harmlessly in the air.

"Nay, Sir Sheriff!" he cried, "I must e'en borrow your sword for the
friend I have borrowed."

Thereupon he snatched the weapon deftly from the Sheriff's hand.

"Here, Stutely!" said he, "the Sheriff has lent you his own sword. Back
to back with me, man, and we'll teach these knaves a trick or two!"

Meanwhile the soldiers had recovered from their momentary surprise and
had flung themselves into the fray. A clear bugle-note had also sounded
the same which the soldiers had learned to dread. 'Twas the rallying
note of the green wood men.

Cloth yard shafts began to hurtle through the air, and Robin and his men
cast aside their cloaks and sprang forward crying:

"Lockesley! Lockesley! a rescue! a rescue!"

On the instant, a terrible scene of hand to hand fighting followed. The
Sheriff's men, though once more taken by surprise, were determined to
sell this rescue dearly. They packed in closely and stubbornly about
the condemned man and Much and the palmer, and it was only by desperate
rushes that the foresters made an opening in the square. Ugly cuts and
bruises were exchanged freely; and lucky was the man who escaped with
only these. Many of the onlookers, who had long hated the Sheriff and
felt sympathy for Robin's men, also plunged into the conflict--although
they could not well keep out of it, in sooth!--and aided the rescuers no
little.

At last with a mighty onrush, Robin cleaved a way through the press to
the scaffold itself, and not a second too soon; for two men with pikes
had leaped upon the cart, and were in the act of thrusting down upon the
palmer and Will Stutely. A mighty upward blow from Robin's good blade
sent the pike flying from the hand of one, while a well-directed arrow
from the outskirt pierced the other fellow's throat.

"God save you, master!" cried Will Stutely joyfully. "I had begun to
fear that I would never see your face again."

"A rescue!" shouted the outlaws afresh, and the soldiery became
fainthearted and 'gan to give back. But the field was not yet won, for
they retreated in close order toward the East gate, resolved to hem
the attackers within the city walls. Here again, however, they were in
error, since the outlaws did not go out by their nearest gate. They
made a sally in that direction, in order to mislead the soldiery, then
abruptly turned and headed for the West gate, which was still guarded by
Arthur-a-Bland.

The Sheriff's men raised an exultant