e thee such a drubbing as ne'er hast thou
had in all thy life before. Take thy staff in thy hand, fellow, for I
will not smite an unarmed man.

"Marry come up with a murrain!" cried the Tanner, for he, too, had
talked himself into a fume. "Big words ne'er killed so much as a mouse.
Who art thou that talkest so freely of cracking the head of Arthur a
Bland? If I do not tan thy hide this day as ne'er I tanned a calf's hide
in all my life before, split my staff into skewers for lamb's flesh and
call me no more brave man! Now look to thyself, fellow!"

"Stay!" said Little John. "Let us first measure our cudgels. I do reckon
my staff longer than thine, and I would not take vantage of thee by even
so much as an inch."

"Nay, I pass not for length," answered the Tanner. "My staff is long
enough to knock down a calf; so look to thyself, fellow, I say again."

So, without more ado, each gripped his staff in the middle, and, with
fell and angry looks, they came slowly together.

Now news had been brought to Robin Hood how that Little John, instead of
doing his bidding, had passed by duty for pleasure, and so had stopped
overnight with merry company at the Blue Boar Inn, instead of going
straight to Ancaster. So, being vexed to his heart by this, he set forth
at dawn of day to seek Little John at the Blue Boar, or at least to
meet the yeoman on the way, and ease his heart of what he thought of the
matter. As thus he strode along in anger, putting together the words he
would use to chide Little John, he heard, of a sudden, loud and angry
voices, as of men in a rage, passing fell words back and forth from one
to the other. At this, Robin Hood stopped and listened. "Surely," quoth
he to himself, "that is Little John's voice, and he is talking in anger
also. Methinks the other is strange to my ears. Now Heaven forfend that
my good trusty Little John should have fallen into the hands of the
King's rangers. I must see to this matter, and that quickly."

Thus spoke Robin Hood to himself, all his anger passing away like a
breath from the windowpane, at the thought that perhaps his trusty
right-hand man was in some danger of his life. So cautiously he made his
way through the thickets whence the voices came, and, pushing aside the
leaves, peeped into the little open space where the two men, staff in
hand, were coming slowly together.

"Ha!" quoth Robin to himself, "here is merry sport afoot. Now I would
give three golden angels fr