Chapter-4
Robin had added many brave warriors to his band. They all were living peacefully in the Sherwood Forest.
One day, a tall knight by the name Sir Richard of Lea entered the Sherwood Forest. He had to go to an abbey which was near Nottingham. In fact, he had no intention of going there as he had borrowed a great amount of money from the Abbot.
Slowly and steadily, he was passing though the forest, riding on horseback. Little John chanced to see Sir Richard on horseback. His eyes glittered as most of the knights were wealthy and mean. They had hearts of stone. He knew that Robin often looted such knights and distributed their money among the poor.
As a matter of fact, Sir Richard was a noble fellow. He was not mean. He was not rich either.
Little John stopped Sir Richard and said, “Gentleman! Where are you going?”
Sir Richard replied, “O dear! I am going to the Abbot. Now tell me what you want from me.”
Little John observed, “You must be very tired and hungry. Would you like to take meals with us? My master will feel elated a lot.”
Sir Richard asked, “Tell me the name of your master.”
Little John replied, “My master’s name is Robin Hood. He has been living in this Forest with his band of Merry Men.”
Hearing of the name of Robin Hood Sir Richard felt pleased and said, “I see. I have heard about his adventures a lot. He is a brave man. None can doubt his bravery. I shall be lucky to meet him. Let us hurry to him. I am very keen to shake hands with him.”
Saying these words he followed Little John who took him into the deeper part of the Forest, where Robin’s greenwood camp was located.
Reaching there Sir Richard bowed to Robin who saw that Richard’s clothes were old and torn. He also noticed the saddle on the back of the horse shabby. Welcoming his guest Robin said to him with great warmth, “You are most welcome to our greenwood camp, Mr Richard. What brings you here? Tell me the purpose of your visit.”
Sir Richard felt very pleased at heart listening to the words of Robin. He humbly said, “O chief! I have not come here on purpose.”
In fact, Sir Richard did not want to talk about his problem in front of Robin’s Merry Men.
Robin observed, “You are our guest for tonight. I invite you to the grand feast.”
Soon a grand feast was prepared. But Sir Richard flatly refused to eat saying, “I beg your pardon, Mr Robin. But I can’t pay you for such royal meal. It is against my nature to eat anything for which I am unable to pay.”
“Ok, I see eye to eye with you. Now tell me how much money you have right now in your pocket.”
“Only ten shillings,” was the reply of Sir Richard.
“You need not pay anything for the meal. I have learnt that you are not wealthy. Enjoy the meal and be our guest tonight,” said Robin.
Both Robin and Sir Richard sat down to eat. In the meantime, Little John frisked the money bags that hung down the back of the horse. There was nothing more than ten shillings in the money bags. He informed Robin about this. Robin felt satisfied and pleased.
While eating Robin asked Sir Richard, “Sir, tell me how you lost your money. How is it possible that you have only ten shillings?”
Sir Richard hesitated a little bit at first but then he said,” Mr Robin, it is a long tale of woes. But still I narrate you each and every word of it. Listen to me carefully,” Sir Richard narrated the story thus:
“Some years ago I was quite wealthy. All of a sudden many herds of my deer were killed due to some disease. My wealth was looted by some thieves at night. It is said that misfortunes never come alone but in battalion. This proverb held vey much true in my case. My only son accidently put a knight to death in a tournament. He was imposed a heavy fine. As I had no money left, I had to borrow it from the Abbot. I promised him that I would return his money in two weeks time. If I failed to fulfil my promise my lands would be confiscated by him. The time is over. I am in no condition to pay his money back. That is why I am going to him to hand over the papers of my lands to him. That is all.”
Hearing of the sad tale of Sir Richard Robin became serious. After some pause he said, “You need not worry, Sir Richard. I shall lend you the money that you owe to the Abbot. Tell me clearly how much money you owe to the Abbot.”
Sir Richard hesitated a little bit at first and then answered boldly, “I have to pay him four hundred pounds. I shall be highly thankful to you for the rest of my life.”
Hearing of the words of Sir Richard Robin at once ordered Little John to bring four hundred pounds from their secret treasure.
Four hundred pounds thus brought, Robin said to Sir Richard, “Here is your four hundred pounds. Take it and save your land.”
Taking the pounds Sir Richard’s eyes welled up with the tears of joy. He thanked Robin a lot.
After spending the night with them Sir Richard got up early in the morning. He wore new clothes which Robin gave him. Robin’s outlaws gave him a new saddle and bridle. Nay, his shield and helmet were polished.
Thanking the members once again Sir Richard was on his way. He left the Forest, happy and excited.
There in the abbey the Abbot was feeling very excited. He said to himself, ‘Poor Richard won’t be able to give me the money he owed me. Then I would confiscate all his lands. Thereafter, I shall own large pieces of lands here, there and everywhere. I shall be the richest man in the entire Nottingham. He was dead sure that Sir Richard would transfer his lands to him. That was why he sent for a magistrate to watch the proceedings of the transfer of lands.
When the magistrate reached the home of the Abbot, the Abbot said to him, “O dear, today will be the luckiest day for me for I would capture all the lands of Sir Richard.”
In a few hours, Sir Richard riding on horseback hurriedly entered the abbey in the afternoon.
From there, he was led to the hall where the Abbot with the magistrate was waiting for him anxiously.
Sir Richard bowed to the Abbot and the magistrate and took his seat.
The Abbot said to Sir Richard, “At last your have come here. Where is the money? Give it to me quickly.”
Now Sir Richard pretended to have some fun with the Abbot. So he said with both palms joined in reverence, “Most respectfully, I beg to state, Sir, that I have not brought money with me. I seek some more time to pay you back. Would you be kind enough to grant me some extra time?”
Hearing the words of Sir Richard the Abbot felt very happy in his heart of hearts. He whispered in the ear of the magistrate, “Look, that is what I want. Now his lands are ours.”
Then turning to Sir Richard he stated, “You have not fulfilled your promise. Now your lands belong to me from today onwards. Hand over their papers to me. Be quick, don’t waste my precious time.”
Sir Richard kept mum for quite some time. Then he took out a bag from under his garb. The bag contained four hundred pounds.
It was a bolt from blue for the Abbot. He never believed even in his dream that Sir Richard would be able to pay him back. He looked dumbfounded. It seemed as if the earth had slipped from under his feet. He asked in great amazement, “I can’t believe this. Now tell me the truth where from you have arranged this bag of money in such a short interval?”
Saying these words he snatched the money from the hands of Sir Richard and started counting the money. The amount way absolutely correct. There was four hundred pounds, all coins.
After counting the money the Abbot turned away to go. Sir Richard stopped him and said, “Now return the deed that I signed. I have full right to take it back from you.”
The Abbot was filled with rage. He shouted at the top of his voice. “O rascal! How dare you ask me for the deed?”
But the magistrate interrupted saying, “Abbot you have no alternative but to return the deed. He has fully settled his debt. Now you can’t deny him the deed.”
Hearing the words of the magistrate the Abbot returned the deed to Sir Richard who could not help laughing at the sad face of the Abbot.
Sir Richard jumped onto his horse and seated himself comfortably. Saying goodbye to the Abbot and the magistrate he rode away hurriedly. The Abbot could do nothing except for looking at sideways. He hung his head in shame for his misdoing.
Days passed by followed by weeks. The Abbot was an obstinate person. He was greedy too.
One day, he decided to land the money on high rate of interest. He thought, ‘Sir Richard had come safely to me with four hundred pounds. It is amazing he was not looted in the transit by the outlaws in the Sherwood Forest. So, I too can travel through the Forest with my money’.
But the Abbot was a timid person. He dared not go alone through the Sherwood Forest. He took forty-nine of his men, armed with swords, quarterstaffs, bows and arrows, with him as a precautionary measure in case he encountered Robin Hood. As for money, he kept only twenty coins in his money bag. The other coins were put in the bags of the men who accompanied him.
So the Abbot at the head of his men set out for the journey. As they entered the skirt of the Forest, a voice came from behind, “Stop short where you are. Don’t move an inch.”
The Abbot and his men came to a halt at once. He looked behind. But there was nobody to be seen. He looked here, there and everywhere in puzzlement. After some time the voice was heard again, “Place you bows and arrows to the ground or you all will be killed in a trice.”
The Abbot got frightened terribly. He at once ordered his men to drop their respective weapons. The Abbot’s men were ready to fight. But they did his bidding.
Lo and behold! Little John, Will-the-Wrestler, Will Scarlet and other outlaws came out of the hedges. They all were armed with weapons.
Little John came forward and said to the Abbot, “O dear! Our chief Robin Hood has invited you to a meal. I hope you would not decline his invitation.”
Hearing the words of Little John the Abbot was out of his wits. Somehow, he gathered his courage and accepted the offer of Robin Hood. He accompanied Little John to Robin’s camp. All his men followed suit.
A great feast was prepared. Robin welcomed the Abbot as if they had been fast friends. After the meal was over, Robin said to the Abbot, “O Mr! Let me tell you about the rule of the greenwood camp. Whosoever comes here to have a meal with us, he/she is required to pay something for the meal. As a matter of fact, if our guest is a poor person, I don’t charge him anything, not even a penny. If our guest is wealthy and prosperous, he is required to pay us a lot of money. It seems to me that you are quite wealthy. Tell me how much money you are going to pay for yourself and for you men.”
The Abbot thought for a while. He hit upon a plan. He said to Robin modestly, “Sir, I have nothing except twenty coins in my bag. I need these coins for my return journey. I hope you will spare me.”
Robin was a clever person. He said with a warning, “O Abbot! If you are true to your word, I assure you I won’t charge you for that meal. But tell me the truth. I don’t think so you are speaking the truth.”
In spite of many warnings the Abbot did not speak the truth. Now Robin ordered his men to frisk all the bags being carried by the Abbot’s men. The bags contained a lot of money.
Now Robin said to the Abbot, “O Mr! You have told me a lie. You will have to compensate for this. Had you spoken the truth I would not have touched your money. I have come to know that some Sir Richard paid you four hundred pounds, all in coins.”
The Abbot was wonderstruck. But he understood everything as regards how Sir Richard was able to pay his money back. Now he had no alternative but to pay the heavy price to Robin. So, he paid the price and was on his way. He could do nothing except for looking at sideways.
Days passed by. One day, Sir Richard came to the Sherwood Forest. He had reached there to return the money that he borrowed from Robin. As Robin was a noble person, he didn’t accept the money saying that he had taken from the Abbot on his way to Nottingham.
Sir Richard thanked Robin and returned.
After some days, walking along the shady path Robin chanced to hear the voices of two men. They were arguing with each other over a trivial issue. One man said to the other, “This is the best stream I have ever seen. A lot of fish abound in this stream.”
The other man argued, “No, you are telling a lie. Not a single fish is seen in this stream.”
Robin walked in the direction whence the voices were coming. He saw a very fat man on the opposite side of the stream. It seemed that he was a friar by the clothes he put on. He had no hair on his head. He had a fringe of hair circled his shiny bright head.
To his utter amazement, Robin found him all alone. Robin thought, ‘Whom is he talking with?’ Then he looked here, there and everywhere for the second man. But there was no trace of the second man. He once again heard the voice of the friar who said, “There is no point fishing in this stream.” Then he said to himself, “Let us go to another stream.”
Now Robin understood everything. In fact, the friar was talking to himself. Robin went up to the friar and said, “How are you, gentleman? How many fish have you caught so far?”
“What do you have to do with my fishing? Mind you own business,” said the friar.
“Help me cross the stream,” said Robin to the friar.
“I won’t; cross it by yourself,” said the friar.
Robin at once took out his sword and placed it on the friar’s chest. Then he said, “What do you say now?”
The friar readily agreed to the order of Robin who climbed on the friar’s back. The friar was a fat man. He waded slowly across the steam. The stream had a stony bed. In the middle, the friar lost his balance and was about to fall down but he managed to balance himself. Soon the friar took Robin to the other bank safely.
As Robin dismounted from the friar’s back, the friar drew out his sword and placed it on the chest of Robin. Then he said to Robin, “Now it is my turn. Help me cross this stream. I shall sit over your shoulders.”
Robin had no alternative but to accept the demand of the friar. Now Robin waded across the stream. But he took much time as the friar was very heavy. Somehow, he reached the other end of the stream.
Robin was huffing and puffing. He said to the friar, “Now it is my turn to ride on your shoulders. What do you say?”
The friar felt very happy and excited. For him, it had become a game of water. He let Robin ride on his shoulders. Robin rode on the shoulders of the wet friar and was on his way to the other end of the stream.
In the middle, as the stream had a stony bed the friar hit against a big stone. He lost his balance and fell into the water. Robin sitting on his shoulders was thrown aside. The friar burst out laughing while Robin was fuming with anger. The friar swam to the other end of the stream.
After some time, Robin too reached there. He was badly hurt. Robin shouted angrily at the friar, “You have done it deliberately. You will be punished for it. You have crossed your limits; you don’t know who I am.”
The friar was a man of guts. He yelled at Robin, “Hey Mr! Bridle your tongue. I can’t be intimidated. I am not afraid of your jackal threats. Let us have a fight of fists. It is said that actions speak louder than words.”
Hearing the words of the friar Robin felt extremely happy in his heart of hearts. The friar was very brave. Robin wanted such men in his band. But he did not let it open to the friar who was shouting and roaring at the top of his voice.
He gave some hard blows to Robin who too was an equal match for the friar. Robin retaliated hitting the friar below the waist. The fight between the two continued for some time. Then Robin realized it was foolish on his part to fight in such a way.
All of a sudden, he stopped fighting. He said to the friar, “O dear! I appreciate your bravery. You are highly skilled. You know every move. We are uselessly wasting our energy and time. It is mere foolishness on our part to indulge in a fight like this. Think with the sane mind.”
Good sense dawned upon the friar. He too stopped fighting. The two became chums. They were extremely happy in each other’s company. Robin blew his horn. Soon a troop of his Merry Man came tumbling down one after another.
Little John was the first to reach there. Seeing the friar Little John embraced him to his bosom. The friar too felt very elated seeing Little John. Robin felt somewhat surprised seeing both of them happy and excited. He said to Little John, “Dear! Do you know each other already?”
Little John said, “Yes, master. He would beat me at archery quite often. In fact, he was the only one who outwitted me every time in the sport of archery.”
Hearing the words of Little John Robin felt satisfied and happy. Little John moved to the friar and said, “What brings you here, my dear Friar Tuck?”
Robin asked the friar to display his skill. The friar whistled soundly and a big dog came running to him. It was his pet dog whom he had trained to stand still and quiet with a stone balanced on its head. Now the friar placed on arrow on his bow and shot it. The arrow went on knocking the stone off the dog’s head.
The outlaws present there appreciated the shot of the friar. “What a perfect shot!” exclaimed Robin who had got a new member in his band.
Little John asked the friar, “Dear, would you like to be part of our band? We are outlaws but fight for the justice of the poor.”
Friar Tuck thought for a while and then answered, “If I am of any use to you I shall feel myself to be highly grateful.”
Friar Tuck was praised to the skies. He had become the only member in the band who had not been given another name. Thus Robin’s band grew stronger and stronger with every new entrant.
