,
obstinately obedient. And that isn't well either.

The farmer continued his journey as best he could, but Jack was left
on foot in the middle of the road. Alas! Woe betide him, I really
don't know what he is to do. He turned into a path he did not know,
and hoped to reach home. Again he walked over meadows and through
forests, walked for a long, long time, till his feet would scarcely
carry him. This time he found a village in a beautiful meadow, and
outside the village was a man watching a flock of sheep grazing.

"How do you do, good sir!"

"Thank you kindly, may you grow tall, my son."

One word led to another, and Jack briefly told the man his whole
story, from beginning to end, and the peasant was pleased, because,
just at that time, he needed a shepherd-boy to drive the little flock
to pasture, lead them to water, and watch them that they might not
mingle with others. They were a particular breed of sheep, and he
would not have had them injured on any account. Such sheep, it was
reported, were owned only by one emperor, from whom the peasant had
obtained the single lamb. So they were sheep, well--we can imagine how
beautiful they were, since they had descended from a lamb that
belonged to an emperor!

Jack was glad, too, because he found himself in luck again. So they
made a bargain, and Jack became a shepherd boy.

"You must watch the sheep the whole livelong day, drive them down into
the valley to drink, and when it grows dark bring them back to the
fold. If it seems cold, make a fire at the entrance of the pen, and
that the sheep