the palmer narrowly," he told him, "and
do you secure him afterwards. Methinks he is some ally of these rascal
outlaws; and, in any case, we shall do no harm in questioning him."

The palmer had hardly begun to string his beads when Little John
commenced to elbow a path for himself through the crowd. He roughly
thrust the soldiers aside as if they had been so many children, and came
up to the edge of the cart. "I pray you, Will, take leave of your true
friend here before you die," cried Little John.

The palmer had fallen back at his approach; and stood in some hesitancy.
In a moment Monceux saw what happened. "Seize that man!" he shouted to
his pikemen. "He is that villain who did rob us of our gold plate, who
nearly slew Roger, our cook. He is of the band--seize him; and he too
shall hang!"

"Not so fast, gossip," Little John answered, with an ugly look; "I must
needs borrow my friend of you for a while."

He had cut Stuteley's bands with two quick strokes of his dagger, and
having wrenched a pike from out of one of the soldiers' hands, flung it
to little Will. "Now, by my freedom, here's your prayer answered,
comrade," cried Little John. "I have found you a weapon--do your best
with it!"

The soldiers had recovered from their temporary surprise and flung
themselves upon the prisoner and his would-be rescuer. Robin, from the
back of the Sheriff's bowmen, sounded his horn, and instantly all became
confusion and riot. In the melee the palmer sought to slip away
unnoticed, but was detected by the keen eyes of Carfax. Master Simeon
rode round with six of his fellows and caused them to seize the holy
man, and bind him fast with leathern thongs.

But this small success was more than outweighed by the reverse suffered
by Monceux and his men. Taken in assault at the rear, they had no chance
with the greenwood men. Robin himself had released the widow's three
sons, and they had not been slow in arming themselves. Some of those in
the crowd, having secret sympathy with the outlaws and hating the
Sheriff heartily for many small injustices, also flung themselves into
the fray.

The greenwood men cleared the green square before the Sheriff's home by
repeated rushes and desperate chargings. Broken heads and cut knees
there were in plenty; and lucky the man who escaped with so little as
these. Carfax won a place of safety for Master Monceux, and fell back
slowly, with him the unwilling palmer, until shelter of the castle ga