Page 172 - the-merry-adventures-of-robin-hood

not wash the skin away, and what must be, must. But bide
ye here, lads, for I would enjoy this merry adventure alone.
Nevertheless, listen well, and if ye hear me sound upon my
bugle horn, come quickly.’ So saying, he turned and left
them, striding onward alone.
Robin had walked no farther than where the bend of the
road hid his good men from his view, when he stopped sud-
denly, for he thought that he heard voices. He stood still and
listened, and presently heard words passed back and forth
betwixt what seemed to be two men, and yet the two voices
were wondrously alike. The sound came from over behind
the bank, that here was steep and high, dropping from the
edge of the road a half a score of feet to the sedgy verge of
the river.
‘Tis strange,’ muttered Robin to himself after a space,
when the voices had ceased their talking, ‘surely there be
two people that spoke the one to the other, and yet me-
thinks their voices are mightily alike. I make my vow that
never have I heard the like in all my life before. Truly, if this
twain are to be judged by their voices, no two peas were ever
more alike. I will look into this matter.’ So saying, he came
softly to the river bank and laying him down upon the grass,
peered over the edge and down below.
All was cool and shady beneath the bank. A stout osier
grew, not straight upward, but leaning across the water,
shadowing the spot with its soft foliage. All around grew a
mass of feathery ferns such as hide and nestle in cool plac-
es, and up to Robin’s nostrils came the tender odor of the
wild thyme, that loves the moist verges of running streams.

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