The Sheriff of Nottingham collected taxes from all the towns in his county.

His tax collectors were knights and barons and churchmen.

One of these churchmen, the Abbot of Saint Mary's, came to Nottingham every year.

The Abbot brought the taxes he had collected from his town.

Knights and soldiers guarded the Abbot’s money.

Robin discovered that the Abbot was going to pass through the forest on his journey to Nottingham.

‘We must be ready to welcome him,’ said Robin.

Robin needed to know how many men were travelling with the Abbot.

The Sheriff of Nottingham was also looking forward to the Abbot’s visit.

‘Robin Hood will try to steal the tax money from the Abbot as he travels through the forest,’ the Sheriff told his men.

We must be ready for him.

Meanwhile, Robin’s friend Will set out to look for the Abbot and his men.

He waited and watched for approaching visitors near the forest’s edge.

After some time, he spotted a covered wagon with six white horses and many knights and soldiers.

Will followed the Abbot and his men to a small town nearby.

The men stopped for the evening at a small inn.

Will noticed that the men were Normans.

Normans like to have short hair and don’t like to have beards.

Maybe they will need a shave in the morning,’ thought Will, who was a barber.

Will passed the night on the road near the inn.

In the morning, he woke to the sound of the Abbot's men.

They were calling for a barber!

Barbeur!' the knights called in Norman French.

But there was no barber at the inn.

'I am a barber, good sirs,' Will told them.

'Do you know how to shave a monk's head?' the Norman knight asked.

'Yes, I do sir,' said Will.

‘These men have decided to become monks,’said the knight.

'Cut their hair and shave their heads.’

Will started to shave the men's heads.

As Will worked, he was listening to what the men said.

The men spoke French and they did not think that the barber understood.

'Robin Hood and his outlaws will think we are monks.

He will think we are harmless and without weapons.’ they plotted.

After their hair was cut, the knights put on the clothes of monks;

brown clothes that covered their swords and armour.

Then the Abbot of Saint Mary's came out of the inn.

He was wearing the clothes of a miller.

The soldiers put bags of flour onto their wagons

to cover the bags of gold.

The large covered wagon set off along the main road.

The knights, who were now dressed as monks, accompanied the covered wagon full of gold.

The Abbot of Saint Mary's travelled along in another smaller wagon.

He took another road through the forest.

Two knights rode beside his cart.

A group of women walked behind him.

One of the women carried a small child.

The group travelled slowly.

Will ran ahead of them and went to tell Robin what he had seen.