Page 15 - SagaOfBarak2

Somewhat strangely, despite their poor diet of dining upon rough mountain
grass and fenland moss, oh and also washed up seaweed, nevertheless these beasts
remained massive.
Oh and more importantly they nevertheless produced the very finest and tastiest
of a deep red coloured meat.
Also as well as having the very best of beef cattle, both ogre and boy owned
between themselves two good high yielding coloured milking cows.
By good fortune these healthy beasts were bought cheap from a very drunken
farmer on a busy market day.
Here was a man who had foolishly lost too much money playing dice and tossing
coins at the last spring sale.
Better still also owned in joint partnership between this unlikely pair were
several very fat pork pigs.
These as good luck would happen were also bought from a drunken fellow on
the very same market day.
Tough hardy swine these beasts were, aye rough coated creatures,not totally or
fully domesticated farmyard things as yet.
Here where semi-iron age hogs, perhaps half wild boar, half domesticated pig,
things which were happily fattening up very nicely, this in a large sheltered pen
set a bit of a distance away from the lodge; this of course for obvious reasons.
Soon enough though these swine would be slain, then butchered, all of this
before being heavily salted, then next hung up from strong beams in a stout
lean-to in readiness for later consumption.
Oh yes indeed as forward planning was ever and always a great thing Barak
had always thought.
Obviously in the way of things a good food and log supply was all important
out in the wild.
This as time progressed doubtless the snow would become thicker and the long
winter northern nights turn ever colder and ever longer.
As this by the by was a winter that as it went on held all the promise of being
a very harsh, also a very long one at that.
Not of course that any winter, a winter in any place on earth, this whether long
severe or otherwise was something Barak was in any way troubled about, oh no
far from it.
The ogre loved each and every one of the four seasons as they came around
doing its turn and playing a part in the natural way of things.
Being so, Barak as always and just as ever,was well prepared for the elements,
aye and of course anything else which for whatever reason opposed him.
Wisely big Barak held secured at the most sheltered side of his lodge, a good
supply of dry kindling, this as well as cut and dried logs under one of his several

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