Page 178 - the-merry-adventures-of-robin-hood

that the yeoman had joined in with the song, but, with eyes
half closed, looking straight before him and wagging his
round head from side to side in time to the music, he kept on
bravely to the end, he and Robin finishing up with a mighty
roar that might have been heard a mile. But no sooner had
the last word been sung than the holy man seized his steel
cap, clapped it on his head, and springing to his feet, cried
in a great voice, ‘What spy have we here? Come forth, thou
limb of evil, and I will carve thee into as fine pudding meat
as e’er a wife in Yorkshire cooked of a Sunday.’ Hereupon
he drew from beneath his robes a great broadsword full as
stout as was Robin’s.
‘Nay, put up thy pinking iron, friend,’ quoth Robin, stand-
ing up with the tears of laughter still on his cheeks. ‘Folk
who have sung so sweetly together should not fight thereaf-
ter.’ Hereupon he leaped down the bank to where the other
stood. ‘I tell thee, friend,’ said he, ‘my throat is as parched
with that song as e’er a barley stubble in October. Hast thou
haply any Malmsey left in that stout pottle?’
‘Truly,’ said the Friar in a glum voice, ‘thou dost ask thy-
self freely where thou art not bidden. Yet I trust I am too
good a Christian to refuse any man drink that is athirst.
Such as there is o’t thou art welcome to a drink of the same.’
And he held the pottle out to Robin.
Robin took it without more ado and putting it to his lips,
tilted his head back, while that which was within said ‘glug!
‘lug! glug!’ for more than three winks, I wot. The stout Fri-
ar watched Robin anxiously the while, and when he was
done took the pottle quickly. He shook it, held it betwixt his

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