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Child of the 7th Age · 11-09-2003, 01:42 PM

Griffo and the volunteers try to gather in some crops and bring them to the Inn…

Griffo unfolded the small, square sheet of vellum that Mistress Andreth had handed to him when he’d stopped by the Pony at the start of the day. He squinted at the paper this way and that, turning it first in one direction and then the other in an honest effort to unlock its meaning, but still couldn’t make much sense out of it. Since his own skill in reading and writing was strictly limited to his own name and a few odd phrases he’d picked up, his inability to understand this jumble of official words was not too surprising.

Mistress Andreth had taken time to read the proclamation before he left, and Rosco had confirmed its contents. According to the two of them, the Mayor had asked neighboring farmers, both Big and Little, to sell their produce to the Innkeeper so that it could be taken to the Pony and stored there safely in the event that protracted war broke out and folk were cut off from their normal sources of victuals and supplies. Still, he would like to have been able to read the words himself to make certain that Andreth and Rosco were right.

He knew that Mistress Andreth had scraped her cash box clean as well as all the extra pots of coins that she’d stashed away in hidden places so that she could offer the farmers a fair price. Mayor Harald had even agreed to let her charge a full penny extra for every visitor staying overnight in the Inn to help defray the costs.

Andreth’s final instructions to Griffo had been simple….. beg, borrow, buy, or steal, but somehow persuade the farmers to turn over the necessary foodstuffs and bring them safely back to the Inn. The only caveat the Innkeeper had added was that all food should be in a form that could be stored for a month or two, or at least prepared so that it would not spoil. There were to be no raw meats or poultry, only those that had been smoked. All grains must be fresh and free from mold, while preference would be given to those vegetables that could be safely tucked away in the Inn’s cellar for a considerable length of time like carrots and onions and turnips.

With these final set of instructions ringing in his ears, Griffo set out from the Inn that afternoon with a convoy of three hobbit farmwagons. Griffo drove the first one; Rosco had agreed to come along in the second since he could read the proclamation to any farmers who did not know how to do so themselves. Sitting up front in the third wagon was Griffo’s neighbor Tom Boffin, a great hulk of a hobbit who was known for his ability to heave and lift. In the back of each of these wagons was another hobbit helper who’d agreed to come along and make sure the food was properly loaded .

To give themselves an easier task for the first day, Griffo and the others had agreed that they restrict themselves to nearby hobbit farms where folk were most likely to be cooperative. They were correct in that assumption. Every hobbit farmer they visited had already heard about the drive to collect food and willingly sold what merchandise they had to be carted off and stored. The main problem came in what type of provisions were actually available for purchase. With the dearth of rain, grain crops had been thin and, aside from a wagon load of turnips and onions, there were no other vegetables or fruits to be had. However, folk did have a variety of items to offer the Innkeeper.

By the end of the afternoon, Griffo had collected a bevy of chickens who were all guaranteed to be fine egg layers; these were stashed inside wooden coops and lifted up into a wagon, along with a litter of half-grown pigs. In the third wagon was a small beehive whose inhabitants were drowsing; Griffo had carefully enclosed the hive in a closed burlap sack. Finally, right next to the sack of bees was a nest of rabbits-- bucks, does, and bunnies-- transported in a wooden crate.

Another farmer had sold them two good milk cows that were now tied with a rope harness to the rear of one wagon, along with an assortment of sheep and goats. All of these animals came trailing along behind the convey as Griffo made his way up the East Road and back into town to the front doorstep of the Pony to the utter amazement of several of the citizens who came out on the streets to watch.

[ November 09, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

11-09-2003, 01:42 PM	#142
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	Griffo and the volunteers try to gather in some crops and bring them to the Inn… Griffo unfolded the small, square sheet of vellum that Mistress Andreth had handed to him when he’d stopped by the Pony at the start of the day. He squinted at the paper this way and that, turning it first in one direction and then the other in an honest effort to unlock its meaning, but still couldn’t make much sense out of it. Since his own skill in reading and writing was strictly limited to his own name and a few odd phrases he’d picked up, his inability to understand this jumble of official words was not too surprising. Mistress Andreth had taken time to read the proclamation before he left, and Rosco had confirmed its contents. According to the two of them, the Mayor had asked neighboring farmers, both Big and Little, to sell their produce to the Innkeeper so that it could be taken to the Pony and stored there safely in the event that protracted war broke out and folk were cut off from their normal sources of victuals and supplies. Still, he would like to have been able to read the words himself to make certain that Andreth and Rosco were right. He knew that Mistress Andreth had scraped her cash box clean as well as all the extra pots of coins that she’d stashed away in hidden places so that she could offer the farmers a fair price. Mayor Harald had even agreed to let her charge a full penny extra for every visitor staying overnight in the Inn to help defray the costs. Andreth’s final instructions to Griffo had been simple….. beg, borrow, buy, or steal, but somehow persuade the farmers to turn over the necessary foodstuffs and bring them safely back to the Inn. The only caveat the Innkeeper had added was that all food should be in a form that could be stored for a month or two, or at least prepared so that it would not spoil. There were to be no raw meats or poultry, only those that had been smoked. All grains must be fresh and free from mold, while preference would be given to those vegetables that could be safely tucked away in the Inn’s cellar for a considerable length of time like carrots and onions and turnips. With these final set of instructions ringing in his ears, Griffo set out from the Inn that afternoon with a convoy of three hobbit farmwagons. Griffo drove the first one; Rosco had agreed to come along in the second since he could read the proclamation to any farmers who did not know how to do so themselves. Sitting up front in the third wagon was Griffo’s neighbor Tom Boffin, a great hulk of a hobbit who was known for his ability to heave and lift. In the back of each of these wagons was another hobbit helper who’d agreed to come along and make sure the food was properly loaded . To give themselves an easier task for the first day, Griffo and the others had agreed that they restrict themselves to nearby hobbit farms where folk were most likely to be cooperative. They were correct in that assumption. Every hobbit farmer they visited had already heard about the drive to collect food and willingly sold what merchandise they had to be carted off and stored. The main problem came in what type of provisions were actually available for purchase. With the dearth of rain, grain crops had been thin and, aside from a wagon load of turnips and onions, there were no other vegetables or fruits to be had. However, folk did have a variety of items to offer the Innkeeper. By the end of the afternoon, Griffo had collected a bevy of chickens who were all guaranteed to be fine egg layers; these were stashed inside wooden coops and lifted up into a wagon, along with a litter of half-grown pigs. In the third wagon was a small beehive whose inhabitants were drowsing; Griffo had carefully enclosed the hive in a closed burlap sack. Finally, right next to the sack of bees was a nest of rabbits-- bucks, does, and bunnies-- transported in a wooden crate. Another farmer had sold them two good milk cows that were now tied with a rope harness to the rear of one wagon, along with an assortment of sheep and goats. All of these animals came trailing along behind the convey as Griffo made his way up the East Road and back into town to the front doorstep of the Pony to the utter amazement of several of the citizens who came out on the streets to watch. [ November 09, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ] __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote.