.
The bitterness and anger had all melted out of his heart; only sorrow
was left.

In the dim evening light Robin knelt bareheaded on the green grass
to say his prayers. Then, still bareheaded, he stood up and swore an
oath. This was the oath:

"I swear to honor God and the King,
To help the weak and fight the strong,
To take from the rich and give to the poor,
So God will help, me with His power."

Then he lay down on the grass under the trees with his good longbow
beside him, and fell fast asleep.

And this is how Robin Hood first came to live in the Green Wood and
have all his wonderful adventures.

II

THE MEETING OF ROBIN HOOD AND LITTLE JOHN

When Robin first came to live in Sherwood Forest he was rather sad,
for he could not at once forget all he had lost. But he was not long
lonely. When it became known that he had gone to live in the Green
Wood, other poor men, who had been driven out of their homes by the
Normans, joined him. They soon formed a band and were known as the
"Merry Men."

Robin was no longer called Robin of Huntingdon, but Robin of Sherwood
Forest. Very soon people shortened Sherwood into Hood, though some
people say he was called Hood from the green hoods he and his men
wore. How he came to have his name does not matter very much. People
almost forgot that he was really an earl, and he became known, not
only all over England, but in many far countries, as Robin Hood.

Robin was captain of the band of Merry Men. Next to him came Little
John. He was called Little John because he was so tall, just as Midge
the miller's son was called Much because he was so small.

Robin loved Little John best of all his friends. Little John loved
Robin better than any one else in all the world. Yet the first time
they met they fought and knocked each other about dreadfully.

"How they came acquainted, I'll tell you in brief,
If you will but listen a while;
For this very jest, among all the rest,
I think it may cause you to smile."

It happened on a bright sunshiny day in early spring. All through the
winter Robin and his men had had a very dull time. Nearly all their
fun and adventures happened with people traveling through the forest.
As there were no trains, people had to travel on horseback. In winter
the roads were bad, and the weather so cold and wet, that most people
stayed at home. So it was rather a quiet time for Robin and his men.
They lived in great caves