Page:Life and adventures of Robin Hood.pdf/20

 King Richard announced the prizes which were to be bestowed on the best marksmen, and the courtiers began to offer bets of six to one in favour of the king's men; but no one would bet against them. "Will no knight venture his money on my side?" said the queen. "Come, Sir Robert Lee, you must try your fortune;" but the knight begged to be excused, as there was no chance of success. The queen then asked the Bishop of Hereford, Robin Hood's old foe; but he swore by his silver mitre, that he would not bet one penny. "If you won't bet on the queen's side, how much will you venture on the king's?" said Robin. "All the gold I have with me, which is five hundred pounds," replied the bishop, and he laid the money on the ground. Robin immediately produced a bag of the same value, and threw it down upon the green.

Before the bowmen began, Queen Eleanor craved this boon from the king—that he should not be angry with any of her archers; but that they should be free to stay at court during the match, and afterwards to have forty days to retire to where they pleased. King Richard agree to this; and then ordered the targets to be placed. The king's archers lodged about forty arrows in the target; but Robin's bowmen, to the astonishment of all the court, placed all their arrows in the mark.

The captain of the king's archers challenged Robin to shoot three arrows with him for one hundred pounds; to which Robin agreed, on condition that he would shoot one at the mark he produced. A fresh target was set up, and the captain, amidst thunders of applause, fixed his three arrows in the mark, and one of them in the very centre of the target; but Robin, with seeming carelessness, let fly his first arrow, which split the centre one to shivers, and stuck in its place. Robin then caused two willow wands to be stuck in the ground at double distance, observing, that this was the kind of mark he was accustomed to, and challenged all the king's archers to a trial; but as none of them durst venture after what they had seen, Robin, with the remaining two arrows, clove both the wands. The king's bowmen wisperedwhispered [sic] to each other, that he must be the devil, for there never was such archery seen before; but the Bishop of Hereford said to the king, "I know now who they are; that is Robin Hood, and these fellows are his band." The king would not have allowed them to depart; but as his word had been already given for their security, he made a noble feast, bestowed on them the prizes, and sent them away with honour.

King Richard often thought of the wonderful dexterity