play, while the Kid danced before him. Before many minutes were
passed the gods who guarded the flock heard the sound and came up to
see what was going on. They no sooner clapped eyes on the Wolf than
they gave chase and drove him away. As he ran off, he turned and
said to the Kid, "It's what I thoroughly deserve: my trade is the
butcher's, and I had no business to turn piper to please you."
THE DEBTOR AND HIS SOW
A Man of Athens fell into debt and was pressed for the money by his
creditor; but he had no means of paying at the time, so he begged for
delay. But the creditor refused and said he must pay at once. Then the
Debtor fetched a Sow--the only one he had--and took her to market
to offer her for sale. It happened that his creditor was there too.
Presently a buyer came along and asked if the Sow produced good
litters. "Yes," said the Debtor, "very fine ones; and the remarkable
thing is that she produces females at the Mysteries and males at the
Panathenea." (Festivals these were: and the Athenians always sacrifice
a sow at one, and a boar at the other; while at the Dionysia they
sacrifice a kid.) At that the creditor, who was standing by, put in,
"Don't be surprised, sir; why, still better, at the Dionysia this Sow
has kids!"
THE BALD HUNTSMAN
A Man who had lost all his hair took to wearing a wig, and one day
he went out hunting. It was blowing rather hard at the time, and he
hadn't gone far before a gust of wind caught his hat and carried it
off, and his wig too, much to the amusement of the hunt. But he quite
entered into the joke, and said, "Ah, well! the hair that wig is made
of didn't stick to the head on which it grew; so it's no wonder it
won't stick to mine."
THE HERDSMAN AND THE LOST BULL
A Herdsman was tending his cattle when he missed a young Bull, one of
the finest of the herd. He went at once to look for him, but, meeting
with no success in his search, he made a vow that, if he should
discover the thief, he would sacrifice a calf to Jupiter. Continuing
his search, he entered a thicket, where he presently espied a lion
devouring the lost Bull. Terrified with fear, he raised his hands to
heaven and cried, "Great Jupiter, I vowed I would sacrifice a calf
to thee if I should discover the thief: but now a full-grown Bull
I promise thee if only I myself escape unhurt from his clutches."
THE MULE
One morning a Mule, who had too much to eat and too little to do
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