15. THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD

Robin Hood was old, and he began to feel ill. He thought, "I will go back to Sherwood Forest. Some of my men may still be there. I shall get better with them."
So Robin went to Sherwood Forest and he blew his horn. Little John and some men came to him. He stayed in the forest. But he did not become better. He became worse.
At last Robin said to Little John, "There is a lady at Kikrleys Abbey. She has made many sick people well. I will go to her."
So Robin and Little John went to the Abbey.
The lady was a Norman. She said, "I can save you, but I must take some blood from your arm."
She took Robin to a little room. She cut a place in his arm and let blood out of it. Then she went out of the room and shut the door.
The lady was a friend of the Sheriff. She did not like Robin. Robin did not know that. The blood did not stop.
Robin remembered his horn. A dying man cannot blow a horn well, but Little John heard it. He was just outside.
Little John ran into the Abbey. He threw himself against the door of Robin's room and went in.
Robin Hood was nearly dead.
Little John said, "I will take you away from here. Then I will come back and burn Kirkleys Abbey."
"No," Robin said. "Do not burn the Abbey. I was never unkind to a woman. Give me my bow, and take me to the window. Put my body where the arrow falls."
So Robin Hood shot his last arrow out of the window. His eyes were not open, and he did not see it fall. It did not go far. But Little John, with tears streaming from his eyes, said:
"Ha, ha! A good shot, Robin! Well done!"
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****Hear.....Laz robert earl of Huntingtun Obiit 24 Kal: Dekembris 1247****

14. KING RICHARD AND ROBIN HOOD

King Richard came back to England. He had heard a lot about Robin Hood.
In Nottingham, the Sheriff and the other Normans told him, "Robin Hood is a very bad outlaw. He steals, he kills people, and he shoots your deer."
The King asked other people, and they said, "Robin Hood is a good man. He takes money from men who have stolen it from the poor. He gives the money to poor people."
"How can I find Robin Hood?" KIng Richard asked.
"No one can find Robin Hood," was the answer. "But if a rich Norman goes into Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood's men will quickly find him."
King Richard put on the clothes of a rich Norman. Two of his knights dressed as servants. Then the three men set out along the road through Sherwood Forest.
Robin was sitting under a tree. He saw a rich Norman with two servants coming towards him. He went to the Norman and said, "Give me all your money, or I will take it from you."
Richard asked, "Who are you?"
"Men call me Robin Hood," was the answer.
The "Norman" said, "We come from the King. He has sent us to see you. This is his ring." And he showed his ring to the outlaw.
Robin threw up his cap and cried, "God save the King!"
The "Norman" said, "Why do you cry "God save the King" when you take money from his people?"
"I have taken money from the rich who have taken it from the poor. But the King has sent you here, so I am glad to see you. I will not take a penny of your money. You must cone and have dinner with us."

Robin blew his horn and all his men ran out to him. He said to the outlaws, "These men come from the King."
They all stood in a line. As the "Norman" passed, they took off their caps and cried, "God save the King!"
After dinner, Robin said to his men, "Take your bows and arrows and show our friend how you shoot. Show us your best shooting---as if King Richard himself was watching you."
The King saw Robin's men shooting. He said, "I have never seen better shooting! Would you fight for the King and be his men?"
"Yes! Yes!" cried Robin Hood and his men.
King Richard uncovered his face. He said, "I am the King."
King Richard and his two knights, dressed in Lincoln green, went through the streets of Nottingham. Robin Hood and all his men went with them. All the people ran out to see this. They said, "Robin Hood has come to burn the Sheriff's castle."
The King came to an open place in the town. The people stood all around. He said, "I am the King. This man, Robin Hood, is the Earl of Huntingdon. I shall give him back his castle and all his land."

Robin Hood and some of his men went with the King to London. Others went back to their homes; and some stayed in the forest.

13. HOW ROBIN HOOD DINNER WITH THE SHERIFF---AND HOW THE SHERIFF HAD DINNER WITH ROBIN HOOD

Robin Hood saw a man going along the road with a cart. He said, "What have you got in your cart?"
The man said, "Meat. I am a butcher and I am going to Nottingham to sell my meat."
Robin Hood said, "I want to buy your cart and all your meat. How much money do you want for it?"
The man knew Robin Hood. He knew that Robin helped the poor. So he sold the cart and the meat to him.
Robin said, "Will you sell me your clothes, too? You are dressed as a butcher. I want to look like a butcher in Nottingham."
So Robin went to Nottingham and began to sell the meat. He asked very little money for his meat.
The Sheriff asked all the butchers to have dinner with him once a year. The other butchers told Robin, "Today is our day to have dinner with the Sheriff."
"Yes," Robin said. "I know that."
So Robin went with the other butchers to have dinner with the Sheriff.
The Sheriff did not know Robin; but he knew that he sold his meat for very little money. He said to Robin, "Have you any beasts to sell?"
"O yes," said Robin. "I have over a hundred. Will you come and see them?"
So when the dinner was finished, the Sheriff put three hundred pounds in his bag and went with Robin to see Robin's beasts. He took thirty of his men with him.
They went to the forest. Then they went into the forest. The "butcher" led the Sheriff on and on through the forest.
The Sheriff said, "I do not want to see Robin Hood. I am not afraid of him, but I am not ready to drive him and all the outlaws out of the forest and kill them."
Robin said, "Look there! There are my beasts!" The Sheriff saw a great many deer among the trees.
"Their meat is very good---better than the meat which I was selling in Nottingham."
"It is Robin Hood! Catch him!" cried the Sheriff. But Robin blew his horn and a hundred men in Lincoln green were there. Some of them jumped out of the trees. No one knew where the others came from. But there they were!
Robin said, "I have brought the Sheriff to have dinner with us today." Then he said to the Sheriff, "Give me your bag." Robin took out the three hundred pounds and said, "This will just pay for your dinner. We have some very good meat and we are cooking it for your dinner. It is one of the King's fat deer!"
So he made the Sheriff sit down to dinner. After the dinner Robin said, "When you next come into Sherwood Forest, please have dinner with us again---But bring five hundred pounds next time."

12. HOW ROBIN HOOD SAVED WILL STUTELY FROM HANGING

Will Stutely was one of Robin Hood's men. Sometimes he went with other men into Nottingham to buy things. they did not dress in the outlaws's Lincoln green. They dressed as farmers and workmen. But one day someone saw Will Stutely in Nottingham and knew him. This person went to the castle and told the Sheriff. The Sheriff sent a lot of men into the town and they caught Will Stutely and took him to the castle.
The other men walked out of Nottingham and then ran back to the forest. They said to Robin, "The Sheriff's men have taken Will Stutely, and they will hand him."
Robin Hood called all his men. He said, "Take your bows and arrows and your swords. We must go and save Will Stutely from the Sheriff."
Maid Marian gave each man a bag of food. When they came near the castle Robin said, "We must hide here in the forest tonight. We must not go nearer to the castle, or the Sheriff's men will see us. Do not make any noise, men. No fires! No singing!"
So the men sat down on the grass and ate some of their food and slept.
Morning came, and they all looked at the castle. No one came out. Then, at last, Robin Hood saw a small door open. A priest came out of it. He was a very big man. Robin Hood said, "Go, Midge, and ask the priest about Will Stutely."
Midge put on an old black coat. He went to the priest and said, "Can you tell me anything about Will Stutely?"
"Yes," said the priest. "The Sheriff and his men caught him yesterday, and in one hour they will hang him. I wanted Robin Hood to come and save him, but there is no time now. The Sheriff is a bad man, but Robin Hood has done a lot to help the poor, and his men are good men."
Midge said, "What would you do if Robin Hood was near here?"
"I would give him all the help I can."

Midge said, "Come with me." He brought the priest to Robin Hood.
Robin Hood asked, "What will the Sheriff and his men do if we go to save Will Stutely?"
The priest answered, "They will see you. they will kill Will Stutely and then they will run back into the castle."
Robin Hood said to the priest, "You are a very big man. You are as big as Little John. Give Little John your long coat and help him to dress like you."
So Little John put on the priest's clothes.
The great door of the castle opened. The Sheriff came out. Then Will Stutely came. The Sheriff's men came with swords in their hands. There were forty of them. They all went to a little hill where they were going to hand Will Stutely.
Little John went to Will Stutely. He said to the Sheriff's men, "Go away. Do not stand so near to a man when he says his last prayer to God."
They moved away; but one of the Sheriff's men stood near, holding his sword.
Then Little John quickly took the sword from the Sheriff's man and gave it to Will Stutely. And he pulled out his own long sword from under his coat.
He cried, "Now fight!" Will Stutely and Little John stood back to back. The Sheriff's men came at them on all sides, but Will Stutely and Little John were quick with their swords. There was a great noise as the swords came SWISH through the air, CLANG on a steel cap, THUD on an arm or a leg.
"A-HOOD!" called Little John as his sword bit into a man's side.
"A-HOOD!" cried Will Stutely as another man fell to the grass.
The two outlaws fought so well that the Sheriff and his men did not see Robin Hood's men come out of the forest. Then the outlaws's arrows fell like rain upon the Sheriff's men.
The Sheriff and ten of his men ran away. They ran back into the castle. Robin Hood and twenty outlaws nearly caught them. Thirty of the Sheriff's men lay dead on the little hill.
Robin Hood and his men went with Will Stutely back to the forest.

11. ROBIN HOOD AND THE TWO FRIARS

There were very many good friars. They lived as poor men, and they helped people. But there were some bad friars, too. These bad friars took money from the people, and they only helped themselves.
One day Robin Hood dressed himself as a poor man. He walked along the road. After a time he saw two friars riding towards him.
Robin held up his hand. He said, "I have walked a very long way, and I have had nothing to eat or drink. Please give me some money to buy food."
One friar was young and very fat. He said, "We cannot help you because we have no money. You know that there are outlaws on the roads. This morning some outlaws in Lincoln green took all our money. So now we have no money at all."
Robin Hood knew that his men had not taken money from the two friars.
"No money?" said Robin. "Oh, that is bad! Here are two good men and they have no money! They have no money to buy food, and no money to give to the poor. That makes me very sad."
The older friar was not fat, but he had a long red nose and a very red face. He said, "I do not like this man. We must go on."
So the two friars rode quickly away. But Robin was a very good runner: he ran after them. He made them get off their horses.
"You said that you had no money. We three will sit under a tree, and we will all pray for money. We shall see which one of us gets his prayer."
The two friars saw that Robin knew how to use his staff. So they sat down under the tree, and prayed for money---a lot of money.

After a time the older friar stood up. He said, "I will not do this. I shall ride on."
Robin said, "Sit down! Do what I said!"
He sat down.
After an hour Robin said, "You may stand up. Now we will see the money which our prayers have brought us. We will lay all the money down in three parts. Each will have one part."
"Why must we do that?" said the young friar.
Robin looked at him. "You said that you had lost all your money. If your prayers have brought you some more money, that is good! And you will be glad to give me a part of it."
The old friar said, "What do you want us to do? Tell us, and we will do it."
"Put your hands inside your coats and see if there is any money in them."
They put their hands inside their coats. They took their hands out. The young friar said, "No money." The old friar said, "No money."
Robin put his hand inside his coat and said, "No money. Now you must put your hands inside my coat and know that I have no money."
Then Robin said, "I will put my hand inside your coats."
Robin Hood put his hand inside the young friar's coat.
"Oh! Oh!" he said. "Here is a bag full of money! You thought that you had no money! But your prayer has brought you all this money!"
Then Robin put his hand inside the old friar's coat and he took out a big bag of money. He said, "I told you to pray for money, and your prayer has brought you all this. Now we will lay all this money down in four parts."
"Four parts?" said the young friar. "You said three parts."
"One part for you," said Robin. "One part for your friend. One part for me. And one part for the poor."
"But the poor were not here. They did not pray," said the friar.
"The poor are always with us," said Robin, "and they always want money. Now you may ride on, buy some food and---"
"And what?" said the two friars.
"And remember to give some of your money to the poor."

10. ROBIN HOOD AND THE NORMAN

Robin gave the knight four hundred pounds to pay to William of Linby. The knight said, "One day I shall come back and pay you."
The knight worked very hard and saved up money. At last he had four hundred pounds. He and his men made four hundred bows and his wife and her women made four hundred arrows.
Then he went to give the money and the bows and arrows to Robin Hood.
On that day three of Robin Hood's men took their bows and went to the road. These men were Little John, Midge and Will Scarlet. Little John said, "If he has become rich by taking money from the poor, we will bring him to Robin Hood."
Little John saw a Norman coming along the road. He had many men with him. One man was leading horses. There were big boxes on the horses.
Little John and Midge and Will stood in the road. Their bows and arrows were ready.
Little John said to the Norman, "If you come nearer we will shoot."
The Norman stopped.
Little John said, "We ask you to eat with us and our leader."
"Who is your leader?" said the Norman.
"He is Robin Hood. We are Robin Hood's men."
"Oh! Robin Hood! He is a very bad outlaw," said the Norman.
"No!" said Little John. "Robin Hood is a very good man. He lives in the forest near here. He likes to ask people to eat with him."

The Norman's servants were afraid of Robin Hood. They ran away. Only three men stayed---two servants and the man with the horses. Little John led them through the forest.
Robin Hood said, "Who is this? Has he come to eat with us?"
Little John said, "This is a Norman. We met him on the road. These two men are his servants. The other servants ran away. And there is this man leading the horses."
Robin Hood said, "I am pleased to see you."
The Norman said nothing.
"You do not speak!" said Robin. "You did not say "Thank you"; but will eat with us."
Robin blew his horn. A hundred men in Lincoln green came running out of the forest.
Maid Marian brought water to the Norman and he washed his hands. A good fat deer was cooking over the fire.
"Sit by the fire," Robin Hood said to the Norman.
The Norman ate a good dinner. He was a very fat man and he liked his food and drink.
When they had eaten, Robin said, "You have some horses there with boxes on their backs. What is in those boxes? Is there a lot of money in them?"
"Oh no!" said the Norman. "I am a poor man. I have only fifteen pounds."
Robin said, "Is that all the money you have? We shall see. Little John, take those boxes off the horses. See how much money is in them."
"No! No!" cried the Norman. "I have just fifteen pounds and no more. Do not open the boxes. The money is in the bag---just fifteen pounds."
"If you have just fifteen pounds, you are a poor man, and I must give you some money."
Little John opened the boxes. He took all the money out of them. He put his coat on the grass and put the money on it. He said, "Eight hundred pounds. And, if he has fifteen pounds in that little bag, he has eight hundred and fifteen pounds."

Robin Hood said, "I shall not give money to you. You must give money to me. All this money will go to the poor. Thank you, good Norman, for being so kind to the poor. You will make them very happy. And you must say "Thank you" to me for your very good food---and then you may go."
Then the man with the horses spoke. He was a Saxon. "The money came from the poor. Now it will go back to the poor. I am very glad."
So the Norman went away with his two servants and his horses---and his boxes. But this time there was nothing in the boxes. The Saxon stayed with the outlaws.
Soon after that, the knight and his men came out from the trees.
"I am very pleased to see you," said Robin. "Why have you come to me?"
"I have come to pay back the four hundred pounds."
A kind Norman has just given me eight hundred pounds. So you may keep the four hundred pounds, Sir Knight. Use it to help the poor people who live near your castle. But what are all those bows and arrows? They are the best bows and arrows that I have ever seen."
"They are a present to you," said the knight. "They are a way of saying "Thank you" for the help which you gave me. My wife and her women made the arrows; my men and I made the bows."
"The Norman did not remember to thank us for the food." Robin Hood said. "You and your wife have remembered to thank us; and you have said "Thank you" beautifully. Please call us if you ever want help."

9. THE KNIGHT AND THE RICH MAN

The knight rode away from the forest on his good new horse. He said, "I shall go tomorrow to William of Linby and pay back the four hundred pounds. Then William will not have to take away my castle and my land from me. He will be glad."
William of Linby was a fat man, a rich man---and bad man. Linby church was on his land, and he made the priest of Linby church help him in his work. The priest could read and write; William of Linby could not.
William of Linby was happy. He said to the priest, "You remember that knight who got four hundred pounds from me? He must come and pay back the money tomorrow. If he does not pay, I shall have his castle and all his land. That will be good! That will be very good!"
The priest was a good man. He said, "It will be very bad if the knight loses all his land."
William answered, "It will be bad for him, but good for me!"
On the next day, William of Linby was sitting at the table in his hall. He was very happy. The table was covered with good food. He said, "Ha!, ha! I shall have a big castle and a lot of land today."
A servant came into the hall and said, "There is a knight outside who wants to speak to you."
William of Linby did not look so happy. But he thought, "He has not brought the money. He has come to say "Please wait for a day---or two days---or a week---or a month." But I will not wait---not one day!" Then he said to the servant, "Send the knight in."
The kind priest said, "Do not take his castle and his land. Give him a little time."
"No!" said William of Linby. "He must pay today!"

The knight came into the hall. His face was sad. He said, "William of Linby, please give me a little time to pay---only a very little time."
"No!" said William. "I will not give you even one day more. You must pay me today before the sun goes down. If you have not paid me, your castle and all your lands are mine!"
"Oh!" said the kind priest. "Do not be so hard on him!"
The knight went to William of Linby. He stood near him and looked down at him.
"When you gave me four hundred pounds, I thought that you were a good man and a friend. But now I have seen that you are not. You are not a good man, and you are not a friend."
He opened a bag which he had brought. From thebag he took the four hundred pounds which Robin had given to him.
"There!" said the knight. "There is your money."
The priest said, "Ah! That is good! So you will keep your castle and your land. That is very good!"
The knight rode away. He came to his castle. His wife was at the door. "Have we lost everything?" she said. "Must we give the castle and all our land to William of Linby?"
"No!" cried the knight. "Robin Hood gave me the money. We can be very happy today; but William of Linby is very sad. We must thank Robin Hood for this."
He took her in his arms and they went into the castle.

8. ROBIN HOOD AND THE POOR KNIGHT

Knights were fighting men. They lived in castles and ha
d a lot of land. Most Norman knights had a lot of money.
One morning Robin Hood was standing under a tree with some of his men.
Little John said, "Shall we eat now?"
Robin Hood answered, "I shall eat when I have found a rich knight. He can eat with me, and then he can give us gold for his food and our own food."
Little John and Midge took their bows and arrows and went to the road through the forest. They stood behind a tree and waited.
After a little time, they saw a knight. He looked very sad. He had a very old horse, and his clothes were old, too.
Little John went to him and said, "Our leader asks you to come and eat with him."
The knight said, "Who is your leader? Who asks me to eat with him? What is his name?"
"His name is Robin Hood."
"Ah! said the knight. "I have heard about him. He is a good man. So I will come with you."
Little John and Midge led the knight to Robin Hood.
Robin Hood said, "I am pleased to see you. Come and eat with us."
So they all sat down to eat. The food was very, very good. Maid Marian and Alan-a-Dale's wife cooked deer from the forest and ducks from the river. Everything was good.
The knight said, "I have not had food like this for a very long time."
"I must ask you to pay for your dinner now," said Robin Hood. "I am a very poor man, and I cannot pay for a dinner for a knight."
"I have no money," said the knight. "So I cannot pay. I have here only twenty pence."
Robin Hood said, "If that is all I will not take any. Go and see, Little John. Is that all the the money the knight has?"
Little John took the money out of the knight's money-bag and showed it to Robin Hood. There was just twenty pence.
Robin Hood said, "Why have you so little money, and old clothes and old horse? Why are your so poor? Most knights are very rich."
The knight answered, "My money has gone because my son loved fighting. In a fight he killed another knight. He did not want to kill him. They were friends. But he hit too hard and the knight died. Because of that, I had to pay a lot of money. I sold everything I had, and I got four hundred pounds more from William of Linby. I must pay it back to him tomorrow. If I do not pay the money tomorrow he can take my castle and all my land."
Robin Hood asked, "Have you no friends who will help you?"
"I had many friends when I was rich: but now I am poor, and I have no friends."
Robin Hood said to Little John, "Bring me our money-bag."
Little John brought the money-bag. Robin Hood took four hundred pounds out of the bag. He said, "We have taker this money from people who had too much money. I give this money to you because you have too little money. Go and pay William of Linby and save your land."
Then Midge came with a big piece of cloth. He said, "Your clothes are very old. Make some new clothes out of this."
Maid Marian said, "Your horse is very old. You must have a new horse." She told Little John to bring a good horse.
The knight got up on the horse. Robin Hood, Maid Marian and all outlaws went with him to the road.
The knight said, "I shall always remember the kind things that you have done today. One day I shall come back and pay you."
Robin Hood said, "Help others in the same way that we have helped you."

7. ROBIN HOOD AND THE TINKER

The Sheriff of Nottingham wanted to catch Robin Hood. Robin knew that. "What is the Sheriff doing?" he asked himhelf. "How is he going to catch me?"
So he put on other clothes and went to Nottingham.
On his way to Nottingham he saw a tinker. A tinker makes things out of iron or tin. He covers holes in cooking pots and makes them good again.
The tinker was a big man. Robin Hood said, "Good morning. Tell me, what are people saying in Nottingham? Is there any news?"
The tinker said, "I am looking for a man named Robin Hood. The Sheriff has given people this paper. It says, "Any man who can catch Robin Hood and bring him to the Sheriff will get one hundred pounds.""
Robin Hood read the paper. "Yes," he said, "that is what is on the paper. One hundred gold pounds! That is a lot of money. I think I can help you."
"Tell me: where can I find this man, Robin Hood?" said the tinker.
"Come with me into Nottingham and you will find Robin Hood there."
So Robin Hood and the tinker went to Nottingham. They went to an inn and had a drink. The tinker and walked a long way, and it was a very hot day. So he drank a lot, and he fell asleep. Then Robin Hood took the paper from the tinker, and took all his money and went away.
At last the tinker work up. "The paper has gone, and I have lost all my money," he cried. He asked the innkeeper,."Who was that man who was with me?"
The innkeeper said, "Your friend was Robin Hood. Give me ten pence for the drinks, please."
The tinker said, "I have no money. I cannot give you ten pence because Robin Hood has taken all my money. I will make Robin Hood give the money to you. Where can I find him?"
"You must look for him in Sherwood Forest. That is where he kills the King's deer."
So the tinker went to the forest and he found Robin Hood.
"Ha!" cried the tinker. "So I have found you!" He had a long staff. They began to fight.
The tinker fought very well. Robin Hood had never fought a man who was quicker. Robin himself was a good fighter with a staff. Time after time his staff hit the tinker on the head---CRACK! CRACK!
But the tinker laughed. "Ha, ha!" he cried. "I have nothing in my head. So you can hit it as hard as you like!"
The tinker was even better with the staff than Robin Hood. Robin was quick on his feet, but at last the tinker's staff caught him SMACK on the ear. Robin Hood fell down.
The tinker stood over Robin. "Now," he said, "give me back my money and the Sheriff's paper! And I will hang you on that tree."
Robin Hood said, "You are a better fighter than I am. I will blow my horn one last time."
So Robin Hood blew his horn. Little John and Will Scarlet came running to him.
Robin Hood said, "This tinker has fought me and he has won. And he wants to hang me on that tree."
Little John said, "He is bigger than you. I will fight him."
"No! No!" said Robin. "We will have no more fighting. This tinker is a good man. It was a good fight, and I am not angry with him. We shall be glad to have him as one of us."
Little John asked, "What do you say to that, tinker?"
The tinker looked at the great big man who was looking down at him, and answered, "This forest is a beautiful place, and the men in it are brave men. So I will do no more tinkering. I will go with you."
So the tinker became one of Robin Hood's men.

6. ROBIN AND THE THREE SONS

One day Robin Hood was walking in the forest: he saw a beautifully dressed woman coming towards him. She looked very sad.
Robin Hood said, "You look very sad. Why are you so sad? What can I do to help you?"
She said, "I have three sons. Their father is dead: so they are all that I have. But the Sheriff of Nottingham has taken them, and they will die. They will die because they have killed some of the King's deer."
"Go home," said Robin. "I will go to Nottingham, and I will save them if I can."
Near Nottingham, Robin saw an old begar. The beggar had a very old coat. It was full of holes, and the holes were covered with bits of cloth---red cloth and green and blue and brown and black cloth.
The beggar put out his hand and said, "Please, sir, give me some money."
Robin said, "Yes, I will give you some money if you will give me your coat. I will give you gold. Then you can buy food and drink."
Robin Hood took the beggar's coat and put it on over his green coat. He gave the old beggar two gold pieces. Then he went into Nottingham looking like a beggar.
Robin saw the Sheriff and twenty of his men. They had the three young men with them. They were going to hand the young men just outside the town.
Robin Hood threw himself down in front of the Sheriff. The Sheriff said, "Get out of my way, you old beggar!"
Robin Hood said, "I do not ask for money for nothing. I will be your hangman. I will hang those young men!"
"O yes," said the Sheriff, "you may be the handman if you want to. Then you can have their clothes, and their money too."
"I do not want their clothes or their money. I just want to blow my horn before I hang them. It will help me."
"Yes," said the Sheriff, "you may do that."
Robin Hood took his horn out from under his coat. He blew his horn.
WHIZZ-WHIZZ-WHIZZ! A hundred arrows came from the forest. The Sheriff's steel coat saved him, but twelve of his men fell.
Then a hundred outlaws in Lincoln green ran down the hill. Everyone in Nottingham heard their cry: "A-HOOD! A-HOOD!"
"Who are these men?" said the Sheriff. "Who are they? Tell me!"
"They are my men," said Robin Hood, "and they have come to get me and the three young men."
Robin Hood threw off the beggar's coat. Then the sheriff knew who the old beggar was.
"Take the young men," he said, "Take them away with you. I cannot do anything---THIS TIME!"
So Robin Hood and his men went away with the three young men. They were singing happily.
The Sheriff went back to his house. He thought, "What can I do to that man and his outlaws? What can I do? I must do something!"

5. ALAN-A-DALE

Robin Hood and Maid Marian were walking in the forest. They sat down under a tree. After a time, they saw a young man. He was dressed in good red clothes, and he was singing happily.
The next day, they saw him again. He was badly dressed in black clothes. He was not singing. He looked very sad.
Robin Hood said, "Who are you, and why are you so sad?"
The young man did not answer.
That night Robin Hood and marian and some of the outlaws were sitting by the fire outside Robin's cave. Little John and Midge came to Robin. They brought a man with them. He was the sad young man whom Robin and Marian had seen that morning. Little John was the biggest of Robin's men, and Midge was the smallest.
Midge said, "We found him in the forest. We asked him, "Where are you going?" but he did not answer. So we have brought him to you.
Robin Hood said, "Have you any money to give to me and my men?"
"No," said the man. "I have only five pence and a ring. The ring was for the most beautiful girl in England."
"What is your name?" said Robin. "And why are you so sad?"
"My name is Alan-a-Dale. Yesterday I was going to marry the most beautiful girl in England. But her father said, "No. You will not marry my daughter. My daughter will marry Wiliam of Linby. He is old but he has a lot of money.""
Robin Hood said, "You cannot marry the most beautiful girl in England. Maid Marian is the most beautiful. But I can help you to marry the girl whom you love. How much money will you give me if I give her back to you?"
"I have no money," said Alan-a-Dale. "But if you give me back my loved one, I will be your servant and I will work for you all my life."
"How many miles away is her home?"
"Five miles," said Alan-a-Dale. "The church is near her home. In three hours from now she will be married to the rich old man, William of Linby."
Robin Hood put a long coat over his Lincoln green clothes. He went into the cave and brought out a harp.
Then Robin Hood and Friar Tuck and twenty three men went with Alan-a-Dale to the church.
When they came near to the church, Robin Hood said to his men and to Alan-a-Dale, "Hide here. Make no noise. When I blow my horn, run into the church."
Robin Hood went to the church. William of Linby was standing at the door of the church. The rich man said, "Who are you?"
"I am a harper: Iplay the harp. I am the best harper in England."
"Ah!" said William of Linby. "You shall paly to me."
"I will wait for the other people. When all your friends are here, you will here something."
Soon the people came. William of Linby's rich friends filled one side of the church. His servants and fighting men filled the other side. Then the girl's father brought her into the church. She was very beautiful, but she looked very sad.
Then Robin Hood went up to the front of the chruch. He said, "Do you want to hear something?"
"Yes," said William. "We will hear your harp."
Robin Hood said, "Hear my horn." Then he blew his horn, and Alan-a-Dale ran into the church. He brought Robin Hood's bow and arrows. Robin Hoo's men came in with him.
The outlaws stood round the chruch with arrows in their bows.
Robin Hood spoke to the girl. "Do you want to be married to William of Linby?" he asked.
"No," she said very sadly. "I love Alan-a-Dale."
Robin Hood said, "You shall be married to Alan-a-Dale now, in this church. Come, Friar Tuck, and marry them."
So Friar Tuck came and married them.
Then Robin Hood said, "You may all go to your homes."
Robin Hood's men stood with arrows in their bows and saw them all go away.
"Now," said Robin, "we will go back to the forest. Maid Marian is there with food and drink all ready for us."
They all drank to Alan-a-Dale and his wife. Robin said to Alan-a-Dale, "You cannot go back to your friends, so you and your wife must stay here with us."
Alan-a-Dale answered, "I said, "If you give me back my loved one, I will be your servant and I will work for you all my life.""
"And so will I," said his wife.
"We shall need your help," said Robin. "William of Linby is a friend of Sheriff of Notthingham, and they will send men into the forest to kill us---if they can."

4. MAID MARIAN

Robin Hood was the son of the Earl of Huntingdon. Maid Marian's father had a castle near the Earl of Huntingdon's castle. When Robin Hood was a boy, he and Maid Marian were great friends. They had many happy days together in the forest. Marian could shoot nearly as well as Robin.
Maid Marian was very sad when the Sheriff of Nottingham drove Robin out of his home. Then she heard that Robin was living in Sherwood forest. She said, "Robin cannot come to me ; so I will go to him. She put on boy's clothes. She took her bow and arrows and left the castle. No one saw her go.
Robin Hood sometimes put on a long coat over his Lincoln green clothes, and he put a hood over his head to hide his face. Then he walked about in Sherwood Forest. He wanted to see the people who went through the forest.
He saw a boy with a bow in one hand and a staff in the other hand. The boy had a green hood.
Robin Hood said, "Boy, what are you doing with that bow? No one may shoot the King's deer in this forest. Go away, and do not come here again."
Marian answered, "I will not go away. I am not afraid of men who hide their faces."
"Do not speak to me like that!" said Robin, and he took his staff in his two hands. Marian took her staff in her two hands and they fought.
Robin did not want to hit the "boy" hard, but his staff was everywhere. Maid Marian was very quick on her feet, and her staff did good work too.
After a little time, Robin laughed. "I like you" he said. "You are young, but you fight very well. You fight as well as a man. I want you to be one of my men. Will you come and to be one of Robin Hood's men?"
Robin Hood threw back his hood, and Maid Marian saw his face.
"Robin!" Maid Marian cried. And she showed her own face.
"Oh!" cried Robin. "It is Maid Marian! Why did you not tell me before we fought?"
"I did not know that you were Robin Hood."
They sat down by a strean. Then Robin said, "Will you come and live with me in the forest? It will be a very hard life ; but I will do my best to make you happy."
"I shall always be happy with you," said Maid Marian.
Robin took Marian to the place in the forest where the outlaws lived. There was no one there. Robin blew his horn and his men came running to the place.
Robin said, "This is Maid Marian. She has come to live here with us."
All the men were very glad.
Then Robin said, "Where is Friar Tuck?"
Will Scarlet said, "He has gone far into the forest with his bow and arrows."
"Find him and bring him to me," said Robin.
Some of the men ran to find him. They soon came back with him; he was carrying a fat deer on his back.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Robin said, "This is Maid Marian. We want to be married. Can you marry us here?"
So Friar Tuck married Robin Hood and Maid Marian there in the forest. The men made a fire and cooked the deer; and they ate and drank and told stories and were very happy.

3. FRIAR TUCK

Little John could soon shoot very well. Because he was a very big man, they made a very big bow for him. One day Robin Hood said, "Look at those deer on the hill far away. Shoot one of them."
Little John shot the deer. Robin Hood was very pleased. He said, "I do not know a man who can shoot better than that!"
Will Scarlet said, "I know a man who can. His name is Friar Tuck, and he can shoot better than you or Little John."
"I must find him!" said Robin Hood. "Where does he live?"
Will Scarlet said, "He is at Fountains Abbey."
Then Robin Hood put on a steel cap and he took a aword. From the forest near Fountains Abbey, Robin Hood saw Friar Tuck. He was walking near the stream. He had a steel can and a sword just like Robin Hood's steel cap and sword.
"Hide here," Robin Hood said to his men. Then he went out of the forest alone. He walked down to the Friar Tuck and said, "Good morning, Friar. Please carry me over the stream."
Friars must help other people. Friar Tuck looked at Robin Hood. He saw a young man who could walk through the stream without help. But he said, "Get on my back."
So Robin Hood got on Friar Tuck's back and Friar Tuck carried him over the stream. "Thank you," Robin said, and he jumped down.
"Wait!" Friar Tuck said. "Have I helped you?"
"Yes."
"I am glad," the Friar said. "I helped you because Friars must help people. And now carry me back over the stream!" Friar Tuck took out his sword.
So Robin Hood carried Friar Tuck back over the stream. The Friar was a big man, and it was hard work. On the other side Robin caught Friar Tuck's hand and threw him---THUMP!---on the grass.
Now Robin took out his sword. "Carry me back again, "he said, "or I will kill you."
"All right! Get on my back." Friar Tuck carried Robin Hood into the stream. Then---SPLASH!---the big Friar quickly fell into the water on top of Robin Hood.
After that, the outlaws in the forest saw a great fight. The two swords were as quick as light. Friar Tuck's steel cap saved his hear again and again, and more than once the Friar's sword fell CRASH on Robin Hood's cap.
At last Friar Tuck said, "I will not fight you any more. You are very brave man. Who are you?"
"I am Robin Hood." He put his hand up, and the outlaws ran out of the forest. Robin said, "I came here to find a man who shoots very well with his bow. I have found a man who fights very well with his sword."
Will Scarlet said, "He shoots well, too. That man can shoot better than Little John or Robin Hood."
Robin Hood said, "Now I have found you. I ask you to come and live with us. I and my men live in the forest. We take money from the rich and give it to the poor."
Friar Tuck said, "Friars must love God and help other men. I have lived here in this Abbey, but I have not done much good to men. So I will go with you."

2. LITTLE JOHN

When Robin Hood wanted to call his men he blew his horn. One morning Robin Hood said, "We have not killed any deer for fourteen days. We must have food. Wait here. I will go and look for food. If you hear my horn, come quickly and help me."
So Robin went away with his bow and arrows and his horn. He came to a stream with a bridge over it.
It was a very small bridge, and a very big man was standing on it. He was seven feet high. He had a long staff in his hand. Robin Hood could not go over the bridge when the big man was standing on it.
Robin Hood said, "Good morning. Please let me come over the bridge."
The man stood there, and said nothing.
Robin Hood put an arrow in his bow and began to go over the bridge.
The man said, "You are afraid of me. You have a bow and arrow. I have only a staff."
Robin Hood put down his bow and arrow. He made a staff from a small tree. Then he came back to the bridge and said, "We will fight on the bridge. The man who falls in the stream is the loser."
So they fought on the bridge. They fought for an hour. Then Robin Hood hit the big man---WHACK!---on the head.
"Ha, ha!" Robin cried. "You nearly had a good wash in the stream."
He spoke too soon. The big man's staff came BANG on the side of Robin's head, and Robin fell into the water with a great SPLASH.
The big man said, "Now who says Ha, ha? Have a good wash, my friend!"
When Robin Hood got out of the water, he was laughing. "You are a brave man," he said, "and you can hit very hard." Robin put his hand on the side of his head. "I lost. What can I give you?"
The big man said, "You can help me to fine Robin Hood. I want to be one of his men."
Robin Hood blew his horn. Very soon twenty men in Lincoln Green were at the bridge.
Will Stutely said, "This man has thrown you into the stream, Robin. Shall we throw this man into the water?"
The big man said, "Robin? Robin?---Are you Robin Hood? I hit Robin Hood with my staff?"
"Yes," said Robin, and he told the story to his men. They all laughed.
Then Robin Hood said to the big man, "I like you. Come with me and be one of my men. I will give you a bow and arrows and teach you to shoot."
The man held out his hand. "Yes," he said, "I will be one of your men."
Robin Hood said, "What is your name?"
He said, "My name is John Little."
"Oh!" said Robin Hood. "We must change that name. We will call you Little John."
So Little John went with Robin Hood and his men. They killed two deer and cooked them over the fire. They ate and drank till the sun went down.
Next morning Robin Hood gave Little John a coat of Lincoln green and a bow and arrows. He said, "Now I will teach you to shoot."

1. ROBIN HOOD AND HIS OUTLAWS

A young man was walking in Sherwood Forest. His clothes were green like the trees in forest, and he had his long bow and ten good arrows.
He heard the cry of a child. Then he saw a woman. She was walking into the forest with her child. The child was crying. The woman was not crying, but she was very, very unhappy.
The young man asked, "Where are you going?" "I'm going to look for Robin Hood. He helps poor people, and I want help. I was the wife of Wat, a workman in Nottingham. The Sheriff of Nottingham did not like him. The Sheriff's men killed Wat and burnt our house. Now I have no home, no money---nothing. But Robin Hood will help me. Robin and his men live here in the forest. They are good men. They take money away from rich people, and they give it to poor people. Yes, he will help me."
The young man said, "You are right. We will help you. I am Robin Hood."
Long, long ago, Richard was King of England. Richard was a Norman, and most of the people were not Normans. Many of them were Saxons.
Richard was a good man and a just ruler; but he went away to war. Then his brother John ruled the country.
John was bad. He was unjust, and he did not like the Saxons. He wanted the Normans to have more and more. Many of the Normans wanted that, too, and they became hard and unjust rulers.
The Sheriff of Nottingham was a Norman. From his castle at Nottingham he ruled all the country from Derby to Lincoln. Sherwood Forest was in this country.
There was one Saxon who still had land and a caste. He was the Earl of Huntingdon. The Sheriff of Nottingham sent five hundred men to drive the Saxon earl out of his castle. They burnt the castle and took the Earl to Nottingham. He died there, and the Sheriff of Nottingham took all his land. His wife and his son Robert had no home and no money.
Robert's mother died soon after, and Robert went to Sherwood Forest. He lived in the forest and changed his name to Robin Hood.
There were other Saxons in Sherwood Forrest. They were men without homes, because the Normans had their houses and their land. There were deer in the forest. The Saxon men killed the deer for food. But the deer were the King's deer, and the Normans were very angry. They called the men outlaws. If they caught an outlaw, the Normans killed him.
Robin Hood became the leader of the outlaws in Sherwood Forest. He and all his men dressed in green clothes---Lincoln green.
They said:
"We will always help poor people. We will take money from the rich men. They have a lot of money because they have taken it from poor people. We will take the money and give it back to the poor."