5 Little John Battles the Tanner of Blythe

CHAPTER 5 Little John Battles the Tanner of Blythe Little John had grown a bit fat over the winter, and Robin chided him frequently. "You've gained some softness around your belly," he teased one morning. "I may be soft, Master Robin, but I'm not so soft that I can't still tumble a man from a forest bridge," John retorted. The merry men laughed. They remembered John and Robin's first meeting.

第五章小约翰与布莱斯的坦纳作战经过一个冬天，小约翰长得有点胖了，罗宾经常责备他。 “你的肚子变软了，”一天早上他开玩笑说。 “我可能很软，罗宾少爷，但我还没有软到不能把人从森林桥上摔下来的地步。”约翰反驳道。 快乐的人们笑了。他们记得约翰和罗宾的第一次见面。

"That may be," chuckled Robin Hood, "but I am still the leader of this band, and I just remembered an errand I have for you. Some of the men need new clothes, but we are running low on Lincoln green and you need to buy cloth. I do believe the walk to Ancaster will do you good." Robin gave Little John money and sent him on his way. Despite his size, Little John sometimes acted like a small boy. Robin Hood loved Little John, but he knew his right-hand man could be lazy at times. Robin followed at a distance to make sure Little John completed his errand in a timely fashion. It was a beautiful day, with a few puffy clouds floating overhead. Little John was happy to be back in the forest again. As he ambled along, he saw a herd of deer trotting over a hill. Little John loved that sight. The law said the deer belonged to King Henry and that no man could hunt without the

“也许是这样，”罗宾汉咯咯地笑着说，“但我仍然是这群人的首领，我刚想起有件事要交给你。 有些人需要新衣服，但我们的林肯绿衣服快用完了，你需要买布料。 我相信到安开斯特去走走对你有好处。” 罗宾给了小约翰钱，送他上路了。 尽管小约翰身材高大，但他有时表现得像个小男孩。 罗宾汉爱小约翰，但他知道他的得力助手有时也会偷懒。 罗宾远远地跟在后面，以确保小约翰及时完成他的任务。 那天天气很好，头顶上飘着几朵浮云。 小约翰很高兴又回到了森林里。 当他缓步前行时，他看见一群鹿在小跑着翻过一座小山。 小约翰喜欢那景象。 法律规定这头鹿属于亨利国王，没有它任何人都不能打猎

king's permission, but Little John felt that the deer belonged as much to Robin and the men as to the king. As he approached the herd, Little John spied a man hiding by the side of the road. "Who goes there that hunts the king's deer?" he called out. The stranger shouted back, "My name is Arthur a Bland, from Blythe. I'm a tanner by trade, not a poacher. I do no wrong." This was only half true. Bland had no bow with him, but on many a day, he had hunted and killed the king's deer. Arthur a Bland enjoyed the taste of venison as much as any man. Unconvinced, Little John said, "Well, you've got a criminal look about you. I do think you are a thief!" "You lie through your teeth," declared Arthur a Bland.

但是小约翰觉得这只鹿既属于国王，也属于罗宾和人们。 当他走近鹿群时，小约翰发现路边藏着一个人。 “谁去那儿猎国王的鹿？”他喊道。 陌生人喊道：“我叫阿瑟·布兰德，来自布莱斯。 我是制革工，不是偷猎者。 我没有做错什么。”这只说对了一半。 布兰德没有带弓，但他曾多次猎杀国王的鹿。 阿瑟·布兰德和其他男人一样喜欢鹿肉的味道。。 小约翰不相信，说：“好吧，你有一副罪犯的样子。 我真的认为你是个小偷！”“你满口谎言。”阿瑟·布兰德大声说。

"Is that so?" growled Little John. "I will give you a beating you will never forget! Now take up your staff, for I will not hit an unarmed man." The two men came together slowly, circling each other like angry dogs before a fight. Bland was not quite as tall as John, but he was an expert with the staff. After a few moments, Little John struck. The blow clacked loudly against Bland's staff. Bland returned the blow, and John blocked it. Their mighty battle began. Just then, Robin caught up with them. He heard the thunderous blows and crouched behind a tree to watch. "I would give three golden pounds to see this fellow beat Little John," Robin chuckled to himself. "Perhaps it would teach him a lesson for straying from his errand." The two men fought on. Their feet wore

“是这样吗？”小约翰咆哮道。 “我要揍你一顿，你永远不会忘记！”拿起你的杖来，我不打手无寸铁的人。” 这两个人慢慢地走到一起，像发怒的狗一样围着对方打转。 布兰德不像约翰那么高，但他对工作人员很在行。 过了一会儿，小约翰动手了。 这一拳重重地打在布兰德的手杖上。 布兰德回敬了他一拳，约翰挡住了。 他们激烈的战斗开始了。 就在这时，罗宾赶上了他们。 他听到了雷鸣般的击打声，蹲在树后观看。 “我愿意出3个金英镑，看这个家伙打败小约翰，”罗宾暗自笑着说。 “也许这会给他一个教训，让他忘记自己的使命。” 那两个人继续战斗。他们的脚磨损了

out the earth beneath them, pushing it up in piles as they shoved each other up and down the forest floor with their staffs. "I have never seen anyone fight Little John like this before!" he said in amazement. The contest continued for nearly an hour, but then started to go badly for Little John. The extra weight he carried on his belly slowed him down, and he began to tire. Finally, Little John saw his chance. Rearing back, he swung his staff as hard as he could. Though the blow was strong, Arthur a Bland wore a thick cowhide cap. He tumbled when John hit him on the head, but he did not lose his senses. As John moved to strike again, Bland regained his balance and hit John first. The blow knocked Little John to the forest floor, and his staff flew out of his hand. Arthur a Bland leapt forward and brought his staff down hard on Little John's ribs.

他们用棍棒在森林的地面上互相推搡，把脚下的泥土一堆堆地推起来。 “我从来没见过有人这样打小约翰！”他惊讶地说。 比赛持续了将近一个小时，但小约翰开始陷入困境。 肚子上多余的重量拖慢了他的速度，他开始感到疲倦。 最后，小约翰看到了机会。 他向后仰起身子，用尽全力挥动着手杖。 虽然这一击很猛烈，阿瑟·布兰德还是戴了一顶厚厚的牛皮帽子。 约翰打了他的头，他摔倒了，但他没有失去知觉。 当约翰再次出击时，布兰德恢复了平衡，先打中了约翰。 这一击把小约翰打倒在森林的地板上，他的手杖从他手中飞了出去。 阿瑟·布兰德跳上前去，用手杖狠狠地打在小约翰的肋骨上。

"Hold! Hold!" panted Little John. "Would you hit a man while he was down?" "Why, yes, I would," Arthur a Bland replied. Then he struck again. "Hold, I say!" cried Little John. "I give up!" "Do you admit that I'm the better man?" Arthur a Bland demanded. "Yes, yes I do," Little John said weakly. Arthur a Bland relented. "Then you can go your way, and I'll go mine. You should be thankful that I am so merciful." "You call that mercy?" asked Little John in disbelief. "Each of my ribs feels broken. I never thought I would meet the man who could do that to me." Robin popped out from his hiding place. "I never thought I'd see it, either!" he laughed. "He knocked you down like a bottle off a wall!" Robin turned to Arthur a Bland. "What is your name, good fellow?"

“持有!等等！”小约翰喘着气说。 “你会在一个人倒地的时候打他吗？”“嗯，是的，我会的。”阿瑟·布兰德回答。 然后他又动手了。“等等，我说！”小约翰叫道。 “我放弃！”“你承认我比你强吗？”阿瑟·布兰德问道。 “是的，是的，我喜欢，”小约翰虚弱地说。 阿瑟·布兰德心软了。“那么你走你的路，我走我的路。 你应该感谢我的仁慈。” “你把这叫做仁慈？”小约翰难以置信地问。 “我的每根肋骨都感觉断了。 我从没想过我会遇到一个能对我做出这种事的人。” 罗宾从他的藏身之处跳出来。 “我也从没想过我会看到它！”他笑着说。 “他像把瓶子从墙上摔下来一样把你撞倒了！”罗宾转向阿瑟·布兰德。 “老兄，你叫什么名字？”