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The Sheriff wants to catch the Wolfs-head and his followers once and
for all.  He sends to Normandy for Georges De Flamier, the foremost
manhunter of De Rainault's old lands.  De Flamier has managed to escape
from the French-held Normandy with his pack of bloodhounds, but he is
hotly pursued by a crack band of French soldiers, diguised as a band
of travelling Friars.  Robin and his men ambush them, just as they are
about to attack De Flamier.  They capture the Friars, and puzzle over
their weapons.  They wish the stranger (De Flamier) on his way, thinking
he is just a trader of dogs, while they keep the Friars prisoner, and
continue to question them.  Meanwhile, De Flamier arrives at Nottingham
Castle, and tells the sheriff what happenned.  They both laugh at Robin's
mistake, and De Rainault sends him off with soldiers headed by Gisburne.
They scent Robin by the smell from a strip of his tunic De Flamier stole.
Will and Much observe Gisburn and De Flamier pausing for a drink in
Wickham, and they see the dogs would rather stay and play with the
village children.  De Flamier is cruel to the animals.  Will and Much
sneak away to the camp, and warn the others.  They winch the captives
up into the trees, and Marian stays with them, while the others try
to lead the following dogs away from the camp.  One by one, they fall
captive, and get slung over the backs of horses.  Meanwhile, one of
the Friars manages to get the gag off, and whispers to Marian, telling
her the real story of their disguise, begging her to release them, and
that they are not concerned with Robin, only De Flamier.  She tells them
she cannot, but the soldiers and dogs approach, and she sees that Robin
and the others have been captured.  The Friars offer to rescue them, if
they can have De Flamier.  She cuts their ropes.  They jump down out of
the trees, and there is a big fight.  Marian frees Robin and the others,
and they join in on the fight.  Gisburne gets his foot tangled in the
dogs reins, and gets dragged through the forest back to Wickham.  Soon
the fight is won, and the Friars reveal themselves as French soldiers,
and tie up De Flamier to smuggle him back to France for trial.  Robin
and the others walk to Wickham, and wonder where the dogs got to.  In
the background, the village children are playing with the dogs behind
a hut.  They all laugh.

==============================================================================
    The following story is Copyright 1996, and belongs to James McGowan.
 The author allows free distribution of this story in electronic form as long
  as no fee is charged for it.  For distribution in other form, or inclusion
  in any publication charging a subscription or cover fee, please email the
      author James McGowan on james@sarsen.demon.co.uk for permission.
==============================================================================




                             "Hunting The Hunter"

                               By James McGowan




De Flamier jumped and landed with both feet firmly planted on the sodden
sands of the desolate beach.  His bloodhounds leaped from the small rowboat,
and bounded around him, glad to be on solid ground once again.  He gathered
up their reins, dealing one of the dogs a vicious kick to the head as he
did so.

"Mon Dieu, I may have to kill one of these curs to tame the others."  He
scanned the open sea, and his face dropped as he spied a large vessel, still
almost twice as far away as the ship he had just left, but obviously coming
in to shore.  The soldiers had been at his heels since Normandy, but they did
not have him yet.

"Get back to your ship before they kill you too", he urged the boatman.
"And give my thanks once again to your captain".  The boy pushed off from
the shore, and in a short time he was pulling the craft back towards the
larger vessel.  De Flamier watched the approaching French boat for a moment
longer before commanding the dogs up the steep beach and into the forest
which pressed on it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"But, my lord, you tried the hounds before" Gisburne protested.  He played
wistfully with a fruit.  "Why do you think that these hounds will find the
Wolfs-head?"

"Not the hounds, you fool.  The man.  Georges De Flamier is one of the finest
manhunters in Normandy."  Robert De Rainault was dangling a dead mouse in
front of Ajax, his favourite hawk.  The bird pecked at the exposed innards,
as the Sheriff watched approvingly.  "Barbaric, some might say."  De Rainault
grinned.  "But his methods are.... effective."

"As you say, my lord, but since we lost Normandy to the French, you know it
has been near impossible to get message either in or out of the country.
He may not be able to come"

"He'll come."  De Rainault slipped the small leather hood back onto Ajax.
He turned to Gisburne.  "Like most Norman noblemen who lost their lands when
the French invaded, he is also in need of money".  He rubbed his fingers in
Gisburne's face.  "He'll come for the money."  Gisburne took a bite of the
fruit.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The soldiers beached their boat, and leapt out onto the sands.  The leader
of the six bent down and inspected the markings on the sand.

"One man, and several dogs..... that has got to be De Flamier"  He turned
to the others.  "He cannot have gone very far.  The tracks lead up to that
break in the treeline.  Get the disguises."  The men reached into the boat
and pulled out the rough hemp cassocks.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From a gap in the trees, De Flamier watched as six friars pulled a boat
up the beach, and concealed it in the trees.  No ordinary friars, he
supposed, from the look of the longswords swinging under the dirty robes.
These soldiers were cunning.  He would have to be careful.

One of his dogs began to growl, and he silenced it with a kick to the side.
He pulled back from the gap, and began to make his hurried way inland.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Looks like the Earl's son has led us a merry dance", Will taunted from
a nearby tree branch.

"Hey", John shouted from another tree, "We're all bored sitting in treetops,
Scarlett.  We are all itching for a fight.  No need to pick one with Robin"
He plucked an acorn from a nearby branch and threw it at Will.  "I'll fight
you, Will, if you really want a fight."  The acorn bounced from Will's round
head.

"Ouch!"  He glared around.  "Who threw that?"  He looked around, menacingly.
Another acorn hit him from another direction.  Everyone laughed.

"People don't pass through Sherwood as much as they used to.", said Marian.
"We rob most of the Normans who pass through.  I would guess many are taking
the Pontefract road now"  She tossed an acorn at the back of Will's head.

Robin smiled as Will was pelted with acorns.  "Maybe we should try the
Pontefract road.  It's more dangerous, though."

"Anything is better than this", Will jeered.  He was immediately pelted
with acorns, and laughter.

"Stop!"  All noise stopped at the well-known word.  Robin had his hand in the
air, and everyone was once again poised, ready to leap from the trees at a
single word from their leader.  "Somebody's coming", he rasped.

They watched as a man burst into the clearing, being pulled along by a pack
of hunting dogs.  The man was exhausted, and was obviously being pursued.
He passed quite near to the group of trees concealing Robin and the others,
but his attentions were fully taken by the group of six friars who burst
into the clearing, wielding swords.  He let out a frightened gasp, and
his feet became entangled in the dog reins.  He fell to the ground.

From above, Robin and the others watched as the friars approached the
fallen man, and held him pinned to the ground with their swords.  They
spoke harshly to him, but the words could not be distinguished above.

Tuck quietly slithered along until he was close to Robin.  "I know I might
have been excommunicated, but I'm sure that longswords aren't part of a
brother's outfit, even in these difficult times."  Robin nodded.

"Get them!"  They dropped from the limbs of the oak trees onto the friars,
knocking them to the ground.  The stranger wriggled away from the swords,
still grasping the dog reins.

The friar that Tuck had landed on was already unconscious.  Tuck grabbed
his longsword and, holding it by the blade, he swung the heavy hilt in an
upward arc, catching another friar on the chin.  Marian's friar shook her
off with ease, throwing her roughly to the ground.  He approached on her,
and Marian feigned unconsciousness.  At the last moment, she swung her legs,
tripping him.  His head thumped sickeningly against a tree, and he lay still.

John had two on him, and he shook like a giant to free himself.  Will knocked
one of them to the ground with a single punch.  Much swinging a large stone
in his sling, thumped the other one on the head, and he too slithered to the
ground.

Robin had landed on the leader of the group, by far the strongest, and he
had recovered quickly.  He recovered his longsword and approached Robin,
who drew Albion, and sidestepped the friar's first clumsy lunge.  Nasir,
observing that the battle was over, except for Robin's opponent, drew his
throwing knife.  But the pair where moving too quickly for Nasir to risk
a throw of the deadly blade.

The head friar made another lunge on Robin, who lithely sidestepped, catching
him on the side of the head with Albion's hilt.  He crashed into the bushes
and was still.

"Is everyone well?  Any injuries?"  Robin looked around, at Marian nursing
her rear, at Will, flexing his fingers, his knuckles afire.  No-one seemed
to have been hurt.  Except for the fighting friars, of course.  "Much, find
something to tie these brothers with, I don't think we killed any of them."

"And you, my friend."  He knelt beside the stranger with the dogs.  "Why
were these brothers after you?"

"Oh kind sir", he blubbered, "I was only taking these dogs to Nottingham
market to be sold for hunting"   He eyed the others, suspiciously.  "I don't
have any money, if that's what you're looking for....."

"Be still...", Robin interrupted.  "We're not after your money.  Only answers
to our questions."  The others gathered round as Much bound the unconscious
friars in a neat row in the forest floor.  "You say you don't know these men
who attacked you?"  The man nodded.  Robin glanced around.  "Then we will have
to ask them..... when they wake up."

Marian helped the starnger to his feet.  "You are welcome to stay here for
a while.  Come to our camp and have some broth with us.  What is your name?"

"Very kind, my lady."  He pulled at the dogs.  "And anything left, the dogs
will eat, if it pleases you.  As to my name, you can call me Georges."

The first of the friars was waking.  He struggled for a moment with his
bindings, and realising that he was securely restrained, began to look
around wildly.  His wriggling woke the other captives, and soon they were
talking to one another in a language none of them understood.  The strange
dog-trader began to get edgy again.

"Don't worry, Georges.  They can't harm you now.", Robin assured him.
He turned to the friars on the ground.  "Do you understand me?"  They
nodded.  "Good.  I hope you see that you cannot escape.  We won't hurt
you if you do as we say.  Now get up and walk."

"This man is a dangerous criminal", the head friar said, as he got up.
"I hope you realise that he will kill us all."

"Just walk, friar!", Will spat, and pushed the friars along towards the
faint path leading to their campsite.  "All I see is six armed men on
one unarmed man.  If we hadn't interfered, it would have been you doing
the killing.   Now move it!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, at the camp, they sat around the fire, a venison feast already
eaten.  The six friars had refused to answer any questions, and were
bound and gagged on a nearby tree.  Georges was the life and soul of
the party, thrilling them with tales of Normandy and France, war and
adventure.

"You have seen many things.", Nasir said.  "For a trader in dogs."
 
Georges stopped, his face serious.  "I was not always a dog-trader.
Come, let me tell you of my adventures in the Holy Land....."

"It is time we slept.", Robin said.  "We can hear your tales another
time."

"I must be going at first light, my friends."  Georges glanced at the
friars, awake but motionless.  "But you are right.  We must sleep."
Georges attended to the dogs.  "Are you sure our Papal friends there
cannot get loose and kill me?"

"They won't be going anywhere", Will assured him.  

"Then I bid you goodnight, my friends."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Long after, when all were asleep, De Flamier got up, and approached the
bound friars.  All around was quiet, and the dogs were still asleep.

"God is looking after me, I see.", he whispered to the friars.  "I would
kill you all now, but it would probably wake the Wolfs-head.  Consider
yourself spared....this time."  The friar struggled, but Much had made
fast the bindings.  He could do nothing.

De Flamier paused at the dying fire.  Robin's tabard was lying on the ground,
beside his feet.  He picked it up, and tore a strip off the hem.  He placed
it back where it had been.  Quietly, he picked up his belongings, and
stirred the sleeping dogs.  He stole away into the night, in the direction
of Nottingham.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"One of his dogs has been trying to eat my tabard"  Robin held the garment
up for Marian to see.

"I wonder why he left so early.", John asked.  "We still don't really know
who he was.  I say we go after him."

"John's right.", Will stood up.  "Not a very friendly way to act, is this."

"Aye", Tuck added.  "And we still don't know why these brothers wanted to
kill him."  He pointed to the six friars, still securely bound.  "What are
we to do with them?"

Robin was thinking.  "Nottingham is too dangerous.  Will, you and Much should
go to Wickham, ask Edward if he knows anything."  He turned to Nasir.  "Nas,
can you follow him?"

Nasir crouched, and flicked at the dusty ground around where the dogs had
been sleeping.  He pointed.  "That way."  Robin nodded, and Nasir was gone
into the foilage with a single bound.

Much and Will took up their bows and headed for Wickham.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And you say that you camped with Robin Hood?"  The Sheriff threw back his
head and laughed wildly.  "Do you hear that Gisburne?  He has only been in
Sherwood a single night and he has managed to do what you fail to do.  Find
the outlaw's camp."

"But my lord....", Gisburne began.

"Silence, Gisburne."  He put his arm round De Flamier.  "Come, De Flamier.
Tell me more about the Wolfs-head, and especially how you will kill him."
He threw a sneering glance back at Gisburne.  "Sir Guy, make ready your
soldiers.  You shall be going hunting as soon as our friend has dined."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"No dogs passed through here."  Edward was sure.

"Let's hope Nasir finds him then."  Will looked around at the village,
just waking for another day.  The harvests from their strip fields hidden
from Norman eyes in the depths of the forest were in.  The heady smell of
small-beer was wafting from the brewer's hut, and Will found himself with
a substantial thirst on him.

"We might as well stay, and try the first barley mow of the year.  What do
you say, Much?"  Much grinned and nodded.  Edward called for a tub of
first drawn beer.

"Herne's gift", Edward added.  They all nodded, and went into Edward's hut.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robin was determined not to let the friars' silence enrage him.  "I will
ask you again.  Give me a reason not to kill you."  He drew Albion.  "Why
were you - holy men - chasing that man?  What crime had he committed?"

The head friar answered.  "His crime is against our country and yours.
We cannot tell you who we are, since we will be killed if it becomes known
that we are abroad in the country.  We do not mean you people any harm.  Our
quarrel is not with you.  I beg you, let us free, and we will be gone from
here.  I can say no more."

Tuck looked the friar from head to toe.  "You're not brothers from any of
the orders I know about.  Which order are you from?  And where is your
Papal commission and dispensation to kill this man?"  The man remained
silent.  "Robin, I don't think these men are friars at all."

"That doesn't help us.  What are we to do with them?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nasir continued to follow the trail, until it joined the Nottingham road.
There was not much doubt now.  The stranger had gone to the Castle.  he had
better get back to Robin, and tell him what he had found.

Just then, some carters passed, with freshly killed venison.

Nasir asked one of the cart boys "Who is this fine meat for?"

"Georges De Flamier dines with the Sheriff tonight.  They are celebrating.

Nasir was gone.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will laughed, throwing his head back, falling off the stool onto the rough
dried-mud floor of the hut.  Much laughed and splashed him with small-beer.
"You've had too much beer, Will Scarlett.  What will Robin say."

Will emptied his bowl.  "Robin nothing.  Fill me up again, Edward."

Suddenly a boy came running into the hut.  "Father, father!  Soldiers
are coming!  And a man with dogs.  Quickly!"

Will and Much were on the alert.  "We must get away", Will spat.

"No time.", Edward answered.  "Hide under those barley bales.  I'll distract
them as best I can."

The scrambled under the heavy bales of crop, pushing themselves right into
the corner between the wattle wall and floor.  Edward went out into the
village to meet Sir Guy and De Flamier as they strode into the village with
a dozen soldiers at their heels.

"What can I do for you, sire?"  Edward bowed his head slightly.

"First you can bring water for my horse.  Then my men will have some of that
vile beer I can smell."  He dismounted, and approached De Flamier.  "This is
Wickham, were we have found the Wolfs-head more times than anywhere else.
We will stop here to rest, then we'll see what your animals can do."

"I will allow them to roam the village, Sir Guy"  He loosened the dogs, who
bounded off, glad to be away from his vicious kick.  "Perhaps they may find
a scent of the outlaw hereabouts."

"How do they know what scent to follow?", Gisburne asked.

"From this..", De Flamier dug into his pocket, and pulled out a strip of
green material.  Part of Robin Hood's clothing.  "The dogs will find him.
If he is in Sherwood still, they will find him."  Sir Guy smiled, nodding.

They set about drinking the beer offered by Edward.  They did not notice
two figures slipping away from the village into the safety of the forest.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I say we set them free." John was getting bored.  "Or kill them."

"No, we'll keep them a while longer.  At least until we see what the others
have found out."  Robin paced the camp.  "Where have they got to?"

"Will can look after himself and Much.  And Nasir...."

At that moment, Nasir appeared.  He was breathless, and eagerly gulped the
wine offered by Marian.

"Well, did you find him?", Robin asked.

"No.", Nasir gasped.  "He went to Nottingham Castle"

"To the castle!", Marian grasped Robin's hand.  "Why would he go there?

"His name is Georges De Flamier", Nasir added.

"De Flamier!"  Tuck's usually red face went ashen.  "I should have known.
The most feared manhunter in all of Normandy!  Robin, if he is here, at
Nottingham, with the Sheriff..."

"He is here to hunt me.", Robin strode to the edge of the clearing, and
gazed out over the tree-covered hillside.

"We don't know that, Robin", John joined him.  "Let's wait and see what
Will and Much have to say."

Robin nodded.  "We may have to flee from our camp here, or even from Sherwood
altogether, at least for a while.  We must prepare.  We must hide the captives,
and try to lead them away from here."

"Why don't we just release them", John suggested.  "If they were after this
De Flamier, then maybe they will help us?"

"Too risky, John.  They refuse to answer our questions.  We can't trust them,
not yet.  We need to hide them."  Robin looked around for a hiding place.

"We could hide them in the high limbs of the trees?", Marian suggested.

"Yes."  Robin looked up at the trees.  "Tuck, John, Nasir, help me pull the
prisoners up into that tree there.  Bind them well to and stop them from
shouting out.   Marian, pack up the camp, we are moving."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will staggered against the side of a tree.

"Come on, Will!", Much pulled him roughly.  "They're not far behind!"

"I should never have drunk all that beer", Will muttered as he lurched
along, grabbing trees as he went by, to support himself.  "My poor head."

"Come on, Will!", Much pulled him through a thicket into a clearing.
In front of them stood a dozen blue-caped swordsmen, with Gisburne on
horseback behind them.

"Well, well, well." Gisburne jeered.  "Two of the Wolfs-head's friends"
He motioned to the soldiers.  "Guards.  Tie them up."

Will, too exhausted to fight, fell to the ground, and was roughly bound
by the soldiers.  Much was tied, and they were both unceremoniously thrown
across the back of a horse.

"Well, Sir Guy", De Flamier said.  "A good start for the dogs, wouldn't you
say?"

Gisburne snarled.  "We would have caught them anyway.  We might have done so
a lot sooner if your damn animals hadn't been off playing with the village
children back in Wickham."  Some of the men laughed.  "Are these hunting dogs,
or children's playmates?", Gisburne continued.

De Flamier looked dangerously at Gisburne.  "We'll see, m'lord, how well these
dogs turn out at the end of the day.  I'm sure you won't be insulting my dogs
when the Sheriff makes me his escort."

"You?", Gisburne sneered.  "I think you are getting above yourself.  Now get
those animals moving.  We haven't caught Robin hood yet, you know."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where can they be, Robin.", John was worried.  "I just hope that he is
looking after Much."

"They will be fine.  Will's a good fighter.", Robin consoled.

Tuck, from a tree branch above, said "I don't want to worry you, Robin.
But Gisburne is coming - and he's got Will and Much."  He jumped down.
"We have to go, now."

Robin grabbed his bow.  "Marian, we will lead them away from here."
She clutched his hands.  "You stay with the prisoners.  You will be safe up
there in the heights of the tree.  They won't find you."

"I can't let you go, Robin.  It's just like last time.  The dogs, the chase.
I'm not getting separated from you.  I just can't let it happen again."

"Marian, stop.  It's not like last time.  I'm not Loxley.  I have to go.
And you have to stay to watch over the prisoners.  I need you to stay here."

"But Robin....", she began.  But he pressed his fingers over her lips.

"Now get up into that tree, my love.  We will be back for you tonight."
Marian desisted once more, but she could see that time was running out,
and there was no point arguing with his will.

"Be careful Robin!"  She grabbed a creeper and climbed up into the high
limbs of the tree, joining the bound prisoners.

Robin and the others bounded off into the forest.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

De Flamier held his hand up, to motion the others to stop.  "We are getting
close to where the outlaws camped last night.

"Can your animals smell them yet?", Sir Guy demanded.

In the distance, the figures of John, Tuck and Robin could be seen running up
a steep bank on the other side of the river.

"Wait....", De Flamier ordered.  "Over there, in the trees....."

"Robin Hood!", shouted Gisburne.  "Get him!"  The soldiers charged into the
trees.  Gisburne leaped from his horse and followed them.  The dogs pulled
De Flamier forwards, and he could barely control them.

Gisburne was in command now, shouting orders to his men.  "You three, go
down the river further - there is a crossing place.  You will get to the
other side before them.  Head them off."   Three blue-capes peeled off to
the left and made their way down river.  Gisburne led the chase into the
cold river.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marian clung to the swaying branch, high above the forest floor.

"My lady, will you untie us?", the head friar begged.

"Be quiet now", Marian warned.  "Can you not see what peril we are in?"

"But my lady, untie us, and let us help you"

"Why should you help us?  You are more likely to slit my throat."
Marian felt for the dagger at her belt.  "Now be quiet, or we'll all be
killed by Gisburne and that traitor."

"His name is Georges Henri Montague De Flamier, and we are here to
capture him, and take him back to France to try him for crimes against
the King.  He is a filthy Norman murderer."  He looked at the others,
and they nodded in agreement.  "I tell you this only because you are in
mortal danger.  We are not brothers, your man was right.  We are soldiers
of King Louis, may God protect him on his Crusade."

"You are enemies of the Normans?", Marian was surprised that such men
would venture so far into enemy territory.  "If Sir Guy catches you,
it will not go well for you.  You will be hung."

"That is why I think we are united against a common foe, my lady."
Marian paused, considering.  "My lady, we have no quarrel with your band
of outlaws.  We merely wish to capture De Flamier, or at least to escape
back to our land with our lives.  I beg you to release us."

"But I....I can't.  Not until the others are safe.  If you are lying,
you will surely kill me.  How can I be sure that what you say is true?"

"You cannot, my lady.  Except that I give you my word as a soldier of
His Majesty King Louis of France."

Marian thumped her fist on the bole of the tall tree, considering.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This way, Tuck.  Come on!"  Robin's heart was pounding.  He could hear
Gisburne and the soldiers thrashing through the river behind them.  The
dogs were yelping, on the scent.

"At least they're after us, and left Marian alone.", John panted.

"For now."  Robin paused to see how close the soldiers were.  "Let's hope
we can lose them in the deep forest.  Maybe we should split up?"

"I'll head for the stepping stones downriver", John grunted.

"Aye, and I'll take the Kirklees road - there's lots of hiding places
there."  Tuck was seriously tired, and his extra weight meant he would not
be able to outpace his pursuers on flat ground.

"Good."  Robin waved them on their way.  "Nasir, try to double-back behind
them.  See if Marian is alright.  Free Will and Much if you can, and don't
get caught."  Nasir nodded and was off into the forest.

He jumped onto a deadfall tree and shouted at the pursuing soldiers, who
had reached the near bank of the river.  "Come on Gisburne, catch me if
you can!"  He bounded off through the sparse young trees, making good
distance.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The three soldiers reached the stepping stones, out of breath.  They paused
for a moment, and one by one, stepped onto the long thin line of stones
which spanned the river just as it dashed down a natural weir into a tumble
of stones.

The soldiers were halfway across, when John Little burst out of the trees
on the far bank.  A look of surprise was replaced by a broad grin, as he
saw that the soldiers did not carry bows.  "One at a time, sirs", John
shouted, leaping the stones, three at a time until he met them in the
middle.

As he approached, the lead soldier stopped and turned, to go back.  But
the stone behind him was already taken by the next soldier, and unwilling
to look cowardly in front of his fellow men, he faced the approaching giant
with his sword drawn.

John, grinning wildly, tapped the end of his quaterstaff on the stone in
front of the lead soldier.  "Come on then, a fair fight, is it not?"

The soldier lunged with his sword, but John deflected it with a twist of
the pole.  Swinging the other end round quickly, he delt the soldier a
stiff blow to the chest.  He growled with joy, as the man doubled up.
With a step on to the next stone for grounding, he brough the staff down
onto the soldier's helmet, knocking him into the river.

"Next?", he grinned at the next soldier, who took a step back after seeing
his colleague plunge unconscious into the river.  "Come now, time for a
swim"  The third soldier, unbalanced by the second man's backwards step,
pushed him back forward again almost into John.

John swung the quarterstaff in a diagonal arc, but the soldier caught it
in the hilt of his sword, almost by accident.  He thew his arm to the side,
and John was unbalanced for a moment.  The soldier began to grin, as John
teetered on the edge of falling....

John freed his staff, and plunged its end into the river.  Using it for a
support, he swung his leg out and round, catching the soldier behind the
knee, knocking him down into the weir.

Recovering his footing, John squared up to the final soldier, feinging
attacks and growling to frighten him.  Two men beaten, only one to go,
surely he was almost home and dry?  Suddenly, he felt the icy steel
of a sword touch the very nape of his neck.

"Drop the staff, outlaw", said the soldier behind him.

John froze.  His eyes darted from side to side.  He could see one of the
fallen soldiers, but not the other.  He must have climbed out behind him.
Sighing, he dropped the staff.  The soldier behind grabbed him by the hair,
and led him to the other bank.

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Gisburne reached the point where the others had split up.  The dogs
were running wild, in opposite directions.

"They must have split up here, my lord", De Flamier guessed.  "The dogs
can find the trails leading down to the river there."

"We know the Wolfs-head went that way."  Gisburne pointed through the
nearby young trees.  "If any of them went down to the river crossing,
my men will find them.  The only other way is towards Kirklees."  He
looked around at the available men.  "You three, head that way, they
may seek sanctuary at Kirklees Abbey.  Catch them before they reach it."

He checked that he had covered all possibilities.  "Right, let's get after
the Wolfs-head outlaw.  This way."  He plunged into the midst of the young
saplings, with De Flamier, the bloodhounds, and the remaining soldiers
at his heels.

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Tuck settled himself down into the bole of a large tree.  He had used this
hollow space many a time, and had secreted bags of dried pork in case of
emergencies.  Chuckling at his cunning, he nibbled at a strip of dried meat.

"Gisburne will never find me here", he chuckled, parting the branches of
a bush which covered the entrance to the hole.   The soldiers were just
emerging from the deep forest onto the Kirklees road.  Tuck pulled the
branches carefully over the hole, and nibbled a comforting pork strip.

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