SHEEP 257 



can the sheep do in its turn when in danger? Noth- 

 ing. With no thought of defending itself, imbecile 

 and stupid, it waits for the wolf to come and devour 

 it. 



' ' Look at a flock of sheep, startled by some unusual 

 noise. They rush headlong, bewildered with fear; 

 they crowd together, press against one another, 

 lower their heads to the ground, then await, motion- 

 less, the issue of the event. The wolf, if it be a wolf 

 that has caused the panic, has only to choose its vic- 

 tim out of this compact mass: there will be no 

 thought of resistance or flight. What would become 

 of the poor creatures if shepherds and dogs were not 

 there to protect them? In a few days they would 

 all perish, sacrificing their last drop of blood to the 

 wolf. See them again in the open country in bad 

 weather. They press close to one another and re- 

 fuse to budge, enduring rain and snow, shivering 

 with wet and cold, while not one of them so much as 

 thinks of seeking shelter. Their stupidity is such 

 that they do not even seem to notice how unfavorable 

 their situation is ; they come to a standstill wherever 

 they may happen to be, and obstinately stay there. 

 To make them go and to conduct them to a more suit- 

 able spot, the shepherd is obliged to chase them be- 

 fore him and give them a leader taught to walk in 

 front. 



"Certainly, in its primitive freedom the sheep 

 could not have been the actual animal of our folds ; 

 it must have possessed the qualities necessary to 

 sustain its existence; it must have found, in itself 



