Young Robin Hood | Page 5

give them to you. I can't--I mustn't," cried Robin passionately.
The boy said nothing, but looked away at his pigs, two of which were
fighting.
"Ah, would you?" he cried; and he made believe to rush at them with
his big hook-handled stick.
Robin was thrown off his guard, and before he was aware of it the boy
made a side leap and, dropping his stick, seized him, threw him over on
his back, and sat astride upon his chest.

"Now won't you give em to me?" cried the herd-boy; and he whipped
off the cap and threw it to a little distance, with the result that half a
dozen pigs rushed at it; and as he made a brave fight to get rid of his
enemy, the last that Robin saw of his velvet cap and plume was that
one black pig tore out the feather, while another was champing the
velvet in his mouth.
It was a brave fight, but all in vain, and a few minutes later the boy was
standing triumphantly over poor Robin, with the gay jerkin rolled up
under his arm; and the little fellow struggled to his feet in his trunk
hose and white linen shirt, hot, angry, and torn, and wishing with all his
might that he were as big and strong as the tyrant who had mastered
him.
"I told yer I would," said the young ruffian, with a grin. "You should
ha' given 'em to me at first, and then I shouldn't have hurt yer. Come on;
I'll show yer now where yer can get something to eat."
In his anger and shame Robin felt that he wanted no food now, only to
go and hide himself away among the trees; but his enemy's next words
had their effect.
"You didn't want this here," he said. "You've got plenty on you now.
Better nor I have. There, go straight on there, and I'll show yer. D'yer
hear?"
"I don't want to go now," said Robin fiercely.
"Oh, don't yer? Then I do. You're agoing afore I makes yer, and when
they've give yer a lot, you're going to eat part and bring some to me so's
I can help eat the rest. You bring a lot, mind, 'cause I can eat ever so
much. Now then, go on."
"I can't--I don't want to," cried Robin. "You go first."
"What, and master come, p'raps, and find me gone! Likely! he'd give
me the strap again. There, get on."

Robin winced, for the young ruffian picked up his stick and poked him
as he would one of his pigs. But the little fellow could not help himself,
and he went on in the required direction among the trees, the forest
growing darker and darker, till suddenly voices were heard, and the boy
stopped,
"You go straight along there," he said, "and I'll wait."
"No, you go," said Robin. "You know them."
"Oh! yes, and them want some more pigs! Want me to be leathered
again?"
Robin said "No," but he felt all the time that he should like to see the
young tyrant flogged and forced to return the folded up doublet; and he
thought sadly of his spoiled and lost cap.

CHAPTER III
"Now then, don't you be long," cried the young swineherd, and he
raised his stick threateningly, and made another thrust at Robin, which
was avoided; and feeling desperate now as well as hungry, feeling too,
that it would be better to fall into any other hands, the little fellow ran
on, following a faint track in and out among the trees, till he came
suddenly into an opening, face to face with a group of fifty or sixty
people busily engaged around a heap beneath a spreading beech tree.
Robin's first act was to stand and stare, for the heap consisted of bales
similar to those with which he had seen the mules laden a couple of
days back, and tied up together a few yards away were the very mules,
while the little crowd of men who were busy bore a very strong
resemblance to those by whom the attack was made on the previous
day.
Robin knew nothing in those days about the old proverb of jumping out
of the frying-pan into the fire, but he felt something of the kind as he

found himself face to face with the marauders who had seized upon the
bales of cloth and put his aunt's servants to flight, and without a
moment's hesitation he turned and began to hurry back, but ran into the
arms of a huge fellow who caught him up as if he had been a baby.
[Illustration: Robin ran into the arms of a huge fellow, who caught him
up as if he had been a