bands of the King's men, until his heart began to dance within him
because of the nearness of Sherwood; so he traveled ever on to

the eastward, till, of a sudden, he met a noble knight in a shady lane.
Then Robin checked his mule quickly and leaped from off its back.

"Now, well met, Sir Richard of the Lea," cried he, "for rather
than any other man in England would I see thy good face this day!"

Then he told Sir Richard all the happenings that had befallen" target="_blank" title="befall的过去分词">befallen him, and that
now at last he felt himself safe, being so nigh to Sherwood again.

But when Robin had done, Sir Richard shook his head sadly.
"Thou art in greater danger now, Robin, than thou hast yet been,"

said he, "for before thee lie bands of the Sheriff's men blocking
every road and letting none pass through the lines without examining

them closely. I myself know this, having passed them but now.
Before thee lie the Sheriffs men and behind thee the King's men,

and thou canst not hope to pass either way, for by this time they
will know of thy disguise and will be in waiting to seize upon thee.

My castle and everything within it are thine, but nought could be
gained there, for I could not hope to hold it against such a force

as is now in Nottingham of the King's and the Sheriffs men."
Having so spoken, Sir Richard bent his head in thought, and Robin

felt his heart sink within him like that of the fox that hears
the hounds at his heels and finds his den blocked with earth

so that there is no hiding for him. But presently Sir Richard
spoke again, saying, "One thing thou canst do, Robin, and one only.

Go back to London and throw thyself upon the mercy of our
good Queen Eleanor. Come with me straightway to my castle.

Doff these clothes and put on such as my retainers wear.
Then I will hie me to London Town with a troop of men behind me,

and thou shalt mingle with them, and thus will I bring thee
to where thou mayst see and speak with the Queen. Thy only hope

is to get to Sherwood, for there none can reach thee, and thou wilt
never get to Sherwood but in this way."

So Robin went with Sir Richard of the Lea, and did as he said,
for he saw the wisdom of that which the knight advised,

and that this was his only chance of safety.
Queen Eleanor walked in her royal garden, amid the roses that

bloomed sweetly, and with her walked six of her ladies-in-waiting,
chattering blithely together. Of a sudden a man leaped

up to the top of the wall from the other side, and then,
hanging for a moment, dropped lightly upon the grass within.

All the ladies-in-waiting shrieked at the suddenness of his coming,
but the man ran to the Queen and kneeled at her feet, and she

saw that it was Robin Hood.
"Why, how now, Robin!" cried she, "dost thou dare to come

into the very jaws of the raging lion? Alas, poor fellow!
Thou art lost indeed if the King finds thee here.

Dost thou not know that he is seeking thee through all the land?"
"Yea," quoth Robin, "I do know right well that the King seeks me,

and therefore I have come; for, surely, no ill can befall me
when he hath pledged his royal word to Your Majesty for my safety.

Moreover, I know Your Majesty's kindness and gentleness of heart,
and so I lay my life freely in your gracious hands."

"I take thy meaning, Robin Hood," said the Queen, "and that
thou dost conveyreproach to me, as well thou mayst, for I

know that I have not done by thee as I ought to have done.
I know right well that thou must have been hard pressed

by peril to leap so boldly into one danger to escape another.
Once more I promise thee mine aid, and will do all I can to send thee

back in safety to Sherwood Forest. Bide thou here till I return."
So saying, she left Robin in the garden of roses, and was gone

a long time.
When she came back Sir Robert Lee was with her, and the Queen's cheeks

were hot and the Queen's eyes were bright, as though she had been
talking with high words. Then Sir Robert came straight forward to where

Robin Hood stood, and he spoke to the yeoman in a cold, stern voice.
Quoth he, "Our gracious Sovereign the King hath mitigated his wrath

toward thee, fellow, and hath once more promised that thou shalt depart
in peace and safety. Not only hath he promised this, but in three days

he will send one of his pages to go with thee and see that none
arrest thy journey back again. Thou mayst thank thy patron saint

that thou hast such a good friend in our noble Queen, for, but for her
persuasion and arguments, thou hadst been a dead man, I can tell thee.

Let this peril that thou hast passed through teach thee two lessons.
First, be more honest. Second, be not so bold in thy comings and goings.

A man that walketh in the darkness as thou dost may escape for a time,
but in the end he will surely fall into the pit. Thou hast put thy head

in the angry lion's mouth, and yet thou hast escaped by a miracle.
Try it not again." So saying, he turned and left Robin and was gone.

For three days Robin abided in London in the Queen's household,
and at the end of that time the King's head Page, Edward Cunningham,

came, and taking Robin with him, departednorthward upon his way
to Sherwood. Now and then they passed bands of the King's men

coming back again to London, but none of those bands stopped them,
and so, at last, they reached the sweet, leafy woodlands.

Robin Hood and Guy of Gisbourne
A LONG TIME passed after the great shooting match, and during

that time Robin followed one part of the advice of Sir Robert Lee,
to wit, that of being less bold in his comings and his goings;

for though mayhap he may not have been more honest (as most folks
regard honesty), he took good care not to travel so far from

Sherwood that he could not reach it both easily and quickly.
Great changes had fallen in this time; for King Henry had died

and King Richard had come to the crown that fitted him so well
through many hard trials, and through adventures as stirring

as any that ever befell Robin Hood. But though great changes came,
they did not reach to Sherwood's shades, for there Robin Hood

and his men dwelled as merrily as they had ever done,
with hunting and feasting and singing and blithewoodland sports;

for it was little the outside striving of the world troubled them.
The dawning of a summer's day was fresh and bright,

and the birds sang sweetly in a great tumult of sound.
So loud was their singing that it awakened Robin Hood where

he lay sleeping, so that he stirred, and turned, and arose.
Up rose Little John also, and all the merry men; then, after they

had broken their fast, they set forth hither and thither upon
the doings of the day.

Robin Hood and Little John walked down a forest path where
all around the leaves danced and twinkled as the breeze

trembled through them and the sunlight came flickering down.
Quoth Robin Hood, "I make my vow, Little John, my blood

tickles my veins as it flows through them this gay morn.
What sayst thou to our seeking adventures, each one upon

his own account?"
"With all my heart," said Little John. "We have had

more than one pleasant doing in that way, good master.
Here are two paths; take thou the one to the right hand,

and I will take the one to the left, and then let us each walk
straight ahead till he tumble into some merry doing or other."

"I like thy plan," quoth Robin, "therefore we will part here.
But look thee, Little John, keep thyself out of mischief,

for I would not have ill befall thee for all the world."
"Marry, come up," quoth Little John, "how thou talkest!

Methinks thou art wont to get thyself into tighter coils than I
am like to do."