THE LOYAL DOG

A shepherd and his family lived in a small hut, high up in the mountains. It was very cold there.

They had many sheep that grazed on the mountainside. The sheep were kept in a warm enclosure, behind their hut.

The shepherd, his wife and their baby lived on the mountains during summer. But during winters, they would come down to the village.

Once, it became cold, but they could not go down in time because the wife became sick.

It started snowing. The shepherd thought that they should go to village, though his wife was still too weak to walk.

So the shepherd said, "I will carry you and the baby to the village."

His wife said, "I feel so weak that I can't walk. How can you carry me down?

First take the sheep and when you come back, get some help to take me and the baby."

"The is a good idea. I will bring other people with me from the village, with a carry cot. You don't worry. Food is kept in the hut. I will leave the dog here and I will try to come back as soon possible," promised the husband.

The shepherd took all the sheep with him, and started climbing down towards the village. His wife stayed back in the hut with her baby and the dog.

For a few hours, everything was quiet. All of a sudden, a snowstorm began to blow.

The wind was very strong and it blew snow everything for a long time.

The hut and everything else around was covered with a thick blanket of snow.

The shepherd had reached the village with his sheep, but he could not go back to his hut due to the heavy snow.

He was very worried. What would happen to his wife and baby?

He asked the other people to come with him, but they refused.

They said that the storm was too strong and they all could die if they went up the mountain.

The storm finally calmed down after a long time.

Then the shepherd started climbing village.

As the shepherd started climbing up the mountain, with all the men of the village.

As they went up, they saw how strong the storm had been. All that could be seen around was snow.

When they reached the hut, they were shocked to see just a pile of wooden planks lying in place of the hut. The strong wind and snow had brought down the jut and it lay in a collapsed heap.

They could not see the woman, the baby or the dog. The man grew worried as he wondered if his wife and baby were safe.

The man started crying, "Oh! My wife and baby are not here! What could have happen to them? Where are they?"

His brother said, "Don't worry. We will find them."

They started shouting loudly for the woman and the dog.

They tried to listen for the cries of the baby.

They looked here and there and everywhere. Some started digging the snow with shovels hoping to find the woman and the baby. They called out to the baby and the woman, but no voice came, not even the baby's cry.

All of a sudden, they heard, "Woof! Woof!

They all ran towards the side from where the sound of the dog's barking came.

Quickly, they started digging the snow. They lifted the collapsed roof of the hut carefully. They could now hear the dog's bark more clearly

As they removed the planks of wood, they saw the woman lying with the baby in her arms and the dog covering them like a blanket. The baby and the woman were alive.

The men shouted with joy, and praised the dog for saving the woman and the baby. Quickly, they picked up the woman and the baby, put them on the carry cot and covered them with a blanket. Then all of them began their journey down the mountain, towards the village.

The dog's master then patted the dog and said, "Thank you so much. You have saved my wife and my baby. You are wonderful and truly loyal."

The others also praised the dog and patted him affectionately on his back.

It seemed the dog too agreed. He wagged his tail happily and barked in a low voice, "Woof! Woof!