Then Robin Hood gathered his band together in a close
rank, with Will Stutely in the midst, and thus they
moved slowly away toward Sherwood, and were gone,
as a storm cloud moves away from the spot where a tempest
has swept the land. But they left ten of the Sheriff’s
men lying along the ground wounded—some
more, some less—yet no one knew who smote
them down.
Thus the Sheriff of Nottingham tried thrice to take
Robin Hood and failed each time; and the last time
he was frightened, for he felt how near he had come
to losing his life; so he said, “These men fear
neither God nor man, nor king nor king’s officers.
I would sooner lose mine office than my life, so I
will trouble them no more.” So he kept close
within his castle for many a day and dared not show
his face outside of his own household, and all the
time he was gloomy and would speak to no one, for
he was ashamed of what had happened that day.
Now after all these things had happened,
and it became known to Robin Hood how the Sheriff
had tried three times to make him captive, he said
to himself, “If I have the chance, I will make
our worshipful Sheriff pay right well for that which
he hath done to me. Maybe I may bring him some
time into Sherwood Forest and have him to a right merry
feast with us.” For when Robin Hood caught
a baron or a squire, or a fat abbot or bishop, he
brought them to the greenwood tree and feasted them
before he lightened their purses.
But in the meantime Robin Hood and his band lived
quietly in Sherwood Forest, without showing their
faces abroad, for Robin knew that it would not be
wise for him to be seen in the neighborhood of Nottingham,
those in authority being very wroth with him.
But though they did not go abroad, they lived a merry
life within the woodlands, spending the days in shooting
at garlands hung upon a willow wand at the end of the
glade, the leafy aisles ringing with merry jests and
laughter: for whoever missed the garland was
given a sound buffet, which, if delivered by Little
John, never failed to topple over the unfortunate yeoman.
Then they had bouts of wrestling and of cudgel play,
so that every day they gained in skill and strength.
Thus they dwelled for nearly a year, and in that time
Robin Hood often turned over in his mind many means
of making an even score with the Sheriff. At
last he began to fret at his confinement; so one day
he took up his stout cudgel and set forth to seek
adventure, strolling blithely along until he came
to the edge of Sherwood. There, as he rambled
along the sunlit road, he met a lusty young butcher
driving a fine mare and riding in a stout new cart,
all hung about with meat. Merrily whistled the
Butcher as he jogged along, for he was going to the
market, and the day was fresh and sweet, making his
heart blithe within him.
“Good morrow to thee, jolly fellow,” quoth
Robin, “thou seemest happy this merry morn.”
