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21 - Robin Hood by J Walker McSpadden · Robin Hood

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  Speaker 1: How Sir Richard of the Layah repaid his debt. The
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  Speaker 1: proud sheriff loud gan cry and said, thou traitor knight,
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  Speaker 1: thou keepest here the King's enemy against the laws. And
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  Speaker 1: right open the gate, shouted the sheriff hoarsely to the sentinel.
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  Speaker 1: Upon the walls open. I say, in the King's name,
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  Speaker 1: why who are you to come thus brawling upon my premises,
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  Speaker 1: asked a haughty voice, and Sir Richard himself stepped forth
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  Speaker 1: upon the turret. You know me well, trader, knight, said
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  Speaker 1: the sheriff. Now give up into my hands the enemy
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  Speaker 1: of the King, whom you have sheltered against the laws.
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  Speaker 1: And right there and softly, sir, quoth the knight smoothly.
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  Speaker 1: I well avow that I have done certain deeds this day,
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  Speaker 1: but I have done them upon my own land, which
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  Speaker 1: you now trespass upon. And I shall answer only to
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  Speaker 1: the King, whom God preserve for my actions, thou soft
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  Speaker 1: spoken villain, said the sheriff, still in a tower passion.
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  Speaker 1: I also served the King, and if these outlaws are
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  Speaker 1: not given up to me at once, I shall lay
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  Speaker 1: siege to the castle and burn it with fire. First
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  Speaker 1: show me your warrants, said Sir Richard, curtly. My word
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  Speaker 1: is enough, Am I not Sheriff of Nottingham. If you
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  Speaker 1: are in sooth, retorted the Knight, you should know that
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  Speaker 1: you have no authority within my lands unless you bear
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  Speaker 1: the King's order. In the meantime, go mend your manners lording,
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  Speaker 1: and Sir Richard snapped his fingers and disappeared from the walls.
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  Speaker 1: The Sheriff, after lingering a few moments longer, in hope
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  Speaker 1: of further parley, was forced to withdraw, swearing fiercely the
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  Speaker 1: king's order, muttered he that shall I have without delay
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  Speaker 1: as well as this upstart Knight's estates for King Richard
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  Speaker 1: is lately returned, I hear from the holy land. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: the Knight had gone back to robin Hood, and the
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  Speaker 1: two men greeted each other right gladly, Well met, Bowld,
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  Speaker 1: Robin cried, he taking him in his arms. Well met.
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  Speaker 1: Indeed the Lord has lately prospered me, and I was
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  Speaker 1: minded this day to ride forth and repay my debt
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  Speaker 1: to you, And so you have answered Robin gaily Nay,
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  Speaker 1: twas nothing this small service, said the Knight. I meant
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  Speaker 1: the monies coming to you. They have all been repaid,
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  Speaker 1: said Robin. My lord of Hereford himself gave them to
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  Speaker 1: me the exact sum, asked the Knight. The exact sum,
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  Speaker 1: answered Robin, winking solemnly. Sir Richard smiled, but said no more.
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  Speaker 1: At the time, Robin was made to rest until dinner
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  Speaker 1: should be served. Meanwhile, a leech bound up his hand
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  Speaker 1: with ointment, promising him that he should soon have its
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  Speaker 1: use again. Some half score others of the Yeomen had
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  Speaker 1: been hurt in the fight, but luckily none of grave moment.
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  Speaker 1: They were all bandaged and made happy by bumpers of ale.
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  Speaker 1: At dinner, Sir Richard presented Robin to his wife and son.
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  Speaker 1: The lady was stately and gracious, and made much of Marian,
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  Speaker 1: whom she had known as a little girl, and who
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  Speaker 1: was now clothed more seemly for a dinner than in
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  Speaker 1: monkeysh garments. The young Esquire was a goodly youth, and
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  Speaker 1: bade fair to make as stout a knight as his father.
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  Speaker 1: The feast was a joyous event. There were two long cables,
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  Speaker 1: and two hundred men sat down at them and ate
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  Speaker 1: and drank, and afterwards sang songs. An hundred and forty
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  Speaker 1: of these men wore Lincoln green, and called Robin Hood
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  Speaker 1: their chief. Never I ween had there been a more
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  Speaker 1: gallant company at table in La Castle. That night the
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  Speaker 1: foresters tarried within the friendly walls, and the next day
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  Speaker 1: took leave, though Sir Richard protested that they should have
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  Speaker 1: made a longer stay. And he took Robin aside to
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  Speaker 1: his strong room and pressed him again to take the
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  Speaker 1: four hundred golden pounds. But his guest was firm keep
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  Speaker 1: the money, for it is your own, said Robin, I
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  Speaker 1: have but made the Bishop return that which he extorted unjustly.
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  Speaker 1: Sir Richard thanked him in a few earnest words, and
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  Speaker 1: asked him and all his men to visit the emery
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  Speaker 1: before they departed. And therein they saw placed apart an
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  Speaker 1: hundred and forty stout eywe bows of cunning make, with
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  Speaker 1: fine wax and silk strings, and hundred and forty sheeves
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  Speaker 1: of arrows. Every shaft was a just ell long, set
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  Speaker 1: with peacock feathers and notched with silver. And Sir Richard's
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  Speaker 1: fair lady came forward, and with her own hands gave
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  Speaker 1: each yeoman a bow and a sheath in sooth. These
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  Speaker 1: are poor presents we have made you good, robin Hood,
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  Speaker 1: said Sir Richard, But they carry with them a thousand
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  Speaker 1: times their weight and gratitude. The sheriff made good his
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  Speaker 1: threat to inform the King forth rode he to London
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  Speaker 1: Town upon the week following his scalpound, having healed sufficiently
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  Speaker 1: to permit him to travel. This time, he did not
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  Speaker 1: seek out Prince John, but asked audience with King Richard
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  Speaker 1: of the Lion Heart himself. His Majesty had but lately
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  Speaker 1: returned from the Crusades, and was just then looking into
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  Speaker 1: the state of his kingdom. So the sheriff found ready
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  Speaker 1: audience then to him. The Sheriff spoke at length concerning
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  Speaker 1: robin Hood, how that for many months the outlaws had
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  Speaker 1: defied the king and slayed the King's deer, how Robin
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  Speaker 1: had gathered about him the best archers in all the countryside,
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  Speaker 1: And finally, how the traitorous knight, Sir Richard of the Lea,
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  Speaker 1: had rescued the band when capture seemed certain, and refused
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  Speaker 1: to deliver them up to justice. The King heard him
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  Speaker 1: through with attention, and quoth he meseems I have heard
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  Speaker 1: of this same Robin Hood and his men, and also
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  Speaker 1: seen somewhat of their prowess. Did not these same outlaws
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  Speaker 1: shoot in a royal attorney at finsbury Field? They did,
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  Speaker 1: your majesty under a royal amnesty. In this speech, the
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  Speaker 1: sheriff aired for the king, asked quickly how came they
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  Speaker 1: last to the fair at Nottingham by stealth? Yes, your
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  Speaker 1: majesty did you forbid them to come? Know? Your majesty,
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  Speaker 1: that is, speak out for the good of the shire?
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  Speaker 1: Began the sheriff again, falteringly. We did proclaim an amnesty.
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  Speaker 1: But twas because these men had proved a menace. Now
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  Speaker 1: by my Halidom, quoth the King, while his brow grew black.
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  Speaker 1: Such treachery would be unknown in the camp of the Saracen,
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  Speaker 1: and yet we call ourselves a Christian people. The sheriff
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  Speaker 1: kept silence through very fear and shame. Then the King
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  Speaker 1: began speech again. Nay, bless my lord Sheriff. We promised
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  Speaker 1: to look into this matter. Those outlaws must be taught
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  Speaker 1: that there is but one king in England and that
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  Speaker 1: he stands for the law. So the sheriff was dismissed
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  Speaker 1: with very mixed feelings and went his way home to
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  Speaker 1: Nottingham Town. A fortnight later, the King began to make
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  Speaker 1: good his word by riding with a small party of
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  Speaker 1: knights to lay a castle. Sir Richard was advised of
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  Speaker 1: the cavalcade's approach and quickly recognized his royal master in
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  Speaker 1: the tall Knight, who rode in advance, hasting to open
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  Speaker 1: wide his castle gates. He went forth to meet the
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  Speaker 1: King and fell on one knee and kissed his stirrup,
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  Speaker 1: For Sir Richard also had been with the King to
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  Speaker 1: the Holy Land, and they had gone on many adventures
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  Speaker 1: quests together. The King bade him rise and dismounted from
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  Speaker 1: his own horse to greet him. As a brother in arms,
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  Speaker 1: and arm in arm, they went into the castle, while
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  Speaker 1: bugles and trumpets sounded forth joyous welcome in honor of
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  Speaker 1: the great occasion. After the King had rested and supped,
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  Speaker 1: he turned upon the Knight, and with grave face inquired,
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  Speaker 1: what is this I hear about your castle's becoming a
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  Speaker 1: nest and harbor for outlaws. The Sir Richard of the Leah,
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  Speaker 1: divining that the sheriff had been at the King's ear,
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  Speaker 1: with his story, made a clean breast of all he knew,
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  Speaker 1: how that the outlaws had befriended him in sore need,
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  Speaker 1: as they had befriended others, and how that he had
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  Speaker 1: given them only knightly protection in return. The king liked
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  Speaker 1: the story well, for his own soul was one of chivalry,
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  Speaker 1: and he asked other questions about robin hood, and heard
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  Speaker 1: of the ancient wrong done his father before him, and
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  Speaker 1: of Robin's own enemies, and of his manner of living
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  Speaker 1: in sooth, cried King Richard, springing up, I must see
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  Speaker 1: this bold fare for myself, and you will entertain my
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  Speaker 1: little company, and be ready to sally forth upon the
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  Speaker 1: second day in quest of me. If need were, I
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  Speaker 1: shall even fare alone into the greenwood to seek an
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  Speaker 1: adventure with him. But of this adventure you shall be
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  Speaker 1: told in the next tale, for I have already shown
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  Speaker 1: you how Sir Richard of the Leya repaid his debt
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  Speaker 1: with interest. So ends Chapter twenty one.