By the third day of his travels, Timmy had already found various ways and means to easse the experience, not least of which was learning how to recognize hayricks as welcome if itchy shelter to burrow into and various other copses, dells,and similar sources of shelter from the weather which was steadily growing worse.
He guessed that he was covering the proverbial 7 leagues per day, albeit boot less, (7x3=21 miles) and the more Northwards he went, the colder it became.
Timmy had also discovered the power of a simple sling to kill unwary game with and he practiced constantly as he walked along there being nothing like necessity to focus one upon what means could provide necessary food. He also had some good fortune investigating the various water courses along the way, resulting in crayfish and one unlucky trout that had allowed Timmy to tickle its belly as it lay basking in the shallows before being rudely thrown up and out onto the riverbank to be killed before it could make its escape.
Sailors tales and stories from his fathers library, such as the one about 7 league boots, had come to mind as he made his way and he'd never believed that that anecdote about 'guddling' was actually true! However his home made sling had also been derived from his reading and it was surprising how much useful information seemed to be emerging from his memorys depths.
Until day 5 Timmy had neither seen nor encountered anyone else until at last he came across a farm, as he assumed it must be with animals enclosed in fenced fields, and remembering the captains advice about his voice betraying his origins, he decided to play the part of a mute, able only to grunt in reply to questions.
The smallholder who would have been flattered to be labelled as a farmer, was naturally suspicious as he saw the lad approaching him and looking every inch the beggar for who else would so poorly clothed? However his wife was a good, kind hearted woman, who saw in Timmy the son she so longed for and over riding her husbands surliness asked the boy if he needed some food and drink.
When this kindly enquiry got no response she pantomimed the act of drinking and eating by gesturing to her mouth and rubbing her stomach to which he responded with a smile and a vigorous nodding of his head.
"Where's he from then?" Elgar the smallholder said "T'aint like we has much to spare for our own selves, woman!"
Edith, his wife replied "You had any sense in that thick head of your'n and you'd be glad of some help with the work that needs doing before winter comes."
As he gratefully ate Timmy concentrated on their broad dialect which was quite hard to follow and would be a real challenge to mimic. However he showed some agreement with Ediths reprimand to Elgar by nodding his head vigorously and making noises of assent or as best he could manage.
Later that day he showed willing by helping Elgar with the animals and then by killing a pair of coneys with his sling. This pleased the man greatly and he pointed at some carrion crows in a nearby tree then at some newborn lambs and shook his head to show that the birds were a threat.
Timmy considered this and finally took care to aim at the noisiest crow, who went to fly away at the boys sudden movement but was out sped by the sharp stone that felled it in a cloud of feathers. The rest of the birds flew away having seen what was in store for them and the delighted Elgar took Timmy back to the house with the rabbits and the crow to show Edith.
"There you are, see now? Thats what I meant to be sure" Edith said "You'll be well rewarded for that little bit of kindness we showed him. Now wheres he going to sleep and by the way you ought to give him your old coat and hat for its getting awful nippy for someone as poorly clothed as he."
"I'll bed him down in the byre, the cows'll keep him warm during the night, especially if he sleeps up above them in the feed store, 'tis dry and soft as anyone could wish for."
The harsh and lonely conditions of the smallholding had taught Elgar the hard way to be suspicious of anyone new but he was a generous and kind man at heart else how would he have kept someone like Edith as his life partner?
So Timmy settled down and became an invaluable partner to the couple, having decided that if winter was on its way he would be safer staying where he was than risking being frozen to death out on the moors which the grasslands soon became , with like as not neither food nor shelter.
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