thou shalt eat and drink
of the best, and at every Christmastide fourscore marks shall be thy
wage. I trow thou drawest better bow than that same coward knave Robin
Hood, that dared not show his face here this day. Say, good fellow, wilt
thou join my service?"

"Nay, that will I not," quoth the stranger roughly. "I will be mine own,
and no man in all merry England shall be my master."

"Then get thee gone, and a murrain seize thee!" cried the Sheriff, and
his voice trembled with anger. "And by my faith and troth, I have a good
part of a mind to have thee beaten for thine insolence!" Then he turned
upon his heel and strode away.

It was a right motley company that gathered about the noble greenwood
tree in Sherwood's depths that same day. A score and more of barefoot
friars were there, and some that looked like tinkers, and some that
seemed to be sturdy beggars and rustic hinds; and seated upon a mossy
couch was one all clad in tattered scarlet, with a patch over one eye;
and in his hand he held the golden arrow that was the prize of the great
shooting match. Then, amidst a noise of talking and laughter, he took
the patch from off his eye and stripped away the scarlet rags from off
his body and showed himself all clothed in fair Lincoln green; and
quoth he, "Easy come these things away, but walnut stain cometh not so
speedily from yellow hair." Then all laughed louder than before, for it
was Robin Hood himself that had won the prize from the Sheriff's very
hands.

Then all sat down to the woodland feast and talked among themselves
of the merry jest that had been played upon the Sheriff, and of the
adventures that had befallen each member of the band in his disguise.
But when the feast was done, Robin Hood took Little John apart and said,
"Truly am I vexed in my blood, for I heard the Sheriff say today, 'Thou
shootest better than that coward knave Robin Hood, that dared not show
his face here this day.' I would fain let him know who it was who won
the golden arrow from out his hand, and also that I am no coward such as
he takes me to be."

Then Little John said, "Good master, take thou me and Will Stutely, and
we will send yon fat Sheriff news of all this by a messenger such as he
doth not expect."

That day the Sheriff sat at meat in the great hall of his house
at Nottingham Town. Long tables stood down the hall, at which sat
men-at-arms and household servants and good stout villains,(1) in all
fourscore and more