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003 - How Little John Joined Robin Hood · Story of Robin Hood

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  Speaker 1: Chapter three of the Story of robin Hood. This is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. A LibriVox recordings or in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: The Story of Robin Hood by Bertha Evangeline Bush. Chapter three,
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  Speaker 1: How Little John joined robin Hood. This is the story
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  Speaker 1: of how Robin Hood gained his right hand man and
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  Speaker 1: dearest friend, Little John. Little John was one of the
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  Speaker 1: tallest and strongest youths that ever walked through a forest.
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  Speaker 1: When robin Hood first saw him, he was walking in
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  Speaker 1: the edge of the forest and came to a narrow
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  Speaker 1: bridge across a stream. The bridge was so narrow that
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  Speaker 1: but one could go across it at once, and at
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  Speaker 1: chance that Robin Hood stepped upon it from one side,
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  Speaker 1: just as Little John stepped on the other. Go back,
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  Speaker 1: and let the better man and crossed before you, called
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  Speaker 1: robin Hood, not because he cared a bit, but rather
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  Speaker 1: with a mirthful wish to see what the tall youth
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  Speaker 1: would do. Stand back yourself. I am the better man,
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  Speaker 1: cried the stranger. Let us fight for it, said robin Hood,
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  Speaker 1: who loved a good bout more than his dinner. With
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  Speaker 1: all my heart, answered the stranger. Then Robin cut him
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  Speaker 1: a stick of oak to serve as a quarter staff,
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  Speaker 1: for he would have held it a shame to use
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  Speaker 1: his bow and arrows when the other had no such weapon.
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  Speaker 1: And they met as joyously as two boys wrestling for sport.
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  Speaker 1: The one who can knock the other into the water
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  Speaker 1: is the better man, said Robin. Then the fight with
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  Speaker 1: the staves began. But a fight it was. They struck
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  Speaker 1: again and again, but so skillful was each one in
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  Speaker 1: warding off blows that neither could knock the other down.
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  Speaker 1: Many hard blows each one took, until there were sore
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  Speaker 1: bones and bumps, and black and blue spots and plenty,
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  Speaker 1: but neither thought of stopping for that. A whole hour
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  Speaker 1: they fought there on the bridge, and neither could get
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  Speaker 1: the better of the other. Then another hour. At last,
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  Speaker 1: Robin gave the stranger a terrible whack that made him stagger,
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  Speaker 1: but the stranger returned with a crack on the crown
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  Speaker 1: that made the blood flow. Robin whacked back at him savagely,
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  Speaker 1: but the stranger avoided the blow and gave one to
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  Speaker 1: Robin that tumbled him fairly into the water. He lay there,
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  Speaker 1: looking up and laughing, for robin Hood never bore any malice.
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  Speaker 1: You have a right sturdy hand with that cudgel. Never
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  Speaker 1: have I been beaten before, he laughed. He splashed ashore
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  Speaker 1: and seized the stranger's hand. I like you well, he said,
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  Speaker 1: Now watch and I will show you something. He put
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  Speaker 1: his horn to his lips and blew, And up came
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  Speaker 1: two score of Robin Hood's followers, all clothed in Lincoln
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  Speaker 1: green and bearing bows and arrows and swords. How is this,
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  Speaker 1: master said the foremost. You were all bruised and wet
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  Speaker 1: to the skin. Yon sturdy fellow has given me a
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  Speaker 1: drubbing and tumbled me into the water. He said. Then
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  Speaker 1: he shall get a ducking and a drubbing himself, said
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  Speaker 1: will Stuteley, starting forth angrily, followed by half a dozen,
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  Speaker 1: all eager to carry out his threat. But robin Hood
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  Speaker 1: ordered him back. No, he said, it was a fair fight,
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  Speaker 1: and he won. I would not have you hurt him
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  Speaker 1: for anything. But he is a right brave and lusty youth,
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  Speaker 1: and I would fain have him in our band. Will
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  Speaker 1: you join yourself to my men, he asked of the
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  Speaker 1: wandering stranger. I am Robin Hood, and my band is
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  Speaker 1: the finest in all England. Hardly a man in the
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  Speaker 1: country but would have trembled at the name. But little John,
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  Speaker 1: the strange youth, was afraid of no man. If there
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  Speaker 1: is any men among you who can shoot a better
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  Speaker 1: shaft than I, I will, he said. Well, I will try,
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  Speaker 1: said Robin. He sent will Stuteley to set up a
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  Speaker 1: piece of white bark, four fingers and breadth on an
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  Speaker 1: oak eighty yards away. Now, choose any of our bows
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  Speaker 1: and arrows to shoot with, he said. The stranger chose
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  Speaker 1: the very stoutest bow. Then he aimed his arrow carefully
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  Speaker 1: and sent it down the path, and it struck the
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  Speaker 1: very center of the mark. All Robin Hood's followers caught
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  Speaker 1: their breaths in a maze. That is a fine shot, indeed,
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  Speaker 1: said Robin Hood heartily. No one could better it, but
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  Speaker 1: perhaps I may mar it. Then he shot an arrow,
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  Speaker 1: and so true and swift it sped that it struck
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  Speaker 1: the stranger's arrow and splintered it into pieces. And all
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  Speaker 1: who saw it cried out that there never was such
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  Speaker 1: shooting before. Now will you not come into my band,
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  Speaker 1: said Robin Hood, with a smile, with all my heart,
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  Speaker 1: answered the stranger, and from that minute he loved Robin
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  Speaker 1: as his dearest friend. What is your name? Said Will Stuteley,
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  Speaker 1: taking out a tablet as though he would unroll it.
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  Speaker 1: John Little answered the stranger youth. I like not the name,
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  Speaker 1: said Mary Will. This fellow is too small to be
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  Speaker 1: called John Little. Let us christen him over, Little John,
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  Speaker 1: And so they had a christening and great sport. And
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  Speaker 1: from that day Little John was Robin Hood's right hand
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  Speaker 1: man and second in command over the band. True and
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  Speaker 1: faithfully did he serve Robin for many years, and loved
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  Speaker 1: him better with every year. End of Chapter three