Robin in Disguise

Shepherd and Sheep: Painting by Anton Mauve

Robin Hood and his Merry Men had devised a plan. Robin and Little John would dress as court jesters (Little John's size made him quite funny), and they would attempt to get the Bishop of Hereford drunk. Once drunk, the Bishop would hopefully be more open to sharing his information about the whereabout of "Fail-not." Hereford was three days journey by foot - Robin and his men proceeded immediately.

They were about halfway to Hereford when an old friend of Robin's came to them with a message. He told them that the Bishop of Hereford was nearing Barnsdale and planned to stay there that night. Robin knew their plan must adapt, immediately! He stopped dead in his tracks while his men proceeded up the road and plopped down on a stump to think. A few moments later, he had an idea. He ran to meet with his men!

Robin Hood transformed from outlaw to commander, telling his men the plan, "We must hurry towards Barnsdale as quickly as possible. I know a shepherd who lives there and he will let me borrow his clothing and his sheep. He owes me a favor! We will then proceed up the road to meet the Bishop of Hereford and his men. Little John! You will disguise yourself as a bear by using the hide from the bear we killed last night. I will protect the Bishop from this rabid bear and earn his good graces. Hurry, men! We must hurry!"

Little John and the rest of the Merry Men asked no questions. They trusted Robin Hood's plan and proceeded as quickly as possible.

The shepherd knew he owed Robin Hood a favor and gave him all he needed. Soon they were alongside the road about an hour outside of Barnsdale, Little John disguised as a bear and the rest disguised as shepherds. The Bishop of Hereford and his men would be coming upon them at any moment. Robin and his men would be ready!

"Look!" one of the Merry Men shouted.

Robin looked down the road and could just barely see the top of a horse-drawn carriage. That was the Bishop for sure he thought. No one else in these parts would ride in such a fancy carriage. He wondered why the Bishop was traveling so far north.

A few minutes later the Bishop and his men were upon them. Robin and the other "shepherds" waved at the Bishop's carriage as it passed by them. But then Little John (disguised as a bear) attacked from the back! His acting was impeccable. His roar legitimately sounded like a giant bear and he ran on all fours like a bear. Just as the Bishop and his men saw they were being attacked - Robin came to the rescue and "killed" the bear.

There was blood and squealing everywhere! How you might ask? Little John had carefully tied several live rabbits inside of the bear hide. Robin knew the exact placement of these rabbits and used his knife to kill each one. The Bishop had been saved from the bear!

He came out of his carriage eager to meet this hero. He exclaimed, "Young man, I am so thankful for your bravery. What is your name?"

Robin replied, "Your excellency, my name is James Shepherd."

"James! Please join me tonight and feast with me. I am mighty glad to alive."

"I would be honored!"

So Robin and the Bishop of Hereford discussed the location of the feast and made plans for the evening. The plan had worked wonderfully, thus far.

The dinner was glorious. Robin had not indulged in this much food in a long time. But he thought to himself how he must be careful and stick to the plan. The Bishop of Hereford, however, was not thinking much at all. He was quite drunk and invited Robin over to his table.

The Bishop said, "James, my son, you may be wondering why I have traveled so far north...?"

Robin responded, "I was actually wondering that when I heard you were heading this way."

"Well you see, James, there is this legendary bow called "Fail-not" and I plan to retrieve it for the great Prince John. However, all I know is that there is a clue engraved on a particular golden arrow, and it just so happens to be that Maid Marian is hosting a competition for the arrow in Nottingham. I have brought my best archers to participate. I plan to win - whatever the cost."

"Your excellency, I wish you great luck!" exclaimed Robin Hood.

With that Robin went back to enjoying the feast, as he had perfectly executed the plan. He would tell the Merry Men about this new information in the morning. Robin was not too worried - he knew he was the best archer in the world. He went to bed dreaming about winning the competition, and seeing the beautiful Maid Marian again.

*Author's Note: This story is primarily inspired by "Robin Hood and the Bishop of Hereford" from the English and Scottish Popular Ballads. The original story, also takes place in Barnsdale and involves Robin and his men disguising themselves as shepherds. In the original story, Robin takes the Bishop to Barnsdale and makes him dine and drink with him. In my story, the Bishop invites Robin to the feast, but, in both stories the Bishop gets drunk. In the original this leads to him getting robbed, and in my story it led to him spilling the secrets of the whereabout of "Fail-not."

The Indiana Jones arc in this story is mostly just the fact that they are looking for clues for a relic. But also, Indiana is known to disguise himself to blend in to his surroundings, whether this be as a Nazi or as a worker in an air balloon. This video, is maybe one of my favorite scenes in all of the Indiana Jones movies, and it involves a disguise!

Also, in this story there was a decent amount of geography. Sherwood Forest, Hereford, Barnsdale, and Nottingham were all mentioned. I did some slight research on Google Maps to make sure all of my descriptions were at least reasonable. Here is a map with all of these places - they all mostly follow the same general path.