"Whaes hortin ' im， ye fule； he is mair like to hort me." But further explanation was not necessary. Wully' s manner had wholly changed. He fawned on the drover， and his tail was wagging violently for the first time in years.
A few words made it all clear. Dorley， the drover， had known Robin very well， and the mittens and comforter he wore were of Robin' s own make and had once been part of his wardrobe. Wully recognized the traces of his master， and despairing of any nearer approach to his lost idol， he abandoned his post at the ferry and plainly announced his intention of sticking to the owner of the mittens， and Dorley was well pleased to take Wully along to his home among the hills of Derbyshire， where he became once more a sheep-dog in charge of a flock.
小巫利出生于遥远的切维厄特。一窝小狗除了他和另外一只留了下来，其余的都送人了。他们之所以能留下来，是因为那位兄弟长得酷似附近一只非常优秀的狗，而巫利则是一只黄毛靓狗。
巫利从小就过着牧羊犬的生活，跟着一只有丰富经验的牧羊犬学本领，任何一位老牧羊人或许都远不及他俩聪明。两岁的巫利已经完全长大，并接受了看管羊群的系统训练。从羊角到羊蹄，他都了如指掌。他的主人老罗宾对巫利的聪明才智极为信赖，所以他自己就整夜在酒馆里泡着，而让巫利对山坡上那群毛茸茸的傻瓜全权负责。他受过良好的教育，无论从哪方面来看，都称得上是只聪明的小狗，有着远大的前程。可是，他无论如何也学不会鄙视那个老糊涂罗宾。这老羊倌虽然一无是处，却仍坚持不懈地追求他的理想境界——沉醉于酒的世界中，枯燥乏味地生活着，却很少虐待巫利，而巫利则回报他以极端的崇拜，那虔诚劲儿就连世界上最伟大、最精明的人也很难办到。
巫利无法想象还有谁会比罗宾更伟大。其实，罗宾全部的体力和脑力都以每周5先令的价格抵押给一个贩卖牛羊的商人了，这个商人才是巫利所看管的羊群的真正主人，而他又远不及附近的乡绅那样财大气粗。一天，这个商人命令罗宾分段分站地将羊群赶往约克郡的荒野，然后再赶到市场去。这所有的376个脑袋瓜中，巫利最有趣，也是对整个行动最感兴趣的。