Lord, nor Earl
Could make him yield before.

But now he became one of the most famous members of Robin Hood's men
under the name of Friar Tuck.

HOW ROBIN HOOD AND LITTLE JOHN

FELL OUT

One Whitsunday morning, when the sun was shining and the birds
singing, Robin Hood called to Little John to come with him into
Nottingham to hear Mass. As was their custom, they took their bows,
and on the way Little John proposed that they should shoot a match
with a penny for a wager. Robin, who held that he himself shot better
than any man living, laughed in scorn, and told Little John that he
should have three tries to his master's one, which John without more
ado accepted. But Robin soon repented both of his offer and his scorn,
for Little John speedily won five shillings, whereat Robin became
angry and smote Little John with his hand. Little John was not the man
to bear being treated so, and he told Robin roundly that he would
never more own him for master, and straightway turned back into the
wood. At this Robin was ashamed of what he had done, but his pride
would not suffer him to say so, and he continued his way to
Nottingham, and entered the Church of St. Mary, not without secret
fears, for the Sheriff of the town was ever his enemy. However, there
he was, and there he meant to stay.

He knelt down before the great cross in the sight of all the people,
but none knew him save one monk only, and he stole out of church and
ran to the Sheriff, and bade him come quickly and take his foe. The
Sheriff was not slow to do the monk's bidding, and, calling his men
to follow him, he marched to the church. The noise they made in
entering caused Robin to look round. 'Alas, alas,' he said to himself,
'now miss I Little John.'

But he drew his two-handed sword and laid about him in such wise that
twelve of the Sheriff's men lay dead before him. Then Robin found
himself face to face with the Sheriff, and gave him a fierce blow; but
his sword broke on the Sheriff's head, and he had shot away all his
arrows. So the men closed round him, and bound his arms.

Ill news travels fast, and not many hours had passed before the
foresters heard that their master was in prison. They wept and moaned
and wrung their hands, and seemed to have gone suddenly mad, till
Little John bade them pluck up their hearts and help him to deal with
the monk.

The next morning he hid himself, and waited with a comrade, Much by
name, till he saw the m