Down with him!" Then, whirling up his
cudgel, he rushed
upon Robin as an angry bull rushes upon a red rag.
But Robin was ready for any
happening. "Crick! Crack!" he struck
two blows as quick as a wink, and down went the Blind man,
rolling over and over upon the grass.
At this the others bore back and stood at a little distance
scowling upon Robin. "Come on, ye scum!" cried he
merrily.
"Here be cakes and ale for all. Now, who will be next served?"
To this speech the
beggars answered never a word, but they looked at
Robin as great Blunderbore looked upon stout Jack the slayer of giants,
as though they would fain eat him, body and bones;
nevertheless, they did
not care to come nigher to him and his terrible staff. Then,
seeing them
so
hesitate, Robin of a sudden leaped upon them,
striking even as he leaped.
Down went the Dumb man, and away flew his
cudgel from his hand as he fell.
At this the others ducked to avoid another blow, then,
taking to
their heels, scampered, the one one way and the other the other,
as though they had the west wind's boots upon their feet. Robin looked
after them, laughing, and thought that never had he seen so fleet a runner
as the Lame man; but neither of the
beggars stopped nor turned around,
for each felt in his mind the wind of Robin's
cudgel about his ears.
Then Robin turned to the two stout knaves lying upon the ground.
Quoth he, "These fellows spake somewhat about certain moneys
they were
taking to Lincoln;
methinks I may find it upon this
stout blind fellow, who hath as keen sight as e'er a trained
woodsman in Nottingham or Yorkshire. It were a pity to let
sound money stay in the pockets of such thieving knaves."
So
saying, he stooped over the burly
rascal and searched
among his rags and tatters, till
presently his fingers felt
a leathern pouch slung around his body beneath his patched
and
tattered coat. This he stripped away and, weighing it
in his hands, bethought himself that it was
mighty heavy.
"It were a sweet thing," said he to himself, "if this were
filled with gold instead of
copper pence." Then, sitting down
upon the grass, he opened the pocket and looked into it.
There he found four round rolls wrapped up in dressed sheepskin;
one of these rolls he opened; then his mouth gaped and his
eyes stared, I wot, as though they would never close again,
for what did he see but fifty pounds of bright golden money?
He opened the other pockets and found in each one the same,
fifty bright new-stamped golden pounds. Quoth Robin, "I have oft
heard that the Beggars' Guild was over-rich, but never did I think
that they sent such sums as this to their treasury. I shall take
it with me, for it will be better used for
charity and the good
of my merry band than in the enriching of such knaves as these."
So
saying, he rolled up the money in the sheepskin again, and putting
it back in the purse, he
thrust the pouch into his own bosom.
Then
taking up the flask of Malmsey, he held it toward the two
fellows lying on the grass, and quoth he, "Sweet friends,
I drink your health and thank you
dearly for what ye have
so kindly given me this day, and so I wish you good den."
Then,
taking up his staff, he left the spot and went
merrilyon his way.
But when the two stout
beggars that had been rapped upon the head roused
themselves and sat up, and when the others had
gotten over their fright
and come back, they were as sad and woebegone as four frogs in dry weather,
for two of them had
cracked crowns, their Malmsey was all gone, and they
had not so much as a
farthing to cross their palms
withal.
But after Robin left the little dell he
strode along
merrily, singing as
he went; and so
blithe was he and such a stout
beggar, and,
withal, so fresh
and clean, that every merry lass he met had a sweet word for him and felt
no fear, while the very dogs, that most times hate the sight of a
beggar,
snuffed at his legs in friendly wise and wagged their tails pleasantly;
for dogs know an honest man by his smell, and an honest man Robin was--
in his own way.
Thus he went along till at last he had come to the
wayside cross
nigh Ollerton, and, being somewhat tired, he sat him down to rest
upon the
grassy bank in front of it. "It groweth nigh time,"
quoth he to himself, "that I were getting back again to Sherwood;
yet it would please me well to have one more merry adventure ere
I go back again to my jolly band."
So he looked up the road and down the road to see who might come,
until at last he saw someone
drawing near, riding upon a horse.
When the traveler came nigh enough for him to see him well,
Robin laughed, for a strange enough figure he cut. He was a thin,
wizened man, and, to look upon him, you could not tell whether he was
thirty years old or sixty, so dried up was he even to skin and bone.
As for the nag, it was as thin as the rider, and both looked
as though they had been baked in Mother Huddle's Oven, where folk
are dried up so that they live forever.
But although Robin laughed at the droll sight, he knew the wayfarer to be
a certain rich corn engrosser of Worksop, who more than once had bought all
the grain in the
countryside and held it till it reached even
famine prices,
thus making much money from the needs of poor people, and for this he was
hated far and near by
everyone that knew aught of him.
So, after a while, the Corn Engrosser came riding up to where Robin sat;
whereupon merry Robin stepped
straightway forth, in all his rags and tatters,
his bags and pouches dangling about him, and laid his hand upon the horse's
bridle rein,
calling upon the other to stop.
"Who art thou, fellow, that doth dare to stop me thus upon
the King's highway?" said the lean man, in a dry, sour voice.
"Pity a poor
beggar," quoth Robin. "Give me but a
farthing to buy me
a piece of bread."
"Now, out upon thee!" snarled the other. "Such
sturdy rogues as thou art
are better safe in the prisons or dancing upon nothing, with a hempen collar
about the neck, than strolling the highways so freely."
"Tut," quoth Robin, "how thou talkest! Thou and I are brothers, man.
Do we not both take from the poor people that which they can ill spare?
Do we not make our livings by doing
nought of any good?
Do we not both live without
touching palm to honest work?
Have we either of us ever rubbed thumbs over
honestly gained
farthings?
Go to! We are brothers, I say; only thou art rich and I am poor;
wherefore, I prythee once more, give me a penny."
"Doss thou prate so to me, sirrah?" cried the Corn Engrosser in a rage.
"Now I will have thee soundly whipped if ever I catch thee in any town
where the law can lay hold of thee! As for giving thee a penny,
I swear to thee that I have not so much as a single groat in my purse.
Were Robin Hood himself to take me, he might search me from crown
to heel without
finding the smallest piece of money upon me.
I trust I am too sly to travel so nigh to Sherwood with money in my pouch,
and that thief at large in the woods."
Then merry Robin looked up and down, as if to see that there was no
one nigh, and then, coming close to the Corn Engrosser, he stood on
tiptoe and spake in his ear, "Thinkest thou in sooth that I am a
beggar,
as I seem to be? Look upon me. There is not a grain of dirt upon
my hands or my face or my body. Didst thou ever see a
beggar so?
I tell thee I am as honest a man as thou art. Look, friend."
Here he took the purse of money from his breast and showed to
the dazzled eyes of the Corn Engrosser the bright golden pieces.
"Friend, these rags serve but to hide an honest rich man from the eyes
of Robin Hood."
"Put up thy money, lad," cried the other quickly. "Art thou a fool,
to trust to
beggar's rags to
shield thee from Robin Hood? If he caught thee,
he would strip thee to the skin, for he hates a lusty
beggar as he doth
a fat
priest or those of my kind."
"Is it indeed so?" quoth Robin. "Had I known this,
mayhap I had not come hereabouts in this garb.
But I must go forward now, as much depends upon my journeying.
Where goest thou, friend?"
"I go to Grantham," said the Corn Engrosser, "but I shall lodge
tonight at Newark, if I can get so far upon my way."
"Why, I myself am on the way to Newark," quoth merry Robin,
"so that, as two honest men are better than one in roads beset
by such a fellow as this Robin Hood, I will jog along with thee,
if thou hast no
dislike to my company."
"Why, as thou art an honest fellow and a rich fellow,"
said the Corn Engrosser, "I mind not thy company; but, in sooth,
I have no great
fondness for
beggars."
"Then forward," quoth Robin, "for the day wanes and it will be dark
ere we reach Newark." So off they went, the lean horse hobbling
along as before, and Robin
running beside,
albeit he was so quaking
with
laughter within him that he could hardly stand; yet he dared
not laugh aloud, lest the Corn Engrosser should
suspect something.
So they
traveled along till they reached a hill just on the outskirts
of Sherwood. Here the lean man checked his lean horse into a walk,
for the road was steep, and he wished to save his nag's strength,
having far to go ere he reached Newark. Then he turned in his saddle
and spake to Robin again, for the first time since they had left the cross.
"Here is thy greatest danger, friend," said he, "for here we are
nighest to that vile thief Robin Hood, and the place where he dwells.
Beyond this we come again to the open honest country, and so are more
safe in our journeying."
"Alas!" quoth Robin, "I would that I had as little money by me as thou hast,
for this day I fear that Robin Hood will get every groat of my wealth."
Then the other looked at Robin and winked
cunningly. Quoth he,
"I tell thee, friend, that I have nigh as much by me as thou hast,
but it is
hidden so that never a knave in Sherwood could find it."
"Thou dost surely jest," quoth Robin. "How could one hide so much
as two hundred pounds upon his person?"
"Now, as thou art so honest a fellow, and,
withal, so much younger than I am,
I will tell thee that which I have told to no man in all the world before,
and thus thou mayst learn never again to do such a foolish thing as to trust
to
beggar's garb to guard thee against Robin Hood. Seest thou these clogs
upon my feet?"
"Yea," quoth Robin, laughing, "truly, they are large enough for any
man to see, even were his sight as foggy as that of Peter Patter,
who never could see when it was time to go to work."
"Peace, friend," said the Corn Engrosser, "for this is no matter for jesting.
The soles of these clogs are not what they seem to be, for each one is
a sweet little box; and by twisting the second nail from the toe, the upper
of the shoe and part of the sole lifts up like a lid, and in the spaces within
are
fourscore and ten bright golden pounds in each shoe, all wrapped in hair,
to keep them from clinking and so telling tales of themselves."
When the Corn Engrosser had told this, Robin broke into a roar
of
laughter and, laying his hands upon the
bridle rein,
stopped the sad-looking nag. "Stay, good friend," quoth he,
between bursts of
merriment, "thou art the slyest old fox that e'er
I saw in all my life!--In the soles of his shoon, quotha!--If ever
I trust a poor-seeming man again, shave my head and paint it blue!
A corn
factor, a horse jockey, an
estate agent, and a jackdaw
for cunningness, say I!" And he laughed again till he shook
in his shoes with mirth.
All this time the Corn Engrosser had been staring at Robin,
his mouth agape with wonder. "Art thou mad," quoth he, "to talk
in this way, so loud and in such a place? Let us forward,
and save thy mirth till we are safe and sound at Newark."
"Nay," quoth Robin, the tears of
merriment wet on his cheeks, "on second
thoughts I go no farther than here, for I have good friends hereabouts.
Thou mayst go forward if thou dost list, thou sweet pretty fellow, but thou
must go forward
barefoot, for I am afraid that thy shoon must be left behind.
Off with them, friend, for I tell thee I have taken a great fancy to them."
At these words the corn
factor grew pale as a linen napkin.
"Who art thou that talkest so?" said he.
Then merry Robin laughed again, and quoth he, "Men hereabouts
call me Robin Hood; so, sweet friend, thou hadst best do my
bidding and give me thy shoes,
whereforehasten, I prythee,
or else thou wilt not get to fair Newark Town till after dark."
At the sound of the name of Robin Hood, the corn
factor quaked with fear,
so that he had to seize his horse by the mane to save himself from
falling off its back. Then
straightway, and without more words,
he stripped off his clogs and let them fall upon the road.
Robin, still
holding the
bridle rein, stooped and picked them up.