Robbin Hood and His Are at It Again

Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children - H. E. Marshall

The Meeting of Robin Hood and Little John

When Robin starting time came to live in Sherwood Forest he was rather sad, for he could not at once forget all he had lost. Simply he was not long lone. When it became known that he had gone to live in the Green Wood, other poor men, who had been driven out of their homes by the Normans, joined him. They before long formed a ring and were known equally the 'Merry Men.'

Robin was no longer Robin of Huntingdon, but Robin of Sherwood Wood. Very shortly people shortened Sherwood into Hood, though some say he was called Hood from the green hoods he and his men wore. How he came to take his name does not matter much. People almost forgot that he was actually an earl, and he had become known, non only all over England, simply in many far countries, as Robin Hood.

Robin Hood was captain of the band of Merry Men. Next to him came Little John. He was called Petty John because he was and then alpine, just as Midge the miller'southward son was called Much because he was so modest.

Robin loved Piddling John best of all his friends. Little John loved Robin amend than whatsoever 1 else in all the world. All the same the first time they met they fought and knocked each other most dreadfully.

"How they came acquainted, I'll tell y'all in brief,

If y'all will just listen a while;

For this very jest, amidst all the rest,

I think information technology may cause you to smile."

It happened on a bright, sunshiny mean solar day in early spring. All through the wintertime Robin and his men had had a very dull fourth dimension. Nearly all their fun and adventures happened with people travelling through the forest. Equally there were no trains, people had to travel on horseback. In winter the roads were then bad, and the weather and so cold and wet, that virtually people stayed at home. So it was rather a placidity fourth dimension for Robin and his men. They lived in great caves during the winter, and spent their time making stores of bows and arrows, and mending their boots and wearing apparel.

This vivid, sunshiny morning Robin felt irksome and restless, and so he took his bow and arrows, and started off through the forest in search of take a chance.

He wandered on for some fourth dimension without coming together whatsoever 1. Shortly he came to a river. It was broad and deep, swollen by the wintertime rains. Information technology was crossed past a very slender, shaky bridge, so narrow, that if ii people tried to laissez passer each other on information technology, one would certainly fall into the water.

Robin began to cross the span, before he noticed that a great, tall man, the very tallest man he had e'er seen, was crossing too from the other side.

'Go back and wait till I have come over,' he called out as shortly as he noticed the stranger.

The stranger laughed, and called out in reply, 'I have every bit skilful a correct to the bridge equally you. Y'all  can go back till I  go across.'

This made Robin very angry. He was so accustomed to being obeyed that he was very much astonished as well. Between anger and astonishment he hardly knew what he did.

He drew an arrow from his quiver and plumbing equipment it to his bow, called out once again, 'If you don't go back I'll shoot.'

'If you do, I'll beat you till you are black and blue,' replied the stranger.

"Quoth bold Robin Hood, Thou dost prate like an ass,

For, were I to curve my bow,

I could ship a dart quite through thy proud heart,

Before thou couldst strike a blow."

'If I talk like an donkey you talk similar a coward,' replied the stranger. 'Do you lot call information technology off-white to stand with your bow and arrow ready to shoot at me when I accept only a stick to defend myself with? I tell you lot, y'all are a coward. You are afraid of the chirapsia I would give you.'

Robin was not a coward, and he was not afraid. So he threw his bow and arrows on the bank backside him.

'Y'all are a big, boastful bang-up,' he said. 'Just await there until I go a stick. I promise I may give you as practiced a chirapsia every bit y'all deserve.'

The stranger laughed. 'I won't run away; don't be agape,' he said.

Robin Hood stepped to a thicket of trees and cut himself a skillful, thick oak stick. While he was doing this, he looked at the stranger, and saw that he was not just taller only much stronger than himself.

However that did not frighten Robin in the to the lowest degree. He was rather glad of it indeed. The stranger had said he was a coward. He meant to testify to him that he was not.

Back he came with a fine large stick in his mitt and a smile on his face. The idea of a real good fight had fabricated his bad atmosphere wing away, for, similar King Richard, Robin Hood was rather addicted of a fight.

'Nosotros will fight on the bridge,' said he, 'and whoever beginning falls into the river has lost the battle.'

'All right,' said the stranger. 'Whatever you like. I'm non afraid.'

Then they savage to, with correct good will.

It was very difficult to fight standing on such a narrow span. They kept swaying backwards and forwards trying to keep their balance. With every stroke the span bent and trembled beneath them as if information technology would break. Withal they managed to requite each other some tremendous blows. Commencement Robin gave the stranger such a bang that his very bones seemed to band.

Blindside! smash! their blows fell fast and thick as if they had been threshing corn

'Ah, ha!' said he, 'I'll give you lot as skilful as I become,' and crevice he went at Robin'southward crown.

Bang, smash, cleft, blindside, they went at each other. Their blows vicious fast and thick equally if they had been threshing corn.

"The stranger gave Robin a knock on the crown,

Which caused the blood to announced,

Then Robin enraged, more fiercely engaged,

And followed with blows more severe.

So thick and fast did he lay it on him,

With a passionate fury and ire,

At every stroke he fabricated him to smoke,

As if he had been all on burn."

When Robin'southward blows came so fast and furious, the stranger felt he could not stand it much longer. Gathering all his strength, with one mighty blow he sent Robin backwards, right into the river. Head over heels he went, and disappeared under the water.

The stranger very nearly brutal in afterwards him. He was so astonished at Robin's sudden disappearance that he could not think for a minute or ii where he had vanished to. He knelt down on the bridge, and stared into the water. 'Hallo, my good human,' he called. 'Hallo, where are you?'

He idea he had drowned Robin, and he had not meant to do that. Notwithstanding he could not help laughing. Robin had looked so funny as he tumbled into the water.

'I'one thousand here,' called Robin, from far downwards the river. 'I'yard all right. I'm just swimming with the tide.'

The current was very strong and had carried him down the river a good manner. He was, however, gradually making for the depository financial institution. Shortly he caught hold of the overhanging branches of a tree and pulled himself out. The stranger came running to assistance him too.

'You are not an easy man to beat or to drown either,' he said with a laugh, every bit he helped Robin on to dry land once more.

'Well,' said Robin, laughing besides, 'I must own that you lot are a brave human being and a expert fighter. It was a off-white fight, and y'all have won the battle. I don't want to quarrel with you any more. Will you shake hands and be friends with me?'

'With all my centre,' said the stranger. 'Information technology is a long fourth dimension since I have met whatsoever one who could employ a stick equally y'all can.'

So they shook hands similar the best of friends, and quite forgot that a few minutes before they had been banging and battering each other as hard equally they could.

Then Robin put his bugle horn to his rima oris, and blew a loud, loud blast.

"The echoes of which through the valleys did band,

At which his stout bowmen appeared,

And clothèd in light-green, most gay to be seen,

So up to their master they steered."

When the stranger saw all these fine men, dressed in light-green, and conveying bows and arrows, come running to Robin he was very much astonished. 'O master dear, what has happened?' cried Will Stutely, the leader, as he ran upwards. 'Y'all have a dandy cut in your forehead, and y'all are soaked through and through,' he added, laying his hand on Robin'south arm.

'It is nix,' laughed Robin. 'This immature fellow and I have been having a fight. He cracked my crown then tumbled me into the river.'

When they heard that, Robin's men were very aroused. 'If he has tumbled our master into the river, we volition tumble him in,' said they. 'Nosotros will see how he likes that,' and they seized him, and would accept dragged him to the water to drown him, but Robin called out, 'Stop, end, it was a fair fight. He is a dauntless man, and we are very good friends at present.'

Then turning to the stranger, Robin bowed politely to him, maxim, 'I beg yous to forgive my men. They will not harm you now they know that you are my friend, for I am Robin Hood.'

The stranger was very much astonished when he heard that he had actually been fighting with bold Robin Hood, of whom he had heard so many tales.

'If you will come and live with me and my Merry Men,' went on Robin, 'I will give you a suit of Lincoln green. I will teach you how to use bow and arrows as well equally y'all use your good stick.'

'I should like nothing better,' replied the stranger. 'My name is John Lilliputian, and I promise to serve y'all faithfully.'

'John Piddling!' said Volition Stutely laughing. 'John Little! what a name for a man that height! John Piddling! why he is vii feet tall if he is an inch!'

Will laughed and laughed, till the tears ran down his face up. He idea it was such a funny proper noun for and so big a human being.

Robin laughed because Will laughed. So John Picayune laughed because Robin laughed. Soon they were all laughing every bit hard equally they could. The wind carried the sound of it abroad, till the folk in the villages circular about said, 'Hark, how Robin Hood and his Merry Men do laugh.'

'Well,' said Robin at last, 'I have heard it said, "Laugh and abound fat," only if nosotros don't go some dinner soon I recollect nosotros will all abound very lean. Come forth, my niggling John, I'k sure you must be hungry too.'

'Piddling John,' said Will Stutely, 'that'southward the very proper name for him. We must christen him again, and I volition exist his godfather.'

Back to their woods home they all went, laughing and talking as merrily as possible, taking John Picayune along with them. Dinner was waiting for them when they arrived. The caput melt was looking anxiously through the trees maxim, 'I practice wish Master Robin would come up, or the roast venison will be too much cooked and the rabbits volition exist stewed to rags.'

Just at that moment they appeared. The cook was struck dumb at the sight of the giant, stalking along beside Robin. 'Where has primary gotten that Maypole?' he said, laughing to himself, as he ran abroad to dish the dinner.

They had a very merry dinner. Robin found that John was not just a good fighter merely that he had a wise caput and a witty tongue. He was more and more delighted with his new companion.

But Will and the others had non forgotten that he was to be christened again. Seven of them came behind him, and in spite of all his kicking and struggling wrapped him upwardly in a long, green cloak, pretending he was a baby.

Information technology was a very noisy christening. The men all shouted and laughed. John Little laughed and screamed in turn, and kicked and struggled all the time.

'Hush, baby, hush,' they said. But the seven foot baby wouldn't hush.

And so Volition stepped up beside him and began to speak.

"This baby was called John Little, quoth he,

Which name shall exist inverse anon,

The words we'll transpose, so wherever he goes,

His name shall exist called Little John."

They had some buckets of water ready. These they poured over poor Little John till he was as wet as Robin had been after he vicious into the river. The men roared with laughter. Trivial John looked so funny every bit he rolled about on the grass, trying to get out of his long, wet, green robe. He looked just like a huge green caterpillar.

Robin laughed as much as whatsoever one. At last he said, 'At present, Will, don't you retrieve that is enough?'

'Non a chip,' said Will. 'Yous wouldn't allow us duck him in the river when we had him there then we have brought the river to him.'

At last all the buckets were empty, and the christening was over. Then all the men stood round in a band and gave three cheers for Petty John, Robin's new man.

"And then Robin he took the sweet pretty babe,

And clothed him from top to toe

In garments of light-green, nigh gay to be seen,

And gave him a curious long bow."

After that they sang, danced, and played the whole afternoon. So when the dominicus sank and the long, cool shadows fell across the grass they all said 'practiced night' and went off into their caves to sleep.

From that day Little John always lived with Robin. They became very, very slap-up friends and Little John was adjacent to Robin in command of the men.

"And so ever after as long as he lived,

Although he was proper and tall,

Yet, withal, the truth to express,

Notwithstanding Little John they did him call."

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Source: https://heritage-history.com/index.php?c=read&author=marshall&book=robin&story=meeting

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