The Deceitful Goat

Once upon a time, there lived an old man who had three goats. And with the goats, there was a billy goat, horned and bearded. The old man took care of his flock, grazing the goats from dawn till dusk, watering them with spring water, and guarding them from wolves.

Years passed, and the old man's strength began to wane. He called his three daughters and said:

"It's time for me, my daughters, to rest. Now it's your turn to graze the goats."

The eldest daughter said:

"I will go."

"Go, my dear, but make sure to graze them well and water them on time."

"Don't worry, father, I will do everything right."

In the morning, she went with the goats to the forest, grazed them as best as she could, watered them properly, and then sat near the billy goat and combed him with her comb. If the old man had seen it, he would have been speechless with joy.

In the evening, she led the flock home, and the old man came out of the yard and asked the billy goat:

"How did my daughter treat you? Did she feed and water you well?"

"Ah, master, she didn't feed or water us at all," replied the billy goat. "We passed through a little forest, I plucked a withered leaf, and when we came to the swampy sedge, I drank some cold water."

Hearing these words, the old man became furious and drove his daughter out of the house. The next day, he sent the middle daughter:

"Go with the goats to the forest, but make sure to graze them well, or the same will happen to you."

"Don't worry, father."

The poor girl went with fear in her heart, searching for the greenest grass and the cleanest water, afraid that the same fate would befall her as it did her elder sister.

She led the goats through the meadows and sparse woods, watered them at the stream's source, and combed each one, hair by hair, so their coats would be clean and soft. When the sun began to set, she drove the flock home. The old man came out of the yard and asked the billy goat:

"Are you satisfied today? Was the grass good? Was the water clean?"

"Oh, master, we didn't eat or drink."

"We passed through a little forest, I plucked a withered leaf, and when we came to the swampy sedge, I drank some cold water."

The old man became even angrier than the day before. The middle daughter had to leave the house as well.

"You'll learn not to disobey!"

On the third day, the youngest daughter went with the goats.

She thought that perhaps her sisters had indeed fallen asleep somewhere and hadn't watched the goats properly, but she would feed and water them well.

She wore out her legs from morning till night, never sitting down for a moment.

"Let them try to say I didn't take care of them now. But it wasn't to be."

In the evening, the old man came out of the yard and asked the billy goat:

"Are you fed? Are you watered?"

"Ah, master! She led us to the grove, tied us to a root, and we suffered from thirst until sunset."

"We passed through a little forest, I plucked a withered leaf, and when we came to the swampy sedge, I drank some cold water."

"Ah, lazy girl!" the old man raged. "The example of your elders didn't do you any good. Go after them."

And he drove the youngest daughter out of the house. It was the old woman's turn. The old man said:

"Look, old woman, don't joke with me, keep an eye on the goats."

"Come on," said the old woman, "teach the learned! Haven't I grazed goats before!"

The old woman led them to a meadow with silky grass and thick shade, pampering and caring for them from morning till evening. At sunset, the old man came out of the yard and asked the billy goat:

"How did the old woman graze you?"

"Disaster, master! She led us to the pasture, tied us to a post, and sat nearby, mourning her daughters until the sun set. Poor us, poor us!"

"We passed through a little forest, I plucked a withered leaf, and when we came to the swampy sedge, I drank some cold water."

"Well, old woman, I didn't expect this," the old man gasped. "Get out of here, I don't want to see you anymore. Even grazing goats is beyond you, what good are any of you!"

The next morning, the old man himself went with the goats. Let them, he thought, feel the master's care. He fed them fresh grass, watered them with spring water, and combed them like little children.

"At least they'll remember me kindly, since they had no luck with the old woman and the daughters. I'll ask the billy goat how he was grazed today."

The old man dreamed, wanting to hear a word of praise even from the bearded billy goat. He led the goats home, but hurried along a side path, put on city clothes, and donned a mask so he wouldn't be recognized. He came out on the road and asked the billy goat:

"How do you fare with the old man? Surely better than before?"

"Not at all!" replied the billy goat. "Even worse than with the old woman and the girls."

"In the morning, he tied us by the horns to a gnarled stump, and we stood all day under the scorching sun."

"We passed through a little forest, I plucked a withered leaf, and when we came to the swampy sedge, I drank some cold water."

The old man turned black with rage. It cut him to the heart that the cursed beast had been leading him by the nose all along. He grabbed a knife and rushed at the billy goat to skin him alive. But as soon as he had flayed the head, the billy goat broke free, bleated horribly, and ran off.

He ran and ran until he stumbled upon a fox's den. In pain and fear, he squeezed into it and lay still.

A short time later, the fox came, smelled the goat's scent, and asked from outside:

"Who is this uninvited guest?"

The billy goat stuck out his horns and replied:

"I am a flayed billy goat, fierce and angry in my wrath, and I will gore any enemy."

The fox was frightened and went to the hedgehog.

"Go, friend, drive this unclean spirit out of my den. Once he's inside, you can't get him out. But with your spines, you'll manage to deal with the devil."

The hedgehog ran to the den and asked:

"Who is this fearsome one?"

The billy goat replied from inside:

"I am a flayed billy goat, fierce and angry in my wrath, and I will gore any enemy."

But the hedgehog was not easily scared. He squeezed into the hole and began to prick the billy goat with his spines—so much that you could make a sieve out of the goat's skin. The billy goat tried to fend him off with his horns, but the hedgehog rolled into a ball and pricked him to the bone.

Seeing that he was about to be turned into minced meat, the billy goat bolted out of the den and ran without looking back. The flayed skin slipped over his eyes, and blindly, he ran to the edge of a cliff. He jumped, flailed his hooves in the air, and—thud—landed at the bottom.

Only traces of him remained here and there, and even those were washed away by water, dried by the sun, swept by the wind, and covered by dust.

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The Deceitful Goat

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