DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70302#0247
LIFE OF THOMAS ROBERTS.
217
thick, pole with one hand and with the other constantly
on his back. He was scarcely ever seen without a short
pipe in his mouth, and was always dressed in a loose frock
of coarse harden, tied before and reaching down to his
ancles.
That old Tom was of an industrious disposition cannot
be denied, for he often went two journies in a day. His
feeling and consideration for his poor beasts was another
praise-worthy trait in his character; for though he travel-
led so many miles, he was never known, even if ever so
much fatigued, to ride on any of his asses. This singula-
rity induced some mischievous lads to play him the fol-
lowing trick. One evening as he was returning from Not-
tingham to his humble home, he was met by two youths
who asked the old man why he did not ride. He returned
them an abrupt answer, which irritated them so much,
that they resolved he should for the first time in his life
ride home on one of his beasts. They accordingly seized
the poor fellow, set him on one of the asses, tied his legs
underneath the animal’s belly, strapped his hands behind
him, and cording the other two asses to his legs on each
side, they left him with his face towards the tail, to travel
home at his leisure. In this condition he had proceeded
more than two miles, .vhen he met with some person,
more humane than the wanton youths from whom he had
experienced such rude treatment, and who set the poor
fellow at liberty. He was ever afterwards accompanied
in his journies by a boy, to prevent a repetition of the
same usage.
He followed his occupation till his death, which hap-
pened in May or June 1795, in the sixty-first year of his
age. If we reckon that he went only one journey in a
day, he must, in the course of twenty-five years, have tra-
velled upwards of ninety thousand miles, or nearly four
Eccentric, No. V. f f times
217
thick, pole with one hand and with the other constantly
on his back. He was scarcely ever seen without a short
pipe in his mouth, and was always dressed in a loose frock
of coarse harden, tied before and reaching down to his
ancles.
That old Tom was of an industrious disposition cannot
be denied, for he often went two journies in a day. His
feeling and consideration for his poor beasts was another
praise-worthy trait in his character; for though he travel-
led so many miles, he was never known, even if ever so
much fatigued, to ride on any of his asses. This singula-
rity induced some mischievous lads to play him the fol-
lowing trick. One evening as he was returning from Not-
tingham to his humble home, he was met by two youths
who asked the old man why he did not ride. He returned
them an abrupt answer, which irritated them so much,
that they resolved he should for the first time in his life
ride home on one of his beasts. They accordingly seized
the poor fellow, set him on one of the asses, tied his legs
underneath the animal’s belly, strapped his hands behind
him, and cording the other two asses to his legs on each
side, they left him with his face towards the tail, to travel
home at his leisure. In this condition he had proceeded
more than two miles, .vhen he met with some person,
more humane than the wanton youths from whom he had
experienced such rude treatment, and who set the poor
fellow at liberty. He was ever afterwards accompanied
in his journies by a boy, to prevent a repetition of the
same usage.
He followed his occupation till his death, which hap-
pened in May or June 1795, in the sixty-first year of his
age. If we reckon that he went only one journey in a
day, he must, in the course of twenty-five years, have tra-
velled upwards of ninety thousand miles, or nearly four
Eccentric, No. V. f f times