Print This Page#02222 Print This Page
It was of a rich merchant in London
With plenty of corn to be sold,
He sent out his daughter to market
To receive every penny in gold.
She sewed the gold up in her saddle,
For fear of some danger she'd find;
She sewed the gold up in her saddle,
And that was good leather well-lined.
She sewed the gold up in her saddle,
And started home on the highway;
By chance a young man came to meet her,
He bade this fair damsel to stay.
Three blows of his whistle he gave her,
A pistol he clasped to her breast,
Saying, "Deliver your gold, oh my darling,
Or else you will die of protest."
This fair pretty damsel get[sic] frightened,
And so did old dobbin, her steed;
'Twas down from his back she alighted,
Old dobbin trot off with great speed.
He stripped this young maiden stark naked,
Gave her his own horse to hold;
'Twas there she stood shivering and shaking,
Like anyone dying of cold.
The fair pretty damsel took courage,
While he was in search of his prey;
She said, "It's no time to stand idle,
I'll show you a trick on highway."
From stirrup to saddle she mounted,
She swung her legs 'cross like a man;
She put the thief's horse at a gallop,
Saying, "Catch me now, rogue, if you can."
He ran and he puffed and he shouted;
He ran and he puffed and he blowed,
Saying, "Come back my pretty fair darling,
And I will give you your clothes."
"My clothing it's not of much value,
You may keep it kind sir, if you please."
He ran and he puffed and he shouted,
Till his boots they did anchor his knees.
She rode over mountains and valleys,
And places she knew very well;
She left him a trifle in fortune,
With about five shillings to tell.
She rode over hills and o'er meadows,
Arrived home about twelve o'clock;
Her daddy was terribly frightened,
To see her ride home in her smock.
She put her thief's horse in the stable,
And in his portmantle she found,
Some hundreds of sparkling diamonds,
The value of ten thousand pounds.
"Now you will take five thousand pounds dad,
And I will take five thousand more,
I think that's a suitable fortune,
To keep the great wolf from the door."
This variant was collected in 1952 in St. John's, NL, from Gordon Willis of Fogo, NL, by Ken Peacock and published in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 1, pp.226-228, by the National Museum of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved.
A variant was also collected by W. H. Logan, editor, and published as The Maid Of Rygate in A Pedlar's Pack Of Ballads And Songs, pp.133-136 (Edinburgh 1869).
Kenneth Peacock noted that this ballad is related to The Crafty Farmer [Child 283] who goes off to pay the rent. He meets a robber who "gave him his horse to hold," just as he does the daughter in this version. The Yorkshire Boy is another member of this group of ballads, in which the person who outwits the thief is amply rewarded for his or her cleverness.
From Wikipedia:
Portmantle - a portemanteau, plural portemanteaux, which is a type of suitcase or bag commonly found in England and other parts of Europe where they were extremely popular in the 19th century for travel. Portemanteau, from the Latin porter (to carry) and the English mantle, which was switched for the Middle French manteau (a coat or cover). They are commonly sold to this day.
