Translation:The High Mountains/40

Lambros came to his lesson the day before yesterday, and yesterday, and today.

He looks at his clock and arrives at the exact time. Lambros' clock is a wild dried-up pear tree. At ten o'clock in the morning its shadow falls on the spot. Then the pupil sets out and comes running to Dimatrakis' cabin.

Fortunately the other time he recovered his goats, all except one, a little billy goat. Nowhere could he find this little black goat.

When he announced this to Grandpa, he became very angry.

“Go back there, said Grandpa, and find me the little goat. If I don't have this little one, it's as if I've lost the whole herd!”

The next day, Lambros set out very early and began to climb up all the cliffs. He looked in the shrubs, he threw stones around and about, he whistled, calling “Tsep! Tsep! Tsep!” but nothing. He was desperate.

Just at the moment when he had decided to leave, the little goat sprang up from a tuft of greenery. He didn't move or bleat; he just looked at him.

He had been forgotten in the wild shrubbery. He lived one night among the green oaks and the strawberry bushes, he forgot about herd and shepherd.

Lambros chased him for a bit, caught hold of him by the back leg with his stick, put him on his shoulder and brought him back.

When old Athanase, who has six thousand livestock, saw him, he was delighted.

After having caught him by his little horns and put him on his knees, he shouted as if he were angry:

“Bring me the knife quickly so that I can sacrifice him”. The little goat bleated: “maa... maad... “ And when he opened his mouth his breath smelled good of wild plants.

“What d'you say?” cried old Athanase, raising his hand as if he held a knife. “You don't want me to sacrifice you? Yes, I'm going to sacrifice you, and right now! You forgot me in among all these scents, eh; you wanted the strawberry bushes untouched! It's all right, I'll let you off today. But it's settled! I'll sacrifice you at Aphrodo's wedding”.

This is what he said before releasing him to join the others.

No, he won't sacrifice him, not even at Aphrodo's wedding. What if he's disobedient; anyway he knows how to goand hunt scents, he knows how to find the unspoiled bush.

Old Athanase has him in his heart. It seems that one day he will make him his bellwether!