On the fourth day he forgot to ask, for he was busy with big Little
John, who smiled with satisfaction when young Robin chose to stay
with him instead of going with some of the men into the forest
after a deer.

Young Robin forgot to ask when he was to be shown the way home,
because Little John had promised to make him a bow and arrows and
to teach him how to use them. The great tall outlaw kept his word
too, and long before evening he hung a cap upon a broken bough of
an oak tree and set young Robin to work about twenty yards away
shooting arrows at the mark.

"You've got to hit that every time you shoot," said Little John;
"and when you can do that at twenty yards you have got to do it at
forty. Now begin."

For the bow was ready and made of a piece of yew, and half a dozen
arrows had been finished.

"Think you can hit it?" said Little John, after showing the boy how
to string his bow and fit the notch of the arrow to the string.

"Oh! yes," said Robin confidently.

"That's right! then you will soon be able to kill a deer."

"But I don't want to kill a deer," said the boy. "I want to see
some, but I shouldn't like to kill one."

"Wait till you're hungry, my fine fellow," said Little John,