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The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood-Part21_Howard Pyle(1853-1911)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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with song and jest and laughter till noontide was passed, when at last



they came to the banks of a wide, glassy, and lily-padded stream.

Here a broad, beaten path stretched along beside the banks, on which path



labored the horses that tugged at the slow-moving barges, laden with

barley meal or what not, from the countryside to the many-towered town.



But now, in the hot silence of the midday, no horse was seen nor

any man besides themselves. Behind them and before them stretched



the river, its placid bosom ruffled here and there by the purple dusk

of a small breeze.



"Now, good uncle," quoth Will Scarlet at last, when they

had walked for a long time beside this sweet, bright river,



"just beyond yon bend ahead of us is a shallow ford which in no

place is deeper than thy mid-thigh, and upon the other side



of the stream is a certain little hermitagehidden amidst

the bosky tangle of the thickets wherein dwelleth the Friar



of Fountain Dale. Thither will I lead thee, for I know the way;

albeit it is not overhard to find."



"Nay," quoth jolly Robin, stopping suddenly, "had I thought

that I should have had to wade water, even were it so crystal



a stream as this, I had donned other clothes than I have upon me.

But no matter now, for after all a wetting will not wash the skin away,



and what must be, must. But bide ye here, lads, for I would

enjoy this merry adventure alone. Nevertheless, listen well,



and if ye hear me sound upon my bugle horn, come quickly."

So saying, he turned and left them, striding onward alone.



Robin had walked no farther than where the bend of the road

hid his good men from his view, when he stopped suddenly,



for he thought that he heard voices. He stood still and listened,

and presently heard words passed back and forth betwixt what seemed



to be two men, and yet the two voices were wondrously alike.

The sound came from over behind the bank, that here was steep



and high, dropping from the edge of the road a half a score

of feet to the sedgy verge of the river.



"'Tis strange," muttered Robin to himself after a space, when the voices

had ceased their talking, "surely there be two people that spoke



the one to the other, and yet methinks their voices are mightily alike.

I make my vow that never have I heard the like in all my life before.



Truly, if this twain are to be judged by their voices, no two peas

were ever more alike. I will look into this matter." So saying,



he came softly to the river bank and laying him down upon the grass,

peered over the edge and down below.



All was cool and shady beneath the bank. A stout osier grew,

not straight upward, but leaning across the water, shadowing the spot



with its soft foliage. All around grew a mass of feathery ferns

such as hide and nestle in cool places, and up to Robin's nostrils



came the tender odor of the wild thyme, that loves the moist verges

of runningstreams. Here, with his broad back against the rugged



trunk of the willow tree, and half hidden by the soft ferns

around him, sat a stout, brawny fellow, but no other man was there.



His head was as round as a ball, and covered with a mat of

close-clipped, curly black hair that grew low down on his forehead.



But his crown was shorn as smooth as the palm of one's hand,

which, together with his loose robe, cowl, and string of beads,



showed that which his looks never would have done, that he was a friar.

His cheeks were as red and shining as a winter crab, albeit they



were nearly covered over with a close curly black beard,

as were his chin and upper lip likewise. His neck was thick



like that of a north country bull, and his round head closely set

upon shoulders e'en a match for those of Little John himself.



Beneath his bushy black brows danced a pair of little gray

eyes that could not stand still for very drollery of humor.



No man could look into his face and not feel his heartstrings tickled

by the merriment of their look. By his side lay a steel cap,



which he had laid off for the sake of the coolness to his crown.

His legs were stretched wide apart, and betwixt his knees he held



a great pasty compounded of juicy meats of divers kinds made savory

with tender young onions, both meat and onions being mingled



with a good rich gravy. In his right fist he held a great piece

of brown crust at which he munched sturdily, and every now and then



he thrust his left hand into the pie and drew it forth full of meat;

anon he would take a mighty pull at a great bottle of Malmsey



that lay beside him.

"By my faith," quoth Robin to himself, "I do verily believe that this



is the merriest feast, the merriest wight, the merriest place,

and the merriest sight in all merry England. Methought there was






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