[{"node":{"title":"GreacenStanford294","Collections":"Letters to Stanford","Contributor":"Greacen Estate","Coverage":"1977 Aug 12th","Creator":"LHL","Date":"Wednesday, March 16, 2016","Format":"TIFF","Identifier":"GreacenStanford294","Item Description":"Letter","Keywords":"The Snake and the Traveller","Language":"English","Path":"https://www.niliteraryarchive.com/content/greacenstanford294","Publisher":"LHL","Relation":"LHL","Rights":"Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA","Scanned image":{"src":"https://www.niliteraryarchive.com/sites/default/files/GreacenStanford294.jpg","alt":""},"Source":"LHL Archive","Transcript":"\ufeff\"The Snake and Traveller\"\n\nNorton Fitzwarren, Shepton Mallet,\nsheepwash, Black Torrington\nor some such western place -\nThe time a century ago.\n\nAn evening black as tar\nA knife of wind ice-edged\nAnd never a star to bless the traveller\nNor even cur to argue territorial rights\nA stranger rode up to the \"Fox and Hounds\"\n\nInside the oil lamps spluttered\nPoured light in saffron pool\nPolished the golden cider.\nThe traveller called for brandy,\nThe locals stared, froze into a hush\nAnd crowded round the fire.\n\nNo one remembred later xxxx how it happened:\nA callow youth guffawed, perhaps, to see\nA gentleman join the rustic company\nOr someone trod upon the stranger's foot\nOr spoke a dialect word translated into insult\nIn the traveller's cold brain*\n\nputting down his glass he pulled a snake\nOut of his pocket underneath his cloak.\n\"Apologise or die of snakebite\", he said.\nThe landlord and the villagers stood agape\nLike xxxxxxx tableau figures made of wax.\nA minute later all had fled]Except for the jelly-bellied landlord.\n\"Truly I'm most sorry,sir\", he gasped.\nThe traveller calmly ordered mutton chops,\nDrank two quarts of ale and went to bed.\n\nHours later Jack, an old labourer died\nOf a heart attack brought on by xxxxxx fright.\nYoung George stayed in bed a whole week.\nOthers screamed in their sleep\nSo that doctor and parson earned their keep\nFor several weeks on end.\nThe greaybeards met in council and declared:\n\"'Twas the devil in disguise or we be Dutch.\"\n\nThen the landlord had a new sign painted,\nRenamed his inn \"The Snake and Traveller\"\nAnd made a fortune for himself\nNot far from Norton Fitzwarren,Shepton Mallet,\nsheepwash, Black Torrington.\n\nRobert Greacen\n12th August 77\n","Type":"Text"}}]