Odo was grinning. "I have never seen animals like this."

Hilke returned from greeting everyone and walked up to Odo.

"How soon can we go to the local manor and speak to the lord about buying cows?" Odo asked excitedly.

Hilke shook his head. "Here there are no manors or lords, each farmer or ploegg, a landowner, is his own man and is responsible only to himself. If he is bad or done wrong, then he must come before a redjeven." Hilke could ...