There was once a boy who tended his father's sheep on the side of a mountain, near a dark forest.

It was a lonely place. No one was near, excepting three men whom the boy could see working in the fields, in the valley below.

One day the boy thought he would have some fun. He rushed down toward the valley, crying, "Wolf! Wolf!"

The men ran to meet him, and one of them remained with him for a while.

The boy enjoyed the company and the fun so much, that he tried the same trick again, a few days later. Again the men ran to help him.

Soon after this, a wolf really came from the forest and began to steal the sheep.

The boy ran after the men, crying more loudly than ever, "Wolf! Wolf!"

But it was of no use for him to call. The men had been fooled twice, and now no one went to help him. So the wolf had a good meal from the herd of sheep.