Chapter 17

Daniel, the apprentice herdsman, and Odo were near Falls Ende, collecting cow manure which Odo sold as fuel to the weavers who used it to bleach fabric. It was another cold, frosty morning, and they'd turned the cattle out early and trudged up the field with barrows when Daniel pointed out a figure on horseback riding towards them. It was only half-light, and as the horse approached, Odo recognised the figure of Reeve Merick. As Merick never idly passed by at this time of day, he could only surmise that the reeve was the bearer of bad news. He felt the pang of anxiousness grow in his stomach.

Even from a distance they could hear the reeve yelling: "Yer cursed cows and bull! Damn ye, Odo Read!"

Odo dropped his spade and began to run back down the field towards Merick.

"What do yer say? What happened?"

Merick pulled his horse to a stop and looked down, scowling at Odo. "Yer cows, they broke through the fence and were charging all through the crops, the bull was destroying everything!"

"No, it can't be, the fences are all good, I often check them myself. Yer must be mistaken."

"You'll pay for this, Odo Read. I will have to inform the lord."

"Where are the cows?" Odo asked in disbelief.

Merick pointed to the northwest corner of the field; it was some distance away, and still shrouded in the gloom of half-light.

Odo began to run with Daniel following a step or two behind. Had they bothered to look back behind them, they would have seen Merick astride his horse grinning.

Over time, Odo and Godwin had built a solid wooden fence that surrounded all the land they owned. Because they worked daily with cows, they needed to ensure their animals were kept safe inside their property. There was always some concern about the damage they could cause by eating and trampling crops if they escaped. Maintaining the fences was something that was constantly done, and through all the years of being a herdsman, neither Godwin nor Odo ever allowed their cows to break free. What Reeve Merick described was Odo's worst fear.

As Odo and Daniel approached the fence, they could see the broken fence rails where cows pushed their way through. Odo saw peasants trying to herd his cows back through the gaping hole in the fence, but no Blacky.

Beyond the fence the land was divided into long sections called furlongs and each furlong was further divided into narrow strips called selions. These selions were distributed amongst the farmers, and in lieu of an early growing season, wheat and barley had been painstakingly planted. Only recently germinated from seed, the young crops were no more than a hand-breadth tall. The small, succulent leaves were a delicacy to the cows.

Odo scanned the ground and saw row upon row of trampled young plants. Thankfully, the cows hadn't travelled far, but the destruction of the small area they foraged on was complete.

Daniel ran off to help drive the cows back while Odo searched for the bull. It took but a moment to find him - he lay on the ground in a spreading pool of blood. His throat had been sliced open.

"Who did this?" he yelled. "Who killed the bull?"

A couple of the peasants came forward and removed their hats. "Hail, Herdsman Odo," said one. "We weren't here when it happened. It was Charcoal-Burner Larkin that first sees it, and it was him who did it. Says the bull was causing mischief and he had to put 'im down, a shame really, ol' Blacky was a kindly beast to me."

Odo hardly heard him. He was devastated. How would he explain the loss of the bull to Herdsman Searl, how would Lord Mellester react, and what would Lord Ridgley say? All of a sudden the reality of what happened struck home. He was in big trouble. He buried his face in his hands. He didn't know what to do, and more than ever he wished Norman were here to advise him.

And Herdsman Searl was due to arrive any day to pick up Blacky.

Once all the cows were returned back to his property and the fence repaired, Odo walked home lost in the hopelessness of the situation. The farmers were dependant on the crops for their livelihood and now they'd lost a portion of their potential yield and would be aggrieved. He knew they'd be angry; it was understandable and he felt pity for them, but there was little he could offer other than some coin in recompense and an apology.

He knew Reeve Merick would pay him a visit and summon him to appear before the lord and face the consequences. He imagined being flogged, first by Lord Mellester, and then by Lord Ridgley; whoever was second wouldn't get much.

As expected, within a short time Merick was at his door. "Lord Mellester will see ye at the end of the week. Steward Alard is determining the cost of the damage and will report back to the lord."

Odo nodded in understanding.

"Lord Mellester is much displeased with ye, Odo. Don't ye go leaving Mellester, ye hear me?" Merick shook his head to highlight the seriousness of the offence. "He'll be expecting ye to make good, and so will I." He wagged a threatening finger.