t what he wanted, and finding a large
stone, he fastened the rope to it, and sank it in the swamp, after which
he arranged the tails carefully one by one, so that only their points
were seen sticking out of the water. When everything was in order, he
hastened home to his master with such a sorrowful face that the herdsman
saw at once that something dreadful had happened.

'Where are the pigs?' asked he.

'Oh, don't speak of them!' answered the young man; 'I really can hardly
tell you. The moment they got into the field they became quite mad, and
each ran in a different direction. I ran too, hither and thither, but as
fast as I caught one, another was off, till I was in despair. At last,
however, I collected them all and was about to drive them back, when
suddenly they rushed down the hill into the swamp, where they vanished
completely, leaving only the points of their tails, which you can see
for yourself.'

'You have made up that story very well,' replied the herdsman.

'No, it is the real truth; come with me and I'll prove it.' And they
went together to the spot, and there sure enough were the points of
the tails sticking up out of the water. The herdsman laid hold of the
nearest, and pulled at it with all his might, but it was no use, for
the stone and the rope held them all fast. He called to the young man to
help him, but the two did not succeed any better than the one had done.

'Yes, your story was true after all; it is a wonderful thing,' said the
herdsman. 'But I see it is no fault of yours, and I must put up with
my loss as well as I can. Now let us return home, for it is time for
supper.

Next morning the herdsman said to the young man: 'I have got some other
work for you to do. To-day you must take a hundred sheep to graze; but
be careful that no harm befalls them.'

'I will do my best,' replied the youth. And he opened the gate of the
fold, where the sheep had been all night, and drove them out into the
meadow. But in a short time they grew as wild as the pigs had done, and
scattered in all directions. The young man could not collect them, try
as he would, and he thought to himself that this was the punishment for
his laziness in refusing to look after his father's one cow.

At last, however, the sheep seemed tired of running about, and then
the youth managed to gather them together, and drove them, as before,
straight to his father's house.

'Whose sheep are these, and what are they doing here?'