When Robin was a very young man he heard that the Sheriff of Nottingham was going to have a shooting match.

“Now,” said Robin, “I would like to go to this shooting match and win the prize.” And so Robin took his bow and arrows, and started for Nottingham.

As he walked along, he came upon some Foresters of the King who were sitting under a big tree. They were eating meat, which they had cooked over a fire. “Hello. Where are you going, little boy, with your penny bow and your ten-penny arrows?” This made Robin angry. He said, “I am going to try and win the shooting match in Nottingham.” The men laughed at Robin.

This made Robin still the more angry. So he said, “Look there through the trees. Can you see the deer standing in that valley? I will give you all my money if I cannot kill it!” “Done!” cried the man who had spoken first. Robin made ready his bow, took a long arrow and drew it back to his ear. The next minute, the arrow was flying down the valley and hit the deer.“I will have all your money as promised!” Robin declared. All the men jumped up very angry. “No!” the first forester cried, “I will give you nothing except a good beating if you do not leave now!” “That was a king’s deer!”, the men cried. Robin was so angry he just turned and walked away.

The man who had been taunting Robin yelled, “Do not walk so slowly!” And he shot an arrow at Robin, but it barely missed. Robin did not stop to think, he quickly shot an arrow back at the man. The arrow flew straight into the heart of the man and he fell with a loud cry. The forester quickly ran to tell the Sheriff, who put out a warrant for Robin’s arrest.

Robin ran deep into the forest. He felt very sorry that he had killed the man. But now he could never return home because the Sheriff would surely hang him. Robin lived in Sherwood Forest and other men who had broken the law came to live with him. They formed a band with laws of their own. They vowed never to hurt or take anything from a hard-working man, to only take money and food from those who have gotten them from doing wrong, to help the poor when they are in need or trouble and to never hurt a woman or child.

The End