be heard. Norman knights and ladies, all friends of the Prince, were present in the hall. They were having a merry time. The dance floor had been cleared and couples were dancing to the music of the orchestra. The banquet table was laden with food and wine. The guests were wining and dining with great gusto.
Prince John, in his splendid costume and jewels, sat with his friends around him and plotted ways to seize the throne. He and Sir Guy spoke in whispers. The Prince wanted to proclaim himself king. He knew the Saxons would oppose him. There might even be a rebellion. He was not afraid because he knew that his soldiers would crush the rebellion. He was determined to become king, and with King Richard held in captivity, this was his chance.
He was furious when Sir Guy told him that Robin had shot the king’s deer. Sir Guy had decided to lie about the poacher.
“How dare he?” roared the Prince. “He shall be hanged for this.”
Barely had he spoken, when Robin, carrying the dead deer on his shoulder, burst in through the door, walked up to the banquet table and laid the deer in front of the Prince. Then he bowed grandly.
The Prince seemed to like Robin’s boldness and invited him to the banquet. Then he asked, “Do you think, as the Saxons do, that we make them pay high taxes?”
“You not only make them pay high taxes, you make them work harder, pay them less and beat or hang them without trial,” Robin replied boldly. “I think you should know that we will not tolerate this much longer.”
“What? You walk in uninvited and then dare to speak to me like this! The tax we are collecting is to pay the king’s ransom, and that money has to be paid to me.”
“Why? You are not the Regent.”
“I have declared myself the Regent.”
“Then you all are traitors,” Robin said to the Normans. “The money you are collecting is not for King Richard’s ransom. I’m sure of that.”
“What can you do about it?” Sir Guy asked.
“I will do what any loyal subject of King Richard would do,” was Robin’s answer. “I will lead a revolt. I will not let Saxons be killed. Hear this all of you. This is a warning. From now on, for every Saxon killed, a Norman will be killed. And we will carry on the fight till we can live as free men, not in fear and at the mercy of you and your men.”
For a moment there was stunned silence. Robin casually sat down. A spear whizzed past him as the Normans shouted, “Kill him! Kill him!”
In a flash, Robin took out his bow. The men stepped back, for Robin was famous for his archery. Robin leapt to a window. He knew Will and Much would be waiting below the window with his horse. He jumped down on to the saddle of his horse and the three men sped away.
4
The Normans were up in arms. They called for their horses and gave chase.
“Which way did the traitor go?” they asked the guard, their horses rearing to go.
The frightened guard pointed towards the forest. The knights galloped away in the direction of the forest, determined to kill Robin.
Robin heard the galloping horses and the angry shouts of the riders. He fixed a black arrow on his bow and released it. It whizzed through the trees and hit a Norman knight. He fell, but the others galloped on. Robin shot another arrow and another Norman knight fell.
Frightened by this, the rest of the Normans fled the forest. Robin rode back to Sherwood Forest.
“Now we cannot return to your castle,” grumbled Will.
“We’ll sleep on this soft green grass under the clear blue sky,” was Robin’s happy reply. “Feel the grass. It’s so fresh and cool.”
Then he called Much and said to him, “Go to the village and get Crippen, who is famous for the arrows he makes. Also, tell all Saxons who have been oppressed by Normans to come to the Gallows Oak in Sherwood Forest tomorrow night.”
Robin had chosen to live in Sherwood Forest for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was a very big forest with many clear streams. Secondly, it was so thickly wooded that a whole army could hide in its leafy shelter and never be discovered. It was an ideal place for Robin and his men.
Thirdly, Robin chose Sherwood because it stood between Prince John’s Nottingham Castle on one side, and Kenilworth Castle of Sir Guy and the Black Cannons Abbey of the Bishop on the other. Men and soldiers had to ride through Sherwood, whether on work or pleasure, every time they visited one another.
The day after Robin’s escape from Nottingham Castle, he and Will woke up while it was still dark. They walked quietly through the forest that was to become their home. It was beautiful, thought Robin. He loved the greenery, the fresh air and the freedom which he knew he would enjoy here. They watched as night gave way to dawn, and the sky turned orange. They sat down to admire the beauty of the sky and then moved on.
Suddenly, Robin stopped and pointed to a big, fat man sitting on the trunk of a tree that was lying across the stream. He held a long wooden pole.
“What a fat pole!” whispered Will.
“What a fat man!” exclaimed Robin.
Robin walked along the trunk of the tree towards the man.
“Let me pass, man.”
“I will not, not without a fight,” said the fat man.
Will, still on the bank of the stream, made a long pole from a branch and threw it to Robin. The two men fought with their poles for a long time. Suddenly the man’s pole hit Robin’s head and he fell into the water.
The man smiled and helped Robin out. Sitting on the trunk of the tree, Robin shook off the water from his ears and asked, “Who are you?”
“I am John Little. And you?”
“Once Robin of Locksley, now I’m Robin Hood.”
“Robin of Locksley? I came here to meet you.”
“Why?”
“I want to join your company, that’s why. Will you take me?”
“Yes, I will. We need persons like you, who can wield a wooden pole as well as you do. Meet Will Scarlet.”
So John Little joined Robin Hood’s band and came to be known as Little John.
5
At Nottingham Castle, Prince John was very angry. He paced up and down the hall, furious. Robin had dared to kill two of his knights! He would not tolerate such an insult.
A death warrant was prepared. The Prince signed it and gave it to Sir Guy, saying, “Declare Robin an outlaw, seize his castle and his lands. Issue orders that he must be killed on sight!”
But the Normans failed to catch Robin, even though their spies were everywhere.
“He has killed so many of my men,” wailed Sir Guy, “yet he roams free. Why? He terrifies
