Robin Hood

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Robin Hood, by J. Walker McSpadden

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Title: Robin Hood
Author: J. Walker McSpadden
Release Date: January 21, 2006 [EBook #832]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ROBIN HOOD ***

Produced by Joseph S. Miller and David Widger

ROBIN HOOD
by J. Walker McSpadden

* CHAPTER I How Robin Hood Became an Outlaw
* CHAPTER II How Robin Hood Met Little John
* CHAPTER III How Robin Hood Turned Butcher, and Entered the Sheriff's Service
* CHAPTER IV How Little John Entered the Sheriff's Service
* CHAPTER V How the Sheriff Lost Three Good Servants, and Found Them Again
* CHAPTER VI How Robin Hood Met Will Scarlett
* CHAPTER VII How Robin Hood Met Friar Tuck
* CHAPTER VIII How Allan-a-Dale's Wooing Was Prospered
* CHAPTER IX How the Widow's Three Sons Were Rescued
* CHAPTER X How a Beggar Filled the Public Eye
* CHAPTER XI How Robin Hood Fought Guy of Gisbourne
* CHAPTER XII How Maid Marion Came Back to Sherwood Forest; Also, How Robin Hood Came Before Queen Eleanor
* CHAPTER XIII How the Outlaws Shot in King Harry's Tourney
* CHAPTER XIV How Robin Hood Was Sought of the Tinker
* CHAPTER XV How Robin Hood Was Tanned of the Tanner
* CHAPTER XVI How Robin Hood Met Sir Richard of the Lea
* CHAPTER XVII How the Bishop Was Dined
* CHAPTER XVIII How the Bishop Went Outlaw-Hunting
* CHAPTER XIX How the Sheriff Held Another Shooting Match
* CHAPTER XX How Will Stutely Was Rescued
* CHAPTER XXI How Sir Richard of the Lea Repaid His Debt
* CHAPTER XXII How King Richard Came to Sherwood Forest
* CHAPTER XXIII How Robin Hood and Maid Marion Were Wed
* CHAPTER XXIV How Robin Hood Met His Death
CHAPTER I
HOW ROBIN HOOD BECAME AN OUTLAW
List and hearken, gentlemen, That be of free-born blood, I shall you tell of a good yeoman, His name was Robin Hood.
Robin was a proud outlaw, While as he walked on the ground. So courteous an outlaw as he was one Was never none else found.
In the days of good King Harry the Second of England--he of the warring sons--there were certain forests in the north country set aside for the King's hunting, and no man might shoot deer therein under penalty of death. These forests were guarded by the King's Foresters, the chief of whom, in each wood, was no mean man but equal in authority to the Sheriff in his walled town, or even to my lord Bishop in his abbey.
One of the greatest of royal preserves was Sherwood and Barnesdale forests near the two towns of Nottingham and Barnesdale. Here for some years dwelt one Hugh Fitzooth as Head Forester, with his good wife and son Robert. The boy had been born in Lockesley town--in the year 1160, stern records say--and was often called Lockesley, or Rob of Lockesley. He was a comely, well-knit stripling, and as soon as he was strong enough to walk his chief delight was to go with his father into the forest. As soon as his right arm received thew and sinew he learned to draw the long bow and speed a true arrow. While on winter evenings his greatest joy was to hear his father tell of bold Will o' the Green, the outlaw, who for many summers defied the King's Foresters and feasted with his men upon King's deer. And on other stormy days the boy learned to whittle out a straight shaft for the long bow, and tip it with gray goose feathers.
The fond mother sighed when she saw the boy's face light up at these woodland tales. She was of gentle birth, and had hoped to see her son famous at court or abbey. She taught him to read and to write, to doff his cap without awkwardness and to answer directly and truthfully both lord and peasant. But the boy, although he took kindly to these lessons of breeding, was yet happiest when he had his beloved bow in hand and strolled at will, listening to the murmur of the trees.
Two playmates had Rob in these gladsome early days. One was Will Gamewell, his father's brother's son, who lived at Gamewell Lodge, hard by Nottingham town. The other was Marian Fitzwalter, only child of the Earl of Huntingdon. The castle of Huntingdon could be seen from the top of one of the tall trees in Sherwood; and on more than one bright day Rob's white signal from this tree told Marian that he awaited her there: for you must know that Rob did not visit her at the castle. His