It was hardly dawn when a strong guard of soldiers was drawn up without
Nottingham Castle, and the prisoner was dragged forth from his cell.
Monceux had wisely come to the conclusion that Sir Guy of Gisborne had
also failed, and he saw no reason to delay Little John's execution.
Early as was the hour, yet both the Sheriff and the Bishop of Hereford
were present. The space before the castle was thronged with people.
Beside the prisoner walked the castle chaplain.
The crowd swayed and roared, and a small disturbance broke out on the
right of the Sheriff. At once the soldiers hurried to quell it.
As the prisoner neared the gallows, the crowd so bore upon the cart in
which he stood upright that progress for a few minutes was out of all
question.
Another disturbance broke out in the rear of the procession. Next
instant the prisoner was seen to have free hands. He stooped and sliced
the cords about his feet, and, releasing himself, all at once he sprang
out of the cart.
Then was an uproar indeed. The soldiers had strict orders that the
episode of Stuteley's escape was not to be repeated. But whilst they
exerted themselves desperately a sudden hail of arrows fell upon them
from the sky, as it were. Robin Hood's horn was heard blowing merrily,
and the Sheriff saw the huge mob of people break up into billows of
contending portions under his very eyes.
"Lock the gates of the city," screamed Carfax, at this juncture. "We
have them trapped at last."
Little John was free and had seized an axe. Much and Middle had brought
bags of meal with them, and both repeated the miller's old trick of
flinging the white meal into the eyes of the enemy.
Robin had broken up his band into small parties, and all were engaged
simultaneously.
In less time than it takes to tell, the space without the castle was
turned to pandemonium.
Again and again Robin's horn sounded, calling them together, and slowly
but surely his small parties formed up into a whole, beating their way
through the crowd with their swords and axes. So soon as they were
together, with Little John safely in the middle of them, they fell to
their bows and sped a cloud of arrows amongst the Sheriff's men.
Then they turned to retreat, and fell back so suddenly that they had
made good start ere Monceux had divined their intent. They sped towards
the north gate, that one being nearest to Barnesdale.
Crafty Carfax had forestalled them, however. The north gate was closed
hard and fast, and the bridge drawn.
The outlaws doubled on their track and charged at their pursuers with
lowered pikes and waving axes. The crowd before them yielded sullenly
and allowed them passage.
"To the west gate, Robin, hasten," cried a shrill voice. "'Tis more
easily opened than the rest, and the bridge is down--someone hath
smashed the winch."
Robin's heart leaped in his body--'twas the voice of Gilbert of Blois!
"Marian," breathed he, overcome with terror for her, "oh, my dearest!"
"Follow, follow!" she cried, with flashing eyes; "there is not a moment
to be lost."
Robin saw that it was a matter of life or death now in any case. "To the
west gate!" he called, "Locksley! a Locksley!"
It was the old battle cry, and only a few of them remembered it. Yet it
served and served well. The greenwood men formed up into close ranks,
and all followed the little page, shouting lustily, "Locksley! a
Locksley!"
In the rush and hurry Robin saw that Scarlett was there, and Warrenton
and Allan-a-Dale. And with the little page ran another, a fair-haired
boy, with strangely familiar face.
"'Tis Fennel," whispered Allan, at Robin's side. "She would not be
left."
He spoke as they ran, with the enemy now in full pursuit of them. Every
now and again the outlaws turned and sped a hail of arrows into the mob
behind them.
The west bridge was gained, and Scarlett had dispossessed the warder of
his keys in a moment. He unlocked the gates and flung them wide open.
The two boys--for so they seemed--raced through and over the broken
bridge, and Allan followed next. The outlaws were soon free of the town,
and once more in their own element, but Little John must needs go back
to cover the retreat with Stuteley.
Carfax and the Sheriff were close at hand with their men, furious and
determined. Even as the last of Robin's men gained and fell over the
bridge, Little John was wounded seriously by a shaft from Simeon
Carfax's bow.
His cry brought Robin back to his side. In a moment Robin's arms were
about him. "Lean on my shoulder, dear heart," cried Robin, and sure
'twas a ludicrous sight to see this stripling seeking to hold up the
great form of Little John.
They ran along in this way, and the outlaws formed a bodyguard about
them. Allan and those in front had fired the dry furze and grasses, and
the smoke began to roll heavily against the faces of the soldiers.
This gave the greenwood men a small advantage, and they gained the open
country; but not for long did the honors of this day rest on one side or
the other. The Sheriff and his fellows broke through the fire; and then
it was seen that some of them were mounted on fleet horses.
Little John begged to be left behind; and again did Robin try to rally
him. Onward they ran; and presently found themselves approaching a hill,
thickly wooded about the base.
They gained cover of these trees, and turned at bay. Hidden behind
tree-trunks they sent forth a death volume of peacock-shafts to the
Sheriff. Master Carfax was seen to fall, and with him six of the
horsemen.
The soldiers halted and prepared their crossbows. A volley of their
arrows crashed and splintered the trees, whilst Carfax rose up stiffly
to give fresh orders. A duello commenced of longbow against crossbow;
and as the freebooters could deliver near a dozen shafts to each bolt,
they more than held their own.
When a bolt _did_ strike, however, death was instant. A man was shot
near to Marian, and fell with his head shattered and ghastly. She gave a
little scream, and put her hands over her eyes.
Robin bade her keep near to him--"Behind me, sweetheart," cried he,
feverishly, "that naught may hurt you save through me."
So they fought for near an hour; and then the greenwood men saw that
reinforcements were coming to their enemies. Robin's horn gave once more
the order for retreat.
Slowly they fell back through the woods and up the rising ground. "Alas,
alas!" cried poor Mistress Fennel, wringing her hands in utter
forgetfulness that now she was dressed as a man. "We are undone! Here
come others to meet us, with pikes and many men!"
Robin saw that upon the hill-top there was a grey castle. From its open
gate there poured out a motley crowd of men armed rudely with pikes and
with staves. They rushed downward to intercept the outlaws as it seemed,
and Robin thought that, in truth, he and his merry men were trapped at
last.
But--oh, joyful sight!--foremost among those coming from the castle was
the once mournful knight Sir Richard of the Lee. He was smiling now and
very excited. "A Hood! a Hood!" he cried. "To the rescue. A Hood!"
Never was there more welcome sight and hearing than this. Without a word
the outlaws raced up to meet their timely friends, and gained shelter of
the castle, whilst Sir Richard kept the Sheriff and his fellows at bay.
Then, when all were safely across the little drawbridge, the knight gave
the word, and fell back upon his stronghold also. The bridge was drawn
and the gates clashed together, almost in the frantic, hideous face of
Master Simeon, upon whose features showed streaks of blood from his
wound and rage commingled.
* * * * *
The knight stationed his men about the walls. Soon appeared Monceux
beneath them alone, and demanding speech. He commanded the knight to
deliver up Robin and his men upon pain of assault and burning of the
castle with fire.
Sir Richard replied briefly. "Show me your warrant, Sir Malapert, and I
will consider it," he said, from within the gates. And Master Monceux
had no warrant with him.
"My word is enough for you, Richard of the Lee," roared he, furiously.
"Am I not Sheriff of Nottingham?"
"You cannot be the Sheriff of Nottingham, good man," answered the
knight, getting ready to close the wicket, "for he is Master Monceux,
and is busy escorting the Princess of Aragon towards York. Go to and
mend your manners, rascal, and call away these ruffians with you."
Then Sir Richard snapped to the wicket gate, and returned to Robin.
"Well met, bold Robin," he cried, taking him by both hands. "Well met,
indeed. I had intended to ride forth this very day to your home in the
woods, to pay you your moneys with my thanks added thereto; but you have
happily saved me and mine the journey. Welcome to my castle, recovered
to me by your generosity."
[Illustration: LITTLE JOHN SINGS A SONG AT THE BANQUET
_That evening, whilst Monceux raged and stormed without, they all sat to
a great feast._
[** "D.McK." (the illustrator?), below and to the left of the
illustration, is probably a part of the illustration. The c is
underlined and superscripted. The period after the K is not evident.]]
Sir Richard presented his wife to Robin, and his son, who had but just
returned from the Holy Land. The knight told him how the last few months
had been most prosperous with him, instead of going so badly as he had
feared; and explained that now, from one source and another, he was
as rich as of yore. "So when we have feasted I will take you to my
treasury, and there count you out thy money and its interest faithfully.
Yet in ridding myself of this debt I do not free my life of the
obligation."
"You need say no more, Sir Richard," interposed Robin. "'Tis we who owe
_all_ to you. As for your debt, why, it hath been repaid me already by
my lord of Hereford. Is it not so, Stuteley?"
The little esquire protested solemnly that the Bishop had paid it to
them as conscience-money. "Then I will pay it again," cried the knight,
cheerfully, "sooner than be outdone by a Bishop in the matter of
honesty; and I have a few presents for you, but these I will show you
later."
Robin thanked him gratefully, and, taking him on one side, told how
boy's clothes were covering Mistress Marian and Dame Fennel at this
instant. Would the knight's wife take charge of them, and find them some
apparel as would ease one of them at least from most uneasy feelings?
That evening, whilst Monceux raged and stormed without, they all sat to
a great feast. Little John was already so much recovered of his wound as
to sing them a song, whilst Robin made sweet accompaniment upon a harp.
The knight showed Robin presently his treasury, and again implored him
to take the four hundred pieces of gold, if he would take no interest.
But his guest was firm: "Keep the money, for it is your own. I have but
made the Bishop return to you that which he had first stolen from your
hands."
Sir Richard again expressed his thanks, and now led them to his armory.
Therein Robin saw, placed apart, a hundred strong bows with fine waxen
silk strings, and a hundred sheaves of arrows. Every shaft was an ell
long, and dressed with peacock's feathers and notched with silver.
Beside them were a hundred suits of red and white livery, finely made
and stitched. "These are the poor presents we have made for you, Robin,"
said Sir Richard. "Take them from us, with ten thousand times their
weight in gratitude."
One of the knight's own men came forward to give a sheaf of the arrows
into Robin's hand, and, behold, it was Arthur-à-Bland!