19. A Ewe and a Wolf

Once upon a time, a ewe and her lamb lost their flock. They arrived at a meadow and stayed there a whole year. One winter day, a cunning wolf passed by the ewe’s hut and claimed that the ewe was dwelling on his territory, and that he had a witness. The ewe knew of the wolf’s intention to eat her lamb. The next day, the ewe saw the wolf wandering around with a fox. The ewe took refuge in a dog’s home. The dog reminded the ewe of the importance of taking an oath on one’s elders among the members of the dog family. He advised the ewe to ask the wolf’s witness to take an oath on the truth of the wolf’s claim, explaining that at the same time he would hide himself behind a tree to attack them if they falsely took the oath. The wolf came along with the fox as his witness. As the fox was taking an oath, he caught sight of the dog behind the tree. The fox became scared and left. The wolf took the oath himself and was attacked by the dog. The wolf withdrew his claim and left.