Chapter 7. The Outlaw Code

Passing one day through Sherwood Forest, a traveler was ambushed by Robin Hood’s men, and captured. His hands were roughly thrust behind him, and tied tightly.

“Well done!” said Little John. “We will take the fellow to Robin Hood”.

They wended their way through the forest, the traveler with his bundles and his horse going in front of them.

Robin Hood was angry when he examined the traveler.

“Who tied this man’s hands behind him in this ruthless manner?” he demanded, turning upon his men.

They looked at each other in surprise. Then Little John said: “I did it! I thought it very well done!”

“You did!” said Robin, angrily. “I can see you did!” He turned to his men. “Seize Little John and tie him up in the same way!”

Despite his struggles, the giant was overpowered, and his hands were tied tightly behind his back, as he had tied those of the traveller. His bonds cut deeply into his wrists. But the outlaws, though they did as they were told, could not understand their leader’s purpose. There were some black looks for him from a number of his band. The looks were noted by Robin. He turned to Little John and said: “Now, how do you like it yourself? Was it necessary to tie the captive’s hands so tightly? It is unpleasant enough to be taken captive without adding to a man’s discomfort. Never tie too tightly, or I shall tie you! Don’t handle people too roughly, or I shall see that you no longer remain men of my band. I want strong men, it is true, but they must also be men of gentle hearts”.

Robin spoke directly to Little John.

“You have had your lesson, and now you shall be freed, Little John. You and I know each other well, and you will understand my rough handling. I did it to show the rest how we must take prisoners”.

When his tongs were removed Little John looked ruefully at his wrists. He turned to the prisoner.

“I did not realise that I had tied you so tightly”, he said. “Pray forgive me”.

“Very handsomely said!” exclaimed Robin. “And now” – turning to the captive traveller – “sit down on the grass and tell us where you were taking your goods, and from where you came”.

His bonds cut, the man sat down.

“This morning”, he began, “as the sun rose in the heavens, I set forth from Nottingham with my goods. You will see that I am only a young man. I have not been in business long, and in Nottingham I found it was slow work waiting for customers to come to me. So I decided to pack my horse with some of my coarser cloth and travel to the villages. I thought that I might be able to sell some cloth to the labourers and their women. But as I wandered along the forest path, your men surprised me and brought me here. It is a great pity that I did not know beforehand that I should fall into your hands, for I should certainly have brought some Lincoln green cloth with me to sell to you”.

Robin and his men burst out laughing at the way in which this man seemed to take for granted that he had missed a bargain.

“Then you were not traveling to sell some fine dainty cloths to the squires of the district and their ladies?” queried Robin.

“Certainly not”, said the man. “Had I done so they might have taken what they wanted and left me to find the money as best I could; for we live in a time when might is right”.

Robin nodded; he knew too well that this was the truth. He turned to his men.

“Open his pack”, he said, “and if he has spoken the truth about his traveling to sell to honest poor folk he shall go on his way unmolested”.

The pack was opened and it were found, as the traveler had claimed, bales of russet – browns, and cloth of grey and drab, such as common folk would wear; but there was no cloth that any knight or dame or squire or lady would have dreamed of wearing.

“The man has spoken the truth!” declared Robin. “We have no wish to wage war upon the poor, and we don’t want to spoil their chances of making an honest living. Let us, then, allow this man to go free. What do you say, men?”

The outlaws broke out into loud applause, and the traveler felt relieved to think that he was now a free man.

“I will ride this way again”, he said, “and when I do I will bring with me some bales of Lincoln green. I should do a very good trade with you, for there are at least a hundred of you”.

“You seem very sure that we should pay you for your goods!” said Little John.

“So sure”, replied the traveler, “that it will not be long before you will see me again”.

Robin gave the man a good meal of venison before he went on his way. When the traveling merchant arrived at the villages, he told the people how well Robin had treated him, and the reason why he was spared. Thus the villagers knew that Robin and his Merrie Men were their friends. Robin’s own men, too, had been taught a valuable lesson that day – that they were not to harm the interests of the common folk.

The traveler was as good as his word. Not more than a week had gone by when he returned with his horse laden with cloth of Lincoln green. The outlaws paid him in full for his material, and he rode off well content.

Yet only a few days later he was back, and there was back, and there was trouble written on his face.

“After I left you”, ha told Robin Hood, “I must have taken the wrong path near Nottingham, for in the dusk I was set upon by a band of robbers. The friends took all my money and my horse, I was left there to find my own way home”.

“Take us to the place where you went astray”, said Robin.

Somewhat unwillingly, the man did so.

“I think it was here that I wandered off the right path”, he said, after they gone a long distance.

Robin and his Merrie Men searched thoroughly for signs of a struggle, but they could find none. Robin noted this and ordered his men to march the traveler back to their camp in the forest. Then Robin sent two of his men to visit the traveler’s house and his shop in the town. He was suspicious about the truth of the story he had been told, but he gave no sign of this to the traveler.

“I’m afraid you will have to remain with us as our guest”, said Robin, “until we can find out who stole your goods”.

The man had no option but to stay, and it was not until late the following afternoon that Robin’s messengers returned. As they came out of the forest into the camp-clearing, Robin, who had been waiting for them, went forward to meet them.

“The man has lied!” they said. “When we visited his stable we found, safely inside, the horse he told us had been stolen”.

Robin had suspected as much. He was very angry. He strode over to the traveler.

“You are a fine trader”, he said. “You thought to yourself, ‘Robin Hood and his Merrie Men have good hearts. I will go and return to them, and tell them I have been robbed; and then perhaps they will give me money to help me’. It was your bad luck that you told me your horse was stolen, for my men found it at home in your stable”.

The man trembled at these words.

“I am sorry, good master!” he cried. “Spare me! I will never cheat again!”

He was desperately afraid now that he was found out that his life would be forfeit.

Robin was silent for a moment. Then he said, “You lied for money, and with money shall you pay your sentence. You will stay here until, at your own request, someone from your home shall bring a ransom. Every penny that you made from us when you sold us the cloth you must hand back.

We only want your profits. We would not stoop to rob you of what the cloth actually cost you in the first place”.

The wretched cheat had to agree. Robin’s terms were carried out. A member of the traveler’s family brought to Sherwood Forest the correct amount of money, and the traveler was then allowed to go home.

By this example, the justice that was in the mind of Robin Hood began to dawn on his Merrie Men. They began to understand that it was not Robin’s intention to hurt ploughman or labourer. In fact, he had no wish to harm even a high-born knight who was honest and good. But if he knew of anyone cheating, or robbing, or lying, he aimed to mete out to the offender such justice as would be most fitting. If any of the outlaws’ captives claimed to have no money, yet when searched were found to possess it, then, because of the lie, they were made to hand over a double gift.

“Help the good folk, and those who find life difficult”, said Robin to his band, “but teat those who make it difficult as our enemies – with the Sheriff of Nottingham as the chief!”

<== попередня сторінка	\|	наступна сторінка ==>
Chapter 6. Little John	\|	Chapter 8. Robin and the Poor Knight

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