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."
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