"I am willing to sell, Captain, for thy sake; but for thy sake alone," said the sheep-seller. "But he must pay me three French livres for his pick and choice."
"That is a big price," said Panurge, gently. "In my own country, I can buy five, nay, six fine rams for that much money."
"But not such sheep as mine!" yelled Dindeno, who was getting very angry that he had not vexed Panurge.
"Really, sweet sir, thou art getting a little warm. Come, now, the bargain is ended. Here is thy price. Give me my ram."
PANURGE BUYS A RAM.
Dindeno, in clutching angrily at the money, rudely pulled it out of the hands of the patient Panurge. Holding himself as straight as he could, with an innocent smile upon his face, Panurge—having at last got what he wanted—looked around to make his choice. He soon picked out the finest ram in all the flock. The moment he caught hold of his ram, and began to haul it along, the poor beast set up a pitiful bleating. As soon as the rest of the sheep heard their leader bleating, they, too, set to crying and bleating, while staring at him with all their eyes wide open. Meanwhile, Dindeno, full of rage, was whispering to his shepherds,—
"That long-nosed fellow knows how to choose! That ram he has taken was the very one I had put aside for my best friend, the Lord of Cancale!"
As quick as lightning—before anybody knew what he was about; even before Dindeno in fact, had turned away from whispering to his shepherds—Panurge had caught up his bargain, bleating louder than ever, and thrown it overboard into the sea. At this, all the other sheep on the ship, crying and bleating just in the same sad key as their leader, began to scamper to the side and leap into the sea one after another. It was, with all of them, "Who shall be first after our leader?" it being the nature of sheep, which are the silliest creatures in the world, always to follow their leader.
