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Chapter 18. The Black Monks

Alan-a-Dale and his wife were seated one day in the sunshine outside the hut that the outlaws had made for them. Robin had been back in the greenwood for a month now, after his stay in the fishing-village, and life in the forest went on the old merry way.

“I feel so lazy this morning”, yawned Alan-a-Dale to Ellen. “Sing to me, Ellen, and lull my mind to sleep”.

Ellen laughed.

“If I sang to you it would never send you to sleep! It would be more likely to drive you away!”

They became silent again, and would not have noticed Friar Tuck walking by their dwelling if he had not greeted them in his cheery, musical voice.

“Good morning!” he called. “I am off for a walk”.

He would have strolled on, but Alan-a-Dale called to him.

“Wait for us, good friar”, he shouted, rising from the grass. “We will come with you”.

The three walked on through the forest. They had not gone far along a leaf-strewn lane before they heard a peculiar sound.

“Quick – into these bushes!” gasped Friar Tuck. The three dropped behind a bush. All was quiet again. Friar Tuck raised his head above the bush, and looked about him. Not far away he could see two black horses tethered to beech-tree.

“Strange!” he whispered as he told Alan-a-Dale of his discovery. “Where are the owners of the horses?”

“That’s something I’m going to find out!” remarked Alan-a-Dale.

“I beg your pardon!” said the friar. “You mean we!”

“All right”, said Alan with a smile. “Let us walk quietly over to the horses and see what we can find out”.

They were joined by Ellen. As they neared the tethered animals, they heard a soft chanting not very far away.

It was Friar Tuck who saw the figures first. He caught hold of Alan-a-Dale’s arm and halted him.

“Look!” he whispered. “Look through the trees!”

Alan and Ellen looked. Standing in a circle of birch-trees were three men in monks’ habits. Two of them were black monks, the third was a mendicant friar. His gown was so dirty that Friar Tuck had difficulty in recognizing the brown colour that showed him to be a friar like himself. Suddenly the three figures dropped down on their knees. The weird chanting that Friar Tuck and his friends had heard before broke the silence again.

“This is interesting”, said Alan-a-Dale softly. “Let’s creep closer and listen to their chants”.

The three crept silently nearer and hid themselves behind an oak-tree. They could hear the words that the monks were chanting now.

“Money, money! Send us, oh, send us some money to serve our needs!”

They sang in a low, mournful tone. The watching outlaws could clearly see the faces of the two black monks, and their expressions were sad indeed. The mendicant friar, whose back was turned to the onlookers, sang with the most unhappy voice of all. Indeed, he was having great difficulty in keeping in tune with his fellows. Altogether it was a depressing.

When the dismal chant for money was over, the mendicant friar stood up and addressed the two black monks.

“My brothers”, said the friar sadly, his head shaking slowly from side to side, “we have no money. We have prayed earnestly for money to be sent us. Now our prayer is over”. He hung his head in silence for a moment; then went on, with deep gloom in his low voice, “Let us search our pockets again and see what Heaven has sent us in answer to our prayers”.

He looked first at one of the monks, who stood up and thrust his hands deep into the pockets of his gown.

“Alas, friar, I still have nothing!” he said.

The friar looked towards the second monk. He, too, rose and felt in his pockets. They were as empty as before.

Friar Tuck whispered to Alan-a-Dale and Ellen that the two black monks would be expected to give money to the mendicant friar if they had any on their persons. That was the custom, for mendicant friars were permitted to beg money from other people.

“It looks to me”, Friar Tuck told the others in whispers, “as if the mendicant friar asked the two monks for money, and that they have been praying for some”.

One of the black monks spoke again.

“As we told you before, friar, we were robbed this morning before you met us”.

“It is true, O friar”, said the other. “We were caught by Robin Hood’s men and robbed of all our money”.

“Ah, but, brothers”, broke in the friar, “though you were robbed this morning, you have since prayed for money. I feel sure that your prayers have been answered”.

The two black monks looked sadly at each other. They began to wonder whether the mendicant friar was a little out of his mind.

“Perhaps”, went on the friar, “it would prove more fruitful if we searched each other’s pockets instead of our own!”

Again the two black monks looked at each other. What a pity they had bumped into the idiotic friar that morning, they thought. Nevertheless, they obliged by searched first the friar’s pockets. They soon found that he was without a penny.

“Now allow me, good monk”, said the friar, as he reached out his hands towards the first monk.

Suddenly silver coins began to rain from the monk’s clothing, just as if he were made coins. Coins fairly covered the ground at his feet. The friar than searched the second monk. The same thing happened. Coins began to pour down on to the grass about his feet. Each of the monks had been wearing a belt inside his cloak, and attached to the belt were a dozen begs full of money. The friar stepped back.

“Our prayers have been answered!” he exclaimed. “We did not ask in vain. And, since we promised one another that we would share what Heaven should send, here is a handful of coins for each of you”.

The two monks gaped stupidly at the wealth lying on the ground. It was all money they had saved from collections in the Abbey, and they were taking it to a safe hiding-place. But there was little that they could say to the friar, for, having once told him that they had no money on their persons, they would be proved cheats if they tried to claim the money now.

“Take your steeds”, said the friar. “Go your way in the knowledge that you have done a great deed of kindness on this memorable day”.

The two monks shuffled away towards where their horses were tethered.

“Oh, and by the way”, called the friar after them, “next time you meet a poor man, be sure to show him as much honest charity”.

The monks made n reply. They mounted their horses, and made off into the forest.

The mendicant friar stood looking after them for a few moments, then he burst out laughing. As the mounted figures vanished into the greenwood, he took off his cowl and then stepped out of his long monkish habit. Underneath he was wearing Lincoln green!

The three watchers recognized him at once. He was Robin Hood! Suddenly Robin turned in their direction.

“Lady Ellen! Friar Tuck! Alan-a-Dale!” he cried still laughing. “Whatever are you doing behind that tree?”

The three looked guilty. Robin walked over to them.

“I saw you come”, he laughed. “Did you enjoy the fun? Come and help me to pick up all this wealth”.

The three ran to help their leader pick up the coins that the black monks had left behind.

“There must be well-nigh four hundred pounds here”, said Friar Tuck.

Well pleased with the morning’s fun, Robin Hood and his friends strode gaily back to their camp, the richer by four hundred pounds.

<== попередня сторінка	\|	наступна сторінка ==>
Chapter 17. Alan-A-Dale’s Wedding	\|	Chapter 19. Robin Hood and the King

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