Page 86 - the-merry-adventures-of-robin-hood

a splint of wood—a barley straw, as it were—yet I trow it
will have to serve me, so here goeth.’ Thereupon he cast the
cudgel upon the stand and, leaping lightly after it, snatched
it up in his hand again.
Then each man stood in his place and measured the other
with fell looks until he that directed the sport cried, ‘Play!’
At this they stepped forth, each grasping his staff tightly in
the middle. Then those that stood around saw the stoutest
game of quarterstaff that e’er Nottingham Town beheld. At
first Eric o’ Lincoln thought that he would gain an easy ad-
vantage, so he came forth as if he would say, ‘Watch, good
people, how that I carve you this cockerel right speedily”;
but he presently found it to be no such speedy matter. Right
deftly he struck, and with great skill of fence, but he had
found his match in Little John. Once, twice, thrice, he struck,
and three times Little John turned the blows to the left hand
and to the right. Then quickly and with a dainty backhand-
ed blow, he rapped Eric beneath his guard so shrewdly that
it made his head ring again. Then Eric stepped back to gath-
er his wits, while a great shout went up and all were glad
that Nottingham had cracked Lincoln’s crown; and thus
ended the first bout of the game.
Then presently the director of the sport cried, ‘Play!’ and
they came together again; but now Eric played warily, for he
found his man was of right good mettle, and also he had no
sweet memory of the blow that he had got; so this bout nei-
ther Little John nor the Lincoln man caught a stroke within
his guard. Then, after a while, they parted again, and this
made the second bout.