Summary

After leaving the cripple with some food, the boy raced away, hoping someone would find the injured man. When he reached the castle, he put some water on to boil and went to check on the goatherd. His makeshift bed was empty. The boy was so filled with despair that he even considered returning home.

The goatherd returned and found him sobbing. They hugged. Later, they drank some of the water, and the boy told the goatherd about his adventure and the cripple. The goatherd said they would have to return to save the cripple. The boy was disappointed that the goatherd had not congratulated him, and he argued that the cripple had tried to kill him. However, the goatherd reminded him that the cripple was “‘a child of God’” (165).

They traveled for days until they reached the aqueduct. There they paused, and the...