Once upon a time there was a little boy whose task it was to drive the goats to and from the hills. One morning, as they went along the road, the first goat saw a hole in the fence which shut off a field of rye.
“Oh,” said the first goat, “here is a chance to get into that field. I do not think that we want to eat rye—there is plenty of grass on the hill. But we can go in and see what it is like, just the same.”
With that he turned aside from the road and went through the hole into the ryefield, and the others followed after him.
“Here,” cried the boy, “come out of that!”
But the goats did not come out, so the boy climbed over the fence and started after them to chase them out. But the goats just ran round and round in the field, until at last the little boy was so tired that he sat down by the fence and cried.
By-and-by a dog came down the road. “Why, little boy,” he said, “what are you crying for?”
“I am crying because the goats will not come out of the ryefield. I was driving them along the road to the hills and they went through the fence, and I have chased them and chased them, and they will not come out.”
“Well,” said the dog, “that is nothing to cry about. Just you wait here and I will go into the field and chase them out for you.”
So the dog ran through the hole and started after the goats, barking loudly. When the goats saw him coming they started to run, and ran round and round in the field until at last the dog was so tired that he sat down by the fence and cried.
By-and-by a fox came trotting down the road. “Why, dog,” he said, “what are you crying for?”