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18 - Robin Hood by J Walker McSpadden · Robin Hood

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: How the Bishop went outlaw hunting. Then the bishop he
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: came to the old woman's house and called, with furious mood,
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  Speaker 1: come let me soon see and bring unto me that
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  Speaker 1: traitor Robin Hood. The easy success with which they had
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: got the better of the good Bishop led Robin to
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: be a little careless. He thought that his guest was
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  Speaker 1: too great a coward to venture back into the greenwood
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  Speaker 1: for many a long day, And so, after laying quiet
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: for one day, the outlaw ventured boldly upon the highway
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: the morning of the second. But he had gone only
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  Speaker 1: half a mile when turning a sharp bend in the road,
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  Speaker 1: he plunged full upon the prelate himself. My Lord of
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Hereford had been so deeply smitten in his pride that
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: he had lost no time in summoning a considerable body
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  Speaker 1: of the sheriff's men, offering to double the reward if
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  Speaker 1: Robin Hood could become upon. This company was now at
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  Speaker 1: his heels, and after the first shock of mutual surprise,
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: the Bishop gave an exultant ship out and spurred upon
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: the outlaw. It was too late for Robin to retreat
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: by the way he had come, but quick as a flash,
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  Speaker 1: he sprang to one side of the road, dodged under
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  Speaker 1: some bushes, and disappeared so suddenly that his pursuers thought
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: he had truly been swallowed up by magic. After him,
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: yelled the Bishop, some of you beat up the woods
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  Speaker 1: around him, while the rest of us will keep on
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  Speaker 1: the main road and head him off on the other side.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: For truth to tell, the bishop did not care to
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  Speaker 1: trust his bones away from the high road. About a
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  Speaker 1: mile away, on the other side of this neck of
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  Speaker 1: woods wherein Robin had been trapped, was a little tumbled
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  Speaker 1: down cottage twas where the widow lived whose three sons
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  Speaker 1: had been rescued. Robin remembered the cottage and saw his
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  Speaker 1: one chance to escape. Doubling in and out among the
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: underbrush and heather with the agility of a hare, he
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: soon came out of the wood in the rear of
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  Speaker 1: the cottage and thrust his head through a tiny window.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: The widow, who had been at her spinning wheel, rose
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  Speaker 1: up with a cry of alarm. Quiet, good mother, tis
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: i Robin hood. Where are your three sons? They should
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: be with you, Robin, Well do you know that do
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: they not owe their lives to you? If that be so,
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  Speaker 1: I come to seek payment of the debt, said Robin
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: in a breath. The bishop is on my heels with
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  Speaker 1: many of his men. I'll cheat the bishop and all,
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: cried the woman. Quickly, here, Robin, change your raiment with me,
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  Speaker 1: and we will see if my lord knows an old
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: woman when he sees her good, said Robin. Pass your
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: gray cloak out the window, and also your spindle and twine,
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: and I will give you my green mantle and everything
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: else down to my bow and arrows. While they were talking,
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: Robin had been nimbly changing clothes with the old woman
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  Speaker 1: through the window, and in a jiffy he stood forthwith
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: complete even to the spindle and twine. Presently up dashed
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: the bishop with his men, and at sight of the cottage,
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: and the old woman gave pause. The crone was hobbling
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: along with difficulty, leaning heavily upon a gnarled stick and
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: bearing the spindle on her other arm. She would have
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: gone by the bishop's company while muttering to herself, but
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: the bishop ordered one of his men to question her.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: The soldier laid his hand upon her shoulder. Mind your business,
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: croaked the woman, or I'll curse ye. Come come, my
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: good woman, said the soldier, who really was afraid of
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  Speaker 1: her curses. I'll not molest you, but my lord Bishop
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: of Hereford wants to know if you have seen aught
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: of the outlaw Robin Hood. And why shouldn't I see him?
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  Speaker 1: She whined? Where's the king or law to prevent good
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  Speaker 1: Robin from coming to see me and bring me food
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  Speaker 1: and raiment. That's more than my lord Bishop will do.
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  Speaker 1: I warrant ye, peace, woman, said the bishop harshly. We
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  Speaker 1: want none of your opinions, but we'll take you to
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  Speaker 1: Barnsdale and burn you for a witch if you do
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: not instantly tell us when you last saw Robin Hood.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: Mercy good, my lord chattered the crone, falling on her knees.
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  Speaker 1: Robin is there in my cottage now, but you'll never
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  Speaker 1: take him alive. We'll see about that, cried the Bishop triumphantly.
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  Speaker 1: Enter the cottage. My men fire it if need be,
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  Speaker 1: but I'll give a purse of gold pieces above the
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: reward to the man who captures the outlaw alive. The
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  Speaker 1: old woman, being released, went on her way slowly, but
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  Speaker 1: it might have been noticed that the farthest she got
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: away from the company, and the nearer to the edge
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  Speaker 1: of the woods, the swifter and straighter grew her pace.
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  Speaker 1: Once inside the shelter of the forest, she broke into
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  Speaker 1: a run of surprising swiftness. Gad Zeoks exclaimed, Lojohn, who
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  Speaker 1: presently spied her, who comes here? Never saw I witch
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  Speaker 1: or woman run so fast. Methinks I'll send an arrow
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  Speaker 1: close over her head to see which it is. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: hold your hand, Hold your hand, panted the supposed woman
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  Speaker 1: tis I Robin Hood, summon the yeoman and return with
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  Speaker 1: me speedily. We have still another score to settle with
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: my lord of Hereford. When little John could catch his
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  Speaker 1: breath from laughing, he wended his horn. Now, mistress, robin
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  Speaker 1: quoth he lead on, We'll be close to your heels. Meanwhile,
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: back at the widow's cottage, the bishop was growing more
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  Speaker 1: furious every moment. For all his bold words, he dared
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  Speaker 1: not fire the house, and the sturdy door had thus
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: far resisted all his men's efforts. Break it down, Break
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: it down, he shouted, and let me soon see who
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  Speaker 1: will fetch out that traitor robin Hood. At last the
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: door crashed in, and the men stood guard on the threshold,
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  Speaker 1: but not one dared enter, for fear A sharp arrow
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  Speaker 1: should meet him half way here he is, cried one
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  Speaker 1: keen eyed fellow peering in. I see him in the
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  Speaker 1: corner by the cupboard. Shall we slay him with our pikes? Nay,
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  Speaker 1: said the Bishop. Take him alive, if you can, We'll
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: make the biggest public hanging of this that the shire
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: ever beheld. But the joy of the Bishop over his
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  Speaker 1: capture was short lived. Down the road came striding the
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  Speaker 1: shabby figure of the old woman who had helped him
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  Speaker 1: set the trap, And very wrathy was she when she
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  Speaker 1: saw that the cottage door had been and battered him.
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: Stand by, you, lazy rascals, she called to the soldiers.
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  Speaker 1: May all the devils catch you for hurting an old
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  Speaker 1: woman's hut. Stand by, I say, hold your tongue, ordered
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  Speaker 1: the Bishop. These are my men in carrying out my orders.
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  Speaker 1: God Mercy, swore the bell Dame. Harshly, things have come
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  Speaker 1: to a pretty pass when our homes may be treated
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  Speaker 1: like common goals. Couldn't all your men catch one poor
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  Speaker 1: forester without this ado. Come clear out you and your
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  Speaker 1: robber on the instant, or I'll curse every mother's son
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: of ye eating and drinking and sleeping. Seize on the hag,
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: shouted the bishop, as soon as he could get in
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  Speaker 1: a word, We'll see about a witch's cursing back to town.
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  Speaker 1: She shall go alongside of robin Hood. Not so fast,
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  Speaker 1: your worship, she retorted, clapping her hands, and at the signal,
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  Speaker 1: a goodly array of greenwood men sprang forth from all
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: sides of the cottage, with bows drawn back threateningly. The
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: bishop saw that his men were trapped again, for they
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: dared not stir naythless, he determined to make a fight
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  Speaker 1: for it. If one of you but budge an inch
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  Speaker 1: toward me, you rascals, he cried, it shall sound the
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  Speaker 1: death of your master, robin Hood. My men have him
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  Speaker 1: here under their pikes, and I shall command them to
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  Speaker 1: kill him without mercy. Faith. I should like to see
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  Speaker 1: the robin you have caught, said a clear voice from
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  Speaker 1: under the widow's cape, And the outlaw chief stood forth
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  Speaker 1: with bared head smilingly. Here am i, my lord, in
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  Speaker 1: no wise imperiled by your men's fierce pikes. So let
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: us see whom you have been guarding so well. The
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  Speaker 1: old woman, who in the garb of robin Hood, had
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: been lying quiet in the cottage through all the uproar
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  Speaker 1: jumped up nimbly at this. In the bald absurdity of
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  Speaker 1: her disguise, she came to the doorway and bowed to
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  Speaker 1: the bishop. Give you good den, my lord bishop, she
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  Speaker 1: piped in a shrill voice. And what does your grace
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  Speaker 1: at my humble door? Do you come to bless me?
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  Speaker 1: And give me alms? Ay? That does? He answered, Robin,
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: we shall see if his saddle bags contain enough to
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  Speaker 1: pay you for that battered door. Now by all the
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: saints began the Bishop. Take care, they are all watching you,
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: interrupted Robin, So name them not upon your unchurchly lips.
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  Speaker 1: But I will trouble you to hand over that purse
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  Speaker 1: of gold you had saved to pay for my head.
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  Speaker 1: I'll see you hanged first, raged the Bishop, stating, no
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  Speaker 1: more than what would have been so if he could
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  Speaker 1: do the ordering of things, have at them, my men,
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  Speaker 1: and hew them down in their tracks. Hold, retorted Robin,
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  Speaker 1: see how we have you at our mercy, and, aiming
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  Speaker 1: a sudden shaft, he shot so close to the Bishop's
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  Speaker 1: head that it carried away both his hat and the
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  Speaker 1: skull cap which he always wore, leaving him quite bald.
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  Speaker 1: The prelate turned as white as his shiny head, and
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: clutched wildly at his ears. He thought himself dead, almost
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: help murder, he gasped, do not shoot again. Here's your
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: purse of gold, And without waiting for further parley, he
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  Speaker 1: fairly bolted down the road. His men, being left leaderless,
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  Speaker 1: had nothing for it but to retreat after him, which
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  Speaker 1: they did in sullen order, covered by the bows of
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: the Yeomen. And thus ended the Bishop of Hereford's great
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: outlaw hunt in the forest. So ends Chapter eighteen.