"Hearest thou our master ?" quoth he, with a sly wink.

"Whenever he cometh across some poor piece of wit he straightway layeth it on the shoulders of this Gaffer Swanthold--whoever he may be--so that the poor goodman goeth traveling about with all the odds and ends and tags and rags of our master's brain packed on his back." Thus spake Friar Tuck, but in a low voice so that Robin could not hear him, for he felt somewhat nettled at Robin's cutting his talk so short.
In the meantime the mark at which they were to shoot was set up at sixscore paces distance.

It was a garland of leaves and flowers two spans in width, which same was hung upon a stake in front of a broad tree trunk.

"There," quoth Robin, "yon is a fair mark, lads.

Each of you shoot three arrows thereat; and if any fellow misseth by so much as one arrow, he shall have a buffet of Will Scarlet's fist." "Hearken to him!" quoth Friar Tuck.