Bonds of Earth, The

by Thompson, E. V.

  ‘What’s it like, what goes on there?’

  ‘It’s noisy, with a lot of buying and selling going on and men and women hoping to find work on farms, although this isn’t the best time of year for that, most of the hiring takes place at the early spring fairs. There’s a lot of fun things going on too: sideshows, dancing bears and monkeys, music, fire-eaters, sword swallowers – and there’s usually a band and the hurdy-gurdies.’

  ‘Do you need to pay to see these things?’ Jenken asked anxiously, adding, ‘I’ve got seven pence but I’d like to use it to buy something for Ma, she never gets anything.’

  ‘You have to pay to see a lot of the things but there’s always something going on you can look at for nothing.’ Looking sideways at the excited boy on the wagon beside him, he added, ‘Anyway, Agnes gave me a shilling to give you to spend at the fair because you’ve worked so hard for her during haymaking – and I’ll give you a shilling too, for the same reason.’

  It was not a vast amount, but it was more than Jenken had ever possessed before to spend on himself, all the money he earned on Elworthy Farm being given directly to his hard-pressed mother. He wriggled in pleasure as he thought of what he might be able to purchase with his new-found wealth.

  The fair was everything Goran had promised and more. It was being held on open ground on the edge of the town although stalls sprawled over into the adjoining streets which were crowded with horses, carts and people, all seemingly moving in differing directions.

  Goran was obliged to leave the pony and cart some way from the fair in a field, the owner of which was making more from this one day than a bumper crop would have fetched after a year’s labour.

  As he and Jenken moved among the crowd thronging the fair, Goran suddenly pulled Jenken to a startled halt. He had recognized a man he would rather not meet up with today. It was Marcus Grimble, the Spurre estate gamekeeper and he was accompanied by a younger man whom Goran had never seen before.

  When Jenken saw the gamekeeper he began trembling. Laying a hand on the boy’s shoulder, Goran said, ‘It’s all right, Jenken, he’s never seen enough of you to recognize you, but try to steer clear of him and I’ll do the same. There’s nothing he can do to either of us with so many folk around, but he’s nasty enough to be unpleasant if he met me. I wonder who the young man is with him, I’ve never seen him before.’

  Controlling his fright, Jenken said, ‘I have … at least, I think I have. I believe I saw him talking to Morwenna up by the Spurre estate, when I was out looking for that lamb we lost.’

  ‘Morwenna with a friend of Grimble? No, you must have been mistaken.’ Dismissing the suggested link between the two, Goran said, ‘You go off and enjoy yourself now and forget all about Grimble. Meet me in a couple of hours over by the stall where they’re selling pasties. I’ll buy one for you before we head back home. If it starts raining we’ll meet up there earlier.’

  Not entirely reassured, Jenken set off on his own, a final warning from Goran about the danger of pickpockets ringing in his ears, although he was far too excited with everything going on around him to pay much attention to his words. Besides, although he felt rich there was hardly enough money in his pocket to attract the proficient and highly professional pickpockets Goran had said frequented the country’s fairs.

  When the two parted company, Goran made his way through the crowds towards an area where he believed he would find farming implements for sale. Unlike Jenken, he did carry a great deal of money on him, money that Agnes had loaned him for buying a plough and harrow. He had it in a leather bag hanging from a long leather thong tied about his neck, the hidden bag a comforting weight beneath his shirt. He also had a few pounds of his own money tucked inside a pocket to spend on other things.

  On one of the many stalls he passed a man who was offering cheap jewellery for sale and with a particular present in mind, Goran decided he would return to the stall after concluding the purchase of a plough.

  Pausing only momentarily at some of the pens where pigs, sheep and cattle were being offered for sale, he eventually reached a clear space on the edge of the fair where various farming implements were laid out for inspection. Some were new, but a great many more were used, some obviously very well worn.

  He found he was able to browse here at his leisure, his youth saving him from the attention of the implement vendors who dismissed him as being too young to be a potential buyer.

  He had stopped to admire a new three-bladed iron plough when he was joined by an old, bearded man who had the weather-beaten appearance of someone who had spent a long lifetime working in the open air.

  Standing beside Goran and looking at the plough, the man said, ‘’Tis a beautiful thing, no doubt about it, but it’d need at least four horses to pull it, and that’s too many for good ploughing.’

  ‘You know about ploughing?’ Goran queried.

  ‘I should do, it’s how I’ve earned my living since I was only a little older than you are now, but it’s not usual to find someone your age interested in ploughs and ploughing. It’s too much like hard work for youngsters these days.’

  Goran smiled to himself at the other man’s comments. He had yet to meet a farmer who gave young men credit for working as hard as they claimed to have been obliged to labour when of a similar age.

  ‘Well, I’ve just taken the tenancy of a farm that’s never seen a plough and I hope to change that.’

  Looking at Goran sceptically, the old man said, ‘You’ve taken on a farm? You’re a bit young for such a responsibility. Your family must have plenty of money to give you a farm of your own.’

  This time Goran laughed out loud, ‘It would make life a whole lot easier if that were so … but I mustn’t grumble, I’ve got the next best thing. I’ve worked for a generous widow since I was eleven and she’s not only given me the tenancy of a farm she owns, but has made certain I have enough money to make a success of it.’

  ‘Is that so? I wish I’d met someone like that when I was your age, but I’ve nothing to complain about. I was a ploughman for more than twenty years for as good an employer as you’d be likely to find anywhere, and he left me a sum of money when he died. It wasn’t a huge amount but enough for me to buy a plough and two good horses and set out on my own when I fell out with his son and one of his favourite gamekeepers – who I’ve seen today for the first time in years, right here in the fair.’

  Remembering whom he and Jenken had seen when they first arrived at the fair, Goran said, ‘You’re not talking of Marcus Grimble, head gamekeeper on the Spurre estate?’

  ‘That’s him. Do you know him? Is he a friend of yours?’

  All affability left the old man’s voice when he voiced the questions and Goran said hastily, ‘I know him and saw him when I arrived at the fair today, but he’s no friend of mine, quite the opposite! The farm where I’ve worked is next to the Spurre estate and I’ve upset Grimble so often he’s threatened what he’ll do to me if he ever gets the chance.’

  ‘It seems he hasn’t changed, but what’s the name of your farm, boy?’

  ‘I’ve been working at both Roach and Elworthy Farms, but I’ve taken over Elworthy now – although I still put in time at Roach.’

  His expression one of delight, the old man said, ‘You’ve been working at Roach Farm? Is Agnes still there? I haven’t heard a thing of her for years. But why have you taken over Elworthy Coumbe’s Farm? Has something happened to him? No, don’t bother to tell me here, come to the inn just across the road, you can buy me an ale and tell me all about what’s been going on there.’

  ‘But I want to look at the ploughs, that’s the reason I’m here at the fair.’

  ‘They’re not going to go away, boy … and there’s nothing here worth your money, but buying an ale or two for me might prove the best investment you’re ever going to make….’

  Chapter 19

  THERE WERE SO many customers at the inn that Goran and the old man were forced to sit on a wooden bench outside, amidst a c
onstantly changing crowd of noisy and hard-drinking fair-goers.

  Goran ordered a tankard of ale for his companion and a lemonade for himself from an overworked and harassed serving-girl. The non-alcoholic drink was a treat, one rarely enjoyed on the farm and it meant he would have a clear head for their conversation.

  When introductions were exchanged, Goran learned the old man’s name was Horace Rundle and it transpired that as a young man he had courted Agnes Roach – or Coumbe, as she then was – but had been jilted in favour of the man who eventually became her husband.

  ‘It was probably just as well,’ Horace reminisced, ‘Agnes was always a strong-willed girl, determined to get her own way about most things, although I don’t remember her ever doing anyone a bad turn if she could do a good one.’

  ‘She hasn’t changed,’ Goran said. ‘She still likes to have her own way and is sometimes so positive she frightens the life out of folk who don’t know her, but she’s the kindest person I’ve ever met.’

  ‘That’s pretty much how I remember Agnes, and she thought the world of that husband of hers. Mind you, I got married and had a happy life too, even though, like Agnes and her man, we never had any children of our own.’

  The ale and lemonade had arrived and, with the pewter tankard to his lips, Horace seemed lost in his memories, until Goran prompted him with, ‘When was the last time you saw Agnes?’

  ‘Eh? … Oh, it was years and years ago. It must be more than twenty years since the present Sir John inherited the title and returned from the wars to take over at Spurre and I hadn’t seen her for some years before that … but what’s happened to her brother Elworthy, whose farm you’ve taken on, is he dead?’

  ‘No, he’s gone to live with Agnes at Roach.…’

  The conversation about Agnes, and Horace’s reminiscences of his days working at the Spurre estate in the ‘old days’ lasted for another ale before Goran said, reluctantly ‘It’s been good meeting you, Horace, and I’ve really enjoyed talking to you, but there’s a storm to the west that will be here within the hour. I came here to buy a plough and I must get on with it.…’

  ‘Don’t be in such a hurry, boy, you just listen to what I have to say before you make up your mind about anything.’

  Raising the tankard to his lips and looking over the rim thoughtfully for the length of a long draught, Horace eventually lowered the drinking vessel. Speaking seriously, he said, ‘You came to Liskeard Fair to buy a plough because you want to grow crops at Elworthy, but there’s more to arable farming than owning a plough. A whole lot more, especially if you want to show a profit at the end of the farming year. After being a ploughman for almost all my life I’ve not given it up because I want to, but because rheumatics won’t allow me to work the way I need to and I can no longer put in a full day’s work. Mind you, that doesn’t mean I can’t show anyone who wants to learn the way it should be done. I wouldn’t do it for anyone mind. In fact there are very few I’d even try to teach the right way to go about it, but you have a head start on most all of ’em. You’re starting out on a farming life at a much younger age and, most important of all to me, you’ve spent years working for Agnes Roach. I’m living out near Callington right now and although I can’t do a full day’s work I still have the plough and harrow I used to work with and own two of the finest plough horses you’ll find anywhere. They’d almost plough a field without having anyone to drive ’em. If we can reach some agreement I’m willing to bring them to Elworthy with the plough and harrow, show you how to use ’em and set you on your way to arable farming.’

  It was a remarkable offer and far more than Goran could possibly have anticipated, but Horace had earned a living as a ploughman and would expect to be paid for his services.

  ‘That’s very good of you, Horace. Having you teach me what to do would be just what I need, but I’d still have to buy horses, a plough and a harrow. How much would it cost me? Agnes has been more generous than I could ever have hoped, and I can’t ask her for more. There will be money coming in if the Wheal Hope extends its workings beneath Elworthy – and the mine captain is fairly certain they will – but that’s not likely to happen for a while yet. Until then money is going to be tight.’

  ‘I don’t think I’ve mentioned money, boy! Mind you, I’m so forgetful these days I can’t remember what I’ve said more than half an hour after I’ve said it. How much land do you reckon on ploughing?’

  Making a rapid mental calculation, Goran replied, ‘I’m hoping to get about five acres ploughed and put in at least an acre of potatoes. If I could manage more, so much the better. There are rumours of a rich copper strike at Caradon. If they’re true it will mean more mines and a lot more miners, so there should be a market for as much as I can grow.’

  ‘I’ve heard the same talk, so your thinking is sound and potatoes are a good cleaning crop for ground that’s never been ploughed before. Mind you, there’s a lot of work to be done before you put them in but if you have turnips and mangelwurzels growing along with ’em you’ll be able to feed your animals through the winter too.’

  Repeating his earlier question, Goran asked, ‘If I was to hire you to do the ploughing and harrowing how much would it cost me?’

  Horace shook his head. ‘I told you, I’m not up to that much work, boy, but I’ll put an offer to you. It’s costing me good money to keep my two horses idle and there’s a plough in my barn that’s better than any I’ve seen offered for sale today – even those newfangled ones that’ll need so many horses to pull ’em that whoever buys one will never see his money back. I’ve also got a harrow I had a blacksmith make specially for me and it’ll still be working the ground when both you and me are underneath it. I’ll bring the lot over to you at Elworthy and spend a couple of days showing you the right way to plough and harrow then let you get on with doing it for yourself. When you’ve got the ground fit and ready, you plant not one acre of potatoes, but two, one for you and one for me, and I’ll see you get the right potatoes for planting and show you how they should be cut to get the best from ’em.’

  ‘Are you saying you’ll let me have the horses, plough and harrow for nothing? You don’t want actual money for them?’

  ‘I’m not saying that. Potatoes for planting are going to cost you money, although I’ll get them at a price a sight cheaper than you’d be charged for the amount you’re going to need. Then, you’ll be feeding the horses through the winter months and I’d expect you to keep ’em as fit and healthy as they’ve always been with me. As for actual money changing hands … Well, we’ll talk about that when we see what sort of a crop of potatoes you grow for me and when you’ve got money coming in from this mine that’s started up. I’d expect you to settle up something with me then, but I won’t be robbing you, boy. I’ll take into account the money I get from the potatoes and the money you’ll have spent on them.’

  It needed very little time for Goran to realize that Horace was offering him a great deal more than he had expected to return home with when he left Elworthy Farm that morning. Extending his hand to the old man, he said, ‘We have a deal, Horace. You show me what it is I need to do and it won’t be my fault if we don’t produce the best crop of potatoes to be found anywhere in Cornwall.’

  ‘I hope you’re right boy, but …’ – pointing up to the heavens Horace added – ‘never forget there’s someone up there who has far more to do with the success of farming than you or me and it’s not going to be long before He’s sending us a reminder.’

  Chapter 20

  WALKING BACK THROUGH the fair with Horace, Goran saw the stall where he had seen jewellery on display. In the excitement of all he and the old man had been talking about he had forgotten it, but now he stopped to look at what was being offered for sale.

  His eye was caught immediately by a bracelet which reminded him of the one he had seen Morwenna wearing and which Nessa had given to her in exchange for the dictionary Morwenna had brought to the farm for him. Picking it up he examined it carefully b
efore deciding it was cheap and ill-made and replacing it on the stall.

  ‘Doesn’t it suit you, young sir? It would look very nice on the wrist of your young lady, I’m quite sure.’

  Goran shook his head, ‘It’s not what I’m looking for.’

  ‘And what are you looking for, something cheaper, or something of real value?’

  ‘I’m looking for a bracelet that’s a little better than anything you have here.’

  ‘Ah! Then the young lady must be someone who’s very special and nothing’s too good for the true love in your life…. No, don’t go away. I have a few items here that I don’t show to everyone. I keep them hidden away and only show them to discerning customers like yourself.’

  The stall was covered by a heavy and rather threadbare green chenille cloth, which reached to the ground on all sides. Lifting the edge closest to him, the stallholder lifted out a small, stiff leather case.

  He opened the lid to reveal a number of compartments, each filled with differing varieties of jewellery, necklaces, rings, bracelets and more.

  ‘Now, if it’s a special bracelet you’re looking for, here’s the best in the box – and you’ll not find a more precious one anywhere, it’s solid gold.’

  ‘I don’t want a gold bracelet. I’m looking for a silver one with jewels in it. Purple jewels.’

  ‘Purple? You don’t mean blue … sapphires?’

  ‘No, purple!’

  ‘Ah! Then you must mean amethysts, and they’re very expensive.’

  ‘Oh well, that means I won’t be able to buy her an amethyst bracelet then.’

  ‘Don’t be quite so hasty, young sir. I just happen to have an amethyst bracelet – but only one. Mind you, I wouldn’t still have it had I showed it to every young man who wanted something special. It would have been bought by the very first one to see it, but I was waiting for someone to come along I felt would appreciate it, and I think you might be that very young man. Just look at this, ain’t it the most beautiful bracelet you’ve ever seen? Not only that, I know the young lady you want it for will never have seen another like it because I doubt very much whether there is one.’