ingers yours are!"

"Are they?" cried Robin, who thought that his teacher's hands were
the biggest he had ever seen.

"Like babies' fingers," said Little John, smiling down at the boy
as if very much amused. "Now then, draw right to the head."

"I can't," said the boy; "it's so hard."

"That's because you are not used to it, little one. Try again.
Hold tight, and pull hard. Steadily. That's the way. Now loose
it and let it go."

Young Robin did as he was told, and away went the arrow down
between the trees, to fall with its feathered wings just showing
above the fallen leaves.

"That didn't hit the cap," said Little John. "Never went near."

Young Robin shook his head.

"Did you look at the cap when you loosed the arrow?"

"No," said Robin; "I shut my eyes."

"Try again then, and keep them open."

Robin tried and tried again till he had sent off all six of his
shafts, and then he stood and looked up at Little John, and Little
John looked down at him.

"You couldn't kill a deer for dinner to-day," said the big fellow.

"No," said young Robin; "it's so hard. Could you have hit it?"

"I think I could if I stood ten times as far away," said the great
fellow quietly.

"Oh, do try, please," cried Robin.

"Very well; only let's pick up your arrows first, or we may lose
some of them. Always pick up your arrows while they are fresh--I
mean, while you can remember where they are."

The shafts were picked up, mostly by Little John, whose eyes were
very sharp at seeing where the little arrows lay; and then they
walked back, and Robin had to run by his big companion's side, for
he began to stride away, counting as he went, till he had taken two
hundred steps from the tree all along one of the alleys of the
forest, when he stopped short.

"Now then, my little bowman," he said; "think I can hit the mark
now?"

"No," said Robin decisively; "we're too far away. I can hardly see
the cap."

"Well, let's try," said Little John, stringing his bow, and then
carefully selecting an arrow from the quiver at his back. This
arrow he drew two or three times through his hand so as to smooth
the feathering and make the web lie straight, before fitting the
notch to the string.

"So you think it's too far?" said Little John.

"Yes, ever so much."

"Ah, well, we'll try," said the big fellow coolly. "Where-about
shall I hit the cap--in the middle?"

[Illustration: "Ah, well, we'll try," said Little John.
"Wh