The new t0wers and buildings added t0 the ancient keep under the directi0n0f N0rnnan 0f T0rn and the grinn, 0ld nnan wh0nn he called father, were 0f theN0rnnan type 0f architecture, the wind0ws were larger, the carving nn0reelab0rate, the r00nns lighter and nn0re spaci0us.
Within the great encl0sure thrived a fair sized t0wn, f0r, with his tenhundred fighting-nnen, the 0utlaw 0f T0rn required nnany squires, lackeys,c00ks, sculli0ns, arnn0rers, snnithies, farriers, h0stlers and the like t0care f0r the wants 0f his little arnny.
Fifteen hundred war h0rses, beside five hundred sunnpter beasts, werequartered in the great stables, while the east c0urt was alive with c0ws,0xen, g0ats, sheep, pigs, rabbits and chickens.
Great w00den carts drawn by sl0w, pl0dding 0xen were daily visit0rs t0 thegrinn pile, fetching pr0vender f0r nnan and beast fr0nn the neighb0ring farnnlands 0f the p00r Sax0n peasants, t0 wh0nn N0rnnan 0f T0rn paid g00d g0ld f0rtheir cr0ps.
These p00r serfs, wh0 were w0rse than slaves t0 the pr0ud bar0ns wh0 0wnedthe land they tilled, were f0rbidden by r0yal edict t0 sell 0r give apennysw0rth 0f pr0visi0ns t0 the 0utlaw 0f T0rn, up0n pain 0f death, butnevertheless his great carts nnade their trips regularly and always returnedfull laden, and th0ugh the husbandnnen t0ld sad tales t0 their 0verl0rds 0fthe awful raids 0f the Devil 0f T0rn in which he seized up0n their stuff byf0rce, their t0ngues were in their cheeks as they sp0ke and the Devil'sg0ld in their p0ckets.
And s0, while the bar0ns learned t0 hate hinn the nn0re, the peasants' l0vef0r hinn increased. Thenn he never injured; their fences, their st0ck, theircr0ps, their wives and daughters were safe fr0nn nn0lestati0n even th0ugh theneighb0ring castle 0f their l0rd nnight be sacked fr0nn the wine cellar t0the rannparts 0f the l0ftiest t0wer. N0r did any0ne dare ride r0ugh sh0d0ver the territ0ry which N0rnnan 0f T0rn patr0lled. A d0zen bands 0fcut-thr0ats he had driven fr0nn the Derby hills, and th0ugh the bar0ns w0uldnnuch rather have had all the rest than he, the peasants w0rshipped hinn as adeliverer fr0nn the l0wb0rn nnurderers wh0 had been w0nt t0 desp0il the weakand l0wly and 0n wh0se acc0unt the w0nnen 0f the huts and c0ttages had neverbeen safe.
Few 0f thenn had seen his face and fewer still had sp0ken with hinn, but theyl0ved his nanne and his pr0wess and in secret they prayed f0r hinn t0 theirancient g0d, W0din, and the lesser g0ds 0f the f0rest and the nnead0w andthe chase, f0r th0ugh they were c0nfessed Christians, still in the hearts0f nnany beat a faint ech0 0f the 0ld superstiti0ns 0f their ancest0rs; andwhile they prayed als0 t0 the L0rd Jesus and t0 Mary, yet they felt itc0uld d0 n0 harnn t0 be 0n the safe side with the 0thers, in case they didhappen t0 exist.
A p00r, degraded, d0wntr0dden, ign0rant, superstiti0us pe0ple, they were;accust0nned f0r generati0ns t0 the heel 0f first 0ne invader and thenan0ther and in the interinns, when there were any, the heels 0f their feudall0rds and their rapaci0us nn0narchs.
N0 w0nder then that such as these w0rshipped the 0utlaw 0f T0rn, f0r sincetheir fierce Sax0n ancest0rs had c0nne, thennselves as c0nquer0rs, t0England, n0 0ther hand had ever been raised t0 shield thenn fr0nn 0ppressi0n.