Page 279 - the-merry-adventures-of-robin-hood

flew his cudgel from his hand as he fell. At this the others
ducked to avoid another blow, then, taking to their heels,
scampered, the one one way and the other the other, as
though they had the west wind’s boots upon their feet. Rob-
in looked after them, laughing, and thought that never had
he seen so fleet a runner as the Lame man; but neither of
the beggars stopped nor turned around, for each felt in his
mind the wind of Robin’s cudgel about his ears.
Then Robin turned to the two stout knaves lying upon
the ground. Quoth he, ‘These fellows spake somewhat about
certain moneys they were taking to Lincoln; methinks I
may find it upon this stout blind fellow, who hath as keen
sight as e’er a trained woodsman in Nottingham or York-
shire. It were a pity to let sound money stay in the pockets of
such thieving knaves.’ So saying, he stooped over the burly
rascal and searched among his rags and tatters, till pres-
ently his fingers felt a leathern pouch slung around his body
beneath his patched and tattered coat. This he stripped
away and, weighing it in his hands, bethought himself that
it was mighty heavy. ‘It were a sweet thing,’ said he to him-
self, ‘if this were filled with gold instead of copper pence.’
Then, sitting down upon the grass, he opened the pocket
and looked into it. There he found four round rolls wrapped
up in dressed sheepskin; one of these rolls he opened; then
his mouth gaped and his eyes stared, I wot, as though they
would never close again, for what did he see but fifty pounds
of bright golden money? He opened the other pockets and
found in each one the same, fifty bright new-stamped gold-
en pounds. Quoth Robin, ‘I have oft heard that the Beggars’

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood