t him, and
would take him home. But the prospect of having to stand Dame Durden's
tongue was so much worse than the stocks, that the Sheriff begged the
outlaws to take him anywhere so long as it was away from his wife.

Woman, get thee gone,
I'd rather live alone!
If Guy should come with the King's men,
I'd turn the tables on them,

the Sheriff cried, trying to plan a way to get free.

At that all the outlaws danced gaily about him, gibing at him and
making the pompous Sheriff miserable. They were trying to pay him for
his mistreatment of Robin Hood, their beloved leader.

In the height of their gaiety in rushed Sir Guy with the King's men.

"We're lost," all cried.

"You are," Sir Guy recklessly shouts, "because we're brave as lions,
all of us, and shall make short work of you."

We're brave as lions, every one,
We're brave as lions--for we're two to one,

all cried, and immediately they marched the gay outlaws off to prison
and set the Sheriff free.

As it turned out, Maid Marian, the cousin and beloved of Robin Hood,
had been commanded by the King himself to become Robin's wife, or
rather the wife of the Earl of Huntingdon. As the false Earl, Guy had
tried to make love to the maid, and to win her, but the cousins loved
each other, and all Guy's efforts were quite hopeless. But now that
the outlaws, and Robin Hood with them, were all in the power of the
Sheriff again, the case looked serious. As outlaws, the Sheriff could
hang them, every one. Little John and the leading outlaws pleaded for
their friend, reminding the Sheriff and Sir Guy that, since Robin
must, by the King's command, marry Marian, the Sheriff dare not kill
him.

"Don't count upon that," the wily Sheriff cried "The King's command
was to the Earl of Huntingdon--and he is my ward, Sir Guy; not your
outlaw friend! Robin Hood shall go to the gallows and Guy shall marry
the Maid Marian." At that everybody sighed very sadly. It really began
to look as if the wicked Sheriff was going to get the best of them.

ACT III

Among the outlaws, the strongest and also the cleverest, perhaps, was
Will Scarlet. He had not been captured with the others of the band,
and so he had come into Nottingham, whence the prisoners had been
taken, to spy out the ground and to see if he could not help to free
his comrades. He had set up a blacksmith's shop and had set about
forging a sword. All the while he was watching what took