Adam of the Road

Adam walks the busy road from Guildford to Farnham, asking other travelers if they have seen Roger or Jankin with Nick. Of all the travelers, only three recall Jankin and Nick; they tell Adam that the minstrel was on his way to Giles Fair. No one has seen Roger. Farnham is bursting with people traveling to the Fair, and Adam worries he will never find Roger and Nick.

When Adam is hungry, he finds an inn and runs into a merchant he recognizes from the inn where Nick was stolen. The merchant, whose name is Daun William, listens to Adam’s story and invites him to travel with his entourage to the Fair. Daun William tells Adam about his own six-year-old son and sympathizes with Roger, who must be scared for Adam’s safety. Adam agrees to travel with the men, and they leave the next morning.

The road to Giles Fair cuts through the King’s Forest, which is shady and quiet, and Adam dozes off as he rides behind one of Daun William’s men. As Adam wakes, an arrow flies out of the forest, and the traveling party is quickly surrounded by a knight, a squire, and two yeomen, all dressed in black. The knight’s crest and shield are painted black. There is a small visible crest of a gilded leopard, and Adam thinks his old friend, Perkin, would be able to recognize the crest and tell Adam which family this knight belonged to before he became a robber.

The robbers tie Daun William’s hands together and gag the men to silence them. Adam jumps away from a man who tries to tie him and runs into the woods. The two yeomen follow him and shoot arrows at him. Adam falls into the underbrush and begins to crawl until he climbs up a beech tree with low-hanging branches. He cannot see his pursuers from his place in the tree, but he eventually hears them stop searching and leave the area. He waits a long while before he descends and finds his way back to the road. Only then does he realize how torn his clothes and skin are. Adam is angered by the injustice of the situation and decides to find the sheriff.

On his way to find a sheriff, Adam runs into a shepherd. Though they speak different dialects, they find a way to communicate, and the shepherd offers Adam water, bread, and fish. Adam tells him about the robbery, and he gives him directions to the nearest town, where the bailiff will be in the manor house. Adam follows these directions and arrives in town, where everyone is working in the lord’s fields, fulfilling their boon days.

Adam stops at the manor house, but it takes him a long time to convince the servants and the steward to let him see the bailiff. Eventually, the servants let him through, and Adam tells the bailiff, named Sir Adam, about the robbery and the knight with the leopard crest. Sir Adam recognizes the crest as belonging to de Rideware and calls a team of men to pursue the robbers. Adam gets to ride alongside Sir Adam, which delights him.

The party finds the spot where the robbery happened and follows the trail to de Rideware’s house, which is protected by a small wall and a shallow moat. Adam expects a fight and is slightly disappointed when the party crosses the shallow moat on horseback and knocks on the door. Though the porter tells Sir Adam that de Rideware is not home, Sir Adam enters anyway. Lady de Rideware greets Sir Adam shakily and tells him that her husband is not home. Gently, Sir Adam asks her to let him through, and she obeys.

The party enters the great hall, which is dark because all the shutters are closed. As they open the shutters, they see all of Daun William’s goods, and then they see Daun William and his men, all of whom are bound and gagged. In the excitement to catch de Rideware, Adam frees Daun William and his men himself. Daun William tells the knights that de Rideware escaped, and Sir Adam leaves with most of the party to track him down. He leaves two knights behind to guard Daun William and ensure that the men make it to the road safely. While waiting for Daun William to repack all of his goods, Adam plays his harp and sings a song. By the end of the song, everyone is singing along.

Adam, Daun William, and the rest of his men travel to Winchester, where St. Giles Fair is being held. At first, Daun William and Adam are very affectionate and repeatedly recount the tale of Adam’s bravery. By the second day, Daun William is preoccupied with thinking about the fair, and Adam realizes that he has been bragging and irritating the entire group.

They arrive at Winchester, which is overflowing with people. Daun William buys himself a room at the largest inn and buys Adam dinner. He tells Adam to sleep in Strangers’ Hall, a place where the monks of St. Swithin feed and care for the poor. Adam follows his instructions and befriends an old man there. He falls asleep on the man’s cloak while the man and his friends discuss the King, Edward Longshanks, and the new Parliament the king is establishing.

The next morning, Adam enters the fair and is overwhelmed by the number of people there. He hears many different dialects and languages and sees all sorts of entertainers and merchants. He searches for Roger and Nick but does not see them anywhere. That night, he reunites with Daun William, who allows Adam to sleep in the booth where he is selling his goods. Adam spends every day searching for Roger and Nick and begins to lose hope.

One night, he dines with a pilgrim who has visited shrines all over Europe. The pilgrim tells Adam the story of a miracle he received in Rome, where his lame leg was healed. Adam asks if it is possible to receive a miracle at St. Swithin’s Shrine in Winchester, and the pilgrim encourages him to try. The next day, instead of going back to the fair, Adam goes to the shrine and prays. All he wants is to see Roger coming toward him with Nick in his arms, but he doesn’t see them anywhere.