A GOATHERD, driving his flock from their pasture at eventide, found some Wild Goats mingled among them, and shut them up together with his own for the night. —-
一个牧羊人在黄昏时分把他的羊群驱赶回家，发现有几只野山羊混在其中，于是把它们和自己的羊一起关在一起过夜。 —-

The next day it snowed very hard, so that he could not take the herd to their usual feeding places, but was obliged to keep them in the fold. —-
第二天天下了很大的雪，他不能把羊群带到它们平常吃草的地方，只能把它们关在圈里。 —-

He gave his own goats just sufficient food to keep them alive, but fed the strangers more abundantly in the hope of enticing them to stay with him and of making them his own. —-
他给自己的羊刚好够活命的食物，但给了陌生的山羊更多的食物，希望能引诱它们留下来，成为自己的羊。 —-

When the thaw set in, he led them all out to feed, and the Wild Goats scampered away as fast as they could to the mountains. —-
当雪融化时，他带着它们一起出去吃草，野山羊迅速跑向山上。 —-

The Goatherd scolded them for their ingratitude in leaving him, when during the storm he had taken more care of them than of his own herd. —-
牧羊人责骂它们无情地离开他，尽管在暴风雪期间，他对它们的照顾比对自己的羊更多。 —-

One of them, turning about, said to him: —-
其中一只转过身对他说： —-

“That is the very reason why we are so cautious; —-
“这正是我们小心谨慎的原因；我们知道你对我们的照顾是出于一己私心，不会真心对待我们。” —-

for if you yesterday treated us better than the Goats you have had so long, it is plain also that if others came after us, you would in the same manner prefer them to ourselves.”
如果你昨天待我们比你长期养的山羊还好，那显然，如果其它羊在我们之后来了，你也会以同样的方式偏爱他们而不是我们。

Old friends cannot with impunity be sacrificed for new ones.
不能拿旧朋友来牺牲新朋友。