As thus he strode along in anger, putting together the words he would use to chide Little John, he heard, of a sudden, loud and angry voices, as of men in a rage, passing fell words back and forth from one to the other.

At this, Robin Hood stopped and listened.

"Surely," quoth he to himself, "that is Little John's voice, and he is talking in anger also.

Methinks the other is strange to my ears.

Now Heaven forfend that my good trusty Little John should have fallen into the hands of the King's rangers.