all the songs were ended.

CHAPTER XIII

HOW THE OUTLAWS SHOT IN KING HARRY'S TOURNEY

The King is into Finsbury Field
Marching in battle 'ray,
And after follows bold Robin Hood,
And all his yeomen gay.

The morning of the great archery contest dawned fair and bright,
bringing with it a fever of impatience to every citizen of London town,
from the proudest courtier to the lowest kitchen wench. Aye, and all the
surrounding country was early awake, too, and began to wend their way to
Finsbury Field, a fine broad stretch of practice ground near Moorfields.
Around three sides of the Field were erected tier upon tier of seats,
for the spectators, with the royal boxes and booths for the nobility
and gentry in the center. Down along one end were pitched gaily colored
tents for the different bands of King's archers. There were ten of
these bands, each containing a score of men headed by a captain of great
renown; so to-day there were ten of the pavilions, each bearing aloft
the Royal Arms and vari-colored pennants which fluttered lightly in the
fresh morning breeze.

Each captain's flag was of peculiar color and device. First came the
royal purple streamer of Tepus, own bow-bearer to the King, and esteemed
the finest archer in all the land. Then came the yellow of Clifton of
Buckinghamshire; and the blue of Gilbert of the White Hand--he who was
renowned in Nottinghamshire; and the green of Elwyn the Welshman; and
the White of Robert of Cloudesdale; and, after them, five other captains
of bands, each a man of proved prowess. As the Queen had said aforetime,
the King was mightily proud of his archers, and now held this tourney to
show their skill and, mayhap, to recruit their forces.

The uprising tiers of seats filled early, upon this summer morning, and
the merry chatter of the people went abroad like the hum of bees in a
hive. The royal party had not yet put in an appearance, nor were any
of the King's archers visible. So the crowd was content to hide its
impatience by laughing jibes passed from one section to another, and
crying the colors of their favorite archers. In and out among the seats
went hawkers, their arms laden with small pennants to correspond with
the rival tents. Other vendors of pie and small cakes and cider also did
a thrifty business, for so eager had some of the people been to get good
seats, that they had rushed away from home without their breakfast.

Suddenly the gates