Howard Pyle The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

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"Your Majesty," quoth he, "yon fellow in blue is a certain outlawed
thief of the mid-country, named Robin Hood; yon tall, strapping villain
goeth by the name of Little John; the other fellow in green is a certain
backsliding gentleman, known as Will Scarlet; the man in red is a rogue
of a northern minstrel, named Allan a Dale."
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At this speech the King's brows drew together blackly, and he turned
to the Queen. "Is this true?" said he sternly.
"Yea," said the Queen, smiling, "the Bishop hath told the truth;
and truly he should know them well, for he and two of his friars spent
three days in merry sport with Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest. I did
little think that the good Bishop would so betray his friends.
But bear in mind that thou hast pledged thy promise for the safety
of these good yeomen for forty days."
"I will keep my promise," said the King, in a deep voice
that showed the anger in his heart, "but when these forty
days are gone let this outlaw look to himself, for mayhap
things will not go so smoothly with him as he would like."
Then he turned to his archers, who stood near the Sherwood yeomen,
listening and wondering at all that passed. Quoth he,
"Gilbert, and thou, Tepus, and thou, Hubert, I have pledged
myself that ye shall shoot against these three fellows.
If ye outshoot the knaves I will fill your caps with silver pennies;
if ye fail ye shall lose your prizes that ye have won so fairly,
and they go to them that shoot against you, man to man.
Do your best, lads, and if ye win this bout ye shall be glad
of it to the last days of your life. Go, now, and get you gone
to the butts."
Then the three archers of the King turned and went back to their booths,
and Robin and his men went to their places at the mark from which they
were to shoot. Then they strung their bows and made themselves ready,
looking over their quivers of arrows, and picking out the roundest
and the best feathered.
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But when the King's archers went to their tents, they told
their friends all that had passed, and how that these four
men were the famous Robin Hood and three of his band, to wit,
Little John, Will Scarlet, and Allan a Dale. The news of this
buzzed around among the archers in the booths, for there was not
a man there that had not heard of these great mid-country yeomen.
From the archers the news was taken up by the crowd that looked
on at the shooting, so that at last everybody stood up,
craning their necks to catch sight of the famous outlaws.
Six fresh targets were now set up, one for each man that was to shoot;
whereupon Gilbert and Tepus and Hubert came straightway forth
from the booths. Then Robin Hood and Gilbert of the White Hand
tossed a farthing aloft to see who should lead in the shooting,
and the lot fell to Gilbert's side; thereupon he called upon Hubert
of Suffolk to lead.
Hubert took his place, planted his foot firmly, and fitted a fair,
smooth arrow; then, breathing upon his fingertips, he drew the string
slowly and carefully. The arrow sped true, and lodged in the white;
again he shot, and again he hit the clout; a third shaft he sped,
but this time failed of the center, and but struck the black,
yet not more than a finger's-breadth from the white.
At this a shout went up, for it was the best shooting that Hubert
had yet done that day.
Merry Robin laughed, and quoth he, "Thou wilt have an ill
time bettering that round, Will, for it is thy turn next.
Brace thy thews, lad, and bring not shame upon Sherwood."
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Then Will Scarlet took his place; but, because of overcaution,
he spoiled his target with the very first arrow that he sped,
for he hit the next ring to the black, the second from the center.
At this Robin bit his lips. "Lad, lad," quoth he, "hold not the string
so long! Have I not often told thee what Gaffer Swanthold sayeth,
that `overcaution spilleth the milk'?" To this Will Scarlet took heed,
so the next arrow he shot lodged fairly in the center ring;
again he shot, and again he smote the center; but, for all that,
stout Hubert had outshot him, and showed the better target. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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