FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45  
46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   >>   >|  
at last, "I am right glad I have met thee, and if I do not rattle thy bones within thy hide this day, I give thee leave to put thy foot upon my neck." "With all my heart," cried merry Robin. "Rattle my bones, an thou canst." So saying, he gripped his staff and threw himself upon his guard. Then the Tinker spat upon his hands and, grasping his staff, came straight at the other. He struck two or three blows, but soon found that he had met his match, for Robin warded and parried all of them, and, before the Tinker thought, he gave him a rap upon the ribs in return. At this Robin laughed aloud, and the Tinker grew more angry than ever, and smote again with all his might and main. Again Robin warded two of the strokes, but at the third, his staff broke beneath the mighty blows of the Tinker. "Now, ill betide thee, traitor staff," cried Robin, as it fell from his hands; "a foul stick art thou to serve me thus in mine hour of need." "Now yield thee," quoth the Tinker, "for thou art my captive; and if thou do not, I will beat thy pate to a pudding." To this Robin Hood made no answer, but, clapping his horn to his lips, he blew three blasts, loud and clear. "Ay," quoth the Tinker, "blow thou mayest, but go thou must with me to Nottingham Town, for the Sheriff would fain see thee there. Now wilt thou yield thee, or shall I have to break thy pretty head?" "An I must drink sour ale, I must," quoth Robin, "but never have I yielded me to man before, and that without wound or mark upon my body. Nor, when I bethink me, will I yield now. Ho, my merry men! Come quickly!" Then from out the forest leaped Little John and six stout yeomen clad in Lincoln green. "How now, good master," cried Little John, "what need hast thou that thou dost wind thy horn so loudly?" "There stands a tinker," quoth Robin, "that would fain take me to Nottingham, there to hang upon the gallows tree." "Then shall he himself hang forthwith," cried Little John, and he and the others made at the Tinker, to seize him. "Nay, touch him not," said Robin, "for a right stout man is he. A metal man he is by trade, and a mettled man by nature; moreover, he doth sing a lovely ballad. Say, good fellow, wilt thou join my merry men all? Three suits of Lincoln green shalt thou have a year, besides forty marks in fee; thou shalt share all with us and lead a right merry life in the greenwood; for cares have we not, and misfortune cometh not upon us withi
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45  
46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Tinker

 

Little

 

warded

 

Nottingham

 
Lincoln
 

forest

 

yeomen

 

leaped

 

bethink


pretty

 

yielded

 

quickly

 

fellow

 
lovely
 
ballad
 
misfortune
 

cometh

 

greenwood


stands

 

tinker

 

gallows

 

loudly

 

forthwith

 
mettled
 

nature

 

master

 
thought

parried
 

return

 
laughed
 
Rattle
 

gripped

 
struck
 

straight

 
grasping
 

answer


clapping

 
captive
 

pudding

 

blasts

 

Sheriff

 
mayest
 

beneath

 

mighty

 
strokes

rattle

 

betide

 

traitor