n went on his
errand.

Presently Robin entered the edge of the wood, when whom should he see
but Arthur-a-Bland, busily creeping after a graceful deer that browsed
alone down the glade. "Now by Saint George and the Dragon!" quoth Robin
to himself. "I much fear that yon same fellow is a rascally poacher come
after our own and the King's meat!"

For you must know, by a curious process of reasoning, Robin and his men
had hunted in the royal preserves so long that they had come to consider
themselves joint owners to every animal which roamed therein.

"Nay!" he added, "this must be looked into! That cow-skin cap in sooth
must hide a scurvy varlet!"

And forthwith he crept behind a tree, and thence to another, stalking
our friend Arthur as busily as Arthur was stalking the deer.

This went on for quite a space, until the tanner began to come upon the
deer and to draw his bow in order to tickle the victim's ribs with a
cloth-yard shaft. But just at this moment Robin unluckily trod upon a
twig which snapped and caused the tanner to turn suddenly.

Robin saw that he was discovered, so he determined to put a bold face on
the matter, and went forward with some smart show of authority.

"Hold!" he cried: "stay your hand! Why, who are you, bold fellow, to
range so boldly here? In sooth, to be brief, ye look like a thief that
has come to steal the King's deer."

"Marry, it is scant concern of yours, what I look like!" retorted
Arthur-a-Bland. "Who are you, who speak so bravely?"

"You shall soon find out who I am!" quoth Robin, determining to find
some sport in the matter. "I am a keeper of this forest. The King knows
that I am looking after his deer for him; and therefore we must stay
you."

"Have you any assistants, friend?" asked the tanner calmly. "For it is
not one man alone who can stop me."

"Nay truly, gossip," replied Robin. "I have a good yew bow, also a right
sharp blade at my side. Nathless I need no better assistant than a good
oak-graff like unto yours. Give me a baker's dozen of minutes with
it and it shall pleasure me to crack that pate of yours for your
sauciness!"

"Softly, my man! Fair and softly! Big words never killed so much as a
mouse--least of all yon deer which has got away while you were filling
all the woods with your noisy breath. So choose your own playthings. For
your sword and your bow I care not a straw; nor for all your arrows to
boot. If I get but a knock at you, 'twill be as much as