other started at the unexpected greeting, and laid his hand upon
his sword. Then he looked up and beheld Robin's arrow pointing full upon
him.

"Put down your bow, fellow," he shouted back, "and I will bring you over
the brook. 'Tis our duty in life to help each other, and your keen shaft
shows me that you are a man worthy of some attention." So the friar
knight got him up gravely, though his eyes twinkled with a cunning
light, and laid aside his beloved pie and his cloak and his sword and
his buckler, and waded across the stream with waddling dignity. Then he
took Robin Hood upon his back and spoke neither good word nor bad till
he came to the other side.

Lightly leaped Robin off his back, and said, "I am much beholden to you,
good father."

"Beholden, say you!" rejoined the other drawing his sword; "then by my
faith you shall e'en repay your score. Now mine own affairs, which are
of a spiritual kind and much more important than yours which are carnal,
lie on the other side of this stream. I see that you are a likely man
and one, moreover, who would not refuse to serve the church. I must
therefore pray of you that whatsoever I have done unto you, you will do
also unto me. In short, my son, you must e'en carry me back again."

Courteously enough was this said; but so suddenly had the friar drawn
his sword that Robin had no time to unsling his bow from his back,
whither he had placed it to avoid getting it wet, or to unfasten his
scabbard. So he was fain to temporize.

"Nay, good father, but I shall get my feet wet," he commenced.

"Are your feet any better than mine?" retorted the other. "I fear me
now that I have already wetted myself so sadly as to lay in a store of
rheumatic pains by way of penance."

"I am not so strong as you," continued Robin; "that helmet and sword and
buckler would be my undoing on the uncertain footing amidstream, to say
nothing of your holy flesh and bones."

"Then I will lighten up, somewhat," replied the other calmly. "Promise
to carry me across and I will lay aside my war gear."

"Agreed," said Robin; and the friar thereupon stripped himself; and
Robin bent his stout back and took him up even as he had promised.

Now the stones at the bottom of the stream were round and slippery, and
the current swept along strongly, waist-deep, in the middle. More-over
Robin had a heavier load than the other had borne, nor did he know the
ford. So he went stumbling along now stepping into a de