Chapter 10. The Ambushed Abbot

The abbot was a sadder man when he had received the money from Sir Richard of Lea. He wondered how it was that the knight could have come safety through Sherwood Forest without being robbed by the outlaw Robin Hood. But it showed that it was at least safe to pass through the forest. He made up his mind to travel himself with the money into Nottingham and to trade it at a profit.

He gathered together all the money he kept in the Abbey. This, with Sir Richard’s payment, he placed in a large bag, and set out for Nottingham. He was not a brave man, and he ordered forty-nine of his men, well armed with bows and arrows, to go with him just in case he should fall foul of Robin Hood.

He had not gone far when he realized it was unwise to place all the money in one bag. He dismounted, and, leaving only twenty coins in his bag, hid the remainder of the money in the packs that his armed men carried.

Remounting his horse, he entered the Forest of Sherwood. All was quiet and peaceful. The birds were singing gaily in the trees, and the Abbot felt brave with his forty-nine men around him.

“Halt!” cried a voice.

The Abbot stopped. He looked round, but he could see nobody. Then an arrow buried itself into the bundle of cloth upon which he was sitting. He went as white as a sheet. All the men with him waited for his words of command. None came. The Abbot was too frightened to think about fighting.

“Drop your bows, or you are all dead men!” came the voice again.

“Yes, yes, drop your bows, my men!” cried the Abbot in alarm. The worried men looked wildly about them, but the outlaws could not be seen. Though they would rather have fought, the Abbot’s the Abbot’s men could do nothing but obey their leader.

Out of the greenwood came Little John and Will Scerlet, followed by one hundred and fifty of Robin’s men, with bows ready for action.

Little John walked up to the Abbot.

“Lord Abbot”, he said, “our leader, Robin Hood, has sent us to invite you to join us in a merry meal. He heard that you were traveling to Nottingham on business, and he wondered whether he could satisfy your hunger and quench your thirst on the way”.

The Abbot was very frightened. He called his men to follow, and the whole company trooped Robin’s camp.

An hour later they were all gathered round the festive table in the greenwood. A great feast had been prepared, and Robin welcomed the Abbot as if he were his best friend. When the meal was finished, Robin turned to him.

“It is the custom for my guests to pay something towards the meals they have with us”, he said. “If it is a poor man he gets it for nothing. But if he is a rich man he pays heavily both for the meal he has had and for those before him who had theirs free. So tell me, my lord Abbot, what you are inclined to pay for yourself and your men”.

The Abbot spoke as bravely as he could.

“You can see”, he said, “that we are travelling to Nottingham. I take little money with me, for a man in my position has no business with large sums of money. Indeed, I have only twenty coins on me. I am sure you could not take those from us, for they must last us until my return”.

“If that is the truth”, replied Robin, “you shall have your meal free. But is it the truth?”

The Abbot declared that he had told the truth, and Robin seemed to be satisfied with his answer. But suddenly he turned to the Abbot.

“My lord Abbot”, he said, “while you have been feasting, my men have searched the packs of your horses, and it was as if we had walked into a treasury. You have tried to deceive me. If you had told the truth I would have scorned to lay hands on the money of trustful men. As if is, you must pay for your men – there are forty-nine of them, with big appetites – and for yourself, with the biggest appetite of them all. I shall charge you five pounds apiece for the meal, and we shall be glad to see you again some other day. There will also be a fine of a hundred and fifty pounds because you tried to deceive me. Strangely enough, the total sum is the same as the amount that a certain Sir Richard of Lea Paid to you as a debt”.

The Abbot was amazed. He could understand now how Sir Richard had been able to pay his money. But it was useless to protest. He paid the price and went off, a sadder man.

Some months later, when Sir Richard of Lea had retrieved his fortunes, he set out to pay back the money he had borrowed from Robin.

But Robin told him that the debt was already paid, for the Abbot had returned the money on his way to Nottingham!

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Chapter 9. Tricking the Abbot	\|	Chapter 11. Vengeance on Sir Guy

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