the silence that you could hear every arrow rap against the target
as it struck it. Then, when the last shaft had sped, a great roar
went up; and the shooting, I wot, was well
worthy of the sound.
Once again Gilbert had lodged three arrows in the white; Tepus came
second with two in the white and one in the black ring next to it;
but stout Clifton had gone down and Hubert of Suffolk had taken
the third place, for, while both those two good yeomen had lodged
two in the white, Clifton had lost one shot upon the fourth ring,
and Hubert came in with one in the third.
All the
archers around Gilbert's booth shouted for joy till their throats
were
hoarse, tossing their caps aloft, and shaking hands with one another.
In the midst of all the noise and hubbub five men came walking across
the lawn toward the King's
pavilion. The first was Richard Partington,
and was known to most folk there, but the others were strange to everybody.
Beside young Partington walked a
yeoman clad in blue, and behind
came three others, two in Lincoln green and one in
scarlet.
This last
yeoman carried three stout bows of yew tree, two fancifully
inlaid with silver and one with gold. While these five men came
walking across the
meadow, a
messenger came
running from the King's
booth and summoned Gilbert and Tepus and Hubert to go with him.
And now the shouting quickly ceased, for all saw that something
unwonted was toward, so the folk stood up in their places and leaned
forward to see what was the ado.
When Partington and the others came before the spot where the King and
Queen sat, the four yeomen bent their knees and doffed their caps unto her.
King Henry leaned far forward and stared at them closely, but the Bishop
of Hereford, when he saw their faces, started as though stung by a wasp.
He opened his mouth as though about to speak, but, looking up, he saw
the Queen gazing at him with a smile upon her lips, so he said nothing,
but bit his
nether lip, while his face was as red as a cherry.
Then the Queen leaned forward and spake in a clear voice.
"Locksley," said she, "I have made a wager with the King that thou
and two of thy men can outshoot any three that he can send against you.
Wilt thou do thy best for my sake?"
"Yea," quoth Robin Hood, to whom she spake, "I will do my best for thy sake,
and, if I fail, I make my vow never to finger bowstring more."
Now, although Little John had been somewhat abashed in the Queen's bower,
he felt himself the
sturdy fellow he was when the soles of his feet pressed
green grass again; so he said
boldly, "Now, blessings on thy sweet face,
say I. An there lived a man that would not do his best for thee--I will
say
nought, only I would like to have the cracking of his knave's pate!
"Peace, Little John!" said Robin Hood
hastily, in a low voice;
but good Queen Eleanor laughed aloud, and a
ripple of merriment
sounded all over the booth.
The Bishop of Hereford did not laugh, neither did the King,
but he turned to the Queen, and quoth he, "Who are these men
that thou hast brought before us?"
Then up spoke the Bishop
hastily, for he could hold his peace no longer:
"Your Majesty," quoth he, "yon fellow in blue is a certain
outlawed
thief of the mid-country, named Robin Hood; yon tall, strapping villain
goeth by the name of Little John; the other fellow in green is a certain
backsliding gentleman, known as Will Scarlet; the man in red is a rogue
of a northern
minstrel, named Allan a Dale."
At this speech the King's brows drew together blackly, and he turned
to the Queen. "Is this true?" said he sternly.
"Yea," said the Queen, smiling, "the Bishop hath told the truth;
and truly he should know them well, for he and two of his friars spent
three days in merry sport with Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest. I did
little think that the good Bishop would so
betray his friends.
But bear in mind that thou hast pledged thy promise for the safety
of these good yeomen for forty days."
"I will keep my promise," said the King, in a deep voice
that showed the anger in his heart, "but when these forty
days are gone let this
outlaw look to himself, for mayhap
things will not go so
smoothly with him as he would like."
Then he turned to his
archers, who stood near the Sherwood yeomen,
listening and wondering at all that passed. Quoth he,
"Gilbert, and thou, Tepus, and thou, Hubert, I have pledged
myself that ye shall shoot against these three fellows.
If ye outshoot the knaves I will fill your caps with silver pennies;
if ye fail ye shall lose your prizes that ye have won so fairly,
and they go to them that shoot against you, man to man.
Do your best, lads, and if ye win this bout ye shall be glad
of it to the last days of your life. Go, now, and get you gone
to the butts."
Then the three
archers of the King turned and went back to their booths,
and Robin and his men went to their places at the mark from which they
were to shoot. Then they strung their bows and made themselves ready,
looking over their
quivers of arrows, and picking out the roundest
and the best feathered.
But when the King's
archers went to their tents, they told
their friends all that had passed, and how that these four
men were the famous Robin Hood and three of his band, to wit,
Little John, Will Scarlet, and Allan a Dale. The news of this
buzzed around among the
archers in the booths, for there was not
a man there that had not heard of these great mid-country yeomen.
From the
archers the news was taken up by the crowd that looked
on at the shooting, so that at last everybody stood up,
craning their necks to catch sight of the famous
outlaws.
Six fresh targets were now set up, one for each man that was to shoot;
whereupon Gilbert and Tepus and Hubert came
straightway forth
from the booths. Then Robin Hood and Gilbert of the White Hand
tossed a
farthing aloft to see who should lead in the shooting,
and the lot fell to Gilbert's side;
thereupon he called upon Hubert
of Suffolk to lead.
Hubert took his place, planted his foot
firmly, and fitted a fair,
smooth arrow; then, breathing upon his fingertips, he drew the string
slowly and carefully. The arrow sped true, and lodged in the white;
again he shot, and again he hit the clout; a third shaft he sped,
but this time failed of the center, and but struck the black,
yet not more than a finger's-
breadth from the white.
At this a shout went up, for it was the best shooting that Hubert
had yet done that day.
Merry Robin laughed, and quoth he, "Thou wilt have an ill
time bettering that round, Will, for it is thy turn next.
Brace thy thews, lad, and bring not shame upon Sherwood."
Then Will Scarlet took his place; but, because of overcaution,
he spoiled his target with the very first arrow that he sped,
for he hit the next ring to the black, the second from the center.
At this Robin bit his lips. "Lad, lad," quoth he, "hold not the string
so long! Have I not often told thee what Gaffer Swanthold sayeth,
that `overcaution spilleth the milk'?" To this Will Scarlet took heed,
so the next arrow he shot lodged fairly in the center ring;
again he shot, and again he smote the center; but, for all that,
stout Hubert had outshot him, and showed the better target.
Then all those that looked on clapped their hands for joy because
that Hubert had
overcome the stranger.
Quoth the King
grimly, to the Queen, "If thy
archers shoot
no better than that, thou art like to lose thy wager, lady."
But Queen Eleanor smiled, for she looked for better things
from Robin Hood and Little John.
And now Tepus took his place to shoot. He, also, took overheed
to what he was about, and so he fell into Will Scarlet's error.
The first arrow he struck into the center ring, but the second missed
its mark, and smote the black; the last arrow was tipped with luck, for it
smote the very center of the clout, upon the black spot that marked it.
Quoth Robin Hood, "That is the sweetest shot that hath been sped
this day; but,
nevertheless, friend Tepus, thy cake is burned, methinks.
Little John, it is thy turn next."
So Little John took his place as bidden, and shot his three arrows quickly.
He never lowered his bow arm in all the shooting, but fitted each shaft
with his longbow raised; yet all three of his arrows smote the center
within easy distance of the black. At this no sound of shouting was heard,
for, although it was the best shooting that had been done that day,
the folk of London Town did not like to see the stout Tepus
overcomeby a fellow from the
countryside, even were he as famous as Little John.
And now stout Gilbert of the White Hand took his place and shot
with the greatest care; and again, for the third time in one day,
he struck all three shafts into the clout.
"Well done, Gilbert!" quoth Robin Hood, smiting him upon the shoulder.
"I make my vow, thou art one of the best
archers that ever mine eyes beheld.
Thou shouldst be a free and merry ranger like us, lad, for thou art
better fitted for the
greenwood than for the cobblestones and gray
walls of London Town." So
saying, he took his place, and drew a fair,
round arrow from his
quiver, which he turned over and over ere he fitted
it to his bowstring.
Then the King muttered in his beard, "Now,
blessed Saint Hubert, if thou wilt
but jog that rogue's elbow so as to make him smite even the second ring,
I will give eightscore waxen candles three fingers'-
breadth in thickness
to thy
chapel nigh Matching." But it may be Saint Hubert's ears were stuffed
with tow, for he seemed not to hear the King's prayer this day.
Having
gotten three shafts to his
liking, merry Robin looked
carefully to his bowstring ere he shot. "Yea," quoth he to Gilbert,
who stood nigh him to watch his shooting, "thou shouldst pay us
a visit at merry Sherwood." Here he drew the bowstring to his ear.
"In London"--here he loosed his shaft--"thou canst find
noughtto shoot at but rooks and daws; there one can
tickle the ribs
of the noblest stags in England." So he shot even while he talked,
yet the shaft lodged not more than half an inch from the very center.
"By my soul!" cried Gilbert. "Art thou the devil in blue,
to shoot in that wise?"
"Nay," quoth Robin, laughing, "not quite so ill as that, I trust."
And he took up another shaft and fitted it to the string.
Again he shot, and again he smote his arrow close beside
the center; a third time he loosed his bowstring and dropped
his arrow just betwixt the other two and into the very center,
so that the feathers of all three were ruffled together,
seeming from a distance to be one thick shaft.
And now a low murmur ran all among that great crowd,
for never before had London seen such shooting as this;
and never again would it see it after Robin Hood's day had gone.
All saw that the King's
archers were fairly
beaten, and stout Gilbert
clapped his palm to Robin's, owning that he could never hope to draw
such a bowstring as Robin Hood or Little John. But the King,
full of wrath, would not have it so, though he knew in his
mind that his men could not stand against those fellows.
"Nay!" cried he, clenching his hands upon the arms of his seat,
"Gilbert is not yet
beaten! Did he not strike the clout thrice?
Although I have lost my wager, he hath not yet lost the first prize.
They shall shoot again, and still again, till either he or that knave
Robin Hood cometh off the best. Go thou, Sir Hugh, and bid them shoot
another round, and another, until one or the other is
overcome."
Then Sir Hugh,
seeing how wroth the King was, said never a word,
but went
straightway to do his bidding; so he came to where Robin Hood
and the other stood, and told them what the King had said.
"With all my heart," quoth merry Robin, "I will shoot from this
time till tomorrow day if it can pleasure my most
gracious lord
and King. Take thy place, Gilbert lad, and shoot."
So Gilbert took his place once more, but this time he failed, for,
a sudden little wind arising, his shaft missed the center ring,
but by not more than the
breadth of a
barley straw.
"Thy eggs are
cracked, Gilbert," quoth Robin, laughing; and
straightwayhe loosed a shaft, and once more smote the white
circle of the center.
Then the King arose from his place, and not a word said he,
but he looked around with a baleful look, and it would have been an ill
day for anyone that he saw with a
joyous or a merry look upon his face.
Then he and his Queen and all the court left the place, but the King's
heart was brimming full of wrath.
After the King had gone, all the yeomen of the
archer guard came
crowding around Robin, and Little John, and Will, and Allan,
to
snatch a look at these famous fellows from the mid-country;