the Sackett Companion (1992) Read Online Free PDF Page A

COMPANION adds a bit of extra enjoyment to the reading of the Sackett stories I am amply repaid. So read, and enjoy.
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    SACKETT'S LAND

    First publication: Saturday Review Press hardcover, May 1974;.

    Bantam Books paperback, May 1975 Narrator: Barnabas Sackett Time Period: c. 1600
    This is the story of Barnabas, the son of Ivo, and of his migration to a strange land beyond the sea, of his discovery of a purse of gold coins in the mud of Devil's Dyke that began it all, and the mischief it brought him.
    It is also the story of Abigail, the daughter of Captain Brian Tempany, and how she met and married Barnabas of the Fens.

    And it begins the story of those who accompanied them into the far land, and those who joined them later, and of all that came to be as they began the westward trek.
    And here are related various and sundry tales of the people who were concerned with them, and what became of them in the years that followed, at least so far as we have been told. And here are given some of the trails to the future, and some of the memories too, so that you who read may know all that can be told of those who followed the path to Shooting Creek, and beyond.

    IVO: Of Ivo we will speak, who left the fens to follow the Earl of Blencope to foreign wars; a yeoman born, of stout arm and heart, he achieved modest fame at the battles of Lepanto and Zutphen, as well as in skirmishes hither and yon between those battles, and in traveling.
    Later he saved the life of his fallen lord, standing over him to smite hard his enemies with sword and axe, then carrying him from the bloody field when the fighting was ended.

    In the ancient days of Ivo there was yet a chance for a bold young man if he handled his blade well. Land was held by the King or the great nobles of the realm; all others were yeomen or peasants, yet a good fighting man might win wealth and preferment. In later years, many a great family was to forget that its high position in life was won by a husky nobody whose valor and strength were rewarded with a gift of lands, and a title to accompany them.
    It is often forgotten that all lands, everywhere, were won by the sword. The followers of William the Conqueror, whose flimsy claim to the throne of England was backed by his Norman relatives and allies, descendants of Vikings who were seized off the land known thereafter as Normandy.

    For generations these Northmen, or Normans, as they came to be called, had sailed out from their fjords to raid and conquer, sailing at first only to loot and destroy. Then they became enamored of the warm southern lands and remained there.

    There were some who settled on lands in what we now call France, others in Scotland or England. They founded the city of Dublin in Ireland, and went still further south to establish a kingdom in Sicily.

    But Ivo of the Fens was not of these, being a Celt of ancient line. He wedded Megan, a maid of Talybont in Wales, who was to become the mother of Barnabas. Ivo had won her fair, rescuing her from pirates in the western isles. And she, the fairest maid in all the isles, was of the blood of Nial.

    For some pages now we shall speak of places and people, some not too familiar, some with whom the reader may have met at least in passing upon this lane or that.

    LONDON BRIDGE: For many years it was the only bridge over the Thames, until Westminster Bridge was added in 1750. London Bridge rested on nineteen stone arches, and there was a wooden drawbridge that allowed ships to pass upstream. London Bridge was considered a street and lined with shops and residences, which in time became decrepit and rat-infested.

    The current as well as the tide caused whirlpools and rapids around the arches, and "running the bridge" became a sport, albeit a dangerous one where many a strong lad lost his life.

    At either end of the bridge was a gate over which were displayed the heads of malefactors, especially those of traitors or those perceived to be such. At one time a huge