fine one, he was moved to turn back to the village to tell the man he had lodged with that a lamb of his breed had lost the ewe.  Thou sayest well, the man answered, and that lamb will seek vainly, for the ewe hurt her hoof, and we kept her in the house so that she might be safer than with my shepherd out on the hills, and the luck we have had is that a panther broke into our garden last night.  We thought he had killed the lamb as well, but he only took the ewe, and the lamb thou bringest me tidings of will be dead before evening.  My thanks to thee, shepherd, for thy pains.  But, said Jesus, thou’lt sell me the lamb that runs bleating after ewe, on the chance that I shall rear him?  Whereat the villager smiled and said:  it seems hard to take thy money for naught, for thou hast a pleasant face; but who knows what luck may be with thee.  For a shekel thou shalt have the lamb.  Jesus paid the shekel, and his eyes falling upon a bush in whose stems he knew he should find plenty of sap, he cut some six or seven inches off, and, having forced out the sap, showed it to the villager, and asked him for a rag to tie round the end of it.  I hardly know yet what purpose thou’lt put this stem to, the shepherd said, but he gave Jesus the rag he asked for, and Jesus answered:  I’ve a good supply of ewe’s milk drawn from the udder scarce an hour ago.  Thou hast ewe’s milk in thy bottle! the villager said.  Then it may be I shall lose my breed through thoughtlessness.  And it was with a grave face that he watched Jesus tie a rag around the hollow stem.

He put the stem into the lamb’s jaws and poured milk down it, feeding the lamb as well as the ewe could have done.  It may be I shall get him home alive, Jesus muttered to himself.  Thou’lt do it, if luck be with thee, and if thou canst rear him my breed has passed from me.  Thou’lt be rewarded for taking my shekel, Jesus answered.  A fine lamb for a month, the villager remarked.  One that will soon begin to weigh heavy in my bosom, Jesus answered; a true prophecy, for after a few miles Jesus was glad to let him run by his side; and knowing now no other mother but Jesus, he trotted after him as he might after the ewe:  divining perhaps, Jesus said to himself, the leathern bottle at my girdle.

But very soon Jesus had to carry him again, and, despite his weight, they were at noon by the well at the end of the oak wood.  Lamb, we’ll sleep awhile together in a pleasant hollow at the edge of the wood.  Lay thyself down and doze.  The lamb was obedient, but before long he awoke Jesus with his bleating.  He wants some milk, he said, and undid the leather girdle and placed the feeding-pipe into the lamb’s mouth.  But before giving him milk he was moved to taste it:  for if the milk be sour——­ The milk has soured, he said, and the poor bleating thing will die in the wood, his bleatings growing fainter and fainter.  He’ll look into my face, wondering why I do not give him the bottle from which he took such a good feed only a few hours ago; and while Jesus was thinking these things the lamb began to bleat for his milk, and as Jesus did not give it to him he began to run round in search of the ewe, and Jesus let him run, hoping that a wild beast would seize and carry him away and with his fangs end the lamb’s sufferings quicker than hunger could.