The shepherd's Mistake

The Shepherd’s Mistake
A shepherd took out his sheep to graze every morning. He would sit and watch while the sheep fed on the fresh grass. One day, while the sheep were grazing, the shepherd saw a wolf eyeing his sheep from a distance. At first, the shepherd was afraid lest the wolf would harm his flock. But the wolf did not try to attack the sheep. Instead, he quietly followed the sheep home. Gradually, the shepherd’s fear of the wolf subsided. One day, the shepherd was urgently called home. Thinking that his sheep would be safe with the wolf, he left them in the wolf’s care. But when he returned, he was dismayed to find that the wolf had eaten up most of the sheep. Sitting down with his hands on his head, the shepherd moaned, “It was my fault. I was foolish to trust a wolf to guard my sheep.”

Source: 365 Folk Tales - Om Books International