The Herdsman and the Lost Bull

A herdsman was tending his cattle near the edge of a forest. In the morning mist the bells of the herd sounded softly among the trees. When he counted the animals, he found that a young bull-calf was missing from the fold. The calf had always kept close to the others, and now only trampled grass and broken marks in the mud showed where it had been.

The herdsman searched anxiously. He followed narrow paths, looked among bushes, examined hoofprints in damp ground, and called again and again. But the calf did not answer. The deeper he went, the quieter the forest seemed, except for the crack of dry twigs and the rustle of leaves.

At last he lifted his hands and made a vow. “If I can only discover the thief who has stolen my calf,” he said, “I will offer a lamb in sacrifice to Hermes, to Pan, and to the guardian powers of the forest.” He wanted the truth, and in that moment he thought the truth would be the end of his trouble.

Soon afterward he climbed a small hillock. At its foot he saw the lost calf, but he also saw a lion feeding upon it. The lion’s mane lay dark and heavy about its head, and the ground around its paws was torn. The herdsman’s anger vanished. Fear seized him from head to foot.

He raised his eyes again and said, “A moment ago I vowed a lamb if I might find the thief. Now that I have found him, I would gladly add a full-grown bull, if only I may escape with my life.” Thus he learned that some discoveries are more terrible than ignorance.