One Whitsunday morning, when the sun was shining and the birds
singing, Robin Hood called to Little John to come with him into
Nottingham to hear Mass. As was their custom, they took their bows,
and on the way Little John proposed that they should shoot a match
with a penny for a wager. Robin, who held that he himself shot better
than any man living, laughed in scorn, and told Little John that he
should have three tries to his master's one, which John without more
ado accepted. But Robin soon repented both of his offer and his scorn,
for Little John speedily won five shillings, whereat Robin became
angry and smote Little John with his hand. Little John was not the man
to bear being treated so, and he told Robin roundly that he would
never more own him for master, and straightway turned back into the
wood. At this Robin was ashamed of what he had done, but his pride
would not suffer him to say so, and he continued his way to
Nottingham, and entered the Church of St. Mary, not without secret
fears, for the Sheriff of the town was ever his enemy. However, there
he was, and there he meant to stay.
He knelt down before the great cross in the sight of all the people,
but none knew him save one monk only, and he stole out of church and
ran to the Sheriff, and bade him come quickly and take his foe. The
Sheriff was not slow to do the monk's bidding, and, calling his men
to follow him, he marched to the church. The noise they made in
entering caused Robin to look round. 'Alas, alas,' he said to himself,
'now miss I Little John.'
But he drew his two-handed sword and laid about him in such wise that
twelve of the Sheriff's men lay dead before him. Then Robin found
himself face to face with the Sheriff, and gave him a fierce blow; but
his sword broke on the Sheriff's head, and he had shot away all his
arrows. So the men closed round him, and bound his arms.
Ill news travels fast, and not many hours had passed before the
foresters heard that their master was in prison. They wept and moaned
and wrung their hands, and seemed to have gone suddenly mad, till
Little John bade them pluck up their hearts and help him to deal with
the monk.
The next morning he hid himself, and waited with a comrade, Much by
name, till he saw the monk riding along the road, with a page behind
him, carrying letters from the Sheriff to the King telling of Robin's
capture.
'Whence come you?' asked Little John, going up to the monk, 'and can
you give us tidings of a false outlaw named Robin Hood, who was taken
prisoner yesterday? He robbed both me and my fellow of twenty marks,
and glad should we be to hear of his undoing.'
'He robbed me, too,' said the monk, 'of a hundred pounds and more, but
I have laid hands on him, and for that you may thank me.'
'I thank you so much that, with your leave, I and my friend will bear
you company,' answered Little John; 'for in this forest are many wild
men who own Robin Hood for leader, and you ride along this road at the
peril of your life.'
They went on together, talking the while, when suddenly Little John
seized the horse by the head and pulled down the monk by his hood.
'He was my master,' said Little John,
'That you have brought to bale,
'Never shall you come at the King
'For to tell him that tale.'
At these words the monk uttered loud cries, but Little John took no
heed of him, and smote off his head, as Much had already smitten off
that of the page, lest he should carry the news of what had happened
back to the Sheriff. After this they buried the bodies, and, taking
the letters, carried them themselves to the King.
When they arrived at the Palace, in the presence of the King, Little
John fell on his knees and held the letter out. 'God save you, my
liege lord,' he said; and the King unfolded the letters and read them.
'There never was yeoman in Merry England I longed so sore to see,' he
said. 'But where is the monk that should have brought these letters?'
'He died by the way,' answered Little John; and the King asked no more
questions.
Twenty pounds each he ordered his treasurer to give to Much and to
Little John, and made them yeomen of the crown. After which he handed
his own seal to Little John and ordered him to bear it to the Sheriff,
and bid him without delay bring Robin Hood unhurt into his presence.
Little John did as the King bade him, and the Sheriff, at sight of the
seal, gave him and Much welcome, and set a feast before them, at which
John led him to drink heavily. Soon he fell asleep, and then the two
outlaws stole softly to the prison. Here John ran the porter through
the body for trying to stop his entrance, and, taking the keys, hunted
through the cells until he had found Robin. Thrusting a sword into his
hand Little John whispered to his master to follow him, and they crept
along till they reached the lowest part of the city wall, from which
they jumped and were safe and free.
'Now, farewell,' said Little John, 'I have done you a good turn for
an ill.' 'Not so,' answered Robin Hood, 'I make you master of my men
and me,' but Little John would hear nothing of it. 'I only wish to be
your comrade, and thus it shall be,' he replied.
* * * * *
'Little John has beguiled us both,' said the King, when he heard of
the adventure.