a stick. I hope I may give you as good a beating as you deserve."
The stranger laughed. "I won't run away; don't be afraid," he said.
Robin Hood stepped to a thicket of trees and cut himself a good, thick
oak stick. While he was doing this, he looked at the stranger, and saw
that he was not only taller but much stronger than himself.
However, that did not frighten Robin in the least. He was rather glad
of it indeed. The stranger had said he was a coward. He meant to prove
to him that he was not.
Back he came with a fine big stick in his hand and a smile on his
face. The idea of a real good fight had made his bad temper fly away,
for, like King Richard, Robin Hood was rather fond of a fight.
"We will fight on the bridge," said he, "and whoever first falls into
the river has lost the battle."
"All right," said the stranger. "Whatever you like. I'm not afraid."
Then they fell to, with right good will.
It was very difficult to fight standing on such a narrow bridge. They
kept swaying backwards and forwards trying to keep their balance. With
every stroke the bridge bent and trembled beneath them as if it would
break. All the same they managed to give each other some tremendous
blows. First Robin gave the stranger such a bang that his very bones
seemed to ring.
"Aha!" said he, "I'll give you as good as I get," and crack he went at
Robin's crown.
Bang, smash, crack, bang, they went at each other. Their blows fell
fast and thick as if they had been threshing corn.
"The stranger gave Robin a knock on the crown,
Which caused the blood to appear,
Then Robin enraged, more fiercely engaged,
And followed with blows more severe.
"So thick and so fast did he lay it on him,
With a passionate fury and ire,
At every stroke he made him to smoke,
As if he had been all on fire."
When Robin's blows came so fast and furious, the stranger felt he
could not stand it much longer. Gathering all his strength, with one
mighty blow he sent Robin backwards, right into the river. Head over
heels he went, and disappeared under the water.
The stranger very nearly fell in after him. He was so astonished at
Robin's sudden disappearance that he could not think for a minute or
two where he had vanished to. He knelt down on the bridge, and stared
into the water. "Hallo, my good man," he called. "Hallo, where are
you?"
He thought he had drowned Robin, and he had not meant to do that. All
the same he could not help laughing. Robin had looked so funny as he
tumbled into the water.
"I'm here," called Robin, from far down the river. "I'm all right. I'm
just swimming with the tide."
The current was very strong and had carried him down the river a good
way. He was, however, gradually making for the bank. Soon he caught
hold of the overhanging branches of a tree and pulled himself out. The
stranger came running to help him too.
"You are not an easy man to beat or to drown either," he said with a
laugh, as he helped Robin on to dry land again.
"Well," said Robin, laughing too, "I must own that you are a brave man
and a good fighter. It was a fair fight, and you have won the battle.
I don't want to quarrel with you any more. Will you shake hands and be
friends with me?"
"With all my heart," said the stranger. "It is a long time since I
have met any one who could use a stick as you can."
So they shook hands like the best of friends, and quite forgot that a
few minutes before they had been banging and battering each other as
hard as they could.
Then Robin put his bugle-horn to his mouth, and blew a loud, loud
blast.
"The echoes of which through the valleys did ring,
At which his stout bowmen appeared,
And clothed in green, most gay to be seen,
So up to their master they steered."
When the stranger saw all these fine men, dressed in green, and
carrying bows and arrows, come running to Robin he was very much
astonished. "O master dear, what has happened?" cried Will Stutely,
the leader, as he ran up. "You have a great cut in your forehead,
and you are soaked through and through," he added, laying his hand on
Robin's arm.
"It is nothing," laughed Robin. "This young fellow and I have been
having a fight. He cracked my crown and then tumbled me into the
river."
When they heard that, Robin's men were very angry. "If he has tumbled
our master into the river, we will tumble him in," said they; "we will
see how he likes that." And they seized him, and would have dragged
him to the water to drown him, but Robin called out, "Stop, stop!
it was a fair fight. He is a brave man, and we are very good friends
now."
Then turning to the stranger, Robin bowed politely to him, saying, "I
beg you to forgive my men. They will not harm you now they know that
you are my friend, for I am Robin Hood."
The stranger was very much astonished when he heard that he had
actually been fighting with bold Robin Hood, of whom he had heard so
many tales.
"If you will come and live with me and my Merry Men," went on Robin,
"I will give you a suit of Lincoln green. I will teach you how to use
bow and arrows as well as you use your good stick."
"I should like nothing better," replied the stranger. "My name is John
Little, and I promise to serve you faithfully."
"John Little!" said Will Stutely laughing. "John Little! what a name
for a man that height! John Little! why he is seven feet tall if he is
an inch!"
Will laughed and laughed, till the tears ran down his face. He thought
it was such a funny name for so big a man.
Robin laughed because Will laughed. Then John Little laughed because
Robin laughed. Soon they were all laughing as hard as they could. The
wind carried the sound of it away, till the folk in the villages round
about said, "Hark! how Robin Hood and his Merry Men do laugh!"
"Well," said Robin at last, "I have heard it said, 'Laugh and grow
fat,' but if we don't get some dinner soon I think we will all grow
very lean. Come along, my little John, I'm sure you must be hungry
too."
"Little John," said Will Stutely, "that's the very name for him. We
must christen him again, and I will be his godfather."
Back to their forest home they all went, laughing and talking as
merrily as possible, taking John Little along with them. Dinner
was waiting for them when they arrived. The head cook was looking
anxiously through the trees, saying, "I do wish Master Robin would
come, or the roast venison will be too much cooked and the rabbits
will be stewed to rags."
Just at that moment they appeared. The cook was struck dumb at the
sight of the giant, stalking along beside Robin. "Where has master
gotten that Maypole?" he said, laughing to himself, as he ran away to
dish the dinner.
They had a very merry dinner. Robin found that John was not only a
good fighter but that he had a wise head and a witty tongue. He was
more and more delighted with his new companion.
But Will and the others had not forgotten that he was to be christened
again. Seven of them came behind him, and in spite of all his kicking
and struggling wrapped him up in a long, green cloak, pretending he
was a baby.
It was a very noisy christening. The men all shouted and laughed. John
Little laughed and screamed in turn, and kicked and struggled all the
time.
"Hush, baby, hush," they said. But the seven-foot baby wouldn't hush.
Then Will stepped up beside him and began to speak.
"This infant was called John Little, quoth he,
Which name shall be changed anon,
The words we'll transpose, so wherever he goes,
His name shall be called Little John."
They had some buckets of water ready. These they poured over poor
Little John till he was as wet as Robin had been after he fell into
the river. The men roared with laughter. Little John looked so funny
as he rolled about on the grass, trying to get out of his long, wet,
green robe. He looked just like a huge green caterpillar.
Robin laughed as much as any one. At last he said, "Now, Will, don't
you think that is enough?"
"Not a bit," said Will. "You wouldn't let us duck him in the river
when we had him there so we have brought the river to him."
At last all the buckets were empty, and the christening was over. Then
all the men stood round in a ring and gave three cheers for Little
John, Robin's new man.
"Then Robin he took the sweet pretty babe,
And clothed him from top to toe
In garments of green, most gay to be seen,
And gave him a curious longbow."
After that they sang, danced and played the whole afternoon. Then when
the sun sank and the long, cool shadows fell across the grass they all
said "good night" and went off into their caves to sleep.
From that day Little John always lived with Robin. They became very,
very great friends and Little John was next to Robin in command of the
men.
"And so ever after as long as he lived,
Although he was proper and tall,
Yet, nevertheless, the truth to express,
Still Little John they did him call."
III
ROBIN HOOD AND THE BUTCHER
The Sheriff of Nottingham hated Robin and would have been very glad if
any one had killed him.
The Sheriff was a very unkind man. He treated the poor Saxons very
badly. He often took away all their money, and their houses and left
them to starve. Sometimes, for a very little fault, he would cut off
their ears or fingers. The poor people used to go into the wood, and
Robin would give them food and money. Sometimes they went home again,
but very often they stayed with him, and became his men.
The Sheriff knew this, so he hated Robin all the more, and he was
never so happy as when he had caught one of Robin's men and locked him
up in prison.
But try how he might, he could not catch Robin. All the same Robin
used to go to Nottingham very often, but he was always so well
disguised that the Sheriff never knew him. So he always escaped.
The Sheriff was too much afraid of him to go into the forest to try
to take him. He knew his men were no match for Robin's. Robin's men
served him and fought for him because they loved him. The Sheriff's
men only served him because they feared him.
One day Robin was walking through the forest when he met a butcher.
This butcher was riding gaily along to the market at Nottingham. He
was dressed in a blue linen coat, with leather belt. On either side of
his strong gray pony hung a basket full of meat.
In these days as there were no trains, everything had to be sent by
road. The roads were so bad that even carts could not go along them
very much, for the wheels stuck in the mud. Everything was carried on
horseback, in sacks or baskets called panniers.
The butcher rode gaily along, whistling as he went. Suddenly Robin
stepped from under the trees and stopped him.
"What have you there, my man?" he asked.
"Butcher's meat," replied the man. "Fine prime beef and mutton for
Nottingham market. Do you want to buy some?"
"Yes, I do," said Robin. "I'll buy it all and your pony too. How much
do you want for it? I should like to go to Nottingham and see what
kind of a butcher I will make:"
So the butcher sold his pony and all his meat to Robin. Then Robin
changed clothes with him. He put on the butcher's blue clothes and
leather belt, and the butcher went off in Robin's suit of Lincoln
green, feeling very grand indeed.
Then Robin mounted his pony and off he went to Nottingham to sell his
meat at the market.
When he arrived he found the whole town in a bustle. In those days
there were very few shops, so every one used to go to market to buy
and sell. The country people brought butter and eggs and honey to
sell. With the money they got they bought platters and mugs, pots and
pans, or whatever they wanted, and took it back to the country with
them.
All sorts of people came to buy: fine ladies and poor women, rich
knights and gentlemen, and humble workers, every one pushing and
crowding together. Robin found it quite difficult to drive his pony
through the crowd to the corner of the market-place where the butchers
had their stalls.
He got there at last, however, laid out his meat, and began to cry
with the best of them.
"Prime meat, ladies. Come and buy. Cheapest meat in all the market,
ladies. Come buy, come buy. Twopence a pound, ladies. Twopence a
pound. Come buy. Come buy."
"What!" said every one, "beef at twopence a pound! I never heard of
such a thing. Why it is generally tenpence."
You see Robin knew nothing at all about selling meat, as he never
bought any. He and his men used to live on what they shot in the
forest.
When it became known that there was a new butcher, who was selling
his meat for twopence a pound, every one came crowding round his stall
eager to buy. All the other butchers stood idle until Robin had no
more beef and mutton left to sell.
As these butchers had nothing to do, they began to talk among
themselves and say, "Who is this man? He has never been here before."
"Do you think he has stolen the meat?"
"Perhaps his father has just died and left him a business."
"Well, his money won't last long at this rate."
"The sooner he loses it all, the better for us. We will never be able
to sell anything as long as he comes here giving away beef at twopence
a pound."
"It is perfectly ridiculous," said one old man, who seemed to be the
chief butcher. "These fifty years have I come and gone to Nottingham
market, and I have never seen the like of it--never. He is ruining the
trade, that's what he is doing."
They stood at their stalls sulky and cross, while all their customers
crowded round Robin.
Shouts of laughter came from his corner, for he was not only selling
beef and mutton, but making jokes about it all the time.
"I tell you what," said the old butcher, "it is no use standing here
doing nothing. We had better go and talk to him, and find out, if we
can, who he is. We must ask him to come and have dinner with us and
the Sheriff in the town hall to-day." For on market days the butchers
used to have dinner all together in the town hall, after market was
over, and the sheriff used to come and have dinner with them.
"So, the butchers stepped up to jolly Robin,
Acquainted with him for to be;
Come, butcher, one said, we be all of one trade,
Come, will you go dine with me?"
"Thank you," said Robin, "I should like nothing better. I have had a
busy morning and am very hungry and thirsty."
"Come along, then," said the butchers.
The old man led the way with Robin, and the others followed two by
two.
As they walked along, the old butcher began asking Robin questions, to
try and find out something about him.
"You have not been here before?" he said.
"Have I not?" replied Robin.
"I have not seen you, at least."
"Have you not?"
"You are new to the business?"
"Am I?"
"Well, you seem to be," said the old butcher, getting rather cross.
"Do I?" replied Robin, laughing.
At last they came to the town hall, and though they had talked all the
time the old butcher had got nothing out of Robin, and was not a bit
the wiser.
The Sheriff's house was close to the town hall, so as dinner was
not quite ready all the butchers went to say "How do you do?" to the
Sheriff's wife.
She received them very kindly, and was quite interested in Robin
when she heard that he was the new butcher who had been selling such
wonderfully cheap meat. Robin had such pleasant manners too, that she
thought he was a very nice man indeed. She was quite sorry when the
Sheriff came and took him away, saying dinner was ready.
"I hope to see you again, kind sir," she said when saying good-by.
"Come to see me next time you have meat to sell."
"Thank you, lady, I will not forget your kindness," replied Robin,
bowing low.
At dinner the Sheriff sat at one end of the table and the old butcher
at the other. Robin, as the greatest stranger, had the place of honor
on the Sheriff's right hand.
At first the dinner was very dull. All the butchers were sulky and
cross, only Robin was merry. He could not help laughing to himself at
the idea of dining with his great enemy the Sheriff of Nottingham.
And not only dining with him, but sitting on his right hand, and being
treated as an honored guest.
If the Sheriff had only known, poor Robin would very soon have been
locked up in a dark dungeon, eating dry bread instead of apple-pie and
custard and all the fine things they were having for dinner.
However, Robin was so merry, that very soon the butchers forgot to be
cross and sulky. Before the end of dinner all were laughing till their
sides ached.
Only the Sheriff was grave and thinking hard. He was a greedy old man,
and he was saying to himself, "This silly young fellow evidently does
not know the value of things. If he has any cattle I might buy them
from him for very little. I could sell them again to the butchers for
a good price. In that way I should make a lot of money."
After dinner he took Robin by the arm and led him aside.
"See here, young man," he said, "I like your looks. But you seem new
to this business. Now, don't you trust these men," pointing to the
butchers. "They are all as ready as can be to cheat you. You take my
advice. If you have any cattle to sell, come to me. I'll give you a
good price."
"Thank you," said Robin, "it is most kind of you."
"Hast thou any horned beasts, the Sheriff then said,
Good fellow, to sell to me?
Yes, that I have, good master Sheriff,
I have hundreds two or three.
"And a hundred acres of good free land,
If you please it for to see;
And I'll make you as good assurance of it,
As ever my father did me."
The Sheriff nearly danced for joy when he heard that Robin had so many
horned cattle for sale. He had quite made up his mind that it would be
very easy to cheat this silly young fellow. Already he began to count
the money he would make. He was such a greedy old man. But there was a
wicked twinkle in Robin's eye.
"Now, young man, when can I see these horned beasts of yours?" asked
the Sheriff. "I can't buy a pig in a poke, you know. I must see them
first. And the land too, and the land too," he added, rubbing his
hands, and jumping about in excitement.
"The sooner the better," said Robin. "I start for home to-morrow
morning. If you like to ride with me I will show you the horned beasts
and the land too."
"Capital, capital," said the Sheriff. "To-morrow morning then, after
breakfast, I go with you. And see here, young man," he added, catching
hold of Robin's coat-tails as he was going away, "you won't go and
sell to any one else in the meantime? It is a bargain, isn't it?"
"Oh, certainly. I won't even speak of it to any one," replied Robin;
and he went away, laughing heartily to himself.
That night the Sheriff went into his counting-house and counted out
three hundred pounds in gold. He tied it up in three bags, one hundred
pounds in each bag.
"It's a lot of money," he said to himself, "a lot of money. Still, I
suppose, I must pay him something for his cattle. But it is a lot of
money to part with," and he heaved a big sigh.
He put the gold underneath his pillow in case any one should steal it
during the night. Then he went to bed and tried to sleep. But he was
too excited; besides the gold under his pillow made it so hard and
knobby that it was most uncomfortable.
At last the night passed, and in the morning.
"The Sheriff he saddled his good palfrey,
And with three hundred pounds in gold
Away he went with bold Robin Hood,
His horned beasts to behold."
The sun shone and the birds sang as they merrily rode along. When
the Sheriff saw that they were taking the road to Sherwood Forest, he
began to feel a little nervous.
"There is a bold, bad man in these woods," he said. "He is called
Robin Hood. He robs people, he--do you think we will meet him?"
"I am quite sure we won't meet him," replied Robin with a laugh.
"Well, I hope not, I am sure," said the Sheriff. "I never dare to ride
through the forest unless I have my soldiers with me. He is a bold,
bad man."
Robin only laughed, and they rode on right into the forest.
"But when a little farther they came,
Bold Robin he chanced to spy
An hundred head of good fat deer
Come tripping the Sheriff full nigh."
"Look there," he cried, "look! What do you think of my horned beasts?"
"I think," said the Sheriff, in a trembling voice, "I think I should
like to go back to Nottingham."
"What! and not buy any horned cattle? What is the matter with them?
Are they not fine and fat? Are they not a beautiful color? Come, come,
Sheriff, when you have brought the money for them too."
At the mention of money the Sheriff turned quite pale and clutched
hold of his bags. "Young man," he said, "I don't like you at all. I
tell you I want to go back to Nottingham. This isn't money I have in
my bags, it is only pebble-stones."
"Then Robin put his horn to his mouth,
And blew out blasts three;
Then quickly and anon there came Little John,
And all his company."
"Good morning, Little John," said Robin.
"Good morning, Master Robin," he replied. "What orders have you for
to-day?"
"Well, in the first place I hope you have something nice for dinner,
because I have brought the Sheriff of Nottingham to dine with us,"
answered Robin.
"Yes," said Little John, "the cooks are busy already as we thought you
might bring some one back with you. But we hardly expected so fine
a guest as the Sheriff of Nottingham," he added, making a low bow to
him. "I hope he intends to pay honestly."
For that was Robin Hood's way. He always gave a very fine dinner to
these naughty men who had stolen money from poor people, and then he
made them pay a great deal of money for it.
The Sheriff was very much afraid when he knew that he had really
fallen into the hands of Robin Hood. He was angry too when he thought
that he had actually had Robin in his own house the day before, and
could so easily have caught and put him in prison, if he had only
known.
They had a very fine dinner, and the Sheriff began to feel quite
comfortable and to think he was going to get off easily, when Robin
said, "Now, Master Sheriff, you must pay for your dinner."
"Oh! indeed I am a poor man," said the Sheriff, "I have no money."
"No money! What have you in your saddle-bags, then?" asked Robin.
"Only pebbles, nothing but pebbles, as I told you before," replied the
frightened Sheriff.
"Little John, go and search the Sheriff's saddle-bags," said Robin.
Little John did as he was told, and counted out three hundred pounds
upon the ground.
"Sheriff," said Robin sternly, "I shall keep all this money and divide
it among my men. It is not half as much as you have stolen from them.
If you had told me the truth about it, I might have given you some
back. But I always punish people who tell lies. You have done so many
evil deeds," he went on, "that you deserve to be hanged."
The poor Sheriff shook in his shoes.
"Hanged you should be," continued Robin, "but your good wife was kind
to me yesterday. For her sake, I let you go. But if you are not kinder
to my people I will not let you off so easily another time." And Robin
called for the Sheriff's pony.
"Then Robin he brought him through the wood,
And set him on his dapple gray:
Oh, have me commended to your wife at home,
So Robin went laughing away."
GUY OF WARWICK
ADAPTED BY H.E. MARSHALL
I
GUY'S EARLY ADVENTURES AND HIS FIGHT WITH THE DUN COW
Long ago England was divided into several kingdoms, each having a
king. In a great battle the King of Northumbria was defeated and one
of his lords, Gordian, lost all he owned. He and his wife Brunhilda
journeyed forth to seek a new home and at last reached Warwick, where
Gordian was made the steward of Lord Rohand.
Not long after Brunhilda and Gordian went to live in Warwick, their
little son Guy was born. As he grew older he became a great favorite
and was often invited to the castle.
Lord Rohand heard of Guy and asked him to a great dinner at Warwick
Castle and afterwards to join in a tournament. To Guy was given a seat
quite near the earl and opposite his lovely daughter Phyllis. She was
the most beautiful lady in the kingdom and Guy longed to show her how
well he could fight. Never did Guy fight so well; he conquered every
one of the knights, and won the prize. Phyllis crowned him with roses
and put the chain of gold around his neck.
After this Phyllis and Guy were much together and at last Guy said
suddenly, "Phyllis, I love thee. I cannot help it." In great anger she
sent him away. Guy grew very sad and Phyllis very lonely and at length
she sent for Guy and said, "Go away and make thyself famous, then will
I marry thee."
Guy rode gaily away and sailed over to Germany. There he heard of
a great tournament. Whoever fought best was to marry the Emperor's
daughter Blanche, which means white. Besides marrying the Princess,
the bravest knight was to receive a pure white horse, two white
hounds, and a white falcon. So it was called the White Tournament.