llow him, he marched to the church. The noise they made in
entering caused Robin to look round. "Alas, alas," he said to himself,
"now miss I Little John."

But he drew his two-handed sword and laid about him in such wise that
twelve of the Sheriff's men lay dead before him. Then Robin found
himself face to face with the Sheriff, and gave him a fierce blow; but
his sword broke on the Sheriff's head, and he had shot away all his
arrows. So the men closed round him, and bound his arms.

Ill news travels fast, and not many hours had passed before the
foresters heard that their master was in prison. They wept and moaned
and wrung their hands, and seemed to have gone suddenly mad, till
Little John bade them pluck up their hearts and help him to deal with
the monk.

PART X.

The next morning Little John hid himself, and waited with a comrade,
Much by name, till he saw the monk riding along the road, with a page
behind him, carrying letters from the Sheriff to the King telling of
Robin's capture.

"Whence come you?" asked Little John, going up to the monk, "and can
you give us tidings of a false outlaw named Robin Hood, who was taken
prisoner yesterday? He robbed both me and my fellow of twenty marks,
and glad should we be to hear of his undoing."

"He robbed me, too," said the monk, "of a hundred pounds and more, but
I have laid hands on him, and for that you may thank me."

"I thank you so much that, with your leave, I and my friend will bear
you company," answered Little John; "for in this forest are many wild
men who own Robin Hood for leader, and you ride along this road at the
peril of your life."

They went on together, talking the while, when suddenly Little John
seized the horse by the head and pulled down the monk by his hood.

"He was my master," said Little John,
"That you have brought to bale,
Never shall you come at the King
For to tell him that tale."

At these words the monk uttered loud cries, but Little John took no
heed of him, and smote off his head, as Much had already smitten off
that of the page, lest he should carry the news of what had happened
back to the Sheriff. After this they buried the bodies, and, taking
the letters, carried them themselves to the King.

When they arrived at the Palace, in the presence of the King, Little
John fell on his knees and held the letter out. "God save you, my
liege lord," he said; and the King unfolded the letters and read them.