“Give a sword into my hand, Sir Sheriff,” said he, “and wounded man though I be, I will fight thee and all thy men till life and strength be gone.”

“Nay, thou naughty varlet,” quoth the Sheriff, turning his head and looking right grimly upon Will Stutely, “thou shalt have no sword but shall die a mean death, as beseemeth a vile thief like thee.”

“Then do but untie my hands and I will fight thee and thy men with no weapon but only my naked fists.  I crave no weapon, but let me not be meanly hanged this day.”

Then the Sheriff laughed aloud.  “Why, how now,” quoth he, “is thy proud stomach quailing?  Shrive thyself, thou vile knave, for I mean that thou shalt hang this day, and that where three roads meet, so that all men shall see thee hang, for carrion crows and daws to peck at.”

“O thou dastard heart!” cried Will Stutely, gnashing his teeth at the Sheriff.  “Thou coward hind!  If ever my good master meet thee thou shalt pay dearly for this day’s work!  He doth scorn thee, and so do all brave hearts.  Knowest thou not that thou and thy name are jests upon the lips of every brave yeoman?  Such a one as thou art, thou wretched craven, will never be able to subdue bold Robin Hood.”

“Ha!” cried the Sheriff in a rage, “is it even so?  Am I a jest with thy master, as thou callest him?  Now I will make a jest of thee and a sorry jest withal, for I will quarter thee limb from limb, after thou art hanged.”  Then he spurred his horse forward and said no more to Stutely.

At last they came to the great town gate, through which Stutely saw the fair country beyond, with hills and dales all clothed in verdure, and far away the dusky line of Sherwood’s skirts.  Then when he saw the slanting sunlight lying on field and fallow, shining redly here and there on cot and farmhouse, and when he heard the sweet birds singing their vespers, and the sheep bleating upon the hillside, and beheld the swallows flying in the bright air, there came a great fullness to his heart so that all things blurred to his sight through salt tears, and he bowed his head lest the folk should think him unmanly when they saw the tears in his eyes.  Thus he kept his head bowed till they had passed through the gate and were outside the walls of the town.  But when he looked up again he felt his heart leap within him and then stand still for pure joy, for he saw the face of one of his own dear companions of merry Sherwood; then glancing quickly around he saw well-known faces upon all sides of him, crowding closely upon the men-at-arms who were guarding him.  Then of a sudden the blood sprang to his cheeks, for he saw for a moment his own good master in the press and, seeing him, knew that Robin Hood and all his band were there.  Yet betwixt him and them was a line of men-at-arms.

“Now, stand back!” cried the Sheriff in a mighty voice, for the crowd pressed around on all sides.  “What mean ye, varlets, that ye push upon us so?  Stand back, I say!”