Page 370 - the-merry-adventures-of-robin-hood

purse, but lay not thy lawless hands upon our person.’
‘Hut, tut,’ quoth merry Robin, ‘what proud words are
these? Art thou the King of England, to talk so to me? Here,
Will, take this purse and see what there is within.’
Will Scarlet took the purse and counted out the money.
Then Robin bade him keep fifty pounds for themselves, and
put fifty back into the purse. This he handed to the King.
‘Here, brother,’ quoth he, ‘take this half of thy money, and
thank Saint Martin, on whom thou didst call before, that
thou hast fallen into the hands of such gentle rogues that
they will not strip thee bare, as they might do. But wilt thou
not put back thy cowl? For I would fain see thy face.’
‘Nay,’ said the King, drawing back, ‘I may not put back
my cowl, for we seven have vowed that we will not show our
faces for four and twenty hours.’ ,
‘Then keep them covered in peace,’ said Robin, ‘and far
be it from me to make you break your vows.’
So he called seven of his yeomen and bade them each
one take a mule by the bridle; then, turning their faces to-
ward the depths of the woodlands, they journeyed onward
until they came to the open glade and the greenwood tree.
Little John, with threescore yeomen at his heels, had also
gone forth that morning to wait along the roads and bring
a rich guest to Sherwood glade, if such might be his luck,
for many with fat purses must travel the roads at this time,
when such great doings were going on in Nottinghamshire,
but though Little John and so many others were gone, Friar
Tuck and twoscore or more stout yeomen were seated or ly-
ing around beneath the great tree, and when Robin and the