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putting on a great, tall hat that had belonged to the old peasant,
he took his staff in one hand and his bow in the other, and set
forth with all speed to where the Sheriff had taken up his inn.
A mile or more from Nottingham Town, and not far from the southern
borders of Sherwood Forest, stood the cosy inn bearing the sign
of the King's Head. Here was a great bustle and stir on this
bright morning, for the Sheriff and a score of his men had come
to stop there and await Guy of Gisbourne's return from the forest.
Great hiss and fuss of cooking was going on in the kitchen,
and great rapping and tapping of wine kegs and beer barrels was
going on in the cellar. The Sheriff sat within, feasting merrily
of the best the place afforded, and the Sheriff's men sat upon
the bench before the door, quaffing ale, or lay beneath the shade
of the broad-spreading oak trees, talking and jesting and laughing.
All around stood the horses of the band, with a great noise
of stamping feet and a great switching of tails. To this inn came
the King's rangers, driving the widow's three sons before them.
The hands of the three youths were tied tightly behind their backs,
and a cord from neck to neck fastened them all together.
So they were marched to the room where the Sheriff sat at meat,
and stood trembling before him as he scowled sternly upon them.
"So," quoth he, in a great, loud, angry voice, "ye have been poaching upon
the King's deer, have you? Now I will make short work of you this day,
for I will hang up all three of you as a farmer would hang up three crows
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to scare others of the kind from the field. Our fair county of Nottingham
hath been too long a breeding place for such naughty knaves as ye are.
I have put up with these things for many years, but now I will stamp them
out once for all, and with you I will begin."
Then one of the poor fellows opened his mouth to speak,
but the Sheriff roared at him in a loud voice to be silent,
and bade the rangers to take them away till he had done
his eating and could attend to the matters concerning them.
So the three poor youths were marched outside, where they stood
with bowed heads and despairing hearts, till after a while
the Sheriff came forth. Then he called his men about him,
and quoth he, "These three villains shall be hanged straightway,
but not here, lest they breed ill luck to this goodly inn.
We will take them over yonder to that belt of woodlands, for I
would fain hang them upon the very trees of Sherwood itself,
to show those vile outlaws therein what they may expect of me
if I ever have the good luck to lay hands upon them." So saying,
he mounted his horse, as did his men-at-arms likewise, and all
together they set forth for the belt of woodlands he had spoken of,
the poor youths walking in their midst guarded by the rangers.
So they came at last to the spot, and here nooses were fastened
around the necks of the three, and the ends of the cords
flung over the branch of a great oak tree that stood there.
Then the three youths fell upon their knees and loudly besought mercy
of the Sheriff; but the Sheriff of Nottingham laughed scornfully.
"Now," quoth he, "I would that I had a priest here to shrive you;
but, as none is nigh, you must e'en travel your road with all
your sins packed upon your backs, and trust to Saint Peter
to let you in through the gates of Paradise like three peddlers
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into the town."
In the meantime, while all this had been going forward, an old
man had drawn near and stood leaning on his staff, looking on.
His hair and beard were all curly and white, and across his back
was a bow of yew that looked much too strong for him to draw.
As the Sheriff looked around ere he ordered his men to string
the three youths up to the oak tree, his eyes fell upon this
strange old man. Then his worship beckoned to him, saying,
"Come hither, father, I have a few words to say to thee."
So Little John, for it was none other than he, came forward,
and the Sheriff looked upon him, thinking that there
was something strangely familiar in the face before him.
"How, now," said he, "methinks I have seen thee before.
What may thy name be, father?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]