The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Prythee, tell me, sweet chuck, why wearest thou that dainty garb upon
thy pretty body?" At these words the other broke into a short, harsh
roar of laughter. "By the bones of the Daemon Odin," said he, "thou art
the boldest-spoken man that ever I have seen in all my life. I know not
why I do not smite thee down where thou sittest, for only two days ago I
skewered a man over back of Nottingham Town for saying not half so much
to me as thou hast done. I wear this garb, thou fool, to keep my body
warm; likewise it is near as good as a coat of steel against a common
sword-thrust. As for my name, I care not who knoweth it. It is Guy of
Gisbourne, and thou mayst have heard it before. I come from the
woodlands over in Herefordshire, upon the lands of the Bishop of that
ilk. I am an outlaw, and get my living by hook and by crook in a manner
it boots not now to tell of. Not long since the Bishop sent for me, and
said that if I would do a certain thing that the Sheriff of Nottingham
would ask of me, he would get me a free pardon, and give me tenscore
pounds to boot. So straightway I came to Nottingham Town and found my
sweet Sheriff; and what thinkest thou he wanted of me? Why, forsooth, to
come here to Sherwood to hunt up one Robin Hood, also an outlaw, and to
take him alive or dead. It seemeth that they have no one here to face
that bold fellow, and so sent all the way to Herefordshire, and to me,
for thou knowest the old saying, 'Set a thief to catch a thief.' As for
the slaying of this fellow, it galleth me not a whit, for I would shed
the blood of my own brother for the half of two hundred pounds."
To all this Robin listened, and as he listened his gorge rose. Well he
knew of this Guy of Gisbourne, and of all the bloody and murderous deeds
that he had done in Herefordshire, for his doings were famous throughout
all the land. Yet, although he loathed the very presence of the man, he
held his peace, for he had an end to serve. "Truly," quoth he, "I have
heard of thy gentle doings. Methinks there is no one in all the world
that Robin Hood would rather meet than thee."
At this Guy of Gisbourne gave another harsh laugh. "Why," quoth he, "it
is a merry thing to think of one stout outlaw like Robin Hood meeting
another stout outlaw like Guy of Gisbourne. Only in this case it will
be an ill happening for Robin Hood, for the day he meets Guy of
Gisbourne he shall die."
"But thou gentle, merry spirit," quoth Robin, "dost thou not think that
mayhap this same Robin Hood may be the better man of the two? I know him
right well, and many think that he is one of the stoutest men
hereabouts."
"He may be the stoutest of men hereabouts," quoth Guy of Gisbourne,
"yet, I tell thee, fellow, this sty of yours is not the wide world. I
lay my life upon it I am the better man of the two. He an outlaw,
forsooth! Why, I hear that he hath never let blood in all his life,
saving when he first came to the forest. Some call him a great archer;
marry, I would not be afraid to stand against him all the days of the
year with a bow in my hand."
"Why, truly, some folk do call him a great archer," said Robin Hood,
"but we of Nottinghamshire are famous hands with the longbow. Even I,
though but a simple hand at the craft, would not fear to try a bout with
thee."
At these words Guy of Gisbourne looked upon Robin with wondering eyes,
and then gave another roar of laughter till the woods rang. "Now," quoth
he, "thou art a bold fellow to talk to me in this way. I like thy spirit
in so speaking up to me, for few men have dared to do so. Put up a
garland, lad, and I will try a bout with thee."
"Tut, tut," quoth Robin, "only babes shoot at garlands hereabouts. I
will put up a good Nottingham mark for thee." So saying, he arose, and
going to a hazel thicket not far off, he cut a wand about twice the
thickness of a man's thumb. From this he peeled the bark, and,
sharpening the point, stuck it up in the ground in front of a great oak
tree. Thence he measured off fourscore paces, which brought him beside
the tree where the other sat. "There," quoth he, "is the kind of mark
that Nottingham yeomen shoot at. Now let me see thee split that wand if
thou art an archer."
Then Guy of Gisbourne arose. "Now out upon it!" cried he. "The Devil
himself could not hit such a mark as that."
"Mayhap he could and mayhap he could not," quoth merry Robin, "but that
we shall never know till thou hast shot thereat."
At these words Guy of Gisbourne looked upon Robin with knit brows, but,
as the yeoman still looked innocent of any ill meaning, he bottled his
words and strung his bow in silence. Twice he shot, but neither time
did he hit the wand, missing it the first time by a span and the second
time by a good palm's-breadth. Robin laughed and laughed. "I see now,"
quoth he, "that the Devil himself could not hit that mark. Good fellow,
if thou art no better with the broadsword than thou art with the bow and
arrow, thou wilt never overcome Robin Hood."
At these words Guy of Gisbourne glared savagely upon Robin. Quoth he,
"Thou hast a merry tongue, thou villain; but take care that thou makest
not too free with it, or I may cut it out from thy throat for thee."
Robin Hood strung his bow and took his place with never a word, albeit
his heartstrings quivered with anger and loathing. Twice he shot, the
first time hitting within an inch of the wand, the second time splitting
it fairly in the middle. Then, without giving the other a chance for
speech, he flung his bow upon the ground. "There, thou bloody villain!"
cried he fiercely, "let that show thee how little thou knowest of manly
sports. And now look thy last upon the daylight, for the good earth hath
been befouled long enough by thee, thou vile beast! This day, Our Lady
willing, thou diest--I am Robin Hood." So saying, he flashed forth his
bright sword in the sunlight.
For a time Guy of Gisbourne stared upon Robin as though bereft of wits;
but his wonder quickly passed to a wild rage. "Art thou indeed Robin
Hood?" cried he. "Now I am glad to meet thee, thou poor wretch! Shrive
thyself, for thou wilt have no time for shriving when I am done with
thee." So saying, he also drew his sword.
And now came the fiercest fight that ever Sherwood saw; for each man
knew that either he or the other must die, and that no mercy was to be
had in this battle. Up and down they fought, till all the sweet green
grass was crushed and ground beneath the trampling of their heels. More
than once the point of Robin Hood's sword felt the softness of flesh,
and presently the ground began to be sprinkled with bright red drops,
albeit not one of them came from Robin's veins. At last Guy of Gisbourne
made a fierce and deadly thrust at Robin Hood, from which he leaped back
lightly, but in so leaping he caught his heel in a root and fell heavily
upon his back. "Now, Holy Mary aid me!" muttered he, as the other leaped
at him, with a grin of rage upon his face. Fiercely Guy of Gisbourne
stabbed at the other with his great sword, but Robin caught the blade in
his naked hand, and, though it cut his palm, he turned the point away so
that it plunged deep into the ground close beside him; then, ere a blow
could be struck again, he leaped to his feet, with his good sword in his
hand. And now despair fell upon Guy of Gisbourne's heart in a black
cloud, and he looked around him wildly, like a wounded hawk. Seeing that
his strength was going from him, Robin leaped forward, and, quick as a
flash, struck a back-handed blow beneath the sword arm. Down fell the
sword from Guy of Gisbourne's grasp, and back he staggered at the
stroke, and, ere he could regain himself, Robin's sword passed through
and through his body. Round he spun upon his heel, and, flinging his
hands aloft with a shrill, wild cry, fell prone upon his face upon the
green sod.
Then Robin Hood wiped his sword and thrust it back into the scabbard,
and, coming to where Guy of Gisbourne lay, he stood over him with folded
arms, talking to himself the while. "This is the first man I have slain
since I shot the Kings forester in the hot days of my youth. I ofttimes
think bitterly, even yet, of that first life I took, but of this I am as
glad as though I had slain a wild boar that laid waste a fair country.
Since the Sheriff of Nottingham hath sent such a one as this against me,
I will put on the fellow's garb and go forth to see whether I may not
find his worship, and perchance pay him back some of the debt I owe him
upon this score."
So saying, Robin Hood stripped the hairy garments from off the dead man,
and put them on himself, all bloody as they were. Then, strapping the
other's sword and dagger around his body and carrying his own in his
hand, together with the two bows of yew, he drew the cowl of horse's
hide over his face, so that none could tell who he was, and set forth
from the forest, turning his steps toward the eastward and Nottingham
Town. As he strode along the country roads, men, women, and children
hid away from him, for the terror of Guy of Gisbourne's name and of his
doings had spread far and near.
And now let us see what befell Little John while these things were
happening.
Little John walked on his way through the forest paths until he had come
to the outskirts of the woodlands, where, here and there, fields of
barley, corn, or green meadow lands lay smiling in the sun. So he came
to the highroad and to where a little thatched cottage stood back of a
cluster of twisted crab trees, with flowers in front of it. Here he
stopped of a sudden, for he thought that he heard the sound of someone
in sorrow. He listened, and found that it came from the cottage; so,
turning his footsteps thither, he pushed open the wicket and entered the
place. There he saw a gray-haired dame sitting beside a cold
hearthstone, rocking herself to and fro and weeping bitterly.
Now Little John had a tender heart for the sorrows of other folk, so,
coming to the old woman and patting her kindly upon the shoulder, he
spoke comforting words to her, bidding her cheer up and tell him her
troubles, for that mayhap he might do something to ease them. At all
this the good dame shook her head; but all the same his kind words did
soothe her somewhat, so after a while she told him all that bore upon
her mind. That that morning she had three as fair, tall sons beside her
as one could find in all Nottinghamshire, but that they were now taken
from her, and were like to be hanged straightway; that, want having come
upon them, her eldest boy had gone out, the night before, into the
forest, and had slain a hind in the moonlight; that the King's rangers
had followed the blood upon the grass until they had come to her
cottage, and had there found the deer's meat in the cupboard; that, as
neither of the younger sons would betray their brother, the foresters
had taken all three away, in spite of the oldest saying that he alone
had slain the deer; that, as they went, she had heard the rangers
talking among themselves, saying that the Sheriff had sworn that he
would put a check upon the great slaughter of deer that had been going
on of late by hanging the very first rogue caught thereat upon the
nearest tree, and that they would take the three youths to the King's
Head Inn, near Nottingham Town, where the Sheriff was abiding that day,
there to await the return of a certain fellow he had sent into Sherwood
to seek for Robin Hood.
To all this Little John listened, shaking his head sadly now and then.
"Alas," quoth he, when the good dame had finished her speech, "this is
indeed an ill case. But who is this that goeth into Sherwood after
Robin Hood, and why doth he go to seek him? But no matter for that now;
only that I would that Robin Hood were here to advise us. Nevertheless,