The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-02-07
NAKHNAN'S TRAVELS.
tcaprioht. 1911
BY EDGAR L. wAKEMAN.
Robin Hoods Laud.

trnmped from Newatead Abbey from th'
lrear region Of Robin Hoods Hills, Il
Arnold, on my return way to Noting
ham. 1t was late at night and no con
veyance or train could be had to thu
ancient city. The long, laue.like manu-
featuring hamlet possessed but two inns
These were "publlc.houses," roadside
dramshops, rather than hostelries. Al
one, had been refused entertainment
for the night and warned away, because
the old lady who kept it took good
Eugliph oath was a play'actor or other
mountebank, and would, somehow, de-
part too earlyin the morning with more
than my reckoning. Attic other, "The
Lone Tree Inp," the modesty OF the two
maiden ladiesin charge forbadethe hoos-
ing OF an unvouched man. ! could SIT in
the taproom parlor on the high leather
covered seitees until the closing, at mid
night. Then must 60.
Utterly iatigued from long days
wandering in Robin Hoods Land, and
desperate ut the prospect OF al all
nights tramp into Nottingham, how ]
longed for the welcome OF some hege.
side Gypsy campl Expressing this in
humble protest only further outlawsd
me at the lone Tree Inn" at Arnold.
Then, as was being invited to take the
road, like a Gypsy, indeed, porOy,
kindly.faced man came in. He owned
tue largest mill in Arnold; WAS more
powerful man than the lord of the ma
nor; and my fate was in allegiance while
he drank his nightly glass of gin and
soda, and blinked at me, as mingled
emotions OF suspicious, PERI ,lexity and
hospitality played over his good Eng.
glisn face. The spinster bGrmaids, the
rough factory hands. and all the
tap.room hapgers.On OF q mill
town, awaited the gla at mans
iictum regarding the ing uder with
respectful silence. The ives that 1t nev
er, never should be said that H'arnold-
by-Nottingam, was in'osp'tGble or dis:
courteous to a stranger. "'Ear!-'ear!"
came from the tap.room co ntingent. e
might he play.h'actor, e night be q
mountebank, e might even consoEt with
those h'outcasts OF society, the 'orrid
Gipsies, but hagain it sh ould never be
said that H'arnold-by.N otting'am re.
fused the h'aiding and. "Ear!-eaf!
-'ear!" roared the audience all. So, as
acme Of the great mans friends, some
honest nottingham butchers, wo1ld be
directly returning home from 0xton
way, by grace and shift l was to be got
into one Of their carts, and thence to
old Nottingham and an inn. Charging
the crowd thus, and the ecore to myself,
which was gratefully expunged from the
records OF "Lone Tree 1nn," the great
man of Arnold went his way, while /
went to sleep.
How long / had been doing I know
not, but when awakened 1t was with 9
sense Of being shot through the earth's
circumambisnt blue. Four huge Eel.
lows encassd in WOODEN sacks to their
feet had tossed me into one Of their carts
like quarter OF beef. IstruCk on pile
Of freshly slaughtered pork in a COM
Portable position at the edge OF the cart
box, while "0w ar yenow, OF cockey 7"
"Nigh onto sixteen stone weight"
"The guV'nor's cold stiff with cheer"
and like suggestive chafings were ming.
led with partings at the "Lone Tree
Inn." There was q half score Of cartsi q
score OF butchers. Huge, awiul.voiced,
kindly men they were, with wonderful
hallooings and song as they pushed their
stout horses at terrific speed down that
broad stone road through the gllstening,
crispy night. Cottage and castle dimly
appeared and as instantly vanished.
! Copse and hedge seemed set in a mad
| pace the other way. On We sped to old
Nottingham, Tightening bslated cot
tagers with the rushing, clamorand Gong.
There were some superb voices among
the rollicking Nottingham butchers as
you will everywhere find among the
iowly Of all the midland and northern
English shires. But more impressive 10
me, with my own head full OF Robin
Hood, than my perilous seat on the edge
Of bounding cart boz, was the character
OF the songs they sung. Every one
identified tho butchers, or "Aesher's,"
vocation with incidents in the life Of
Robin Hood,
One OF theee songs told how Robin
himself was butchers prentice, and
became IN outlaw on account Of q miser-
" master Ieeding him solely on lights
and liver, and wore the flesh from his
bones with the unmerciful address with
which he was forced to scrape the fat
from the bones OF animals. Another
related the marvellous escape from death
OF a Nottingham butcher in the year
1928, when KING Edward II made Bit
"proSress" into the north countrie.
Euraped at the dearth OF meat in Not
Iingham, the king called the chief flesh,
er Of the city before him, and ordered
him, on pain Of death, to provide four
score goodiy kline, dressed Tor the turn
spit, 10 be made ready before the dawt
OF the following day. THIS was IN i'm
possible task. Passing from the King
presence the doomed butcher encounter
ed beggAr, who as "a boon" asked onl!
TO know the nature Of his misfortune
and Immediately disappeared. TIT
butcher passed that day and night pre-
pairing for eternity, and, like a loya
subject, set forth for the castle at dawL
TO get his head chopped oil
when he found "iourscore AM
more" beautifully dressed carcaase
OF King Edwards own fallow deer hang
ing in the Darket.place. Each had a
arrow-wound in the side; and 80 1t wa
known that Robin Hood and his me-
had saved the butchers lie, and by th
came token cIeVerly challenged bou
with the officers Of king Edward him
self. Another, the most rollicking otal
went SO far as to assert that the unGtu
ousness, the red faces, the huge paunchei
the general good cheer, and we'll as som
other marked characteristics Of the mol
tingham butchers, are hereditarily du
to the proRenitor Of them all. Him tn
ballad asserts to have been a lordly OIL
hot, noted in the Fourteenth century 70
both piety and wealth. Robin Hoo
and his men had captured the abbot an
his money.bags. Ia FetaEn the outla'
so royalty entertained him, that the at
bot fell from grace. The love Tor hss
and ale grew SO strong upon him that b
renowned bis orders, and BEGAN
butcher and vintner In y nottingham
The outlaws, now his friends, supple
his stalls with meat from the EinR's To-
70 est Of Sherwood and his butts with win
an ~ tphfNh Tho VNaiwhhnPfn1 mONlHtRfif