The Lord of the Rings Part 1

The Fellowship of the Ring

By J. R. R. Tolkien
Part 1: The Fellowship of the Ring
Part 2: The Two Towers
Part 3: The Return of the ing
Three Rings for the !l"en#kings under
the sky$
%e"en for the &warf#lords in their
halls of stone$
'ine for (ortal (en doo)ed to die$
*ne for the &ark Lord on his dark
throne
+n the Land of (ordor where the
%hadows lie.
*ne Ring to rule the) all$ *ne Ring
to find the)$
*ne Ring to ,ring the) all and in the
darkness ,ind the)
+n the Land of (ordor where the
%hadows lie.
-*'T!'T%
F*R!.*R&
PR*L*/0!
1. -on1erning 2o,,its
2. -on1erning Pipe#weed
3. *f the *rdering of the %hire
3. *f the Finding of the Ring
'ote on the %hire re1ords
T2! F!LL*.%2+P *F T2! R+'/
Book +
-hapter 1 4 Long#e5pe1ted Party
-hapter 2 The %hadow of the Past
-hapter 3 Three is -o)pany
-hapter 3 4 %hort -ut to (ushroo)s
-hapter 6 4 -onspira1y 0n)asked
-hapter 7 The *ld Forest
-hapter 8 +n the 2ouse of To)
Bo),adil
-hapter 9 Fog on the Barrow#&owns
-hapter : 4t the %ign of The Pran1ing
Pony
-hapter 1; %trider
-hapter 11 4 nife in the &ark
-hapter 12 Flight to the Ford
Book ++
-hapter 1 (any (eetings
-hapter 2 The -oun1il of !lrond
-hapter 3 The Ring /oes %outh
-hapter 3 4 Journey in the &ark
-hapter 6 The Bridge of ha<ad#d=)
-hapter 7 Lothl>rien
-hapter 8 The (irror of /aladriel
-hapter 9 Farewell to L>rien
-hapter : The /reat Ri"er
-hapter 1; The Breaking of the
Fellowship
T2! T.* T*.!R%
Book +++
-hapter 1 The &eparture of Boro)ir
-hapter 2 The Riders of Rohan
-hapter 3 The 0ruk#2ai
-hapter 3 Tree,eard
-hapter 6 The .hite Rider
-hapter 7 The ing of the /olden
2all
-hapter 8 2el)?s &eep
-hapter 9 The Road to +sengard
-hapter : Flotsa) and Jetsa)
-hapter 1; The @oi1e of %aru)an
-hapter 11 The PalantAr
Book +@
-hapter 1 The Ta)ing of %)Bagol
-hapter 2 The Passage of the (arshes
-hapter 3 The Bla1k /ate is -losed
-hapter 3 *f 2er,s and %tewed
Ra,,it
-hapter 6 The .indow on the .est
-hapter 7 The For,idden Pool
-hapter 8 Journey to the -ross#roads
-hapter 9 The %tairs of -irith 0ngol
-hapter : %helo,?s Lair
-hapter 1; The -hoi1es of (aster
%a)wise
T2! R!T0R' *F T2! +'/
Book @
-hapter 1 (inas Tirith
-hapter 2 The Passing of the /rey
-o)pany
-hapter 3 The (uster of Rohan
-hapter 3 The %iege of /ondor
-hapter 6 The Ride of the Rohirri)
-hapter 7 The Battle of the Pelennor
Fields
-hapter 8 The Pyre of &enethor
-hapter 9 The 2ouses of 2ealing
-hapter : The Last &e,ate
-hapter 1; The Bla1k /ate *pens
Book @+
-hapter 1 The Tower of -irith 0ngol
-hapter 2 The Land of %hadow
-hapter 3 (ount &oo)
-hapter 3 The Field of -or)allen
-hapter 6 The %teward and the ing
-hapter 7 (any Partings
-hapter 8 2o)eward Bound
-hapter 9 The %1ouring of the %hire
-hapter : The /rey 2a"ens
4PP!'&+-!%
4 4''4L% *F T2! +'/% 4'&
R0L!R%
+ The 'C)enorean ings
D+E 'C)enor
D++E The Real)s +n !5ile
D+++E !riador$ 4rnor$ and The 2eirs *f
+sildur
D+@E /ondor and The 2eirs *f
4nFrion
D@E 2ere Follows a Part of The Tale
of 4ragorn and 4rwen
++ T2! 2*0%! *F !*RL
+++ &0R+'?% F*L
2ere follows one of the last notes in
the Red Book
B T2! T4L! *F G!4R%
D-2R*'*L*/G *F T2!
.!%TL4'&%E
The %e1ond 4ge
The Third 4ge
- F4(+LG TR!!%
& -4L!'&4R%
%2+R! -4L!'&4R F*R 0%! +'
4LL G!4R%
T2! -4L!'&4R%
! .R+T+'/ 4'& %P!LL+'/
+ Pronun1iation of .ords and 'a)es
++ .riting
F
+ The Languages and Peoples of The
Third 4ge
++ *n Translation
+'&!H!%
+ %ongs and @erses
++ Persons$ Beasts and (onsters
+++ Pla1es
+@ Things
##############################################
F*R!.*R&
This tale grew in the telling$ until it
,e1a)e a history of the /reat .ar of
the Ring and in1luded
)any gli)pses of the yet )ore
an1ient history that pre1eded it. +t was
,egun soon after AThe
2o,,itA was written and ,efore its
pu,li1ation in 1:38I ,ut + did not go
on with this seJuel$ for +
wished first to 1o)plete and set in
order the )ythology and legends of
the !lder &ays$ whi1h had
then ,een taking shape for so)e
years. + desired to do this for )y own
satisfa1tion$ and + had little
hope that other people would ,e
interested in this work$ espe1ially
sin1e it was pri)arily linguisti1
in inspiration and was ,egun in order
to pro"ide the ne1essary ,a1kground
of ?history? for !l"ish
tongues.
.hen those whose ad"i1e and opinion
+ sought 1orre1ted Alittle hopeA to Ano
hope$A + went
,a1k to the seJuel$ en1ouraged ,y
reJuests fro) readers for )ore
infor)ation 1on1erning ho,,its
and their ad"entures. But the story
was drawn irresisti,ly towards the
older world$ and ,e1a)e an
a11ount$ as it were$ of its end and
passing away ,efore its ,eginning and
)iddle had ,een told. The
pro1ess had ,egun in the writing of
AThe 2o,,it$A in whi1h there were
already so)e referen1es to
the older )atter: !lrond$ /ondolin$
the 2igh#el"es$ and the or1s$ as well
as gli)pses that had arisen
un,idden of things higher or deeper or
darker than its surfa1e: &urin$ (oria$
/andalf$ the
'e1ro)an1er$ the Ring. The
dis1o"ery of the signifi1an1e of these
gli)pses and of their relation to
the an1ient histories re"ealed the
Third 4ge and its 1ul)ination in the
.ar of the Ring.
Those who had asked for )ore
infor)ation a,out ho,,its e"entually
got it$ ,ut they had to wait
a long ti)eI for the 1o)position of
AThe Lord of the RingsA went on at
inter"als during the years
1:37 to 1:3:$ a period in whi1h + had
)any duties that + did not negle1t$ and
)any other interests
as a learner and tea1her that often
a,sor,ed )e. The delay was$ of
1ourse$ also in1reased ,y the
out,reak of war in 1:3:$ ,y the end of
whi1h year the tale had not yet
rea1hed the end of Book
*ne. +n spite of the darkness of the
ne5t fi"e years + found that the story
1ould not now ,e wholly
a,andoned$ and + plodded on$ )ostly
,y night$ till + stood ,y Balin?s to),
in (oria. There + halted
for a long while. +t was al)ost a year
later when + went on and so 1a)e to
Lothl>rien and the /reat
Ri"er late in 1:31. +n the ne5t year +
wrote the first drafts of the )atter that
now stands as Book
Three$ and the ,eginnings of 1hapters
+ and +++ of Book Fi"eI and there as
the ,ea1ons flared in
4n>rien and ThBoden 1a)e to
2arrowdale + stopped. Foresight had
failed and there was no ti)e for
thought.
+t was during 1:33 that$ lea"ing the
loose ends and perple5ities of a war
whi1h it was )y task to
1ondu1t$ or at least to report$ 1 for1ed
)yself to ta1kle the Kourney of Frodo
to (ordor. These
1hapters$ e"entually to ,e1o)e Book
Four$ were written and sent out as a
serial to )y son$
-hristopher$ then in %outh 4fri1a with
the R4F. 'onetheless it took another
fi"e years ,efore the
tale was ,rought to its present endI in
that ti)e + 1hanged )y house$ )y
1hair$ and )y 1ollege$ and
the days though less dark were no less
la,orious. Then when the ?end? had at
last ,een rea1hed the
whole story had to ,e re"ised$ and
indeed largely re#written ,a1kwards.
4nd it had to ,e typed$ and
re#typed: ,y )eI the 1ost of
professional typing ,y the ten#
fingered was ,eyond )y )eans.
AThe Lord of the RingsA has ,een
read ,y )any people sin1e it finally
appeared in printI and +
should like to say so)ething here
with referen1e to the )any opinions
or guesses that + ha"e
re1ei"ed or ha"e read 1on1erning the
)oti"es and )eaning of the tale. The
pri)e )oti"e was the
desire of a tale#teller to try his hand at
a really long story that would hold the
attention of readers$
a)use the)$ delight the)$ and at
ti)es )ay,e e51ite the) or deeply
)o"e the). 4s a guide + had
only )y own feelings for what is
appealing or )o"ing$ and for )any
the guide was ine"ita,ly often
at fault. %o)e who ha"e read the
,ook$ or at any rate ha"e re"iewed it$
ha"e found it ,oring$
a,surd$ or 1onte)pti,leI and + ha"e no
1ause to 1o)plain$ sin1e + ha"e
si)ilar opinions of their
works$ or of the kinds of writing that
they e"idently prefer. But e"en fro)
the points of "iew of
)any who ha"e enKoyed )y story
there is )u1h that fails to please. +t is
perhaps not possi,le in a
long tale to please e"ery,ody at all
points$ nor to displease e"ery,ody at
the sa)e pointsI for + find
fro) the letters that + ha"e re1ei"ed
that the passages or 1hapters that are
to so)e a ,le)ish are all
,y others spe1ially appro"ed. The
)ost 1riti1al reader of all$ )yself$
now finds )any defe1ts$ )inor
and )aKor$ ,ut ,eing fortunately
under no o,ligation either to re"iew
the ,ook or to write it again$
he will pass o"er these in silen1e$
e51ept one that has ,een noted ,y
others: the ,ook is too short.
4s for any inner )eaning or
?)essage?$ it has in the intention of the
author none. +t is neither
allegori1al nor topi1al. 4s the story
grew it put down roots Dinto the pastE
and threw out une5pe1ted
,ran1hes: ,ut its )ain the)e was
settled fro) the outset ,y the
ine"ita,le 1hoi1e of the Ring as the
link ,etween it and AThe 2o,,it.A
The 1ru1ial 1hapter$ LThe %hadow of
the Past?$ is one of the
oldest parts of the tale. +t was written
long ,efore the foreshadow of 1:3:
had yet ,e1o)e a threat
of ine"ita,le disaster$ and fro) that
point the story would ha"e de"eloped
along essentially the
sa)e lines$ if that disaster had ,een
a"erted. +ts sour1es are things long
,efore in )ind$ or in so)e
1ases already written$ and little or
nothing in it was )odified ,y the war
that ,egan in 1:3: or its
seJuels.
The real war does not rese),le the
legendary war in its pro1ess or its
1on1lusion. +f it had
inspired or dire1ted the de"elop)ent
of the legend$ then 1ertainly the Ring
would ha"e ,een sei<ed
and used against %auronI he would
not ha"e ,een annihilated ,ut
ensla"ed$ and Barad#d=r would
not ha"e ,een destroyed ,ut o11upied.
%aru)an$ failing to get possession of
the Ring$ would ) the
1onfusion and trea1heries of the ti)e
ha"e found in (ordor the )issing
links in his own resear1hes
into Ring#lore$ and ,efore long he
would ha"e )ade a /reat Ring of his
own with whi1h to
1hallenge the self#styled Ruler of
(iddle#earth. +n that 1onfli1t ,oth
sides would ha"e held ho,,its
in hatred and 1onte)pt: they would
not long ha"e sur"i"ed e"en as sla"es.
*ther arrange)ents 1ould ,e de"ised
a11ording to the tastes or "iews of
those who like allegory
or topi1al referen1e. But + 1ordially
dislike allegory in all its
)anifestations$ and always ha"e done
so sin1e + grew old and wary enough
to dete1t its presen1e. + )u1h prefer
history$ true or feigned$
with its "aried appli1a,ility to the
thought and e5perien1e of readers. +
think that )any 1onfuse
?appli1a,ility? with ?allegory?I ,ut the
one resides in the freedo) of the
reader$ and the other in the
purposed do)ination of the author.
4n author 1annot of 1ourse re)ain
wholly unaffe1ted ,y his e5perien1e$
,ut the ways in whi1h a
story#ger) uses the soil of e5perien1e
are e5tre)ely 1o)ple5$ and atte)pts
to define the pro1ess
are at ,est guesses fro) e"iden1e that
is inadeJuate and a),iguous. +t is
also false$ though
naturally attra1ti"e$ when the li"es of
an author and 1riti1 ha"e o"erlapped$
to suppose that the
)o"e)ents of thought or the e"ents
of ti)es 1o))on to ,oth were
ne1essarily the )ost powerful
influen1es. *ne has indeed personally
to 1o)e under the shadow of war to
feel fully its oppressionI
,ut as the years go ,y it see)s now
often forgotten that to ,e 1aught in
youth ,y 1:13 was no less
hideous an e5perien1e than to ,e
in"ol"ed in 1:3: and the following
years. By 1:19 all ,ut one of
)y 1lose friends were dead. *r to
take a less grie"ous )atter: it has ,een
supposed ,y so)e that
?The %1ouring of the %hire? refle1ts the
situation in !ngland at the ti)e when
+ was finishing )y
tale. +t does not. +t is an essential part
of the plot$ foreseen fro) the outset$
though in the e"ent
)odified ,y the 1hara1ter of %aru)an
as de"eloped in the story without$
need + say$ any allegori1al
signifi1an1e or 1onte)porary politi1al
referen1e whatsoe"er. +t has indeed
so)e ,asis in
e5perien1e$ though slender Dfor the
e1ono)i1 situation was entirely
differentE$ and )u1h further
,a1k. The 1ountry in whi1h + li"ed in
1hildhood was ,eing sha,,ily
destroyed ,efore + was ten$ in
days when )otor#1ars were rare
o,Ke1ts D+ had ne"er seen oneE and
)en were still ,uilding
su,ur,an railways. Re1ently + saw in
a paper a pi1ture of the last
de1repitude of the on1e thri"ing
1orn#)ill ,eside its pool that long ago
see)ed to )e so i)portant. + ne"er
liked the looks of the
Goung )iller$ ,ut his father$ the *ld
)iller$ had a ,la1k ,eard$ and he was
not na)ed %andy)an.
AThe Lord of the RingsA is now
issued in a new edition$ and the
opportunity has ,een taken of
re"ising it. 4 nu),er of errors and
in1onsisten1ies that still re)ained in
the te5t ha"e ,een
1orre1ted$ and an atte)pt has ,een
)ade to pro"ide infor)ation on a few
points whi1h attenti"e
readers ha"e raised. + ha"e 1onsidered
all their 1o))ents and enJuiries$ and
if so)e see) to ha"e
,een passed o"er that )ay ,e ,e1ause
+ ha"e failed to keep )y notes in
orderI ,ut )any enJuiries
1ould only ,e answered ,y additional
appendi1es$ or indeed ,y the
produ1tion of an a11essory
"olu)e 1ontaining )u1h of the
)aterial that + did not in1lude in the
original edition$ in parti1ular
)ore detailed linguisti1 infor)ation.
+n the )eanti)e this edition offers
this Foreword$ an addition
to the Prologue$ so)e notes$ and an
inde5 of the na)es of persons and
pla1es. This inde5 is in
intention 1o)plete in ite)s ,ut not in
referen1es$ sin1e for the present
purpose it has ,een
ne1essary to redu1e its ,ulk. 4
1o)plete inde5$ )aking full use of the
)aterial prepared for )e ,y
(rs. '. %)ith$ ,elongs rather to the
a11essory "olu)e.
PR*L*/0!
This ,ook is largely 1on1erned with
2o,,its$ and fro) its pages a reader
)ay dis1o"er )u1h of
their 1hara1ter and a little of their
history. Further infor)ation will also
,e found in the sele1tion
fro) the Red Book of .est)ar1h that
has already ,een pu,lished$ under the
title of AThe 2o,,itA.
That story was deri"ed fro) the
earlier 1hapters of the Red Book$
1o)posed ,y Bil,o hi)self$ the
first 2o,,it to ,e1o)e fa)ous in the
world at large$ and 1alled ,y hi)
AThere and Ba1k 4gain$A
sin1e they told of his Kourney into the
!ast and his return: an ad"enture
whi1h later in"ol"ed all the
2o,,its in the great e"ents of that
4ge that are here related.
(any$ howe"er$ )ay wish to know
)ore a,out this re)arka,le people
fro) the outset$ while
so)e )ay not possess the earlier
,ook. For su1h readers a few notes on
the )ore i)portant points
are here 1olle1ted fro) 2o,,it#lore$
and the first ad"enture is ,riefly
re1alled.
2o,,its are an uno,trusi"e ,ut "ery
an1ient people$ )ore nu)erous
for)erly than they are
todayI for they lo"e pea1e and Juiet
and good tilled earth: a well#ordered
and well#far)ed
1ountryside was their fa"ourite haunt.
They do not and did not understand or
like )a1hines )ore
1o)pli1ated than a forge#,ellows$ a
water#)ill$ or a hand#loo)$ though
they were skilful with
tools. !"en in an1ient days they were$
as a rule$ shy of ?the Big Folk?$ as they
1all us$ and now they
a"oid us with dis)ay and are
,e1o)ing hard to find. They are Jui1k
of hearing and sharp#eyed$ and
though they are in1lined to ,e fat and
do not hurry unne1essarily$ they are
nonetheless ni),le and
deft in their )o"e)ents. They
possessed fro) the first the art of
disappearing swiftly and silently$
when large folk who) they do not
wish to )eet 1o)e ,lundering ,yI and
this an they ha"e
de"eloped until to (en it )ay see)
)agi1al. But 2o,,its ha"e ne"er$ in
fa1t$ studied )agi1 of any
kind$ and their elusi"eness is due
solely to a professional skill that
heredity and pra1ti1e$ and a
1lose friendship with the earth$ ha"e
rendered ini)ita,le ,y ,igger and
1lu)sier ra1es.
For they are a little people$ s)aller
than &war"es: less tout and sto1ky$
that is$ e"en when they
are not a1tually )u1h shorter. Their
height is "aria,le$ ranging ,etween
two and four feet of our
)easure. They seldo) now rea1h
three feetI ,ut they hi"e dwindled$
they say$ and in an1ient days
they were taller. 411ording to the Red
Book$ Bando,ras Took DBullroarerE$
son of +sengri) the
%e1ond$ was four foot fi"e and a,le to
ride a horse. 2e was surpassed in all
2o,,it re1ords only ,y
two fa)ous 1hara1ters of oldI ,ut that
1urious )atter is dealt with in this
,ook.
4s for the 2o,,its of the %hire$ with
who) these tales are 1on1erned$ in
the days of their pea1e
and prosperity they were a )erry folk.
They dressed in ,right 1olours$ ,eing
nota,ly fond of yellow
and greenI ,ut they seldo) wore
shoes$ sin1e their feet had tough
leathery soles and were 1lad in a
thi1k 1urling hair$ )u1h like the hair
of their heads$ whi1h was 1o))only
,rown. Thus$ the only
1raft little pra1tised a)ong the) was
shoe#)akingI ,ut they had long and
skilful fingers and 1ould
)ake )any other useful and 1o)ely
things. Their fa1es were as a rule
good#natured rather than
,eautiful$ ,road$ ,right#eyed$ red#
1heeked$ with )ouths apt to laughter$
and to eating and drinking.
4nd laugh they did$ and eat$ and
drink$ often and heartily$ ,eing fond
of si)ple Kests at all ti)es$
and of si5 )eals a day Dwhen they
1ould get the)E. They were hospita,le
and delighted in parties$
and in presents$ whi1h they ga"e away
freely and eagerly a11epted.
+t is plain indeed that in spite of later
estrange)ent 2o,,its are relati"es of
ours: far nearer to us
than !l"es$ or e"en than &war"es. *f
old they spoke the languages of (en$
after their own fashion$
and liked and disliked )u1h the sa)e
things as (en did. But what e5a1tly
our relationship is 1an
no longer ,e dis1o"ered. The
,eginning of 2o,,its lies far ,a1k in
the !lder &ays that are now lost
and forgotten. *nly the !l"es still
preser"e any re1ords of that "anished
ti)e$ and their traditions
are 1on1erned al)ost entirely with
their own history$ in whi1h (en
appear seldo) and 2o,,its are
not )entioned at all. Get it is 1lear
that 2o,,its had$ in fa1t$ li"ed Juietly
in (iddle#earth for )any
long years ,efore other folk ,e1a)e
e"en aware of the). 4nd the world
,eing after all full of
strange 1reatures ,eyond 1ount$ these
little people see)ed of "ery little
i)portan1e. But in the days
of Bil,o$ and of Frodo his heir$ they
suddenly ,e1a)e$ ,y no wish of their
own$ ,oth i)portant and
renowned$ and trou,led the 1ounsels
of the .ise and the /reat.
Those days$ the Third 4ge of (iddle#
earth$ are now long past$ and the
shape of all lands has
,een 1hangedI ,ut the regions in
whi1h 2o,,its then li"ed were
dou,tless the sa)e as those in
whi1h they still linger: the 'orth#
.est of the *ld .orld$ east of the
%ea. *f their original ho)e the
2o,,its in Bil,o?s ti)e preser"ed no
knowledge. 4 lo"e of learning Dother
than genealogi1al loreE
was far fro) general a)ong the)$ ,ut
there re)ained still a few in the older
fa)ilies who studied
their own ,ooks$ and e"en gathered
reports of old ti)es and distant lands
fro) !l"es$ &war"es$ and
(en. Their own re1ords ,egan only
after the settle)ent of the %hire$ and
their )ost an1ient legends
hardly looked further ,a1k than their
.andering &ays. +t is 1lear$
nonetheless$ fro) these legends$
and fro) the e"iden1e of their
pe1uliar words and 1usto)s$ that like
)any other folk 2o,,its had in
the distant past )o"ed westward.
Their earliest tales see) to gli)pse a
ti)e when they dwelt in the
upper "ales of 4nduin$ ,etween the
ea"es of /reenwood the /reat and the
(isty (ountains. .hy
they later undertook the hard and
perilous 1rossing of the )ountains
into !riador is no longer
1ertain. Their own a11ounts speak of
the )ultiplying of (en in the land$
and of a shadow that fell
on the forest$ so that it ,e1a)e
darkened and its new na)e was
(irkwood.
Before the 1rossing of the )ountains
the 2o,,its had already ,e1o)e
di"ided into three
so)ewhat different ,reeds: 2arfoots$
%toors$ and Fallohides. The 2arfoots
were ,rowner of skin$
s)aller$ and shorter$ and they were
,eardless and ,ootlessI their hands
and feet were neat and
ni),leI and they preferred highlands
and hillsides. The %toors were
,roader$ hea"ier in ,uildI their
feet and hands were larger$ and they
preferred flat lands and ri"ersides.
The Fallohides were fairer
of skin and also of hair$ and they were
taller and sli))er than the othersI
they were lo"ers of trees
and of woodlands.
The 2arfoots had )u1h to do with
&war"es in an1ient ti)es$ and long
li"ed in the foothills of
the )ountains. They )o"ed westward
early$ and roa)ed o"er !riador as far
as .eathertop while
the others were still in the .ilderland.
They were the )ost nor)al and
representati"e "ariety of
2o,,it$ and far the )ost nu)erous.
They were the )ost in1lined to settle
in one pla1e$ and longest
preser"ed their an1estral ha,it of
li"ing in tunnels and holes.
The %toors lingered long ,y the ,anks
of the /reat Ri"er 4nduin$ and were
less shy of (en.
They 1a)e west after the 2arfoots
and followed the 1ourse of the
Loudwater southwardsI and there
)any of the) long dwelt ,etween
Thar,ad and the ,orders of &unland
,efore they )o"ed north
again.
The Fallohides$ the least nu)erous$
were a northerly ,ran1h. They were
)ore friendly with
!l"es than the other 2o,,its were$
and had )ore skill in language and
song than in handi1raftsI and
of old they preferred hunting to
tilling. They 1rossed the )ountains
north of Ri"endell and 1a)e
down the Ri"er 2oarwell. +n !riador
they soon )ingled with the other
kinds that had pre1eded
the)$ ,ut ,eing so)ewhat ,older and
)ore ad"enturous$ they were often
found as leaders or
1hieftains a)ong 1lans of 2arfoots or
%toors. !"en in Bil,o?s ti)e the
strong Fallohidish strain
1ould still ,e noted a)ong the greater
fa)ilies$ su1h as the Tooks and the
(asters of Bu1kland.
+n the westlands of !riador$ ,etween
the (isty (ountains and the
(ountains of Lune$ the
2o,,its found ,oth (en and !l"es.
+ndeed$ a re)nant still dwelt there of
the &Cnedain$ the kings
of (en that 1a)e o"er the %ea out of
.esternesseI ,ut they were dwindling
fast and the lands of
their 'orth ingdo) were falling far
and wide into waste. There was roo)
and to spare for
in1o)ers$ and ere long the 2o,,its
,egan to settle in ordered
1o))unities. (ost of their earlier
settle)ents had long disappeared and
,een forgotten in Bil,o?s ti)eI ,ut one
of the first to ,e1o)e
i)portant still endured$ though
redu1ed in si<eI this was at Bree and
in the -hetwood that lay round
a,out$ so)e forty )iles east of the
%hire.
+t was in these early days$ dou,tless$
that the 2o,,its learned their letters
and ,egan to write
after the )anner of the &Cnedain$
who had in their turn long ,efore
learned the art fro) the !l"es.
4nd in those days also they forgot
whate"er languages they had used
,efore$ and spoke e"er after
the -o))on %pee1h$ the .estron as
it was na)ed$ that was 1urrent
through all the lands of the
kings fro) 4rnor to /ondor$ and
a,out all the 1oasts of the %ea fro)
Belfalas to Lune. Get they
kept a few words of their own$ as well
as their own na)es of )onths and
days$ and a great store of
personal na)es out of the past.
4,out this ti)e legend a)ong the
2o,,its first ,e1o)es history with a
re1koning of years. For it
was in the one thousand si5 hundred
and first year of the Third 4ge that
the Fallohide ,rothers$
(ar1ho and Blan1o$ set out fro)
BreeI and ha"ing o,tained per)ission
fro) the high king at
Fornost$ they 1rossed the ,rown ri"er
Baranduin with a great following of
2o,,its. They passed
o"er the Bridge of %tone,ows$ that
had ,een ,uilt in the days of the
power of the 'orth ingdo)$
and they took ail the land ,eyond to
dwell in$ ,etween the ri"er and the
Far &owns. 4ll that was
de)anded of the) was that they
should keep the /reat Bridge in
repair$ and all other ,ridges and
roads$ speed the king?s )essengers$
and a1knowledge his lordship.
Thus ,egan the A%hire#re1koning$A
for the year of the 1rossing of the
Brandywine Das the
2o,,its turned the na)eE ,e1a)e
Gear *ne of the %hire$ and all later
dates were re1koned fro) it.
4t on1e the western 2o,,its fell in
lo"e with their new land$ and they
re)ained there$ and soon
passed on1e )ore out of the history of
(en and of !l"es. .hile there was
still a king they were in
na)e his su,Ke1ts$ ,ut they were$ in
fa1t$ ruled ,y their own 1hieftains and
)eddled not at all with
e"ents in the world outside. To the
last ,attle at Fornost with the .it1h#
lord of 4ng)ar they sent
so)e ,ow)en to the aid of the king$
or so they )aintained$ though no tales
of (en re1ord it. But in
that war the 'orth ingdo) endedI
and then the 2o,,its took the land for
their own$ and they
1hose fro) their own 1hiefs a Thain
to hold the authority of the king that
was gone. There for a
thousand years they were little
trou,led ,y wars$ and they prospered
and )ultiplied after the &ark
Plague D%.R. 38E until the disaster of
the Long .inter and the fa)ine that
followed it. (any
thousands then perished$ ,ut the &ays
of &earth D1169#7;E were at the ti)e
of this tale long past
and the 2o,,its had again ,e1o)e
a11usto)ed to plenty. The land was
ri1h and kindly$ and though
it had long ,een deserted when they
entered it$ it had ,efore ,een well
tilled$ and there the king had
on1e had )any far)s$ 1ornlands$
"ineyards$ and woods.
Forty leagues it stret1hed fro) the Far
&owns to the Brandywine Bridge$ and
fifty fro) the
northern )oors to the )arshes in the
south. The 2o,,its na)ed it the
%hire$ as the region of the
authority of their Thain$ and a distri1t
of well#ordered ,usinessI and there in
that pleasant 1o)er of
the world they plied their well#
ordered ,usiness of li"ing$ and they
heeded less and less the world
outside where dark things )o"ed$
until they 1a)e to think that pea1e
and plenty were the rule in
(iddle#earth and the right of all
sensi,le folk. They forgot or ignored
what little they had e"er
known of the /uardians$ and of the
la,ours of those that )ade possi,le
the long pea1e of the %hire.
They were$ in fa1t$ sheltered$ ,ut they
had 1eased to re)e),er it.
4t no ti)e had 2o,,its of any kind
,een warlike$ and they had ne"er
fought a)ong the)sel"es.
+n olden days they had$ of 1ourse$
,een often o,liged to fight to )aintain
the)sel"es in a hard
worldI ,ut in Bil,o?s ti)e that was
"ery an1ient history. The last ,attle$
,efore this story opens$ and
indeed the only one that had e"er ,een
fought within the ,orders of the %hire$
was ,eyond li"ing
)e)ory: the Battle of /reenfields$
%.R. 1138$ in whi1h Bando,ras Took
routed an in"asion of
*r1s. !"en the weathers had grown
)ilder$ and the wol"es that had on1e
1o)e ra"ening out of the
'orth in ,itter white winters were
now only a grandfather?s tale. %o$
though there was still so)e
store of weapons in the %hire$ these
were used )ostly as trophies$ hanging
a,o"e hearths or on
walls$ or gathered into the )useu) at
(i1hel &el"ing. The (atho)#house
it was 1alledI for
anything that 2o,,its had no
i))ediate use for$ ,ut were unwilling
to throw away$ they 1alled a
A)atho)A. Their dwellings were apt
to ,e1o)e rather 1rowded with
)atho)s$ and )any of the
presents that passed fro) hand to
hand were of that son.
'onetheless$ ease and pea1e had left
this people still 1uriously tough. They
were$ if it 1a)e to it$
diffi1ult to daunt or to killI and they
were$ perhaps$ so unwearyingly fond
of good things not least
,e1ause they 1ould$ when put to it$ do
without the)$ and 1ould sur"i"e
rough handling ,y grief$
foe$ or weather in a way that
astonished those who did not know
the) well and looked no further
than their ,ellies and their well#fed
fa1es. Though slow to Juarrel$ and for
sport killing nothing that
li"ed$ they were doughty at ,ay$ and
at need 1ould still handle ar)s. They
shot well with the ,ow$
for they were keen#eyed and sure at
the )ark. 'ot only with ,ows and
arrows. +f any 2o,,it
stooped for a stone$ it was well to get
Jui1kly under 1o"er$ as all trespassing
,easts knew "ery well.
4ll 2o,,its had originally li"ed in
holes in the ground$ or so they
,elie"ed$ and in su1h
dwellings they still felt )ost at ho)eI
,ut in the 1ourse of ti)e they had
,een o,liged to adopt other
for)s of a,ode. 41tually in the %hire
in Bil,o?s days it was$ as a rule$ only
the ri1hest and the
poorest 2o,,its that )aintained the
old 1usto). The poorest went on
li"ing in ,urrows of the )ost
pri)iti"e kind$ )ere holes indeed$
with only one window or noneI while
the well#to#do still
1onstru1ted )ore lu5urious "ersions
of the si)ple diggings of old. But
suita,le sites for these large
and ra)ifying tunnels Dor As)ialsA as
they 1alled the)E were not
e"erywhere to ,e foundI and in
the flats and the low#lying distri1ts the
2o,,its$ as they )ultiplied$ ,egan to
,uild a,o"e ground.
+ndeed$ e"en in the hilly regions and
the older "illages$ su1h as 2o,,iton or
Tu1k,orough$ or in the
1hief township of the %hire$ (i1hel
&el"ing on the .hite &owns$ there
were now )any houses of
wood$ ,ri1k$ or stone. These were
spe1ially fa"oured ,y )illers$ s)iths$
ropers$ and 1artwrights$
and others of that sortI for e"en when
they had holes to li"e in. 2o,,its had
long ,een a11usto)ed
to ,uild sheds and workshops.
The ha,it of ,uilding far)houses and
,arns was said to ha"e ,egun a)ong
the inha,itants of the
(arish down ,y the Brandywine. The
2o,,its of that Juarter$ the
!astfarthing$ were rather large
and hea"y#legged$ and they wore
dwarf#,oots in )uddy weather. But
they were well known to ,e
%toors in a large part of their ,lood$ as
indeed was shown ,y the down that
)any grew on their
1hins. 'o 2arfoot or Fallohide had
any tra1e of a ,eard. +ndeed$ the folk
of the (arish$ and of
Bu1kland$ east of the Ri"er$ whi1h
they afterwards o11upied$ 1a)e for
the )ost part later into the
%hire up fro) south#awayI and they
still had )any pe1uliar na)es and
strange words not found
elsewhere in the %hire.
+t is pro,a,le that the 1raft of
,uilding$ as )any other 1rafts ,eside$
was deri"ed fro) the
&Cnedain. But the 2o,,its )ay ha"e
learned it dire1t fro) the !l"es$ the
tea1hers of (en in their
youth. For the !l"es of the 2igh
indred had not yet forsaken (iddle#
earth$ and they dwelt still at
that ti)e at the /rey 2a"ens away to
the west$ and in other pla1es within
rea1h of the %hire. Three
!lf#towers of i))e)orial age were
still to ,e seen on the Tower 2ills
,eyond the western )ar1hes.
They shone far off in the )oonlight.
The tallest was furthest away$
standing alone upon a green
)ound. The 2o,,its of the
.estfarthing said that one 1ould see
the %ea fro) the lop of that towerI
,ut no 2o,,it had e"er ,een known to
1li), it. +ndeed$ few 2o,,its had e"er
seen or sailed upon
the %ea$ and fewer still had e"er
returned to report it. (ost 2o,,its
regarded e"en ri"ers and s)all
,oats with deep )isgi"ings$ and not
)any of the) 1ould swi). 4nd as the
days of the %hire
lengthened they spoke less and less
with the !l"es$ and grew afraid of
the)$ and distrustful of those
that had dealings with the)I and the
%ea ,e1a)e a word of fear a)ong
the)$ and a token of death$
and they turned their fa1es away fro)
the hills in the west.
The 1raft of ,uilding )ay ha"e 1o)e
fro) !l"es or (en$ ,ut the 2o,,its
used it in their own
fashion. They did not go in for towers.
Their houses were usually long$ low$
and 1o)forta,le. The
oldest kind were$ indeed$ no )ore
than ,uilt i)itations of As)ials$A
that1hed with dry grass or
straw$ or roofed with tur"es$ and
ha"ing walls so)ewhat ,ulged. That
stage$ howe"er$ ,elonged to
the early days of the %hire$ and
ho,,it#,uilding had long sin1e ,een
altered$ i)pro"ed ,y de"i1es$
learned fro) &war"es$ or dis1o"ered
,y the)sel"es. 4 preferen1e for round
windows$ and e"en
round doors$ was the 1hief re)aining
pe1uliarity of ho,,it#ar1hite1ture.
The houses and the holes of %hire#
ho,,its were often large$ and
inha,ited ,y large fa)ilies.
DBil,o and Frodo Baggins were as
,a1helors "ery e51eptional$ as they
were also in )any other
ways$ su1h as their friendship with the
!l"es.E %o)eti)es$ as in the 1ase of
the Tooks of /reat
%)ials$ or the Brandy,u1ks of Brandy
2all$ )any generations of relati"es
li"ed in D1o)parati"eE
pea1e together in one an1estral and
)any#tunnelled )ansion. 4ll 2o,,its
were$ in any 1ase$
1lannish and re1koned up their
relationships with great 1are. They
drew long and ela,orate fa)ilytrees
with innu)era,le ,ran1hes. +n dealing
with 2o,,its it is i)portant to
re)e),er who is related
to who)$ and in what degree. +t
would ,e i)possi,le in this ,ook to
set out a fa)ily#tree that
in1luded e"en the )ore i)portant
)e),ers of the )ore i)portant
fa)ilies at the ti)e whi1h these
tales tell of. The genealogi1al trees at
the end of the Red Book of
.est)ar1h are a s)all ,ook in
the)sel"es$ and all ,ut 2o,,its would
find the) e51eedingly dull. 2o,,its
delighted in su1h
things$ if they were a11urate: they
liked to ha"e ,ooks filled with things
that they already knew$ set
out fair and sJuare with no
1ontradi1tions.
There is another astonishing thing
a,out 2o,,its of old that )ust ,e
)entioned$ an astonishing
ha,it: they i),i,ed or inhaled$
through pipes of 1lay or wood$ the
s)oke of the ,urning lea"es of a
her,$ whi1h they 1alled Apipe#weedA
or Aleaf$A a "ariety pro,a,ly of
A'i1otiana.A 4 great deal of
)ystery surrounds the origin of this
pe1uliar 1usto)$ or ?art? as the 2o,,its
preferred to 1all it. 4ll
that 1ould ,e dis1o"ered a,out it in
antiJuity was put together ,y
(eriado1 Brandy,u1k Dlater
(aster of Bu1klandE$ and sin1e he and
the to,a11o of the %outhfarthing play
a part in the history
that follows$ his re)arks in the
introdu1tion to his A2er,lore of the
%hireA )ay ,e Juoted.
?This$? he says$ ?is the one art that we
1an 1ertainly 1lai) to ,e our own
in"ention. .hen 2o,,its
first ,egan to s)oke is not known$ all
the legends and fa)ily histories take
it for grantedI for ages
folk in the %hire s)oked "arious
her,s$ so)e fouler$ so)e sweeter. But
all a11ounts agree that
To,old 2orn,lower of Long,otto) in
the %outhfarthing first grew the true
pipe#weed in his
gardens in the days of +sengri) the
%e1ond$ a,out the year 1;8; of %hire#
re1koning. The ,est
ho)e#grown still 1o)es fro) that
distri1t$ espe1ially the "arieties now
known as Long,otto) Leaf$
*ld To,y$ and %outhern %tar.
?2ow *ld To,y 1a)e ,y the plant is
not re1orded$ for to his dying day he
would not tell. 2e
knew )u1h a,out her,s$ ,ut he was
no tra"eller. +t is said that in his youth
he went often to Bree$
though he 1ertainly ne"er went further
fro) the %hire than that. +t is thus
Juite possi,le that he
learned of this plant in Bree$ where
now$ at any rate$ it grows well on the
south slopes of the hill.
The Bree#ho,,its 1lai) to ha"e ,een
the first a1tual s)okers of the pipe#
weed. They 1lai)$ of
1ourse$ to ha"e done e"erything
,efore the people of the %hire$ who)
they refer to as L1olonistsLI
,ut in this 1ase their 1lai) is$ + think$
likely to ,e true. 4nd 1ertainly it was
fro) Bree that the art of
s)oking the genuine weed spread in
the re1ent 1enturies a)ong &war"es
and su1h other folk$
Rangers$ .i<ards$ or wanderers$ as
still passed to and fro through that
an1ient road#)eeting. The
ho)e and 1entre of the an is thus to ,e
found in the old inn of Bree$ AThe
Pran1ing Pony$A that has
,een kept ,y the fa)ily of Butter,ur
fro) ti)e ,eyond re1ord.
?4ll the sa)e$ o,ser"ations that + ha"e
)ade on )y own )any Kourneys
south ha"e 1on"in1ed
)e that the weed itself is not nati"e to
our parts of the world$ ,ut 1a)e
northward fro) the lower
4nduin$ whither it was$ + suspe1t$
originally ,rought o"er %ea ,y the
(en of .esternesse. +t grows
a,undantly in /ondor$ and there is
ri1her and larger than in the 'orth$
where it is ne"er found wild$
and flourishes only in war) sheltered
pla1es like Long,otto). The (en of
/ondor 1all it Asweet
galenas$A and estee) it only for the
fragran1e of its flowers. Fro) that
land it )ust ha"e ,een
1arried up the /reenway during the
long 1enturies ,etween the 1o)ing of
!lendil and our own day.
But e"en the &Cnedain of /ondor
allow us this 1redit: 2o,,its first put
it into pipes. 'ot e"en the
.i<ards first thought of that ,efore
we did. Though one .i<ard that +
knew took up the art long
ago$ and ,e1a)e as skilful in it as in
all other things that he put his )ind
to.?
The %hire was di"ided into four
Juarters$ the Farthings already
referred to. 'orth$ %outh$ !ast$
and .estI and these again ea1h into a
nu),er of folklands$ whi1h still ,ore
the na)es of so)e of
the old leading fa)ilies$ although ,y
the ti)e of this history these na)es
were no longer found only
in their proper folklands. 'early all
Tooks still li"ed in the Tookland$ ,ut
that was not true of )any
other fa)ilies$ su1h as the Bagginses
or the Boffins. *utside the Farthings
were the !ast and .est
(ar1hes: the Bu1kland Dsee ,eginning
of -hapter @$ Book +EI and the
.est)ar1h added to the
%hire in %.R. 1372.
The %hire at this ti)e had hardly any
?go"ern)ent?. Fa)ilies for the )ost
part )anaged their
own affairs. /rowing food and eating
it o11upied )ost of their ti)e. +n
other )atters they were$ as
a rule$ generous and not greedy$ ,ut
1ontented and )oderate$ so that
estates$ far)s$ workshops$ and
s)all trades tended to re)ain
un1hanged for generations.
There re)ained$ of 1ourse$ the an1ient
tradition 1on1erning the high king at
Fornost$ or 'or,ury
as they 1alled it$ away north of the
%hire. But there had ,een no king for
nearly a thousand years$
and e"en the ruins of ings? 'or,ury
were 1o"ered with grass. Get the
2o,,its still said of wild
folk and wi1ked things Dsu1h as trollsE
that they had not heard of the king.
For they attri,uted to the
king of old all their essential lawsI
and usually they kept the laws of free
will$ ,e1ause they were
The Rules Das they saidE$ ,oth an1ient
and Kust.
+t is true that the Took fa)ily had
long ,een pre#e)inentI for the offi1e
of Thain had passed to
the) Dfro) the *ld,u1ksE so)e
1enturies ,efore$ and the 1hief Took
had ,orne that title e"er sin1e.
The Thain was the )aster of the
%hire#)oot$ and 1aptain of the %hire#
)uster and the 2o,,itry#inar)s$
,ut as )uster and )oot were only
held in ti)es of e)ergen1y$ whi1h no
longer o11urred$ the
Thainship had 1eased to ,e )ore than
a no)inal dignity. The Took fa)ily
was still$ indeed$
a11orded a spe1ial respe1t$ for it
re)ained ,oth nu)erous and
e51eedingly wealthy$ and was lia,le
to produ1e in e"ery generation strong
1hara1ters of pe1uliar ha,its and e"en
ad"enturous
te)pera)ent. The latter Jualities$
howe"er$ were now rather tolerated
Din the ri1hE than generally
appro"ed. The 1usto) endured$
nonetheless$ of referring to the head
of the fa)ily as The Took$ and
of adding to his na)e$ if reJuired$ a
nu),er: su1h as +sengri) the %e1ond$
for instan1e.
The only real offi1ial in the %hire at
this date was the (ayor of (i1hel
&el"ing Dor of the %hireE$
who was ele1ted e"ery se"en years at
the Free Fair on the .hite &owns at
the Lithe$ that is at
(idsu))er. 4s )ayor al)ost his
only duty was to preside at ,anJuets$
gi"en on the %hireholidays$
whi1h o11urred at freJuent inter"als.
But the offi1es of Post)aster and First
%hirriff were
atta1hed to the )ayoralty$ so that he
)anaged ,oth the (essenger %er"i1e
and the .at1h. These
were the only %hire#ser"i1es$ and the
(essengers were the )ost nu)erous$
and )u1h the ,usier of
the two. By no )eans all 2o,,its
were lettered$ ,ut those who were
wrote 1onstantly to all their
friends Dand a sele1tion of their
relationsE who li"ed further off than
an afternoon?s walk.
The %hirriffs was the na)e that the
2o,,its ga"e to their poli1e$ or the
nearest eJui"alent that
they possessed. They had$ of 1ourse$
no unifor)s Dsu1h things ,eing Juite
unknownE$ only a feather
in their 1apsI and they were in
pra1ti1e rather haywards than
poli1e)en$ )ore 1on1erned with the
strayings of ,easts than of people.
There were in all the %hire only
twel"e of the)$ three in ea1h
Farthing$ for +nside .ork. 4 rather
larger ,ody$ "arying at need$ was
e)ployed to ?,eat the ,ounds?$
and to see that *utsiders of any kind$
great or s)all$ did not )ake
the)sel"es a nuisan1e.
4t the ti)e when this story ,egins the
Bounders$ as they were 1alled$ had
,een greatly
in1reased. There were )any reports
and 1o)plaints of strange persons and
1reatures prowling
a,out the ,orders$ or o"er the): the
first sign that all was not Juite as it
should ,e$ and always had
,een e51ept in tales and legends of
long ago. Few heeded the sign$ and
not e"en Bil,o yet had any
notion of what it portended. %i5ty
years had passed sin1e he set out on
his )e)ora,le Kourney$ and
he was old e"en for 2o,,its$ who
rea1hed a hundred as often as notI ,ut
)u1h e"idently still
re)ained of the 1onsidera,le wealth
that he had ,rought ,a1k. 2ow )u1h
or how little he re"ealed
to no one$ not e"en to Frodo his
fa"ourite ?nephew?. 4nd he still kept
se1ret the ring that he ,ad
found.
4s is told in The 2o,,it$ there 1a)e
one day to Bil,o?s door the great
.i<ard$ /andalf the /rey$
and thirteen dwar"es with hi): none
other$ indeed$ than Thorin
*akenshield$ des1endant of kings$
and his twel"e 1o)panions in e5ile.
.ith the) he set out$ to his own
lasting astonish)ent$ on a
)orning of 4pril$ it ,eing then the
year 1331 %hire#re1koning$ on a Juest
of great treasure$ the
dwarf#hoards of the ings under the
(ountain$ ,eneath !re,or in &ale$ far
off in the !ast. The
Juest was su11essful$ and the &ragon
that guarded the hoard was destroyed.
Get$ though ,efore all
was won the Battle of Fi"e 4r)ies
was fought$ and Thorin was slain$ and
)any deeds of renown
were done$ the )atter would s1ar1ely
ha"e 1on1erned later history$ or
earned )ore than a note in
the long annals of the Third 4ge$ ,ut
for an ?a11ident? ,y the way. The party
was assailed ,y *r1s in
a high pass of the (isty (ountains as
they went towards .ilderlandI and so
it happened that Bil,o
was lost for a while in the ,la1k or1#
)ines deep under the )ountains$ and
there$ as he groped in
"ain in the dark$ he put his hand on a
ring$ lying on the floor of a tunnel. 2e
put it in his po1ket. +t
see)ed then like )ere lu1k.
Trying to find his way out. Bil,o went
on down to the roots of the
)ountains$ until he 1ould go
no further. 4t the ,otto) of the tunnel
lay a 1old lake far fro) the light$ and
on an island of ro1k in
the water li"ed /ollu). 2e was a
loathso)e little 1reature: he paddled a
s)all ,oat with his large
flat feet$ peering with pale lu)inous
eyes and 1at1hing ,lind fish with his
long fingers$ and eating
the) raw. 2e ate any li"ing thing$
e"en or1$ if he 1ould 1at1h it and
strangle it without a struggle.
2e possessed a se1ret treasure that
had 1o)e to hi) long ages ago$ when
he still li"ed in the light: a
ring of gold that )ade its wearer
in"isi,le. +t was the one thing he
lo"ed$ his ?pre1ious?$ and he
talked to it$ e"en when it was not with
hi). For he kept it hidden safe in a
hole on his island$ e51ept
when he was hunting or spying on the
ores of the )ines.
(ay,e he would ha"e atta1ked Bil,o
at on1e$ if the ring had ,een on hi)
when they )etI ,ut it
was not$ and the ho,,it held in his
hand an !l"ish knife$ whi1h ser"ed
hi) as a sword. %o to gain
ti)e /ollu) 1hallenged Bil,o to the
Riddle#ga)e$ saying that if he asked a
riddle whi1h Bil,o
1ould not guess$ then he would kill
hi) and eat hi)I ,ut if Bil,o defeated
hi)$ then he would do as
Bil,o wished: he would lead hi) to a
way out of the tunnels.
%in1e he was lost in the dark without
hope$ and 1ould neither go on nor
,a1k. Bil,o a11epted the
1hallengeI and they asked one another
)any riddles. +n the end Bil,o won
the ga)e$ )ore ,y lu1k
Das it see)edE than ,y witsI for he was
stu)ped at last for a riddle to ask$ and
1ried out$ as his hand
1a)e upon the ring he lad pi1ked up
and forgotten: A.hat haw + got in )y
po1ketMA This /ollu)
failed to answer$ though he de)anded
three guesses.
The 4uthorities$ it is true$ differ
whether this last Juestion was a )ere
?Juestion? and not a
?riddle? a11ording to the stri1t rules of
the /a)eI ,ut all agree that$ after
a11epting it and trying to
guess the answer$ /ollu) was ,ound
,y his pro)ise. 4nd Bil,o pressed
hi) to keep his wordI for
the thought 1a)e to hi) that this
sli)y 1reature )ight pro"e false$ e"en
though su1h pro)ises were
held sa1red$ and of old all ,ut the
wi1kedest things feared to ,reak
the). But after ages alone in the
dark /ollu)?s heart was ,la1k$ and
trea1hery was in it. 2e slipped away$
and returned to the island$
of whi1h Bil,o knew nothing$ not far
off in the dark water. There$ he
thought$ lay his ring. 2e was
hungry now$ and angry$ and on1e his
?pre1ious? was with hi) he would not
fear any weapon at all.
But the ring was not on the islandI he
had lost it$ it was gone. 2is s1ree1h
sent a shi"er down
Bil,o?s ,a1k$ though he did not yet
understand what had happened. But
/ollu) had at last leaped to
a guess$ too late. A.hat has it got in
its po1ketsesMA he 1ried. The light in
his eyes was like a green
fla)e as he sped ,a1k to )urder the
ho,,it and re1o"er his ?pre1ious?. Just
in ti)e Bil,o saw his
peril$ and he fled ,lindly up the
passage away fro) the waterI and
on1e )ore he was sa"ed ,y his
lu1k. For Kust as he ran he put his
hand in his po1ket$ and the ring
slipped Juietly on to his finger.
%o it was that /ollu) passed hi)
without seeing hi)$ and went to guard
the way out$ lest the ?thief?
should es1ape. .arily Bil,o followed
hi)$ as he went along$ 1ursing$ and
talking to hi)self a,out
his ?pre1ious?I fro) whi1h talk at last
e"en Bil,o guessed the truth$ and
hope 1a)e to hi) in the
darkness: he hi)self had found the
)ar"ellous ring and a 1han1e of
es1ape fro) the or1s and fro)
/ollu).
4t length they 1a)e to a halt ,efore
an unseen opening that led to the
lower gates of the )ines$
on the eastward side of the )ountains.
There /ollu) 1rou1hed at ,ay$
s)elling and listeningI and
Bil,o was te)pted to slay hi) with
his sword. But pity stayed hi)$ and
though he kept the ring$ in
whi1h his only hope lay$ he would not
use it to help hi) kill the wret1hed
1reature at a
disad"antage. +n the end$ gathering his
1ourage$ he leaped o"er /ollu) in the
dark$ and fled away
down the passage$ pursued ,y his
ene)y?s 1ries of hate and despair:
AThief$ thiefN BagginsN .e
hates it for e"erNA
'ow it is a 1urious fa1t that this is not
the story as Bil,o first told it to his
1o)panions. To the)
his a11ount was that /ollu) had
pro)ised to gi"e hi) a Apresent$A if
he won the ga)eI ,ut when
/ollu) went to fet1h it fro) his
island he found the treasure was gone:
a )agi1 ring$ whi1h had
,een gi"en to hi) long ago on his
,irthday. Bil,o guessed that this was
the "ery ring that he had
found$ and as he had won the ga)e$ it
was already his ,y right. But ,eing in
a tight pla1e$ he said
nothing a,out it$ and )ade /ollu)
show hi) the way out$ as a reward
instead of a present. This
a11ount Bil,o set down in his
)e)oirs$ and he see)s ne"er to ha"e
altered it hi)self$ not e"en
after the -oun1il of !lrond. !"idently
it still appeared in the original Red
Book$ as it did in se"eral
of the 1opies and a,stra1ts. But )any
1opies 1ontain the true a11ount Das an
alternati"eE$ deri"ed no
dou,t fro) notes ,y Frodo or
%a)wise$ ,oth of who) learned the
truth$ though they see) to ha"e
,een unwilling to delete anything
a1tually written ,y the old ho,,it
hi)self.
/andalf$ howe"er$ dis,elie"ed Bil,o?s
first story$ as soon as he heard it$ and
he 1ontinued to ,e
"ery 1urious a,out the ring.
!"entually he got the true tale out of
Bil,o after )u1h Juestioning$
whi1h for a while strained their
friendshipI ,ut the wi<ard see)ed to
think the truth i)portant.
Though he did not say so to Bil,o$ he
also thought it i)portant$ and
distur,ing$ to find that the good
ho,,it had not told the truth fro) the
first: Juite 1ontrary to his ha,it. The
idea of a ?present? was
not )ere ho,,itlike in"ention$ all the
sa)e. +t was suggested to Bil,o$ as he
1onfessed$ ,y /ollu)?s
talk that he o"erheardI for /ollu)
did$ in fa1t$ 1all the ring his ?,irthday
present?$ )any ti)es. That
also /andalf thought strange and
suspi1iousI ,ut he did not dis1o"er the
truth in this point for )any
)ore years$ as will ,e seen in this
,ook.
*f Bil,o?s later ad"entures little )ore
need ,e said here. .ith the help of the
ring he es1aped
fro) the or1#guards at the gate and
reKoined his 1o)panions. 2e used the
ring )any ti)es on his
Juest$ 1hiefly for the help of his
friendsI ,ut he kept it se1ret fro)
the) as long as he 1ould. 4fter
his return to his ho)e he ne"er spoke
of it again to anyone$ sa"e /andalf
and FrodoI and no one
else in the %hire knew of its e5isten1e$
or so he ,elie"ed. *nly to Frodo did
he show the a11ount of
his Journey that he was writing.
2is sword$ %ting$ Bil,o hung o"er his
firepla1e$ and his 1oat of )ar"ellous
)ail$ the gift of the
&war"es fro) the &ragon#hoard$ he
lent to a )useu)$ to the (i1hel
&el"ing (atho)#house in
fa1t. But he kept in a drawer at Bag
!nd the old 1loak and hood that he
had worn on his tra"elsI and
the ring$ se1ured ,y a fine 1hain$
re)ained in his po1ket.
2e returned to his ho)e at Bag !nd
on June the 22nd in his fifty#se1ond
year D%.R. 1332E$ and
nothing "ery nota,le o11urred in the
%hire until (r. Baggins ,egan the
preparations for the
1ele,ration of his hundred#and#
ele"enth ,irthday D%.R. 13;1E. 4t this
point this 2istory ,egins.
4t the end of the Third 4ge the part
played ,y the 2o,,its in the great
e"ents that led to the
in1lusion of the %hire in the Reunited
ingdo) awakened a)ong the) a
)ore widespread interest
in their own historyI and )any of
their traditions$ up to that ti)e still
)ainly oral$ were 1olle1ted
and .ritten down. The greater
fa)ilies were also 1on1erned with
e"ents in the ingdo) at large$
and )any of their )e),ers studied its
an1ient histories and legends. By the
end of the first 1entury
of the Fourth 4ge there were already
to ,e found in the %hire se"eral
li,raries that 1ontained )any
histori1al ,ooks and re1ords.
The largest of these 1olle1tions were
pro,a,ly at 0ndertowers$ at /reat
%)ials$ and at Brandy
2all. This a11ount of the end of the
Third 4ge is drawn )ainly fro) the
Red Book of .est)ar1h.
That )ost i)portant sour1e for the
history of the .ar of the Ring was so
1alled ,e1ause it was long
preser"ed at 0ndertowers$ the ho)e
of the Fair,airns$ .ardens of the
.est)ar1h. +t was in origin
Bil,o?s pri"ate diary$ whi1h he took
with hi) to Ri"endell. Frodo ,rought
it ,a1k to the %hire$
together with )any loose lea"es of
notes$ and during %.R. 132;#1 he
nearly filled its pages with his
a11ount of the .ar. But anne5ed to it
and preser"ed with it$ pro,a,ly ) a
single red 1ase$ were the
three large "olu)es$ ,ound in red
leather$ that Bil,o ga"e to hi) as a
parting gift. To these four
"olu)es there was added in
.est)ar1h a fifth 1ontaining
1o))entaries$ genealogies$ and
"arious
other )atter 1on1erning the ho,,it
)e),ers of the Fellowship.
The original Red Book has not ,een
preser"ed$ ,ut )any 1opies were
)ade$ espe1ially of the
first "olu)e$ for the use of the
des1endants of the 1hildren of (aster
%a)wise. The )ost i)portant
1opy$ howe"er$ has a different history.
+t was kept at /reat %)ials$ ,ut it was
written in -ondor$
pro,a,ly at the reJuest of the great#
grandson of Peregrin$ and 1o)pleted
in %.R. 16:2 DF.4. 182E.
+ts southern s1ri,e appended this note:
Findegil$ ing?s .riter$ finished this
work in +@ 182. +t is an
e5a1t 1opy in all details of the Thain?s
Book ) (inas Tirith. That ,ook was
a 1opy$ )ade at the
reJuest of ing !lessar$ of the Red
Book of the Periannath$ and was
,rought to hi) ,y the Thain
Peregrin when he retired to /ondor in
+@ 73.
The Thain?s Book was thus the first
1opy )ade of the Red Book and
1ontained )u1h that was
later o)itted or lost. +n (inas Tirith it
re1ei"ed )u1h annotation$ and )any
1orre1tions$ espe1ially
of na)es$ words$ and Juotations in
the !l"ish languagesI and there was
added to it an a,,re"iated
"ersion of those parts of AThe Tale of
4ragorn and 4rwenA whi1h lie
outside the a11ount of the
.ar. The full tale is stated to ha"e
,een written ,y Barahir$ grandson of
the %teward Fara)ir$ so)e
ti)e after the passing of the ing. But
the 1hief i)portan1e of Findegil?s
1opy is that it alone
1ontains the whole of Bil,o?s
?Translations fro) the !l"ish?. These
three "olu)es were found to ,e
a work of great skill and learning in
whi1h$ ,etween 13;3 and 1319$ he
had used all the sour1es
a"aila,le to hi) in Ri"endell$ ,oth
li"ing and written. But sin1e they
were little used ,y Frodo$
,eing al)ost entirely 1on1erned with
the !lder &ays$ no )ore is said of
the) here.
%in1e (eriado1 and Peregrin ,e1a)e
the heads of their great fa)ilies$ and
at the sa)e ti)e kept
up their 1onne5ions with Rohan and
/ondor$ the li,raries at Bu1kle,ury
and Tu1k,orough
1ontained )u1h that did not appear in
the Red Book. +n Brandy 2all there
were )any works
dealing with !riador and the history
of Rohan. %o)e of these were
1o)posed or ,egun ,y
(eriado1 hi)self$ though in the %hire
he was 1hiefly re)e),ered for his
A2er,lore of the %hire$A
and for his ARe1koning of GearsA )
whi1h he dis1ussed the relation of the
1alendars of the %hire
and Bree to those of Ri"endell$
/ondor$ and Rohan. 2e also wrote a
short treatise on A*ld .ords
and 'a)es in the %hire$A ha"ing
spe1ial interest in dis1o"ering the
kinship with the language of the
Rohirri) of su1h ?shire#words? as
A)atho)A and old ele)ents in pla1e
na)es.
4t /reat %)ials the ,ooks were of
less interest to %hire#folk$ though
)ore i)portant for larger
history. 'one of the) was written ,y
Peregrin$ ,ut he and his su11essors
1olle1ted )any
)anus1ripts written ,y s1ri,es of
/ondor: )ainly 1opies or su))aries
of histories or legends
relating to !lendil and his heirs. *nly
here in the %hire were to ,e found
e5tensi"e )aterials for the
history of 'C)enor and the arising of
%auron. +t was pro,a,ly at /reat
%)ials that AThe Tale of
GearsA was put together$ with the
assistan1e of )aterial 1olle1ted ,y
(eriado1. Though the dates
gi"en are often 1onKe1tural$ espe1ially
for the %e1ond 4ge$ they deser"e
attention. +t is pro,a,le that
(eriado1 o,tained assistan1e and
infor)ation fro) Ri"endell$ whi1h he
"isited )ore than on1e.
There$ though !lrond had departed$
his sons long re)ained$ together with
so)e of the 2igh#el"en
folk. +t is said that -ele,orn went to
dwell there after the departure of
/aladrielI ,ut there is no
re1ord of the day when at last he
sought the /rey 2a"ens$ and with hi)
went the last li"ing
)e)ory of the !lder &ays in (iddle#
earth.
##############################################
############
T2! F!LL*.%2+P *F T2! R+'/
A,eing the first part of
The Lord of the RingsA
B** +
A-hapter 1A
4 Long#e5pe1ted Party
.hen (r. Bil,o Baggins of Bag !nd
announ1ed that he would shortly ,e
1ele,rating his
ele"enty#first ,irthday with a party of
spe1ial )agnifi1en1e$ there was )u1h
talk and e51ite)ent in
2o,,iton.
Bil,o was "ery ri1h and "ery pe1uliar$
and had ,een the wonder of the %hire
for si5ty years$ e"er
sin1e his re)arka,le disappearan1e
and une5pe1ted return. The ri1hes he
had ,rought ,a1k fro) his
tra"els had now ,e1o)e a lo1al
legend$ and it was popularly ,elie"ed$
whate"er the old folk )ight
say$ that the 2ill at Bag !nd was full
of tunnels stuffed with treasure. 4nd
if that was not enough
for fa)e$ there was also his prolonged
"igour to )ar"el at. Ti)e wore on$
,ut it see)ed to ha"e
little effe1t on (r. Baggins. 4t ninety
he was )u1h the sa)e as at fifty. 4t
ninety#nine they ,egan
to 1all hi) AwellA#preser"ed$ ,ut
Aun1hangedA would ha"e ,een nearer
the )ark. There were so)e
that shook their heads and thought
this was too )u1h of a good thingI it
see)ed unfair that anyone
should possess DapparentlyE perpetual
youth as well as DreputedlyE
ine5hausti,le wealth.
?+t will ha"e to ,e paid for$? they said.
?+t isn?t natural$ and trou,le will 1o)e
of itN?
But so far trou,le had not 1o)eI and
as (r. Baggins was generous with his
)oney$ )ost people
were willing to forgi"e hi) his
oddities and his good fortune. 2e
re)ained on "isiting ter)s with
his relati"es De51ept$ of 1ourse$ the
%a1k"ille#BagginsesE$ and he had
)any de"oted ad)irers
a)ong the ho,,its of poor and
uni)portant fa)ilies. But he had no
1lose friends$ until so)e of his
younger 1ousins ,egan to grow up.
The eldest of these$ and Bil,o?s
fa"ourite$ was young Frodo Baggins.
.hen Bil,o was ninetynine$
he adopted Frodo as his heir$ and
,rought hi) to li"e at Bag !ndI and
the hopes of the
%a1k"ille#Bagginses were finally
dashed. Bil,o and Frodo happened to
ha"e the sa)e ,irthday$
%epte),er 22nd. ?Gou had ,etter
1o)e and li"e here$ Frodo )y lad$?
said Bil,o one dayI ?and then
we 1an 1ele,rate our ,irthday#parties
1o)forta,ly together.? 4t that ti)e
Frodo was still in his
Atweens$A as the ho,,its 1alled the
irresponsi,le twenties ,etween
1hildhood and 1o)ing of age at
thirty#three.
Twel"e )ore years passed. !a1h year
the Bagginses had gi"en "ery li"ely
1o),ined ,irthdayparties
at Bag !ndI ,ut now it was
understood that so)ething Juite
e51eptional was ,eing planned
for that autu)n. Bil,o was going to
,e Aele"enty#one$A 111$ a rather
1urious nu),er and a "ery
respe1ta,le age for a ho,,it Dthe *ld
Took hi)self had only rea1hed 13;EI
and Frodo was going to
,e Athirty#three$A 33E an i)portant
nu),er: the date of his ?1o)ing of
age?.
Tongues ,egan to wag in 2o,,iton
and BywaterI and ru)our of the
1o)ing e"ent tra"elled all
o"er the %hire. The history and
1hara1ter of (r. Bil,o Baggins
,e1a)e on1e again the 1hief topi1
of 1on"ersationI and the older folk
suddenly found their re)inis1en1es in
wel1o)e de)and.
'o one had a )ore attenti"e audien1e
than old 2a) /a)gee$ 1o))only
known as the /affer.
2e held forth at AThe +"y BushA$ a
s)all inn on the Bywater roadI and he
spoke with so)e
authority$ for he had tended the
garden at Bag !nd for forty years$ and
had helped old 2ol)an in
the sa)e Ko, ,efore that. 'ow that he
was hi)self growing old and stiff in
the Koints$ the Ko, was
)ainly 1arried on ,y his youngest
son$ %a) /a)gee. Both father and
son were on "ery friendly
ter)s with Bil,o and Frodo. They
li"ed on the 2ill itself$ in 'u),er 3
Bagshot Row Kust ,elow
Bag !nd.
?4 "ery ni1e well#spoken gentleho,,it
is (r. Bil,o$ as +?"e always said$? the
/affer de1lared.
.ith perfe1t truth: for Bil,o was "ery
polite to hi)$ 1alling hi) ?(aster
2a)fast?$ and 1onsulting
hi) 1onstantly upon the growing of
"egeta,les O in the )atter of ?roots?$
espe1ially potatoes$ the
/affer was re1ogni<ed as the leading
authority ,y all in the neigh,ourhood
Din1luding hi)selfE.
?But what a,out this Frodo that li"es
with hi)M? asked *ld 'oakes of
Bywater. ?Baggins is his
na)e$ ,ut he?s )ore than half a
Brandy,u1k$ they say. +t ,eats )e
why any Baggins of 2o,,iton
should go looking for a wife away
there in Bu1kland$ where folks are so
Jueer.?
?4nd no wonder they?re Jueer$? put in
&addy Twofoot Dthe /affer?s ne5t#
door neigh,ourE$ ?if they
li"e on the wrong side of the
Brandywine Ri"er$ and right agin the
*ld Forest. That?s a dark ,ad
pla1e$ if half the tales ,e true.?
?Gou?re right$ &adN? said the /affer.
?'ot that the Brandy,u1ks of Bu1k#
land li"e AinA the *ld
ForestI ,ut they?re a Jueer ,reed$
see)ingly. They fool a,out with ,oats
on that ,ig ri"er O and that
isn?t natural. %)all wonder that
trou,le 1a)e of it$ + say. But ,e that
as it )ay$ (r. Frodo is as ni1e
a young ho,,it as you 1ould wish to
)eet. @ery )u1h like (r. Bil,o$ and
in )ore than looks. 4fter
all his father was a Baggins. 4 de1ent
respe1ta,le ho,,it was (r. &rogo
BagginsI there was ne"er
)u1h to tell of hi)$ till he was
drownded.?
?&rowndedM? said se"eral "oi1es. They
had heard this and other darker
ru)ours ,efore$ of
1ourseI ,ut ho,,its ha"e a passion for
fa)ily history$ and they were ready to
hear it again. ?.ell$ so
they say$? said the /affer. ?Gou see:
(r. &rogo$ he )arried poor (iss
Pri)ula Brandy,u1k. %he
was our (r. Bil,o?s first 1ousin on the
)other?s side Dher )other ,eing the
youngest of the *ld
Took?s daughtersEI and (r. &rogo
was his se1ond 1ousin. %o (r. Frodo
is his first AandA se1ond
1ousin$ on1e re)o"ed either way$ as
the saying is$ if you follow )e. 4nd
(r. &rogo was staying at
Brandy 2all with his father#in#law$
old (aster /or,ado1$ as he often did
after his )arriage Dhi)
,eing partial to his "ittles$ and old
/or,ado1 keeping a )ighty generous
ta,leEI and he went out
A,oatingAon the Brandywine Ri"erI
and he and his wife were drownded$
and poor (r. Frodo only a
1hild and all. ?
?+?"e heard they went on the water
after dinner in the )oonlight$? said
*ld 'oakesI ?and it was
&rogo?s weight as sunk the ,oat.?
?4nd A+A heard she pushed hi) in$ and
he pulled her in after hi)$? said
%andy)an$ the 2o,,iton
)iller.
?Gou shouldn?t listen to all you hear$
%andy)an$? said the /affer$ who did
not )u1h like the
)iller. ?There isn?t no 1all to go
talking of pushing and pulling. Boats
are Juite tri1ky enough for
those that sit still without looking
further for the 1ause of trou,le.
4nyway: there was this (r.
Frodo left an orphan and stranded$ as
you )ight say$ a)ong those Jueer
Bu1klanders$ ,eing
,rought up anyhow in Brandy 2all. 4
regular warren$ ,y all a11ounts. *ld
(aster /or,ado1 ne"er
had fewer than a 1ouple of hundred
relations in the pla1e. (r. Bil,o ne"er
did a kinder deed than
when he ,rought the lad ,a1k to li"e
a)ong de1ent folk.
?But + re1kon it was a nasty sho1k for
those %a1k"ille#Bagginses. They
thought they were going
to get Bag !nd$ that ti)e when he
went off and was thought to ,e dead.
4nd then he 1o)es ,a1k
and orders the) offI and he goes on
li"ing and li"ing$ and ne"er looking a
day older$ ,less hi)N
4nd suddenly he produ1es an heir$
and has all the papers )ade out
proper. The %a1k"ille#
Bagginses won?t ne"er see the inside
of Bag !nd now$ or it is to ,e hoped
not.?
?There?s a tidy ,it of )oney tu1ked
away up there$ + hear tell$? said a
stranger$ a "isitor on
,usiness fro) (i1hel &el"ing in the
.estfarthing. ?4ll the top of your hill
is full of tunnels pa1ked
with 1hests of gold and sil"er$
AandAKools$ ,y what +?"e heard. ?
?Then you?"e heard )ore than + 1an
speak to$? answered the /affer. + know
nothing a,out
AKools.A (r. Bil,o is free with his
)oney$ and there see)s no la1k of itI
,ut + know of no tunnel)aking.
+ saw (r. Bil,o when he 1a)e ,a1k$ a
)atter of si5ty years ago$ when + was
a lad. +?d not
long 1o)e prenti1e to old 2ol)an
Dhi) ,eing )y dad?s 1ousinE$ ,ut he
had )e up at Bag !nd
helping hi) to keep folks fro)
tra)pling and trapessing all o"er the
garden while the sale was on.
4nd in the )iddle of it all (r. Bil,o
1o)es up the 2ill with a pony and
so)e )ighty ,ig ,ags and
a 1ouple of 1hests. + don?t dou,t they
were )ostly full of treasure he had
pi1ked up in foreign parts$
where there ,e )ountains of gold$
they sayI ,ut there wasn?t enough to
fill tunnels. But )y lad %a)
will know )ore a,out that. 2e?s in
and out of Bag !nd. -ra<y a,out
stories of the old days he is$
and he listens to all (r. Bil,o?s tales.
(r. Bil,o has learned hi) his letters O
)eaning no har)$
)ark you$ and + hope no har) will
1o)e of it.
A?!l"es and &ragons?A + says to hi).
?A-a,,ages and potatoes are ,etter for
)e and you. &on?t
go getting )i5ed up in the ,usiness of
your ,etters$ or you?ll land in trou,le
too ,ig for you$?A+ says
to hi). 4nd + )ight say it to others$?
he added with a look at the stranger
and the )iller.
But the /affer did not 1on"in1e his
audien1e. The legend of Bil,o?s
wealth was now too fir)ly
fi5ed in the )inds of the younger
generation of ho,,its.
?4h$ ,ut he has likely enough ,een
adding to what he ,rought at first$?
argued the )iller$ "oi1ing
1o))on opinion. ?2e?s often away
fro) ho)e. 4nd look at the
outlandish folk that "isit hi):
dwar"es 1o)ing at night$ and that old
wandering 1onKuror$ /andalf$ and all.
Gou 1an say what you
like$ /affer$ ,ut Bag !nd?s a Jueer
pla1e$ and its folk are Jueerer.?
?4nd you 1an say Awhat youA like$
a,out what you know no )ore of than
you do of ,oating$ (r.
%andy)an$? retorted the /affer$
disliking the )iller e"en )ore than
usual. +f that?s ,eing Jueer$ then
we 1ould do with a ,it )ore Jueerness
in these parts. There?s so)e not far
away that wouldn?t offer
a pint of ,eer to a friend$ if they li"ed
in a hole with golden walls. But they
do things proper at Bag
!nd. *ur %a) says that Ae"eryone?sA
going to ,e in"ited to the party$ and
there?s going to ,e
presents$ )ark you$ presents for all O
this "ery )onth as is.?
That "ery )onth was %epte),er$ and
as fine as you 1ould ask. 4 day or two
later a ru)our
Dpro,a,ly started ,y the
knowledgea,le %a)E was spread
a,out that there were going to ,e
fireworks O fireworks$ what is )ore$
su1h as had not ,een seen in the %hire
for nigh on a 1entury$
not indeed sin1e the *ld Took died.
&ays passed and The &ay drew
nearer. 4n odd#looking waggon laden
with odd#looking
pa1kages rolled into 2o,,iton one
e"ening and toiled up the 2ill to Bag
!nd. The startled ho,,its
peered out of la)plit doors to gape at
it. +t was dri"en ,y outlandish folk$
singing strange songs:
dwar"es with long ,eards and deep
hoods. 4 few of the) re)ained at
Bag !nd. 4t the end of the
se1ond week in %epte),er a 1art
1a)e in through Bywater fro) the
dire1tion of the Brandywine
Bridge in ,road daylight. 4n old )an
was dri"ing it all alone. 2e wore a tall
pointed ,lue hat$ a
long grey 1loak$ and a sil"er s1arf. 2e
had a long white ,eard and ,ushy
eye,rows that stu1k out
,eyond the ,ri) of his hat. %)all
ho,,it#1hildren ran after the 1art all
through 2o,,iton and right
up the hill. +t had a 1argo of
fireworks$ as they rightly guessed. 4t
Bil,o?s front door the old )an
,egan to unload: there were great
,undles of fireworks of all sorts and
shapes$ ea1h la,elled with a
large red / and the elf#rune$ .
That was /andalf?s )ark$ of 1ourse$
and the old )an was /andalf the
.i<ard$ whose fa)e in
the %hire was due )ainly to his skill
with fires$ s)okes$ and lights. 2is real
,usiness was far )ore
diffi1ult and dangerous$ ,ut the %hire#
folk knew nothing a,out it. To the)
he was Kust one of the
?attra1tions? at the Party. 2en1e the
e51ite)ent of the ho,,it#1hildren. ?/
for /randN? they shouted$
and the old )an s)iled. They knew
hi) ,y sight$ though he only appeared
in 2o,,iton
o11asionally and ne"er stopped longI
,ut neither they nor any ,ut the oldest
of their elders had seen
one of his firework displays O they
now ,elonged to the legendary past.
.hen the old )an$ helped ,y Bil,o
and so)e dwar"es$ had finished
unloading. Bil,o ga"e a
few pennies awayI ,ut not a single
sJui, or 1ra1ker was forth1o)ing$ to
the disappoint)ent of the
onlookers.
?Run away nowN? said /andalf. ?Gou
will get plenty when the ti)e 1o)es.?
Then he disappeared
inside with Bil,o$ and the door was
shut. The young ho,,its stared at the
door in "ain for a while$
and then )ade off$ feeling that the
day of the party would ne"er 1o)e.
+nside Bag !nd$ Bil,o and /andalf
were sitting at the open window of a
s)all roo) looking out
west on to the garden. The late
afternoon was ,right and pea1eful.
The flowers glowed red and
golden: snap#dragons and sun#
flowers$ and nasturtiu)s trailing all
o"er the turf walls and peeping
in at the round windows.
?2ow ,right your garden looksN? said
/andalf.
?Ges$? said Bil,o. + a) "ery fond
indeed of it$ and of all the dear old
%hireI ,ut + think + need a
holiday.?
?Gou )ean to go on with your plan
thenM?
?+ do. + )ade up )y )ind )onths ago$
and + ha"en?t 1hanged it.?
?@ery well. +t is no good saying any
)ore. %ti1k to your plan O your whole
plan$ )ind O and +
hope it will turn out for the ,est$ for
you$ and for all of us.?
?+ hope so. 4nyway + )ean to enKoy
)yself on Thursday$ and ha"e )y
little Koke.?
?.ho will laugh$ + wonderM? said
/andalf$ shaking his head.
?.e shall see$? said Bil,o.
The ne5t day )ore 1arts rolled up the
2ill$ and still )ore 1arts. There )ight
ha"e ,een so)e
gru),ling a,out ?dealing lo1ally?$ ,ut
that "ery week orders ,egan to pour
out of Bag !nd for e"ery
kind of pro"ision$ 1o))odity$ or
lu5ury that 1ould ,e o,tained in
2o,,iton or Bywater or
anywhere in the neigh,ourhood.
People ,e1a)e enthusiasti1I and they
,egan to ti1k off the days on
the 1alendarI and they wat1hed
eagerly for the post)an$ hoping for
in"itations.
Before long the in"itations ,egan
pouring out$ and the 2o,,iton post#
offi1e was ,lo1ked$ and
the Bywater post#offi1e was snowed
under$ and "oluntary assistant
post)en were 1alled for. There
was a 1onstant strea) of the) going
up the 2ill$ 1arrying hundreds of
polite "ariations on AThank
you$ + shall 1ertainly 1o)e.A
4 noti1e appeared on the gate at Bag
!nd: '* 4&(+TT4'-! !H-!PT
*' P4RTG
B0%+'!%%. !"en those who had$ or
pretended to ha"e Party Business
were seldo) allowed inside.
Bil,o was ,usy: writing in"itations$
ti1king off answers$ pa1king up
presents$ and )aking so)e
pri"ate preparations of his own. Fro)
the ti)e of /andalf?s arri"al he
re)ained hidden fro) "iew.
*ne )orning the ho,,its woke to find
the large field$ south of Bil,o?s front
door$ 1o"ered with
ropes and poles for tents and
pa"ilions. 4 spe1ial entran1e was 1ut
into the ,ank leading to the road$
and wide steps and a large white gate
were ,uilt there. The three ho,,it#
fa)ilies of Bagshot Row$
adKoining the field$ were intensely
interested and generally en"ied. *ld
/affer /a)gee stopped
e"en pretending to work in his garden.
The tents ,egan to go up. There was a
spe1ially large pa"ilion$ so ,ig that
the tree that grew in
the field was right inside it$ and stood
proudly near one end$ at the head of
the 1hief ta,le. Lanterns
were hung on all its ,ran1hes. (ore
pro)ising still Dto the ho,,its? )indE:
an enor)ous open#air
kit1hen was ere1ted in the north
1orner of the field. 4 draught of
1ooks$ fro) e"ery inn and
eatinghouse
for )iles around$ arri"ed to
supple)ent the dwar"es and other odd
folk that were Juartered
at Bag !nd. !51ite)ent rose to its
height.
Then the weather 1louded o"er. That
was on .ednesday the e"e of the
Party. 4n5iety was
intense. Then Thursday$ %epte),er
the 22nd$ a1tually dawned. The sun
got up$ the 1louds
"anished$ flags were unfurled and the
fun ,egan.
Bil,o Baggins 1alled it a Aparty$A ,ut
it was really a "ariety of
entertain)ents rolled into one.
Pra1ti1ally e"ery,ody li"ing near was
in"ited. 4 "ery few were o"erlooked
,y a11ident$ ,ut as they
turned up all the sa)e$ that did not
)atter. (any people fro) other parts
of the %hire were also
askedI and there were e"en a few
fro) outside the ,orders. Bil,o )et
the guests Dand additionsE at
the new white gate in person. 2e ga"e
away presents to all and sundry O the
latter were those who
went out again ,y a ,a1k way and
1a)e in again ,y the gate. 2o,,its
gi"e presents to other people
on their own ,irthdays. 'ot "ery
e5pensi"e ones$ as a rule$ and not so
la"ishly as on this o11asionI
,ut it was not a ,ad syste). 41tually
in 2o,,iton and Bywater e"ery day in
the year it was
so)e,ody?s ,irthday$ so that e"ery
ho,,it in those parts had a fair 1han1e
of at least one present at
least on1e a week. But they ne"er got
tired of the).
*n this o11asion the presents were
unusually good. The ho,,it#1hildren
were so e51ited that for
a while they al)ost forgot a,out
eating. There were toys the like of
whi1h they had ne"er seen
,efore$ all ,eautiful and so)e
o,"iously )agi1al. (any of the) had
indeed ,een ordered a year
,efore$ and had 1o)e all the way
fro) the (ountain and fro) &ale$
and were of real dwarf#)ake.
.hen e"ery guest had ,een wel1o)ed
and was finally inside the gate$ there
were songs$ dan1es$
)usi1$ ga)es$ and$ of 1ourse$ food
and drink. There were three offi1ial
)eals: lun1h$ tea$ and
dinner Dor supperE. But lun1h and tea
were )arked 1hiefly ,y the fa1t that at
those ti)es all the
guests were sitting down and eating
together. 4t other ti)es there were
)erely lots of people eating
and drinking O 1ontinuously fro)
ele"enses until si5#thirty$ when the
fireworks started.
The fireworks were ,y /andalf: they
were not only ,rought ,y hi)$ ,ut
designed and )ade ,y
hi)I and the spe1ial effe1ts$ set
pie1es$ and flights of ro1kets were let
off ,y hi). But there was
also a generous distri,ution of sJui,s$
1ra1kers$ ,a1karappers$ sparklers$
tor1hes$ dwarf#1andles$
elf#fountains$ go,lin#,arkers and
thunder#1laps. They were all super,.
The art of /andalf i)pro"ed
with age.
There were ro1kets like a flight of
s1intillating ,irds singing with sweet
"oi1es. There were
green trees with trunks of dark s)oke:
their lea"es opened like a whole
spring unfolding in a
)o)ent$ and their shining ,ran1hes
dropped glowing flowers down upon
the astonished ho,,its$
disappearing with a sweet s1ent Kust
,efore they tou1hed their upturned
fa1es. There were fountains
of ,utterflies that flew glittering into
the treesI there were pillars of
1oloured fires that rose and
turned into eagles$ or sailing ships$ or
a phalan5 of flying swansI there was a
red thunderstor) and
a shower of yellow rainI there was a
forest of sil"er spears that sprang
suddenly into the air with a
yell like an e),attled ar)y$ and 1a)e
down again into the .ater with a hiss
like a hundred hot
snakes. 4nd there was also one last
surprise$ in honour of Bil,o$ and it
startled the ho,,its
e51eedingly$ as /andalf intended. The
lights went out. 4 great s)oke went
up. +t shaped itself like
a )ountain seen in the distan1e$ and
,egan to glow at the su))it. +t
spouted green and s1arlet
fla)es. *ut flew a red#golden dragon
O not life#si<e$ ,ut terri,ly life#like:
fire 1a)e fro) his Kaws$
his eyes glared downI there was a
roar$ and he whi<<ed three ti)es o"er
the heads of the 1rowd.
They all du1ked$ and )any fell flat on
their fa1es. The dragon passed like an
e5press train$ turned a
so)ersault$ and ,urst o"er Bywater
with a deafening e5plosion.
?That is the signal for supperN? said
Bil,o. The pain and alar) "anished at
on1e$ and the prostrate
ho,,its leaped to their feet. There was
a splendid supper for e"eryoneI for
e"eryone$ that is$ e51ept
those in"ited to the spe1ial fa)ily
dinner#party. This was held in the
great pa"ilion with the tree.
The in"itations were li)ited to twel"e
do<en Da nu),er also 1alled ,y the
ho,,its one /ross$
though the word was not 1onsidered
proper to use of peopleEI and the
guests were sele1ted fro) all
the fa)ilies to whi1h Bil,o and Frodo
were related$ with the addition of a
few spe1ial unrelated
friends Dsu1h as /andalfE. (any
young ho,,its were in1luded$ and
present ,y parental per)issionI
for ho,,its were easy#going with their
1hildren in the )atter of sitting up
late$ espe1ially when
there was a 1han1e of getting the) a
free )eal. Bringing up young ho,,its
took a lot of pro"ender.
There were )any Bagginses and
Boffins$ and also )any Tooks and
Brandy,u1ksI there were
"arious /ru,,s Drelations of Bil,o
Baggins? grand)otherE$ and "arious
-hu,,s D1onne5ions of his
Took grandfatherEI and a sele1tion of
Burrowses$ Bolgers$ Bra1egirdles$
Bro1khouses$ /ood,odies$
2orn,lowers and Proudfoots. %o)e of
these were only "ery distantly
1onne1ted with Bil,o$ and
so)e of the) had hardly e"er ,een in
2o,,iton ,efore$ as they li"ed in
re)ote 1orners of the %hire.
The %a1k"ille#Bagginses were not
forgotten. *tho and his wife Lo,elia
were present. They disliked
Bil,o and detested Frodo$ ,ut so
)agnifi1ent was the in"itation 1ard$
written in golden ink$ that
they had felt it was i)possi,le to
refuse. Besides$ their 1ousin$ Bil,o$
had ,een spe1iali<ing in food
for )any years and his ta,le had a
high reputation.
4ll the one hundred and forty#four
guests e5pe1ted a pleasant feastI
though they rather dreaded
the after#dinner spee1h of their host
Dan ine"ita,le ite)E. 2e was lia,le to
drag in ,its of what he
1alled poetryI and so)eti)es$ after a
glass or two$ would allude to the
a,surd ad"entures of his
)ysterious Kourney. The guests were
not disappointed: they had a A"eryA
pleasant feast$ in fa1t an
engrossing entertain)ent: ri1h$
a,undant$ "aried$ and prolonged. The
pur1hase of pro"isions fell
al)ost to nothing throughout the
distri1t in the ensuing weeksI ,ut as
Bil,o?s 1atering had depleted
the sto1ks of )ost stores$ 1ellars and
warehouses for )iles around$ that did
not )atter )u1h.
4fter the feast D)ore or lessE 1a)e the
%pee1h. (ost of the 1o)pany were$
howe"er$ now in a
tolerant )ood$ at that delightful stage
whi1h they 1alled ?filling up the
1orners?. They were sipping
their fa"ourite drinks$ and ni,,ling at
their fa"ourite dainties$ and their fears
were forgotten. They
were prepared to listen to anything$
and to 1heer at e"ery full stop.
A(y dear People$A ,egan Bil,o$
rising in his pla1e. ?2earN 2earN 2earN?
they shouted$ and kept
on repeating it in 1horus$ see)ing
relu1tant to follow their own ad"i1e.
Bil,o left his pla1e and
went and stood on a 1hair under the
illu)inated tree. The light of the
lanterns fell on his ,ea)ing
fa1eI the golden ,uttons shone on his
e),roidered silk waist1oat. They
1ould all see hi) standing$
wa"ing one hand in the air$ the other
was in his trouser#po1ket.
A(y dear Bagginses and Boffins$A he
,egan againI Aand )y dear Tooks and
Brandy,u1ks$ and
/ru,,s$ and -hu,,s$ and Burrowses$
and 2orn,lowers$ and Bolgers$
Bra1egirdles$ /ood,odies$
Bro1khouses and Proudfoots.A
?ProudF!!TN? shouted an elderly
ho,,it fro) the ,a1k of the
pa"ilion. 2is na)e$ of 1ourse$ was
Proudfoot$ and well )eritedI his feet
were large$ e51eptionally
furry$ and ,oth were on the ta,le.
AProudfoots$A repeated Bil,o. A4lso
)y good %a1k"ille#Bagginses that +
wel1o)e ,a1k at last
to Bag !nd. Today is )y one hundred
and ele"enth ,irthday: + a) ele"enty#
one todayNA ?2urrayN
2urrayN (any 2appy ReturnsN? they
shouted$ and they ha))ered Koyously
on the ta,les. Bil,o was
doing splendidly. This was the sort of
stuff they liked: short and o,"ious.
A+ hope you are all enKoying
yoursel"es as )u1h as + a).A
&eafening 1heers. -ries of AGesA
Dand A'oE.A 'oises of tru)pets and
horns$ pipes and flutes$ and other
)usi1al instru)ents. There
were$ as has ,een said$ )any young
ho,,its present. 2undreds of )usi1al
1ra1kers had ,een pulled.
(ost of the) ,ore the )ark &4L! on
the)I whi1h did not 1on"ey )u1h to
)ost of the ho,,its$ ,ut
they all agreed they were )ar"ellous
1ra1kers. They 1ontained instru)ents$
s)all$ ,ut of perfe1t
)ake and en1hanting tones. +ndeed$ in
one 1orner so)e of the young Tooks
and Brandy,u1ks$
supposing 0n1le Bil,o to ha"e
finished Dsin1e he had plainly said all
that was ne1essaryE$ now got
up an i)pro)ptu or1hestra$ and ,egan
a )erry dan1e#tune. (aster !"erard
Took and (iss (elilot
Brandy,u1k got on a ta,le and with
,ells in their hands ,egan to dan1e the
%pringle#ring: a pretty
dan1e$ ,ut rather "igorous.
But Bil,o had not finished. %ei<ing a
horn fro) a youngster near ,y$ he
,lew three loud hoots.
The noise su,sided. A+ shall not keep
you long$A he 1ried. -heers fro) all
the asse),ly. A+ ha"e
1alled you all together for a Purpose.A
%o)ething in the way that he said this
)ade an i)pression.
There was al)ost silen1e$ and one or
two of the Tooks pri1ked up their
ears.
A+ndeed$ for Three PurposesN First of
all$ to tell you that + a) i))ensely
fond of you all$ and
that ele"enty#one years is too short a
ti)e to li"e a)ong su1h e51ellent and
ad)ira,le ho,,its.A
Tre)endous out,urst of appro"al.
A+ don?t know half of you half as well
as + should likeI and + like less than
half of you half as
well as you deser"e.A This was
une5pe1ted and rather diffi1ult. There
was so)e s1attered 1lapping$
,ut )ost of the) were trying to work
it out and see if it 1a)e to a
1o)pli)ent.
A%e1ondly$ to 1ele,rate )y ,irthday.A
-heers again. A+ should say: *0R
,irthday. For it is$ of
1ourse$ also the ,irthday of )y heir
and nephew$ Frodo. 2e 1o)es of age
and into his inheritan1e
today.A %o)e perfun1tory 1lapping ,y
the eldersI and so)e loud shouts of
?FrodoN FrodoN Jolly old
Frodo$? fro) the Kuniors. The
%a1k"ille#Bagginses s1owled$ and
wondered what was )eant ,y
?1o)ing into his inheritan1e?.
ATogether we s1ore one hundred and
forty#four. Gour nu),ers were
1hosen to fit this re)arka,le total:
*ne /ross$ if + )ay use the
e5pression.A 'o 1heers. This was
ridi1ulous. (any of his guests$ and
espe1ially the %a1k"ille#Bagginses$
were insulted$ feeling sure
they had only ,een asked to fill up the
reJuired nu),er$ like goods in a
pa1kage. ?*ne /ross$
indeedN @ulgar e5pression.?
A+t is also$ if + )ay ,e allowed to refer
to an1ient history$ the anni"ersary of
)y arri"al ,y ,arrel
at !sgaroth on the Long LakeI though
the fa1t that it wasA )y A,irthday
slipped )y )e)ory on
that o11asion. + was only fifty#one
then$ and ,irthdays did not see) so
i)portant. The ,anJuet was
"ery splendid$ howe"er$ though + had
a ,ad 1old at the ti)e$ + re)e),er$
and 1ould only say ?thag
you "ery ,u1h?. + now repeat it )ore
1orre1tly: Thank you "ery )u1h for
1o)ing to )y little party.A
*,stinate silen1e. They all feared that
a song or so)e poetry was now
i))inentI and they were
getting ,ored. .hy 1ouldn?t he stop
talking and let the) drink his healthM
But Bil,o did not sing or
re1ite. 2e paused for a )o)ent.
AThirdly and finally$A he said$ A+ wish
to )ake an 4''*0'-!(!'TA. 2e
spoke this last
word so loudly and suddenly that
e"eryone sat up who still 1ould. A+
regret to announ1e that O
though$ as + said$ ele"enty#one years
is far too short a ti)e to spend a)ong
you O this is the !'&. +
a) going. + a) lea"ing '*..
/**&#BG!NA
2e stepped down and "anished. There
was a ,linding flash of light$ and the
guests all ,linked.
.hen they opened their eyes Bil,o
was nowhere to ,e seen. *ne hundred
and forty#four
fla,,ergasted ho,,its sat ,a1k
spee1hless. *ld *do Proudfoot
re)o"ed his feet fro) the ta,le and
sta)ped. Then there was a dead
silen1e$ until suddenly$ after se"eral
deep ,reaths$ e"ery Baggins$
Boffin$ Took$ Brandy,u1k$ /ru,,$
-hu,,$ Burrows$ Bolger$ Bra1egirdle$
Bro1khouse$ /ood,ody$
2orn,lower$ and Proudfoot ,egan to
talk at on1e.
+t was generally agreed that the Koke
was in "ery ,ad taste$ and )ore food
and drink were
needed to 1ure the guests of sho1k and
annoyan1e. ?2e?s )ad. + always said
so$? was pro,a,ly the
)ost popular 1o))ent. !"en the
Tooks Dwith a few e51eptionsE
thought Bil,o?s ,eha"iour was
a,surd. For the )o)ent )ost of the)
took it for granted that his
disappearan1e was nothing )ore
than a ridi1ulous prank.
But old Rory Brandy,u1k was not so
sure. 'either age nor an enor)ous
dinner had 1louded his
wits$ and he said to his daughter#in#
law$ !s)eralda: ?There?s so)ething
fishy in this$ )y dearN +
,elie"e that )ad Baggins is off again.
%illy old fool. But why worryM 2e
hasn?t taken the "ittles
with hi).? 2e 1alled loudly to Frodo
to send the wine round again.
Frodo was the only one present who
had said nothing. For so)e ti)e he
had sat silent ,eside
Bil,o?s e)pty 1hair$ and ignored all
re)arks and Juestions. 2e had
enKoyed the Koke$ of 1ourse$
e"en though he had ,een in the know.
2e had diffi1ulty in keeping fro)
laughter at the indignant
surprise of the guests. But at the sa)e
ti)e he felt deeply trou,led: he
reali<ed suddenly that he
lo"ed the old ho,,it dearly. (ost of
the guests went on eating and
drinking and dis1ussing Bil,o
Baggins? oddities$ past and presentI
,ut the %a1k"ille#Bagginses had
already departed in wrath.
Frodo did not want to ha"e any )ore
to do with the party. 2e ga"e orders
for )ore wine to ,e
ser"edI then he got up and drained his
own glass silently to the health of
Bil,o$ and slipped out of
the pa"ilion.
4s for Bil,o Baggins$ e"en while he
was )aking his spee1h$ he had ,een
fingering the golden
ring in his po1ket: his )agi1 ring that
he had kept se1ret for so )any years.
4s he stepped down he
slipped it on his finger$ and he was
ne"er seen ,y any ho,,it in 2o,,iton
again.
2e walked ,riskly ,a1k to his hole$
and stood for a )o)ent listening with
a s)ile to the din in
the pa"ilion and to the sounds of
)erry)aking in other parts of the
field. Then he went in. 2e took
off his party 1lothes$ folded up and
wrapped in tissue#paper his
e),roidered silk waist1oat$ and put
it away. Then he put on Jui1kly so)e
old untidy gar)ents$ and fastened
round his waist a worn
leather ,elt. *n it he hung a short
sword in a ,attered ,la1k#leather
s1a,,ard. Fro) a lo1ked
drawer$ s)elling of )oth#,alls$ he
took out an old 1loak and hood. They
had ,een lo1ked up as if
they were "ery pre1ious$ ,ut they
were so pat1hed and weatherstained
that their original 1olour
1ould hardly ,e guessed: it )ight
ha"e ,een dark green. They were
rather too large for hi). 2e
then went into his study$ and fro) a
large strong#,o5 took out a ,undle
wrapped in old 1loths$ and a
leather#,ound )anus1riptI and also a
large ,ulky en"elope. The ,ook and
,undle he stuffed into the
top of a hea"y ,ag that was standing
there$ already nearly full. +nto the
en"elope he slipped his
golden ring$ and its fine 1hain$ and
then sealed it$ and addressed it to
Frodo. 4t first he put it on the
)antelpie1e$ ,ut suddenly he re)o"ed
it and stu1k it in his po1ket. 4t that
)o)ent the door opened
and /andalf 1a)e Jui1kly in.
?2ulloN? said Bil,o. ?+ wondered if you
would turn up.?
?+ a) glad to find you "isi,le$? replied
the wi<ard$ sitting down in a 1hair$ ?+
wanted to 1at1h you
and ha"e a few final words. + suppose
you feel that e"erything has gone off
splendidly and
a11ording to planM?
?Ges$ + do$? said Bil,o. LThough that
flash was surprising: it Juite startled
)e$ let alone the
others. 4 little addition of your own$ +
supposeM?
+t was. Gou ha"e wisely kept that ring
se1ret all these years$ and it see)ed to
)e ne1essary to
gi"e your guests so)ething else that
would see) to e5plain your sudden
"anish)ent.?
?4nd would spoil )y Koke. Gou are an
interfering old ,usy,ody$? laughed
Bil,o$ ?,ut + e5pe1t
you know ,est$ as usual.?
?+ do O when + know anything. But +
don?t feel too sure a,out this whole
affair. +t has now 1o)e
to the final point. Gou ha"e had your
Koke$ and alar)ed or offended )ost of
your relations$ and
gi"en the whole %hire so)ething to
talk a,out for nine days$ or ninety#
nine )ore likely. 4re you
going any furtherM?
?Ges$ + a). + feel + need a holiday$ a
"ery long holiday$ as + ha"e told you
,efore. Pro,a,ly a
per)anent holiday: + don?t e5pe1t +
shall return. +n fa1t$ + don?t )ean to$
and + ha"e )ade all
arrange)ents.
?+ a) old$ /andalf. + don?t look it$ ,ut
+ a) ,eginning to feel it in )y heart
of hearts. A.ellpreser"edA
indeedN? he snorted. ?.hy$ + feel all
thin$ sort of Astret1hed$A if you know
what + )ean:
like ,utter that has ,een s1raped o"er
too )u1h ,read. That 1an?t ,e right. +
need a 1hange$ or
so)ething.?
/andalf looked 1uriously and 1losely
at hi). ?'o$ it does not see) right$? he
said thoughtfully.
?'o$ after all + ,elie"e your plan is
pro,a,ly the ,est.?
?.ell$ +?"e )ade up )y )ind$
anyway. + want to see )ountains
again$ /andalf$ A)ountains$A
and then find so)ewhere where + 1an
Arest.A +n pea1e and Juiet$ without a
lot of relati"es prying
around$ and a string of 1onfounded
"isitors hanging on the ,ell. + )ight
find so)ewhere where +
1an finish )y ,ook. + ha"e thought of
a ni1e ending for it: Aand he li"ed
happily e"er after to the
end of his days. ?A
/andalf laughed. + hope he will. But
no,ody will read the ,ook$ howe"er it
ends.?
?*h$ they )ay$ in years to 1o)e.
Frodo has read so)e already$ as far as
it has gone. Gou?ll keep
an eye on Frodo$ won?t youM?
?Ges$ + will O two eyes$ as often as +
1an spare the).?
?2e would 1o)e with )e$ of 1ourse$ if
+ asked hi). +n fa1t he offered to
on1e$ Kust ,efore the
party. But he does not really want to$
yet. + want to see the wild 1ountry
again ,efore + die$ and the
(ountainsI ,ut he is still in lo"e with
the %hire$ with woods and fields and
little ri"ers. 2e ought to
,e 1o)forta,le here. + a) lea"ing
e"erything to hi)$ of 1ourse$ e51ept a
few odd)ents. + hope he
will ,e happy$ when he gets used to
,eing on his own. +t?s ti)e he was his
own )aster now.?
?!"erythingM? said /andalf. ?The ring
as wellM Gou agreed to that$ you
re)e),er.?
?.ell$ er$ yes$ + suppose so$?
sta))ered Bil,o.
?.here is itM?
?+n an en"elope$ if you )ust know$?
said Bil,o i)patiently. ?There on the
)antelpie1e. .ell$ noN
2ere it is in )y po1ketN? 2e hesitated.
?+sn?t that odd nowM? he said softly to
hi)self. ?Get after all$
why notM .hy shouldn?t it stay thereM?
/andalf looked again "ery hard at
Bil,o$ and there was a glea) in his
eyes. ?+ think$ Bil,o$? he
said Juietly$ ?+ should lea"e it ,ehind.
&on?t you want toM?
?.ell yes O and no. 'ow it 1o)es to
it$ + don?t like parting with it at all$ +
)ay say. 4nd + don?t
really see why + should. .hy do you
want )e toM? he asked$ and a 1urious
1hange 1a)e o"er his
"oi1e. +t was sharp with suspi1ion and
annoyan1e. ?Gou are always ,adgering
)e a,out )y ringI
,ut you ha"e ne"er ,othered )e a,out
the other things that + got on )y
Kourney.?
?'o$ ,ut + had to ,adger you$? said
/andalf. ?+ wanted the truth. +t was
i)portant. (agi1 rings are
O well$ )agi1alI and they are rare and
1urious. + was professionally
interested in your ring$ you )ay
sayI and + still a). + should like to
know where it is$ if you go wandering
again. 4lso + think
AyouAha"e had it Juite long enough.
Gou won?t need it any )ore. Bil,o$
unless + a) Juite
)istaken.?
Bil,o flushed$ and there was an angry
light in his eyes. 2is kindly fa1e grew
hard. ?.hy notM? he
1ried. ?4nd what ,usiness is it of
yours$ anyway$ to know what + do
with )y own thingsM +t is )y
own. + found it. +t 1a)e to )e.?
?Ges$ yes$? said /andalf. ?But there is
no need to get angry.?
?+f + a) it is your fault$? said Bil,o. ?+t
is )ine$ + tell you. (y own. (y
pre1ious. Ges$ )y
pre1ious.?
The wi<ard?s fa1e re)ained gra"e and
attenti"e$ and only a fli1ker in his
deep eyes showed that
he was startled and indeed alar)ed. ?+t
has ,een 1alled that ,efore$? he said$
?,ut not ,y you.?
?But + say it now. 4nd why notM !"en
if /ollu) said the sa)e on1e. +t?s not
his now$ ,ut )ine.
4nd + shall keep it$ + say.?
/andalf stood up. 2e spoke sternly.
?Gou will ,e a fool if you do. Bil,o$?
he said. ?Gou )ake that
1learer with e"ery word you say. +t
has got far too )u1h hold on you. Let
it goN 4nd then you 1an
go yourself$ and ,e free.?
?+?ll do as + 1hoose and go as + please$?
said Bil,o o,stinately.
?'ow$ now$ )y dear ho,,itN ? said
/andalf. ?4ll your long life we ha"e
,een friends$ and you
owe )e so)ething. -o)eN &o as you
pro)ised: gi"e it upN ?
?.ell$ if you want )y ring yourself$
say soN? 1ried Bil,o. ?But you won?t
get it. + won?t gi"e )y
pre1ious away$ + tell you.? 2is hand
strayed to the hilt of his s)all sword.
/andalf?s eyes flashed. +t will ,e )y
turn to get angry soon$? he said. +f you
say that again$ +
shall. Then you will see /andalf the
/rey un1loaked.? 2e took a step
towards the ho,,it$ and he
see)ed to grow tall and )ena1ingI his
shadow filled the little roo).
Bil,o ,a1ked away to the wall$
,reathing hard$ his hand 1lut1hing at
his po1ket. They stood for a
while fa1ing one another$ and the air
of the roo) tingled. /andalf?s eyes
re)ained ,ent on the
ho,,it. %lowly his hands rela5ed$ and
he ,egan to tre),le.
?+ don?t know what has 1o)e o"er you$
/andalf$? he said. ?Gou ha"e ne"er
,een like this ,efore.
.hat is it all a,outM +t is )ine isn?t itM
+ found it$ and /ollu) would ha"e
killed )e$ if + hadn?t kept
it. +?) not a thief$ whate"er he said.?
?+ ha"e ne"er 1alled you one$? /andalf
answered. ?4nd + a) not one either. +
a) not trying to ro,
you$ ,ut to help you. + wish you
would trust )e$ as you used.? 2e
turned away$ and the shadow
passed. 2e see)ed to dwindle again
to an old grey )an$ ,ent and trou,led.
Bil,o drew his hand o"er his eyes. +
a) sorry$? he said. ?But + felt so Jueer.
4nd yet it would ,e a
relief in a way not to ,e ,othered with
it any )ore. +t has ,een so growing on
)y )ind lately.
%o)eti)es + ha"e felt it was like an
eye looking at )e. 4nd + a) always
wanting to put it on and
disappear$ don?t you knowI or
wondering if it is safe$ and pulling it
out to )ake sure. + tried lo1king
it up$ ,ut + found + 1ouldn?t rest
without it in )y po1ket. + don?t know
why. 4nd + don?t see) a,le to
)ake up )y )ind.?
?Then trust )ine$? said /andalf. ?+t is
Juite )ade up. /o away and lea"e it
,ehind. %top
possessing it. /i"e it to Frodo$ and +
will look after hi).?
Bil,o stood for a )o)ent tense and
unde1ided. Presently he sighed. ?4ll
right$? he said with an
effort. + will.? Then he shrugged his
shoulders$ and s)iled rather ruefully.
?4fter all that?s what this
party ,usiness was all a,out$ really: to
gi"e away lots of ,irthday presents$
and so)ehow )ake it
easier to gi"e it away at the sa)e
ti)e. +t hasn?t )ade it any easier in the
end$ ,ut it would ,e a pity
to waste all )y preparations. +t would
Juite spoil the Koke.?
?+ndeed it would take away the only
point + e"er saw in the affair$? said
/andalf.
?@ery well$? said Bil,o$ ?it goes to
Frodo with all the rest.? 2e drew a
deep ,reath. ?4nd now +
really )ust ,e starting$ or so)e,ody
else will 1at1h )e. + ha"e said good#
,ye$ and + 1ouldn?t ,ear to
do it all o"er again.? 2e pi1ked up his
,ag and )o"ed to the door.
?Gou ha"e still got the ring in your
po1ket$? said the wi<ard. ?.ell$ so +
ha"eN? 1ried Bil,o. ?4nd
)y will and all the other do1u)ents
too. Gou had ,etter take it and deli"er
it for )e. That will ,e
safest.?
?'o$ don?t gi"e the ring to )e$? said
/andalf. ?Put it on the )antelpie1e. +t
will ,e safe enough
there$ till Frodo 1o)es. + shall wait for
hi).?
Bil,o took out the en"elope$ ,ut Kust
as he was a,out to set it ,y the 1lo1k$
his hand Kerked ,a1k$
and the pa1ket fell on the floor.
Before he 1ould pi1k it up$ the wi<ard
stooped and sei<ed it and set
it in its pla1e. 4 spas) of anger
passed swiftly o"er the ho,,it?s fa1e
again. %uddenly it ga"e way to
a look of relief and a laugh. ?.ell$
that?s that$? he said. ?'ow +?) offN?
They went out into the hall. Bil,o
1hose his fa"ourite sti1k fro) the
standI then he whistled.
Three dwar"es 1a)e out of different
roo)s where they had ,een ,usy.
?+s e"erything readyM? asked Bil,o.
?!"erything pa1ked and la,elledM?
?!"erything$? they answered.
?.ell$ let?s start thenN? 2e stepped out
of the front#door.
+t was a fine night$ and the ,la1k sky
was dotted with stars. 2e looked up$
sniffing the air. ?.hat
funN .hat fun to ,e off again$ off on
the Road with dwar"esN This is what +
ha"e really ,een
longing for$ for yearsN /ood#,yeN ? he
said$ looking at his old ho)e and
,owing to the door. ?/ood,ye$
/andalfN?
?/ood#,ye$ for the present$ Bil,o.
Take 1are of yourselfN Gou are old
enough$ and perhaps wise
enough.?
?Take 1areN + don?t 1are. &on?t you
worry a,out )eN + a) as happy now
as + ha"e e"er ,een$ and
that is saying a great deal. But the
ti)e has 1o)e. + a) ,eing swept off
)y feet at last$? he added$
and then in a low "oi1e$ as if to
hi)self$ he sang softly in the dark:
The Road goes e"er on and on
&own fro) the door where it ,egan.
'ow far ahead the Road has gone$
4nd + )ust follow$ if + 1an$
Pursuing it with eager feet$
0ntil it Koins so)e larger way
.here )any paths and errands )eet.
4nd whither thenM + 1annot say.
2e paused$ silent for a )o)ent. Then
without another word he turned away
fro) the lights and
"oi1es in the fields and tents$ and
followed ,y his three 1o)panions
went round into his garden$
and trotted down the long sloping
path. 2e Ku)ped o"er a low pla1e in
the hedge at the ,otto)$ and
took to the )eadows$ passing into the
night like a rustle of wind in the grass.
/andalf re)ained for a while staring
after hi) into the darkness. ?/ood,ye$
)y dear Bil,o O
until our ne5t )eetingN? he said softly
and went ,a1k indoors.
Frodo 1a)e in soon afterwards$ and
found hi) sitting in the dark$ deep in
thought. ?2as he
goneM? he asked.
?Ges$? answered /andalf$ ?he has gone
at last.?
? + wish O + )ean$ + hoped until this
e"ening that it was only a Koke$? said
Frodo. ?But + knew in
)y heart that he really )eant to go.
2e always used to Koke a,out serious
things. + wish + had 1o)e
,a1k sooner$ Kust to see hi) off.?
+ think really he preferred slipping off
Juietly in the end$? said /andalf.
?&on?t ,e too trou,led.
2e?ll ,e all right O now. 2e left a
pa1ket for you. There it isN?
Frodo took the en"elope fro) the
)antelpie1e$ and glan1ed at it$ ,ut did
not open it.
?Gou?ll find his will and all the other
do1u)ents in there$ + think$? said the
wi<ard. ?Gou are the
)aster of Bag !nd now. 4nd also$ +
fan1y$ you?ll find a golden ring.?
?The ringN? e51lai)ed Frodo. ?2as he
left )e thatM + wonder why. %till$ it
)ay ,e useful.?
?+t )ay$ and it )ay not$? said /andalf.
?+ should not )ake use of it$ if + were
you. But keep it
se1ret$ and keep it safeN 'ow + a)
going to ,ed.?
4s )aster of Bag !nd Frodo felt it his
painful duty to say good#,ye to the
guests. Ru)ours of
strange e"ents had ,y now spread all
o"er the field$ ,ut Frodo would only
say Ano dou,t e"erything
will ,e 1leared up in the )orningA.
4,out )idnight 1arriages 1a)e for
the i)portant folk. *ne ,y
one they rolled away$ filled with full
,ut "ery unsatisfied ho,,its.
/ardeners 1a)e ,y arrange)ent$
and re)o"ed in wheel#,arrows those
that had inad"ertently re)ained
,ehind.
'ight slowly passed. The sun rose.
The ho,,its rose rather later. (orning
went on. People 1a)e
and ,egan D,y ordersE to 1lear away
the pa"ilions and the ta,les and the
1hairs$ and the spoons and
kni"es and ,ottles and plates$ and the
lanterns$ and the flowering shru,s in
,o5es$ and the 1ru),s
and 1ra1ker#paper$ the forgotten ,ags
and glo"es and handker1hiefs$ and the
uneaten food Da "ery
s)all ite)E. Then a nu),er of other
people 1a)e Dwithout ordersE:
Bagginses$ and Boffins$ and
Bolgers$ and Tooks$ and other guests
that li"ed or were staying near. By
)id#day$ when e"en the
,est#fed were out and a,out again$
there was a large 1rowd at Bag !nd$
unin"ited ,ut not
une5pe1ted.
Frodo was waiting on the step$
s)iling$ ,ut looking rather tired and
worried. 2e wel1o)ed all
the 1allers$ ,ut he had not )u1h )ore
to say than ,efore. 2is reply to all
inJuiries was si)ply this:
?(r. Bil,o Baggins has gone awayI as
far as + know$ for good.? %o)e of the
"isitors he in"ited to
1o)e inside$ as Bil,o had left
?)essages? for the).
+nside in the hall there was piled a
large assort)ent of pa1kages and
par1els and s)all arti1les of
furniture. *n e"ery ite) there was a
la,el tied. There were se"eral la,els
of this sort:
AFor 4&!L4R& T**$ for his
@!RG *.'$ fro) Bil,o$A on an
u),rella. 4delard had
1arried off )any unla,elled ones.
AFor &*R4 B4//+'% in )e)ory of
a L*'/ 1orresponden1e$ with lo"e
fro) Bil,o$A on a
large waste#paper ,asket. &ora was
&rogo?s sister and the eldest sur"i"ing
fe)ale relati"e of Bil,o
and FrodoI she was ninety#nine$ and
had written rea)s of good ad"i1e for
)ore than half a 1entury.
AFor (+L* B0RR*.%$ hoping it
will ,e useful$ fro) B.B.$A on a gold
pen and ink#,ottle.
(ilo ne"er answered letters.
AFor 4'/!L+-4?% use$ fro) 0n1le
Bil,o$A on a round 1on"e5 )irror.
%he was a young
Baggins$ and too o,"iously
1onsidered her fa1e shapely.
AFor the 1olle1tion of 20/*
BR4-!/+R&L!$ fro) a
1ontri,utor$A on an De)ptyE ,ook#
1ase.
2ugo was a great ,orrower of ,ooks$
and worse than usual at returning
the).
AFor L*B!L+4 %4-@+LL!#
B4//+'%$ as a PR!%!'T$A on a
1ase of sil"er spoons. Bil,o
,elie"ed that she had a1Juired a good
)any of his spoons$ while he was
away on his for)er
Kourney. Lo,elia knew that Juite well.
.hen she arri"ed later in the day$ she
took the point at on1e$
,ut she also took the spoons.
This is only a s)all sele1tion of the
asse),led presents. Bil,o?s residen1e
had got rather
1luttered up with things in the 1ourse
of his long life. +t was a tenden1y of
ho,,it#holes to get
1luttered up: for whi1h the 1usto) of
gi"ing so )any ,irthday#presents was
largely responsi,le.
'ot$ of 1ourse$ that the ,irthday#
presents were always Anew$A there
were one or two old
A)atho)sA of forgotten uses that had
1ir1ulated all around the distri1tI ,ut
Bil,o had usually gi"en
new presents$ and kept those that he
re1ei"ed. The old hole was now ,eing
1leared a little.
!"ery one of the "arious parting gifts
had la,els$ written out personally ,y
Bil,o$ and se"eral
had so)e point$ or so)e Koke. But$ of
1ourse$ )ost of the things were gi"en
where they would ,e
wanted and wel1o)e. The poorer
ho,,its$ and espe1ially those of
Bagshot Row$ did "ery well. *ld
/affer /a)gee got two sa1ks of
potatoes$ a new spade$ a woollen
waist1oat$ and a ,ottle of
oint)ent for 1reaking Koints. *ld Rory
Brandy,u1k$ in return for )u1h
hospitality$ got a do<en
,ottles of *ld .inyards: a strong red
wine fro) the %outhfarthing$ and now
Juite )ature$ as it had
,een laid down ,y Bil,o?s father.
Rory Juite forga"e Bil,o$ and "oted
hi) a 1apital fellow after the
first ,ottle.
There was plenty of e"erything left
for Frodo. 4nd$ of 1ourse$ all the
1hief treasures$ as well as
the ,ooks$ pi1tures$ and )ore than
enough furniture$ were left in his
possession. There was$
howe"er$ no sign nor )ention of
)oney or Kewellery: not a penny#pie1e
or a glass ,ead was gi"en
away.
Frodo had a "ery trying ti)e that
afternoon. 4 false ru)our that the
whole household was ,eing
distri,uted free spread like wildfireI
and ,efore long the pla1e was pa1ked
with people who had no
,usiness there$ ,ut 1ould not ,e kept
out. La,els got torn off and )i5ed$
and Juarrels ,roke out.
%o)e people tried to do swaps and
deals in the hallI and others tried to
)ake AoffA with )inor
ite)s not addressed to the)$ or with
anything that see)ed unwanted or
unwat1hed. The road to the
gate was ,lo1ked with ,arrows and
hand1arts.
+n the )iddle of the 1o))otion the
%a1k"ille#Bagginses arri"ed. Frodo
had retired for a while
and left his friend (erry Brandy,u1k
to keep an eye on things. .hen *tho
loudly de)anded to see
Frodo$ (erry ,owed politely.
?2e is indisposed$? he said. ?2e is
resting.?
?2iding$ you )ean$? said Lo,elia.
?4nyway we want to see hi) and we
)ean to see hi). Just go
and tell hi) soN?
(erry left the) a long while in the
hall$ and they had ti)e to dis1o"er
their parting gift of
spoons. +t did not i)pro"e their
te)pers. !"entually they were shown
into the study. Frodo was
sitting at a ta,le with a lot of papers in
front of hi). 2e looked indisposed O
to see %a1k"ille#
Bagginses at any rateI and he stood
up$ fidgeting with so)ething in his
po1ket. But he spoke Juite
politely.
The %a1k"ille#Bagginses were rather
offensi"e. They ,egan ,y offering
hi) ,ad ,argain#pri1es
Das ,etween friendsE for "arious
"alua,le and unla,elled things. .hen
Frodo replied that only the
things spe1ially dire1ted ,y Bil,o
were ,eing gi"en away$ they said the
whole affair was "ery fishy.
?*nly one thing is 1lear to )e$? said
*tho$ ?and that is that you are doing
e51eedingly well out of
it. + insist on seeing the will.?
*tho would ha"e ,een Bil,o?s heir$
,ut for the adoption of Frodo. 2e read
the will 1arefully and
snorted. +t was$ unfortunately$ "ery
1lear and 1orre1t Da11ording to the
legal 1usto)s of ho,,its$
whi1h de)and a)ong other things
se"en signatures of witnesses in red
inkE.
?Foiled againN? he said to his wife.
?4nd after waiting Asi5tyA years.
%poonsM Fiddlesti1ksN? 2e
snapped his fingers under Frodo?s
nose and slu)ped off. But Lo,elia
was not so easily got rid of. 4
little later Frodo 1a)e out of the study
to see how things were going on and
found her still a,out
the pla1e$ in"estigating nooks and
1o)ers and tapping the floors. 2e
es1orted her fir)ly off the
pre)ises$ after he had relie"ed her of
se"eral s)all D,ut rather "alua,leE
arti1les that had so)ehow
fallen inside her u),rella. 2er fa1e
looked as if she was in the throes of
thinking out a really
1rushing parting re)arkI ,ut all she
found to say$ turning round on the
step$ was:
?Gou?ll li"e to regret it$ young fellowN
.hy didn?t you go tooM Gou don?t
,elong hereI you?re no
Baggins O you O you?re a
Brandy,u1kN?
?&id you hear that$ (erryM That was
an insult$ if you like$? said Frodo as he
shut the door on her.
?+t was a 1o)pli)ent$? said (erry
Brandy,u1k$ ?and so$ of 1ourse$ not
true.?
Then they went round the hole$ and
e"i1ted three young ho,,its Dtwo
Boffins and a BolgerE who
were kno1king holes in the walls of
one of the 1ellars. Frodo also had a
tussle with young %an1ho
Proudfoot Dold *do Proudfoot?s
grandsonE$ who had ,egun an
e51a"ation in the larger pantry$
where he thought there was an e1ho.
The legend of Bil,o?s gold e51ited
,oth 1uriosity and hopeI for
legendary gold D)ysteriously
o,tained$ if not positi"ely ill#gottenE$
is$ as e"ery one knows$ any
one?s for the finding O unless the
sear1h is interrupted.
.hen he had o"er1o)e %an1ho and
pushed hi) out$ Frodo 1ollapsed on a
1hair in the hall. +t?s
ti)e to 1lose the shop$ (erry$? he
said. ?Lo1k the door$ and don?t open it
to anyone today$ not e"en
if they ,ring a ,attering ra).? Then he
went to re"i"e hi)self with a ,elated
1up of tea.
2e had hardly sat down$ when there
1a)e a soft kno1k at the front#door.
?Lo,elia again )ost
likely$? he thought. ?%he )ust ha"e
thought of so)ething really nasty$ and
ha"e 1o)e ,a1k again to
say it. +t 1an wait.?
2e went on with his tea. The kno1k
was repeated$ )u1h louder$ ,ut he
took no noti1e. %uddenly
the wi<ard?s head appeared at the
window.
?+f you don?t let )e in$ Frodo$ + shall
,low your door right down your hole
and out through the
hill$? he said.
?(y dear /andalfN 2alf a )inuteN?
1ried Frodo$ running out of the roo)
to the door. ?-o)e inN
-o)e inN + thought it was Lo,elia.?
?Then + forgi"e you. But + saw her
so)e ti)e ago$ dri"ing a pony#trap
towards Bywater with a
fa1e that would ha"e 1urdled new
)ilk.?
?%he had already nearly 1urdled )e.
2onestly$ + nearly tried on Bil,o?s
ring. + longed to
disappear.?
?&on?t do thatN? said /andalf$ sitting
down. ?&o ,e 1areful of that ring$
FrodoN +n fa1t$ it is partly
a,out that that + ha"e 1o)e to say a
last word.?
?.ell$ what a,out itM?
?.hat do you know alreadyM?
?*nly what Bil,o told )e. + ha"e
heard his story: how he found it$ and
how he used it: on his
Kourney$ + )ean.?
?.hi1h story$ + wonder$? said /andalf.
?*h$ not what he told the dwar"es and
put in his ,ook$? said Frodo. ?2e told
)e the true story
soon after + 1a)e to li"e here. 2e said
you had pestered hi) till he told you$
so + had ,etter know
too. L'o se1rets ,etween us$ Frodo$L
he saidI L,ut they are not to go any
further. +t?s )ine anyway.L?
?That?s interesting$? said /andalf.
?.ell$ what did you think of it allM?
?+f you )ean$ in"enting all that a,out
a LpresentL$ well$ + thought the true
story )u1h )ore
likely$ and + 1ouldn?t see the point of
altering it at all. +t was "ery unlike
Bil,o to do so$ anywayI
and + thought it rather odd.?
?%o did +. But odd things )ay happen
to people that ha"e su1h treasures O if
they use the). Let it
,e a warning to you to ,e "ery 1areful
with it. +t )ay ha"e other powers than
Kust )aking you
"anish when you wish to.?
?+ don?t understand$? said Frodo.
?'either do +$? answered the wi<ard. ?+
ha"e )erely ,egun to wonder a,out
the ring$ espe1ially
sin1e last night. 'o need to worry.
But if you take )y ad"i1e you will
use it "ery seldo)$ or not at
all. 4t least + ,eg you not to use it in
any way that will 1ause talk or rouse
suspi1ion. + say again:
keep it safe$ and keep it se1retN?
?Gou are "ery )ysteriousN .hat are
you afraid ofM?
?+ a) not 1ertain$ so + will say no
)ore. + )ay ,e a,le to tell you
so)ething when + 1o)e ,a1k. +
a) going off at on1e: so this is good#
,ye for the present.? 2e got up.
?4t on1eN? 1ried Frodo. ?.hy$ +
thought you were staying on for at
least a week. + was looking
forward to your help.?
?+ did )ean to O ,ut + ha"e had to
1hange )y )ind. + )ay ,e away for a
good whileI ,ut +?ll
1o)e and see you again$ as soon as +
1an. !5pe1t )e when you see )eN +
shall slip in Juietly. +
shan?t often ,e "isiting the %hire
openly again. + find that + ha"e
,e1o)e rather unpopular. They say
+ a) a nuisan1e and a distur,er of the
pea1e. %o)e people are a1tually
a11using )e of spiriting
Bil,o away$ or worse. +f you want to
know$ there is supposed to ,e a plot
,etween you and )e to
get hold of his wealth.?
?%o)e peopleN? e51lai)ed Frodo. ?Gou
)ean *tho and Lo,elia. 2ow
a,o)ina,leN + would gi"e
the) Bag !nd and e"erything else$ if
+ 1ould get Bil,o ,a1k and go off
tra)ping in the 1ountry
with hi). + lo"e the %hire. But + ,egin
to wish$ so)ehow$ that + had gone
too. + wonder if + shall
e"er see hi) again.?
?%o do +$? said /andalf. ?4nd + wonder
)any other things. /ood#,ye nowN
Take 1are of yourselfN
Look out for )e$ espe1ially at
unlikely ti)esN /ood#,yeN?
Frodo saw hi) to the door. 2e ga"e a
final wa"e of his hand$ and walked off
at a surprising
pa1eI ,ut Frodo thought the old
wi<ard looked unusually ,ent$ al)ost
as if he was 1arrying a great
weight. The e"ening was 1losing in$
and his 1loaked figure Jui1kly
"anished into the twilight.
Frodo did not see hi) again for a long
ti)e.
A-hapter 2A
The %hadow of the Past
The talk did not die down in nine or
e"en ninety#nine days. The se1ond
disappearan1e of (r.
Bil,o Baggins was dis1ussed in
2o,,iton$ and indeed all o"er the
%hire$ for a year and a day$ and
was re)e),ered )u1h longer than
that. +t ,e1a)e a fireside#story for
young ho,,itsI and
e"entually (ad Baggins$ who used to
"anish with a ,ang and a flash and
reappear with ,ags of
Kewels and gold$ ,e1a)e a fa"ourite
1hara1ter of legend and li"ed on long
after all the true e"ents
were forgotten.
But in the )eanti)e$ the general
opinion in the neigh,ourhood was that
Bil,o$ who had always
,een rather 1ra1ked$ had at last gone
Juite )ad$ and had run off into the
Blue. There he had
undou,tedly fallen into a pool or a
ri"er and 1o)e to a tragi1$ ,ut hardly
an unti)ely$ end. The
,la)e was )ostly laid on /andalf.
?+f only that dratted wi<ard will lea"e
young Frodo alone$ perhaps he?ll
settle down and grow
so)e ho,,it#sense$? they said. 4nd to
all appearan1e the wi<ard did lea"e
Frodo alone$ and he did
settle down$ ,ut the growth of ho,,it#
sense was not "ery noti1ea,le. +ndeed$
he at on1e ,egan to
1arry on Bil,o?s reputation for oddity.
2e refused to go into )ourningI and
the ne5t year he ga"e a
party in honour of Bil,o?s hundred#
and#twelfth ,irthday$ whi1h he 1alled
2undred#weight Feast.
But that was short of the )ark$ for
twenty guests were in"ited and there
were se"eral )eals at
whi1h it snowed food and rained
drink$ as ho,,its say.
%o)e people were rather sho1kedI ,ut
Frodo kept up the 1usto) of gi"ing
Bil,o?s Birthday
Party year after year until they got
used to it. 2e said that he did not
think Bil,o was dead. .hen
they asked: ?.here is he thenM? he
shrugged his shoulders.
2e li"ed alone$ as Bil,o had doneI ,ut
he had a good )any friends$
espe1ially a)ong the
younger ho,,its D)ostly des1endants
of the *ld TookE who had as 1hildren
,een fond of Bil,o and
often in and out of Bag !nd. Fol1o
Boffin and Fredegar Bolger were two
of theseI ,ut his 1losest
friends were Peregrin Took Dusually
1alled PippinE$ and (erry Brandy,u1k
Dhis real na)e was
(eriado1$ ,ut that was seldo)
re)e),eredE. Frodo went tra)ping
all o"er the %hire with the)I
,ut )ore often he wandered ,y
hi)self$ and to the a)a<e)ent of
sensi,le folk he was so)eti)es
seen far fro) ho)e walking in the
hills and woods under the starlight.
(erry and Pippin suspe1ted
that he "isited the !l"es at ti)es$ as
Bil,o had done.
4s ti)e went on$ people ,egan to
noti1e that Frodo also showed signs of
good ?preser"ation?:
outwardly he retained the appearan1e
of a ro,ust and energeti1 ho,,it Kust
out of his tweens. ?%o)e
folk ha"e all the lu1k$? they saidI ,ut it
was not until Frodo approa1hed the
usually )ore so,er age
of fifty that they ,egan to think it
Jueer.
Frodo hi)self$ after the first sho1k$
found that ,eing his own )aster and
AtheA (r. Baggins of
Bag !nd was rather pleasant. For
so)e years he was Juite happy and
did not worry )u1h a,out the
future. But half unknown to hi)self
the regret that he had not gone with
Bil,o was steadily
growing. 2e found hi)self wondering
at ti)es$ espe1ially in the autu)n$
a,out the wild lands$ and
strange "isions of )ountains that he
had ne"er seen 1a)e into his drea)s.
2e ,egan to say to
hi)self: ?Perhaps + shall 1ross the
Ri"er )yself one day.? To whi1h the
other half of his )ind
always replied: ?'ot yet.?
%o it went on$ until his forties were
running out$ and his fiftieth ,irthday
was drawing near: fifty
was a nu),er that he felt was
so)ehow signifi1ant Dor o)inousEI it
was at any rate at that age that
ad"enture had suddenly ,efallen
Bil,o. Frodo ,egan to feel restless$
and the old paths see)ed too
well#trodden. 2e looked at )aps$ and
wondered what lay ,eyond their
edges: )aps )ade in the
%hire showed )ostly white spa1es
,eyond its ,orders. 2e took to
wandering further afield and
)ore often ,y hi)selfI and (erry and
his other friends wat1hed hi)
an5iously. *ften he was seen
walking and talking with the strange
wayfarers that ,egan at this ti)e to
appear in the %hire.
There were ru)ours of strange things
happening in the world outsideI and
as /andalf had not at
that ti)e appeared or sent any
)essage for se"eral years$ Frodo
gathered all the news he 1ould.
!l"es$ who seldo) walked in the
%hire$ 1ould now ,e seen passing
westward through the woods in
the e"ening$ passing and not
returningI ,ut they were lea"ing
(iddle#earth and were no longer
1on1erned with its trou,les. There
were$ howe"er$ dwar"es on the road
in unusual nu),ers. The
an1ient !ast#.est Road ran through
the %hire to its end at the /rey
2a"ens$ and dwar"es had
always used it on their way to their
)ines in the Blue (ountains. They
were the ho,,its? 1hief
sour1e of news fro) distant parts O if
they wanted any: as a rule dwar"es
said little and ho,,its
asked no )ore. But now Frodo often
)et strange dwar"es of far 1ountries$
seeking refuge in the
.est. They were trou,led$ and so)e
spoke in whispers of the !ne)y and
of the Land of (ordor.
That na)e the ho,,its only knew in
legends of the dark past$ like a
shadow in the ,a1kground of
their )e)oriesI ,ut it was o)inous
and disJuieting. +t see)ed that the
e"il power in (irkwood had
,een dri"en out ,y the .hite -oun1il
only to reappear in greater strength in
the old strongholds of
(ordor. The &ark Tower had ,een
re,uilt$ it was said. Fro) there the
power was spreading far and
wide$ and away far east and south
there were wars and growing fear.
*r1s were )ultiplying again
in the )ountains. Trolls were a,road$
no longer dull#witted$ ,ut 1unning and
ar)ed with dreadful
weapons. 4nd there were )ur)ured
hints of 1reatures )ore terri,le than
all these$ ,ut they had no
na)e.
Little of all this$ of 1ourse$ rea1hed
the ears of ordinary ho,,its. But e"en
the deafest and )ost
stay#at#ho)e ,egan to hear Jueer
talesI and those whose ,usiness took
the) to the ,orders saw
strange things. The 1on"ersation in
AThe /reen &ragonA at Bywater$ one
e"ening in the spring of
Frodo?s fiftieth year$ showed that e"en
in the 1o)forta,le heart of the %hire
ru)ours had ,een
heard$ though )ost ho,,its still
laughed at the).
%a) /a)gee was sitting in one
1orner near the fire$ and opposite hi)
was Ted %andy)an$ the
)iller?s sonI and there were "arious
other rusti1 ho,,its listening to their
talk.
?Pueer things you do hear these days$
to ,e sure$? said %a).
?4h$? said Ted$ ?you do$ if you listen.
But + 1an hear fireside#tales and
1hildren?s stories at ho)e$
if + want to.?
?'o dou,t you 1an$? retorted %a)$ ?and
+ daresay there?s )ore truth in so)e of
the) than you
re1kon. .ho in"ented the stories
anywayM Take dragons now.?
?'o thank ?ee$? said Ted$ ?+ won?t. +
heard tell of the) when + was a
youngster$ ,ut there?s no 1all
to ,elie"e in the) now. There?s only
one &ragon in Bywater$ and that?s
/reen$? he said$ getting a
general laugh.
?4ll right$? said %a)$ laughing with the
rest. ?But what a,out these Tree#)en$
these giants$ as you
)ight 1all the)M They do say that one
,igger than a tree was seen up away
,eyond the 'orth
(oors not long ,a1k.?
?.ho?s AtheyAM?
?(y 1ousin 2al for one. 2e works for
(r. Boffin at *"erhill and goes up to
the 'orthfarthing
for the hunting. 2e AsawA one.?
?%ays he did$ perhaps. Gour 2al?s
always saying he?s seen thingsI and
)ay,e he sees things that
ain?t there.?
?But this one was as ,ig as an el)
tree$ and walking O walking se"en
yards to a stride$ if it was
an in1h.?
?Then + ,et it wasn?t an in1h. .hat he
saw AwasA an el) tree$ as like as not.?
?But this one was Awalking$A + tell
youI and there ain?t no el) tree on the
'orth (oors.?
?Then 2al 1an?t ha"e seen one$? said
Ted. There was so)e laughing and
1lapping: the audien1e
see)ed to think that Ted had s1ored a
point.
?4ll the sa)e$? said %a)$ ?you 1an?t
deny that others ,esides our 2alfast
ha"e seen Jueer folk
1rossing the %hire O 1rossing it$ )ind
you: there are )ore that are turned
,a1k at the ,orders. The
Bounders ha"e ne"er ,een so ,usy
,efore.
?4nd +?"e heard tell that !l"es are
)o"ing west. They do say they are
going to the har,ours$ out
away ,eyond the .hite Towers.? %a)
wa"ed his ar) "aguely: neither he nor
any of the) knew
how far it was to the %ea$ past the old
towers ,eyond the western ,orders of
the %hire. But it was an
old tradition that away o"er there
stood the /rey 2a"ens$ fro) whi1h at
ti)es el"en#ships set sail$
ne"er to return.
?They are sailing$ sailing$ sailing o"er
the %ea$ they are going into the .est
and lea"ing us$? said
%a)$ half 1hanting the words$ shaking
his head sadly and sole)nly. But Ted
laughed.
?.ell$ that isn?t anything new$ if you
,elie"e the old tales. 4nd + don?t see
what it )atters to )e
or you. Let the) sailN But + warrant
you ha"en?t seen the) doing itI nor
any one else in the %hire.?
?.ell + don?t know$? said %a)
thoughtfully. 2e ,elie"ed he had on1e
seen an !lf in the woods$
and still hoped to see )ore one day.
*f all the legends that he had heard in
his early years su1h
frag)ents of tales and half#
re)e),ered stories a,out the !l"es as
the ho,,its knew$ had always
)o"ed hi) )ost deeply. ?There are
so)e$ e"en in these parts$ as know the
Fair Folk and get news
of the)$? he said. ?There?s (r. Baggins
now$ that + work for. 2e told )e that
they were sailing and
he knows a ,it a,out !l"es. 4nd old
(r. Bil,o knew )ore: )any?s the talk
+ had with hi) when +
was a little lad.?
?*h$ they?re ,oth 1ra1ked$? said Ted.
?Leastways old Bil,o was 1ra1ked$
and Frodo?s 1ra1king. +f
that?s where you get your news fro)$
you?ll ne"er want for )oonshine.
.ell$ friends$ +?) off ho)e.
Gour good healthN? 2e drained his
)ug and went out noisily.
%a) sat silent and said no )ore. 2e
had a good deal to think a,out. For
one thing$ there was a
lot to do up in the Bag !nd garden$
and he would ha"e a ,usy day
to)orrow$ if the weather 1leared.
The grass was growing fast. But %a)
had )ore on his )ind than gardening.
4fter a while he
sighed$ and got up and went out.
+t was early 4pril and the sky was
now 1learing after hea"y rain. The sun
was down$ and a 1ool
pale e"ening was Juietly fading into
night. 2e walked ho)e under the
early stars through 2o,,iton
and up the 2ill$ whistling softly and
thoughtfully.
+t was Kust at this ti)e that /andalf
reappeared after his long a,sen1e. For
three years after the
Party he had ,een away. Then he paid
Frodo a ,rief "isit$ and after taking a
good look at hi) he
went off again. &uring the ne5t year
or two he had turned up fairly often$
1o)ing une5pe1tedly
after dusk$ and going off without
warning ,efore sunrise. 2e would not
dis1uss his own ,usiness
and Kourneys$ and see)ed 1hiefly
interested in s)all news a,out Frodo?s
health and doings.
Then suddenly his "isits had 1eased. +t
was o"er nine years sin1e Frodo had
seen or heard of
hi)$ and he had ,egun to think that
the wi<ard would ne"er return and
had gi"en up all interest in
ho,,its. But that e"ening$ as %a) was
walking ho)e and twilight was
fading$ there 1a)e the on1e
fa)iliar tap on the study window.
Frodo wel1o)ed his old friend with
surprise and great delight. They
looked hard at one another.
?4h well ehM? said /andalf. ?Gou look
the sa)e as e"er$ FrodoN?
?%o do you$? Frodo repliedI ,ut
se1retly he thought that /andalf
looked older and )ore 1areworn.
2e pressed hi) for news of hi)self
and of the wide world$ and soon they
were deep in talk$ and
they stayed up far into the night.
'e5t )orning after a late ,reakfast$
the wi<ard was sitting with Frodo ,y
the open window of
the study. 4 ,right fire was on the
hearth$ ,ut the sun was war)$ and the
wind was in the %outh.
!"erything looked fresh$ and the new
green of %pring was shi))ering in
the fields and on the tips
of the trees? fingers.
/andalf was thinking of a spring$
nearly eighty years ,efore$ when
Bil,o had run out of Bag
!nd without a handker1hief. 2is hair
was perhaps whiter than it had ,een
then$ and his ,eard and
eye,rows were perhaps longer$ and
his fa1e )ore lined with 1are and
wisdo)I ,ut his eyes were as
,right as e"er$ and he s)oked and
,lew s)oke#rings with the sa)e
"igour and delight.
2e was s)oking now in silen1e$ for
Frodo was sitting still$ deep in
thought. !"en in the light of
)orning he felt the dark shadow of
the tidings that /andalf had ,rought.
4t last he ,roke the
silen1e.
?Last night you ,egan to tell )e
strange things a,out )y ring$
/andalf$? he said. ?4nd then you
stopped$ ,e1ause you said that su1h
)atters were ,est left until daylight.
&on?t you think you had
,etter finish nowM Gou say the ring is
dangerous$ far )ore dangerous than +
guess. +n what wayM?
?+n )any ways$? answered the wi<ard.
+t is far )ore powerful than + e"er
dared to think at first$
so powerful that in the end it would
utterly o"er1o)e anyone of )ortal
ra1e who possessed it. +t
would possess hi).
?+n !region long ago )any !l"en#
rings were )ade$ )agi1 rings as you
1all the)$ and they were$
of 1ourse$ of "arious kinds: so)e
)ore potent and so)e less. The lesser
rings were only essays in
the 1raft ,efore it was full#grown$ and
to the !l"en#s)iths they were ,ut
trifles O yet still to )y
)ind dangerous for )ortals. But the
/reat Rings$ the Rings of Power$ they
were perilous.
?4 )ortal$ Frodo$ who keeps one of
the /reat Rings$ does not die$ ,ut he
does not grow or o,tain
)ore life$ he )erely 1ontinues$ until
at last e"ery )inute is a weariness.
4nd if he often uses the
Ring to )ake hi)self in"isi,le$ heA
fades:A he ,e1o)es in the end
in"isi,le per)anently$ and
walks in the twilight under the eye of
the dark power that rules the Rings.
Ges$ sooner or later O
later$ if he is strong or well#)eaning
to ,egin with$ ,ut neither strength nor
good purpose will last O
sooner or later the dark power will
de"our hi).?
?2ow terrifyingN? said Frodo. There
was another long silen1e. The sound
of %a) /a)gee 1utting
the lawn 1a)e in fro) the garden.
?2ow long ha"e you known thisM?
asked Frodo at length. ?4nd how
)u1h did Bil,o knowM?
?Bil,o knew no )ore than he told you$
+ a) sure$? said /andalf. ?2e would
1ertainly ne"er ha"e
passed on to you anything that he
thought would ,e a danger$ e"en
though + pro)ised to look after
you. 2e thought the ring was "ery
,eautiful$ and "ery useful at needI and
if anything was wrong or
Jueer$ it was hi)self. 2e said that it
was Lgrowing on his )indL$ and he
was always worrying a,out
itI ,ut he did not suspe1t that the ring
itself was to ,la)e. Though he had
found out that the thing
needed looking afterI it did not see)
always of the sa)e si<e or weightI it
shrank or e5panded in an
odd way$ and )ight suddenly slip off
a finger where it had ,een tight.?
?Ges$ he warned )e of that in his last
letter$? said Frodo$ ?so + ha"e always
kept it on its 1hain.?
?@ery wise$? said /andalf. ?But as for
his long life$ Bil,o ne"er 1onne1ted it
with the ring at all.
2e took all the 1redit for that to
hi)self$ and he was "ery proud of it.
Though he was getting
restless and uneasy. AThin and
stret1hedA he said. 4 sign that the ring
was getting 1ontrol.?
?2ow long ha"e you known all thisM?
asked Frodo again.
?nownM? said /andalf. ?+ ha"e known
)u1h that only the .ise know$ Frodo.
But if you )ean
Lknown a,out AthisA ringL$ well$ + still
do not Aknow$Aone )ight say. There
is a last test to )ake.
But + no longer dou,t )y guess.
?.hen did + first ,egin to guessM? he
)used$ sear1hing ,a1k in )e)ory.
?Let )e see O it was in
the year that the .hite -oun1il dro"e
the dark power fro) (irkwood$ Kust
,efore the Battle of Fi"e
4r)ies$ that Bil,o found his ring. 4
shadow fell on )y heart then$ though
+ did not know yet what
+ feared. + wondered often how
/ollu) 1a)e ,y a /reat Ring$ as
plainly it was O that at least was
1lear fro) the first. Then + heard
Bil,o?s strange story of how he had
LwonL it$ and + 1ould not
,elie"e it. .hen + at last got the truth
out of hi)$ + saw at on1e that he had
,een trying to put his
1lai) to the ring ,eyond dou,t. (u1h
like /ollu) with his L,irthday
presentL. The lies were too
)u1h alike for )y 1o)fort. -learly
the ring had an unwholeso)e power
that set to work on its
keeper at on1e. That was the first real
warning + had that all was not well. +
told Bil,o often that
su1h rings were ,etter left unusedI ,ut
he resented it$ and soon got angry.
There was little else that +
1ould do. + 1ould not take it fro) hi)
without doing greater har)I and + had
no right to do so
anyway. + 1ould only wat1h and wait.
+ )ight perhaps ha"e 1onsulted
%aru)an the .hite$ ,ut
so)ething always held )e ,a1k.?
?.ho is heM? asked Frodo. + ha"e
ne"er heard of hi) ,efore.?
?(ay,e not$? answered /andalf.
?2o,,its are$ or were$ no 1on1ern of
his. Get he is great a)ong
the .ise. 2e is the 1hief of )y order
and the head of the -oun1il. 2is
knowledge is deep$ ,ut his
pride has grown with it$ and he takes
ill any )eddling. The lore of the
!l"en#rings$ great and s)all$
is his pro"in1e. 2e has long studied it$
seeking the lost se1rets of their
)akingI ,ut when the Rings
were de,ated in the -oun1il$ all that
he would re"eal to us of his ring#lore
told against )y fears. %o
)y dou,t slept O ,ut uneasily. %till +
wat1hed and + waited.
?4nd all see)ed well with Bil,o. 4nd
the years passed. Ges$ they passed$
and they see)ed not to
tou1h hi). 2e showed no signs of
age. The shadow fell on )e again. But
+ said to )yself: L4fter
all he 1o)es of a long#li"ed fa)ily on
his )other?s side. There is ti)e yet.
.aitNL
?4nd + waited. 0ntil that night when
he left this house. 2e said and did
things then that filled )e
with a fear that no words of %aru)an
1ould allay. + knew at last that
so)ething dark and deadly was
at work. 4nd + ha"e spent )ost of the
years sin1e then in finding out the
truth of it.?
?There wasn?t any per)anent har)
done$ was thereM? asked Frodo
an5iously. ?2e would get all
right in ti)e$ wouldn?t heM Be a,le to
rest in pea1e$ + )eanM?
?2e felt ,etter at on1e$? said /andalf.
?But there is only one Power in this
world that knows all
a,out the Rings and their effe1tsI and
as far as + know there is no Power in
the world that knows all
a,out ho,,its. 4)ong the .ise + a)
the only one that goes in for ho,,it#
lore: an o,s1ure ,ran1h of
knowledge$ ,ut full of surprises. %oft
as ,utter they 1an ,e$ and yet
so)eti)es as tough as old treeroots.
+ think it likely that so)e would resist
the Rings far longer than )ost of the
.ise would
,elie"e. + don?t think you need worry
a,out Bil,o.
?*f 1ourse$ he possessed the ring for
)any years$ and used it$ so it )ight
take a long while for
the influen1e to wear off O ,efore it
was safe for hi) to see it again$ for
instan1e. *therwise$ he
)ight li"e on for years$ Juite happily:
Kust stop as he was when he parted
with it. For he ga"e it up
in the end of his own a11ord: an
i)portant point. 'o$ + was not
trou,led a,out dear Bil,o any )ore$
on1e he had let the thing go. +t is for
AyouA that + feel responsi,le.
?!"er sin1e Bil,o left + ha"e ,een
deeply 1on1erned a,out you$ and
a,out all these 1har)ing$
a,surd$ helpless ho,,its. +t would ,e a
grie"ous ,low to the world$ if the
&ark Power o"er1a)e the
%hireI if all your kind$ Kolly$ stupid
Bolgers$ 2orn,lowers$ Boffins$
Bra1egirdles$ and the rest$ not to
)ention the ridi1ulous Bagginses$
,e1a)e ensla"ed.?
Frodo shuddered. ?But why should we
,eM? he asked. ?4nd why should he
want su1h sla"esM?
?To tell you the truth$? replied /andalf$
?+ ,elie"e that hitherto O
Ahitherto$A)ark you O he has
entirely o"erlooked the e5isten1e of
ho,,its. Gou should ,e thankful. But
your safety has passed.
2e does not need you O he has )any
)ore useful ser"ants O ,ut he won?t
forget you again. 4nd
ho,,its as )isera,le sla"es would
please hi) far )ore than ho,,its
happy and free. There is su1h a
thing as )ali1e and re"enge.?
?Re"engeM? said Frodo. ?Re"enge for
whatM + still don?t understand what all
this has to do with
Bil,o and )yself$ and our ring.?
?+t has e"erything to do with it$? said
/andalf. ?Gou do not know the real
peril yetI ,ut you shall. +
was not sure of it )yself when + was
last hereI ,ut the ti)e has 1o)e to
speak. /i"e )e the ring for
a )o)ent.?
Frodo took it fro) his ,ree1hes#
po1ket$ where it was 1lasped to a
1hain that hung fro) his ,elt.
2e unfastened it and handed it slowly
to the wi<ard. +t felt suddenly "ery
hea"y$ as if either it or
Frodo hi)self was in so)e way
relu1tant for /andalf to tou1h it.
/andalf held it up. +t looked to ,e
)ade of pure and solid gold. ?-an you
see any )arkings on
itM? he asked.
?'o$? said Frodo. ?There are none. +t is
Juite plain$ and it ne"er shows a
s1rat1h or sign of wear.?
?.ell then$ lookN? To Frodo?s
astonish)ent and distress the wi<ard
threw it suddenly into the
)iddle of a glowing 1orner of the fire.
Frodo ga"e a 1ry and groped for the
tongsI ,ut /andalf held
hi) ,a1k.
?.aitN? he said in a 1o))anding
"oi1e$ gi"ing Frodo a Jui1k look fro)
under his ,ristling
,rows.
'o apparent 1hange 1a)e o"er the
ring. 4fter a while /andalf got up$
1losed the shutters
outside the window$ and drew the
1urtains. The roo) ,e1a)e dark and
silent$ though the 1la1k of
%a)?s shears$ now nearer to the
windows$ 1ould still ,e heard faintly
fro) the garden. For a
)o)ent the wi<ard stood looking at
the fireI then he stooped and re)o"ed
the ring to the hearth
with the tongs$ and at on1e pi1ked it
up. Frodo gasped.
+t is Juite 1ool$? said /andalf. ?Take
itN? Frodo re1ei"ed it on his shrinking
pal): it see)ed to
ha"e ,e1o)e thi1ker and hea"ier than
e"er.
?2old it upN? said /andalf. ?4nd look
1loselyN?
4s Frodo did so$ he now saw fine
lines$ finer than the finest pen#strokes$
running along the ring$
outside and inside: lines of fire that
see)ed to for) the letters of a
flowing s1ript. They shone
pier1ingly ,right$ and yet re)ote$ as if
out of a great depth.
?+ 1annot read the fiery letters$? said
Frodo in a Jua"ering "oi1e.
?'o$? said /andalf$ ?,ut + 1an. The
letters are !l"ish$ of an an1ient )ode$
,ut the language is that
of (ordor$ whi1h + will not utter here.
But this in the -o))on Tongue is
what is said$ 1lose
enough:
A*ne Ring to rule the) all$ *ne Ring
to find the)$
*ne Ring to ,ring the) all and in the
darkness ,ind the).A
+t is only two lines of a "erse long
known in !l"en#lore:
AThree Rings for the !l"en#kings
under the sky$
%e"en for the &warf#lords in their
halls of stone$
'ine for (ortal (en doo)ed to die$
*ne for the &ark Lord on his dark
throne
+n the Land of (ordor where the
%hadows lie.
*ne Ring to rule the) all. *ne Ring
to find the)$
*ne Ring to ,ring the) all and in the
darkness ,ind the)
+n the Land of (ordor where the
%hadows lie.?A
2e paused$ and then said slowly in a
deep "oi1e: ?This is the (aster#ring$
the *ne Ring to rule
the) all. This is the *ne Ring that he
lost )any ages ago$ to the great
weakening of his power. 2e
greatly desires it O ,ut he )ust AnotA
get it.?
Frodo sat silent and )otionless. Fear
see)ed to stret1h out a "ast hand$ like
a dark 1loud rising
in the !ast and loo)ing up to engulf
hi). ?This ringN? he sta))ered. ?2ow$
how on earth did it
1o)e to )eM?
?4hN? said /andalf. ?That is a "ery long
story. The ,eginnings lie ,a1k in the
Bla1k Gears$ whi1h
only the lore#)asters now re)e),er.
+f + were to tell you all that tale$ we
should still ,e sitting here
when %pring had passed into .inter.
?But last night + told you of %auron the
/reat$ the &ark Lord. The ru)ours
that you ha"e heard
are true: he has indeed arisen again
and left his hold in (irkwood and
returned to his an1ient
fastness in the &ark Tower of (ordor.
That na)e e"en you ho,,its ha"e
heard of$ like a shadow on
the ,orders of old stories. 4lways
after a defeat and a respite$ the
%hadow takes another shape and
grows again.?
?+ wish it need not ha"e happened in
)y ti)e$? said Frodo.
?%o do +$? said /andalf$ ?and so do all
who li"e to see su1h ti)es. But that is
not for the) to
de1ide. 4ll we ha"e to de1ide is what
to do with the ti)e that is gi"en$ us.
4nd already$ Frodo$ our
ti)e is ,eginning to look ,la1k. The
!ne)y is fast ,e1o)ing "ery strong.
2is plans are far fro)
ripe$ + think$ ,ut they are ripening. .e
shall ,e hard put to it. .e should ,e
"ery hard put to it$ e"en
if it were not for this dreadful 1han1e.
?The !ne)y still la1ks one thing to
gi"e hi) strength and knowledge to
,eat down all resistan1e$
,reak the last defen1es$ and 1o"er all
the lands in a se1ond darkness. 2e
la1ks the *ne Ring.
?The Three$ fairest of all$ the !lf#lords
hid fro) hi)$ and his hand ne"er
tou1hed the) or sullied
the). %e"en the &warf#kings
possessed$ ,ut three he has re1o"ered$
and the others the dragons
ha"e 1onsu)ed. 'ine he ga"e to
(ortal (en$ proud and great$ and so
ensnared the). Long ago
they fell under the do)inion of the
*ne$ and they ,e1a)e Ringwraiths$
shadows under his great
%hadow$ his )ost terri,le ser"ants.
Long ago. +t is )any a year sin1e the
'ine walked a,road. Get
who knowsM 4s the %hadow grows
on1e )ore$ they too )ay walk again.
But 1o)eN .e will not
speak of su1h things e"en in the
)orning of the %hire.
?%o it is now: the 'ine he has gathered
to hi)selfI the %e"en also$ or else
they are destroyed. The
Three are hidden still. But that no
longer trou,les hi). 2e only needs
the *neI for he )ade that
Ring hi)self$ it is his$ and he let a
great part of his own for)er power
pass into it$ so that he 1ould
rule all the others. +f he re1o"ers it$
then he will 1o))and the) all again$
where"er they ,e$ e"en
the Three$ and all that has ,een
wrought with the) will ,e laid ,are$
and he will ,e stronger than
e"er.
?4nd this is the dreadful 1han1e$
Frodo. 2e ,elie"ed that the *ne had
perishedI that the !l"es
had destroyed it$ as should ha"e ,een
done. But he knows now that it has
AnotA perished$ that it has
,een found. %o he is seeking it$
seeking it$ and all his thought is ,ent
on it. +t is his great hope and
our great fear.?
?.hy$ why wasn?t it destroyedM? 1ried
Frodo. ?4nd how did the !ne)y e"er
1o)e to lose it$ if he
was so strong$ and it was so pre1ious
to hi)M? 2e 1lut1hed the Ring in his
hand$ as if he saw already
dark fingers stret1hing out to sei<e it.
?+t was taken fro) hi)$? said /andalf.
?The strength of the !l"es to resist hi)
was greater long
agoI and not all (en were estranged
fro) the). The (en of .esternesse
1a)e to their aid. That is
a 1hapter of an1ient history whi1h it
)ight ,e good to re1allI for there was
sorrow then too$ and
gathering dark$ ,ut great "alour$ and
great deeds that were not wholly "ain.
*ne day$ perhaps$ + will
tell you all the tale$ or you shall hear
it told in full ,y one who knows it
,est.
?But for the )o)ent$ sin1e )ost of all
you need to know how this thing
1a)e to you$ and that
will ,e tale enough$ this is all that +
will say. +t was /il#galad$ !l"en#king
and !lendil of
.esternesse who o"erthrew %auron$
though they the)sel"es perished in
the deedI and +sildur
!lendil?s son 1ut the Ring fro)
%auron?s hand and took it for his own.
Then %auron was "anJuished
and his spirit fled and was hidden for
long years$ until his shadow took
shape again in (irkwood.
?But the Ring was lost. +t fell into the
/reat Ri"er$ 4nduin$ and "anished.
For +sildur was
)ar1hing north along the east ,anks
of the Ri"er$ and near the /ladden
Fields he was waylaid ,y
the *r1s of the (ountains$ and al)ost
all his folk were slain. 2e leaped into
the waters$ ,ut the
Ring slipped fro) his finger as he
swa)$ and then the *r1s saw hi) and
killed hi) with arrows.?
/andalf paused. ?4nd there in the dark
pools a)id the /ladden Fields$? he
said$ ?the Ring passed
out of knowledge and legendI and
e"en so )u1h of its history is known
now only to a few$ and the
-oun1il of the .ise 1ould dis1o"er no
)ore. But at last + 1an 1arry on the
story$ + think.
?Long after$ ,ut still "ery long ago$
there li"ed ,y the ,anks of the /reat
Ri"er on the edge of
.ilderland a 1le"er#handed and Juiet#
footed little people. + guess they were
of ho,,it#kindI akin to
the fathers of the fathers of the %toors$
for they lo"ed the Ri"er$ and often
swa) in it$ or )ade little
,oats of reeds. There was a)ong the)
a fa)ily of high repute$ for it was
large and wealthier than
)ost$ and it was ruled ,y a
grand)other of the folk$ stern and
wise in old lore$ su1h as they had.
The )ost inJuisiti"e and 1urious#
)inded of that fa)ily was 1alled
%)Bagol. 2e was interested in
roots and ,eginningsI he di"ed into
deep poolsI he ,urrowed under trees
and growing plantsI he
tunnelled into green )oundsI and he
1eased to look up at the hill#tops$ or
the lea"es on trees$ or the
flowers opening in the air: his head
and his eyes were downward.
?2e had a friend 1alled &Bagol$ of
si)ilar sort$ sharper#eyed ,ut not so
Jui1k and strong. *n a
ti)e they took a ,oat and went down
to the /ladden Fields$ where there
were great ,eds of iris and
flowering reeds. There %)Bagol got
out and went nosing a,out the ,anks
,ut &eal sat in the ,oat
and fished. %uddenly a great fish took
his hook$ and ,efore he knew where
he was$ he was dragged
out and down into the water$ to the
,otto). Then he let go of his line$ for
he thought he saw
so)ething shining in the ri"er#,edI
and holding his ,reath he gra,,ed at
it.
?Then up he 1a)e spluttering$ with
weeds in his hair and a handful of
)udI and he swa) to the
,ank. 4nd ,eholdN when he washed
the )ud away$ there in his hand lay a
,eautiful golden ringI
and it shone and glittered in the sun$
so that his heart was glad. But
%)Bagol had ,een wat1hing
hi) fro) ,ehind a tree$ and as &eal
gloated o"er the ring$ %)Bagol 1a)e
softly up ,ehind.
?L/i"e us that$ &eal$ )y lo"e$L said
%)Bagol$ o"er his friend?s shoulder.
?L.hyML said &eal.
? LBe1ause it?s )y ,irthday$ )y lo"e$
and + wants it$L said %)Bagol.
?L+ don?t 1are$L said &eal. L+ ha"e
gi"en you a present already$ )ore
than + 1ould afford. + found
this$ and +?) going to keep it.L
? L*h$ are you indeed$ )y lo"e$L said
%)BagolI and he 1aught &eal ,y the
throat and strangled
hi)$ ,e1ause the gold looked so
,right and ,eautiful. Then he put the
ring on his finger.
?'o one e"er found out what had
,e1o)e of &ealI he was )urdered far
fro) ho)e$ and his ,ody
was 1unningly hidden. But %)Bagol
returned aloneI and he found that
none of his fa)ily 1ould see
hi)$ when he was wearing the ring.
2e was "ery pleased with his
dis1o"ery and he 1on1ealed itI
and he used it to find out se1rets$ and
he put his knowledge to 1rooked and
)ali1ious uses. 2e
,e1a)e sharp#eyed and keen#eared
for all that was hurtful. The ring had
gi"en hi) power
a11ording to his stature. +t is not to ,e
wondered at that he ,e1a)e "ery
unpopular and was shunned
Dwhen "isi,leE ,y all his relations.
They ki1ked hi)$ and he ,it their feet.
2e took to thie"ing$ and
going a,out )uttering to hi)self$ and
gurgling in his throat. %o they 1alled
hi) A/ollu)$A and
1ursed hi)$ and told hi) to go far
awayI and his grand)other$ desiring
pea1e$ e5pelled hi) fro)
the fa)ily and turned hi) out of her
hole.
?2e wandered in loneliness$ weeping a
little for the hardness of the world$
and he Kourneyed up
the Ri"er$ till he 1a)e to a strea) that
flowed down fro) the )ountains$ and
he went that way. 2e
1aught fish in deep pools with
in"isi,le fingers and ate the) raw.
*ne day it was "ery hot$ and as
he was ,ending o"er a pool$ he felt a
,urning on the ,a1k of his headE and a
da<<ling light fro) the
water pained his wet eyes. 2e
wondered at it$ for he had al)ost
forgotten a,out the %un. Then for
the last ti)e he looked up and shook
his fist at her.
?But as he lowered his eyes$ he saw far
a,o"e the tops of the (isty
(ountains$ out of whi1h the
strea) 1a)e. 4nd he thought
suddenly: L+t would ,e 1ool and shady
under those )ountains. The
%un 1ould not wat1h )e there. The
roots of those )ountains )ust ,e
roots indeedI there )ust ,e
great se1rets ,uried there whi1h ha"e
not ,een dis1o"ered sin1e the
,eginning.L
?%o he Kourneyed ,y night up into the
highlands$ and he found a little 1a"e
out of whi1h the dark
strea) ranI and he wor)ed his way
like a )aggot into the heart of the
hills$ and "anished out of all
knowledge. The Ring went into the
shadows with hi)$ and e"en the
)aker$ when his power had
,egun to grow again$ 1ould learn
nothing of it.?
?/ollu)N? 1ried Frodo. ?/ollu)M &o
you )ean that this is the "ery /ollu)#
1reature that Bil,o
)etM 2ow loathso)eN?
?+ think it is a sad story$? said the
wi<ard$ ?and it )ight ha"e happened
to others$ e"en to so)e
ho,,its that + ha"e known.?
?+ 1an?t ,elie"e that /ollu) was
1onne1ted with ho,,its$ howe"er
distantly$? said Frodo with
so)e heat. ?.hat an a,o)ina,le
notionN?
?+t is true all the sa)e$? replied
/andalf. ?4,out their origins$ at any
rate$ + know )ore than
ho,,its do the)sel"es. 4nd e"en
Bil,o?s story suggests the kinship.
There was a great deal in the
,a1kground of their )inds and
)e)ories that was "ery si)ilar. They
understood one another
re)arka,ly well$ "ery )u1h ,etter
than a ho,,it would understand$ say$ a
&warf$ or an *r1$ or e"en
an !lf. Think of the riddles they ,oth
knew$ for one thing.?
?Ges$? said Frodo. ?Though other folks
,esides ho,,its ask riddles$ and of
)u1h the sa)e sort.
4nd ho,,its don?t 1heat. /ollu)
)eant to 1heat all the ti)e. 2e was
Kust trying to put poor Bil,o
off his guard. 4nd + daresay it a)used
his wi1kedness to start a ga)e whi1h
)ight end in pro"iding
hi) with an easy "i1ti)$ ,ut if he lost
would not hurt hi).?
?*nly too true$ + fear$? said /andalf.
?But there was so)ething else in it$ +
think$ whi1h you don?t
see yet. !"en /ollu) was not wholly
ruined. 2e had pro"ed tougher than
e"en one of the .ise
would ha"e guessed #as a ho,,it
)ight. There was a little 1orner of his
)ind that was still his own$
and light 1a)e through it$ as through
a 1hink in the dark: light out of the
past. +t was a1tually
pleasant$ + think$ to hear a kindly
"oi1e again$ ,ringing up )e)ories of
wind$ and trees$ and sun on
the grass$ and su1h forgotten things.
?But that$ of 1ourse$ would only )ake
the e"il part of hi) angrier in the end
O unless it 1ould ,e
1onJuered. 0nless it 1ould ,e 1ured.?
/andalf sighed. ?4lasN there is little
hope of that for hi). Get
not no hope. 'o$ not though he
possessed the Ring so long$ al)ost as
far ,a1k as he 1an re)e),er.
For it was long sin1e he had worn it
)u1h: in the ,la1k darkness it was
seldo) needed. -ertainly he
had ne"er LfadedL. 2e is thin and
tough still. But the thing was eating
up his )ind$ of 1ourse$ and
the tor)ent had ,e1o)e al)ost
un,eara,le.
?4ll the Lgreat se1retsL under the
)ountains had turned out to ,e Kust
e)pty night: there was
nothing )ore to find out$ nothing
worth doing$ only nasty furti"e eating
and resentful re)e),ering.
2e was altogether wret1hed. 2e hated
the dark$ and he hated light )ore: he
hated e"erything$ and
the Ring )ost of all.?
?.hat do you )eanM? said Frodo.
?%urely the Ring was his pre1ious and
the only thing he 1ared
forM But if he hated it$ why didn?t he
get rid of it$ or go away and lea"e itM?
?Gou ought to ,egin to understand$
Frodo$ after all you ha"e heard$? said
/andalf. ?2e hated it
and lo"ed it$ as he hated and lo"ed
hi)self. 2e 1ould not get rid of it. 2e
had no will left in the
)atter.
?4 Ring of Power looks after itself$
Frodo. A+tA )ay slip off
trea1herously$ ,ut its keeper ne"er
a,andons it. 4t )ost he plays with the
idea of handing it on to so)eone
else?s 1are O and that only
at an early stage$ when it first ,egins
to grip. But as far as + know Bil,o
alone in history has e"er
gone ,eyond playing$ and really done
it. 2e needed all )y help$ too. 4nd
e"en so he would ne"er
ha"e Kust forsaken it$ or 1ast it aside.
+t was not /ollu)$ Frodo$ ,ut the
Ring itself that de1ided
things. The Ring left Ahi).?A
?.hat$ Kust in ti)e to )eet Bil,oM?
said Frodo. ?.ouldn?t an *r1 ha"e
suited it ,etterM?
?+t is no laughing )atter$? said
/andalf. ?'ot for you. +t was the
strangest e"ent in the whole
history of the Ring so far: Bil,o?s
arri"al Kust at that ti)e$ and putting
his hand on it$ ,lindly$ in the
dark.
?There was )ore than one power at
work$ Frodo. The Ring was trying to
get ,a1k to its )aster.
+t had slipped fro) +sildur?s hand and
,etrayed hi)I then when a 1han1e
1a)e it 1aught poor &eal$
and he was )urderedI and after that
/ollu)$ and it had de"oured hi). +t
1ould )ake no further use
of hi): he was too s)all and )eanI
and as long as it stayed with hi) he
would ne"er lea"e his deep
pool again. %o now$ when its )aster
was awake on1e )ore and sending out
his dark thought fro)
(irkwood$ it a,andoned /ollu).
*nly to ,e pi1ked up ,y the )ost
unlikely person i)agina,le:
Bil,o fro) the %hireN
?Behind that there was so)ething else
at work$ ,eyond any design of the
Ring#)aker. + 1an put it
no plainer than ,y saying that Bil,o
was A)eantAto find the Ring$ and
AnotA ,y its )aker. +n whi1h
1ase you also were A)eantAto ha"e it.
4nd that )ay,e an en1ouraging
thought.?
+t is not$? said Frodo. LThough + a)
not sure that + understand you. But
how ha"e you learned all
this a,out the Ring$ and a,out
/ollu)M &o you really know it all$ or
are you Kust guessing stillM?
/andalf looked at Frodo$ and his eyes
glinted. + knew )u1h and + ha"e
learned )u1h$? he
answered. ?But + a) not going to gi"e
an a11ount of all )y doings to Ayou.A
The history of !lendil
and +sildur and the *ne Ring is
known to all the .ise. Gour ring is
shown to ,e that *ne Ring ,y
the fire#writing alone$ apart fro) any
other e"iden1e.? ?4nd when did you
dis1o"er thatM? asked
Frodo$ interrupting. ?Just now in this
roo)$ of 1ourse$? answered the wi<ard
sharply. ?But + e5pe1ted
to find it. + ha"e 1o)e ,a1k fro) dark
Kourneys and long sear1h to )ake that
final test. +t is the last
proof$ and all is now only too 1lear.
(aking out /ollu)?s part$ and fitting
it into the gap in the
history$ reJuired so)e thought. + )ay
ha"e started with guesses a,out
/ollu)$ ,ut + a) not
guessing now. + know. + ha"e seen
hi).?
?Gou ha"e seen /ollu)M? e51lai)ed
Frodo in a)a<e)ent.
?Ges. The o,"ious thing to do$ of
1ourse$ if one 1ould. + tried long agoI
,ut + ha"e )anaged it at
last.?
?Then what happened after Bil,o
es1aped fro) hi)M &o you know
thatM?
?'ot so 1learly. .hat + ha"e told you
is what /ollu) was willing to tell O
though not$ of 1ourse$
in the way + ha"e reported it. /ollu)
is a liar$ and you ha"e to sift his
words. For instan1e$ he
1alled the Ring his L,irthday presentL$
and he stu1k to that. 2e said it 1a)e
fro) his grand)other$
who had lots of ,eautiful things of
that kind. 4 ridi1ulous story. + ha"e
no dou,t that %)Bagol?s
grand)other was a )atriar1h$ a great
person in her way$ ,ut to talk of her
possessing )any !l"enrings
was a,surd$ and as for gi"ing the)
away$ it was a lie. But a lie with a
grain of truth.
?The )urder of &eal haunted /ollu)$
and he had )ade up a defen1e$
repeating it to his
Lpre1iousL o"er and o"er again$ as he
gnawed ,ones in the dark$ until he
al)ost ,elie"ed it. +t
AwasA his ,irthday. &eal ought to
ha"e gi"en the ring to hi). +t had
pre"iously turned up Kust so as
to ,e a present. +t AwasA his ,irthday
present$ and so on$ and on.
+ endured hi) as long as + 1ould$ ,ut
the truth was desperately i)portant$
and in the end + had to
,e harsh. + put the fear of fire on hi)$
and wrung the true story out of hi)$
,it ,y ,it$ together with
)u1h sni"elling and snarling. 2e
thought he was )isunderstood and ill#
used. But when he had at
last told )e his history$ as far as the
end of the Riddle#ga)e and Bil,o?s
es1ape$ he would not say
any )ore$ e51ept in dark hints. %o)e
other fear was on hi) greater than
)ine. 2e )uttered that he
was going to gel his own ,a1k. People
would see if he would stand ,eing
ki1ked$ and dri"en into a
hole and then Aro,,ed.A /ollu) had
good friends now$ good friends and
"ery strong. They would
help hi). Baggins would pay for it.
That was his 1hief thought. 2e hated
Bil,o and 1ursed his
na)e. .hat is )ore$ he knew where
he 1a)e fro).?
?But how did he find that outM? asked
Frodo.
?.ell$ as for the na)e$ Bil,o "ery
foolishly told /ollu) hi)selfI and
after that it would not ,e
diffi1ult to dis1o"er his 1ountry$ on1e
/ollu) 1a)e out. *h yes$ he 1a)e
out. 2is longing for the
Ring pro"ed stronger than his fear of
the *r1s$ or e"en of the light. 4fter a
year or two he left the
)ountains. Gou see$ though still
,ound ,y desire of it$ the Ring was no
longer de"ouring hi)I he
,egan to re"i"e a little. 2e felt old$
terri,ly old$ yet less ti)id$ and he was
)ortally hungry.
?Light$ light of %un and (oon$ he still
feared and hated$ and he always will$ +
thinkI ,ut he was
1unning. 2e found he 1ould hide fro)
daylight and )oonshine$ and )ake his
way swiftly and
softly ,y dead of night with his pale
1old eyes$ and 1at1h s)all frightened
or unwary things. 2e
grew stronger and ,older with new
food and new air. 2e found his way
into (irkwood$ as one
would e5pe1t.?
?+s that where you found hi)M? asked
Frodo.
?+ saw hi) there$? answered /andalf$
?,ut ,efore that he had wandered far$
following Bil,o?s trail.
+t was diffi1ult to learn anything fro)
hi) for 1ertain$ for his talk was
1onstantly interrupted ,y
1urses and threats. L.hat had it got in
its po1ketsesML he said. L+t wouldn?t
say$ no pre1ious. Little
1heat. 'ot a fair Juestion. +t 1heated
first$ it did. +t ,roke the rules. .e
ought to ha"e sJuee<ed it$
yes pre1ious. 4nd we will$ pre1iousNL
?That is a sa)ple of his talk. + don?t
suppose you want any )ore. + had
weary days of it. But fro)
hints dropped a)ong the snarls + e"en
gathered that his padding feet had
taken hi) at last to
!sgaroth$ and e"en to the streets of
&ale$ listening se1retly and peering.
.ell$ the news of the great
e"ents went far and wide in
.ilderland$ and )any had heard
Bil,o?s na)e and knew where he
1a)e fro). .e had )ade no se1ret of
our return Kourney to his ho)e in the
.est. /ollu)?s sharp
ears would soon learn what he
wanted.?
?Then why didn?t he tra1k Bil,o
furtherM? asked Frodo. ?.hy didn?t he
1o)e to the %hireM?
?4h$? said /andalf$ ?now we 1o)e to
it. + think /ollu) tried to. 2e set out
and 1a)e ,a1k
westward$ as far as the /reat Ri"er.
But then he turned aside. 2e was not
daunted ,y the distan1e$ +
a) sure. 'o$ so)ething else drew hi)
away. %o )y friends think$ those that
hunted hi) for )e.
?The .ood#el"es tra1ked hi) first$ an
easy task for the)$ for his trail was
still fresh then.
Through (irkwood and ,a1k again it
led the)$ though they ne"er 1aught
hi). The wood was full
of the ru)our of hi)$ dreadful tales
e"en a)ong ,easts and ,irds. The
.ood)en said that there
was so)e new terror a,road$ a ghost
that drank ,lood. +t 1li),ed trees to
find nestsI it 1rept into
holes to find the youngI it slipped
through windows to find 1radles.
?But at the western edge of (irkwood
the trail turned away. +t wandered off
southwards and
passed out of the .ood#el"es? ken$
and was lost. 4nd then + )ade a great
)istake. Ges$ Frodo$ and
not the firstI though + fear it )ay
pro"e the worst. + let the )atter ,e. +
let hi) goI for + had )u1h
else to think of at that ti)e$ and + still
trusted the lore of %aru)an.
?.ell$ that was years ago. + ha"e paid
for it sin1e with )any dark and
dangerous days. The trail
was long 1old when + took it up again$
after Bil,o left here. 4nd )y sear1h
would ha"e ,een in
"ain$ ,ut for the help that + had fro) a
friend: 4ragorn$ the greatest tra"eller
and hunts)an of this
age of the world. Together we sought
for /ollu) down the whole length of
.ilderland$ without
hope$ and without su11ess. But at last$
when + had gi"en up the 1hase and
turned to other parts$
/ollu) was found. (y friend
returned out of the great perils
,ringing the )isera,le 1reature with
hi).
?.hat he had ,een doing he would not
say. 2e only wept and 1alled us 1ruel$
with )any a
Agollu)A in his throatI and when we
pressed hi) he whined and 1ringed$
and ru,,ed his long
hands$ li1king his fingers as if they
pained hi)$ as if he re)e),ered
so)e old torture. But + a)
afraid there is no possi,le dou,t: he
had )ade his slow$ sneaking way$
step ,y step$ )ile ,y )ile$
south$ down at last to the Land of
(ordor.?
4 hea"y silen1e fell in the roo).
Frodo 1ould hear his heart ,eating.
!"en outside e"erything
see)ed still. 'o sound of %a)?s
shears 1ould now ,e heard.
?Ges$ to (ordor$? said /andalf. ?4lasN
(ordor draws all wi1ked things$ and
the &ark Power was
,ending all its will to gather the)
there. The Ring of the !ne)y would
lea"e its )ark$ too$ lea"e
hi) open to the su))ons. 4nd all
folk were whispering then of the new
%hadow in the %outh$ and
its hatred of the .est. There were his
fine new friends$ who would help hi)
in his re"engeN
?.ret1hed foolN +n that land he would
learn )u1h$ too )u1h for his 1o)fort.
4nd sooner or later
as he lurked and pried on the ,orders
he would ,e 1aught$ and taken O for
e5a)ination. That was
the way of it$ + fear. .hen he was
found he had already ,een there long$
and was on his way ,a1k.
*n so)e errand of )is1hief. But that
does not )atter )u1h now. 2is worst
)is1hief was done.
?Ges$ alasN through hi) the !ne)y has
learned that the *ne has ,een found
again. 2e knows
where +sildur fell. 2e knows where
/ollu) found his ring. 2e knows that
it is a /reat Ring$ for it
ga"e long life. 2e knows that it is not
one of the Three$ for they ha"e ne"er
,een lost$ and they
endure no e"il. 2e knows that it is not
one of the %e"en$ or the 'ine$ for they
are a11ounted for. 2e
knows that it is the *ne. 4nd he has
at last heard$ + think$ of Aho,,itsA and
the A%hire.A
?The %hire O he )ay ,e seeking for it
now$ if he has not already found out
where it lies. +ndeed$
Frodo$ + fear that he )ay e"en think
that the long#unnoti1ed na)e of
ABagginsA has ,e1o)e
i)portant.?
?But this is terri,leN? 1ried Frodo. ?Far
worse than the worst that + i)agined
fro) your hints and
warnings. * /andalf$ ,est of friends$
what a) + to doM For now + a) really
afraid. .hat a) + to
doM .hat a pity that Bil,o did not
sta, that "ile 1reature$ when he had a
1han1eN?
?PityM +t was Pity that stayed his hand.
Pity$ and (er1y: not to strike without
need. 4nd he has
,een well rewarded$ Frodo. Be sure
that he took so little hurt fro) the
e"il$ and es1aped in the end$
,e1ause he ,egan his ownership of the
Ring so. .ith Pity.?
?+ a) sorry$? said Frodo. ?But + a)
frightenedI and + do not feel any pity
for /ollu).?
?Gou ha"e not seen hi)$? /andalf
,roke in.
?'o$ and + don?t want to$? said Frodo. +
1an?t understand you. &o you )ean to
say that you$ and
the !l"es$ ha"e let hi) li"e on after
all those horri,le deedsM 'ow at any
rate he is as ,ad as an *r1$
and Kust an ene)y. 2e deser"es
death.?
?&eser"es itN + daresay he does. (any
that li"e deser"e death. 4nd so)e that
die deser"e life.
-an you gi"e it to the)M Then do not
,e too eager to deal out death in
Kudge)ent. For e"en the "ery
wise 1annot see all ends. + ha"e not
)u1h hope that /ollu) 1an ,e 1ured
,efore he dies$ ,ut there is
a 1han1e of it. 4nd he is ,ound up
with the fate of the Ring. (y heart
tells )e that he has so)e part
to play yet$ for good or ill$ ,efore the
endI and when that 1o)es$ the pity of
Bil,o )ay rule the fate
of )any O yours not least. +n any 1ase
we did not kill hi): he is "ery old and
"ery wret1hed. The
.ood#el"es ha"e hi) in prison$ ,ut
they treat hi) with su1h kindness as
they 1an find in their wise
hearts.?
?4ll the sa)e$? said Frodo$ ?e"en if
Bil,o 1ould not kill /ollu)$ + wish he
had not kept the Ring.
+ wish he had ne"er found it$ and that
+ had not got itN .hy did you let )e
keep itM .hy didn?t you
)ake )e throw it away$ or$ or destroy
itM?
?Let youM (ake youM? said the wi<ard.
?2a"en?t you ,een listening to all that
+ ha"e saidM Gou are
not thinking of what you are saying.
But as for throwing it away$ that was
o,"iously wrong. These
Rings ha"e a way of ,eing found. +n
e"il hands it )ight ha"e done great
e"il. .orst of all$ it )ight
ha"e fallen into the hands of the
!ne)y. +ndeed it 1ertainly wouldI for
this is the *ne$ and he is
e5erting all his power to find it or
draw it to hi)self.
?*f 1ourse$ )y dear Frodo$ it was
dangerous for youI and that has
trou,led )e deeply. But there
was so )u1h at stake that + had to take
so)e risk O though e"en when + was
far away there has
ne"er ,een a day when the %hire has
not ,een guarded ,y wat1hful eyes.
4s long as you ne"er used
it$ + did not think that the Ring would
ha"e any lasting effe1t on you$ not for
e"il$ not at any rate for
a "ery long ti)e. 4nd you )ust
re)e),er that nine years ago$ when +
last saw you$ + still knew
little for 1ertain.?
?But why not destroy it$ as you say
should ha"e ,een done long agoM?
1ried Frodo again. +f you
had warned )e$ or e"en sent )e a
)essage$ + would ha"e done away
with it.?
?.ould youM 2ow would you do thatM
2a"e you e"er triedM?
?'o. But + suppose one 1ould ha))er
it or )elt it.?
?TryN? said /andalf. Try nowN?
Frodo drew the Ring out of his po1ket
again and looked at it. +t now
appeared plain and s)ooth$
without )ark or de"i1e that he 1ould
see. The gold looked "ery fair and
pure$ and Frodo thought
how ri1h and ,eautiful was its 1olour$
how perfe1t was its roundness. +t was
an ad)ira,le thing and
altogether pre1ious. .hen he took it
out he had intended to fling it fro)
hi) into the "ery hottest
part of the fire. But he found now that
he 1ould not do so$ not without a great
struggle. 2e weighed
the Ring in his hand$ hesitating$ and
for1ing hi)self to re)e),er all that
/andalf had told hi)I and
then with an effort of will he )ade a
)o"e)ent$ as if to 1ast it away O ,ut
he found that he had put
it ,a1k in his po1ket.
/andalf laughed gri)ly. ?Gou seeM
4lready you too$ Frodo$ 1annot easily
let it go$ nor will to
da)age it. 4nd + 1ould not L)akeL
you O e51ept ,y for1e$ whi1h would
,reak your )ind. But as for
,reaking the Ring$ for1e is useless.
!"en if you took it and stru1k it with a
hea"y sledge#ha))er$ it
would )ake no dint in it. +t 1annot ,e
un)ade ,y your hands$ or ,y )ine.
?Gour s)all fire$ of 1ourse$ would not
)elt e"en ordinary gold. This Ring
has already passed
through it uns1athed$ and e"en
unheated. But there is no s)ith?s forge
in this %hire that 1ould
1hange it at all. 'ot e"en the an"ils
and furna1es of the &war"es 1ould do
that. +t has ,een said that
dragon#fire 1ould )elt and 1onsu)e
the Rings of Power$ ,ut there is not
now any dragon left on
earth in whi1h the old fire is hot
enoughI nor was there e"er any
dragon$ not e"en 4n1alagon the
Bla1k$ who 1ould ha"e har)ed the
*ne Ring$ the Ruling Ring$ for that
was )ade ,y %auron
hi)self. There is only one way: to
find the -ra1ks of &oo) in the depths
of *rodruin$ the Fire)ountain$
and 1ast the Ring in there$ if you
really wish to destroy it$ to put it
,eyond the grasp of
the !ne)y for e"er.?
?+ do really wish to destroy itN? 1ried
Frodo. ?*r$ well$ to ha"e it destroyed.
+ a) not )ade for
perilous Juests. + wish + had ne"er
seen the RingN .hy did it 1o)e to
)eM .hy was + 1hosenM?
?%u1h Juestions 1annot ,e answered$?
said /andalf. ?Gou )ay ,e sure that it
was not for any
)erit that others do not possess: not
for power or wisdo)$ at any rate. But
you ha"e ,een 1hosen$
and you )ust therefore use su1h
strength and heart and wits as you
ha"e.?
?But + ha"e so little of any of these
thingsN Gou are wise and powerful.
.ill you not take the
RingM?
?'oN? 1ried /andalf$ springing to his
feet. ?.ith that power + should ha"e
power too great and
terri,le. 4nd o"er )e the Ring would
gain a power still greater and )ore
deadly.? 2is eyes flashed
and his fa1e was lit as ,y a fire within.
?&o not te)pt )eN For + do not wish
to ,e1o)e like the &ark
Lord hi)self. Get the way of the Ring
to )y heart is ,y pity$ pity for
weakness and the desire of
strength to do good. &o not te)pt )eN
+ dare not take it$ not e"en to keep it
safe$ unused. The wish
to wield it would ,e too great$ for )y
strength. + shall ha"e su1h need of it.
/reat perils lie ,efore
)e.?
2e went to the window and drew
aside the 1urtains and the shutters.
%unlight strea)ed ,a1k
again into the roo). %a) passed
along the path outside whistling. ?4nd
now$? said the wi<ard$
turning ,a1k to Frodo$ ?the de1ision
lies with you. But + will always help
you.? 2e laid his hand on
Frodo?s shoulder. ?+ will help you ,ear
this ,urden$ as long as +t is yours to
,ear. But we )ust do
so)ething$ soon. The !ne)y is
)o"ing.?
There was a long silen1e. /andalf sat
down again and puffed at his pipe$ as
if lost in thought.
2is eyes see)ed 1losed$ ,ut under the
lids he was wat1hing Frodo intently.
Frodo ga<ed fi5edly at
the red e),ers on the hearth$ until
they filled all his "ision$ and he
see)ed to ,e looking down into
profound wells of fire. 2e was
thinking of the fa,led -ra1ks of
&oo) and the terror of the Fiery
(ountain.
?.ellN? said /andalf at last. ?.hat are
you thinking a,outM 2a"e you
de1ided what to doM?
?'oN? answered Frodo$ 1o)ing ,a1k to
hi)self out of darkness$ and finding
to his surprise that it
was not dark$ and that out of the
window he 1ould see the sunlit
garden. ?*r perhaps$ yes. 4s far as
+ understand what you ha"e said$ +
suppose + )ust keep the Ring and
guard it$ at least for the
present$ whate"er it )ay do to )e.?
?.hate"er it )ay do$ it will ,e slow$
slow to e"il$ if you keep it with that
purpose$? said /andalf.
?+ hope so$? said Frodo. ?But + hope that
you )ay find so)e other ,etter
keeper soon. But in the
)eanwhile it see)s that + a) a
danger$ a danger to all that li"e near
)e. + 1annot keep the Ring and
stay here. + ought to lea"e Bag !nd$
lea"e the %hire$ lea"e e"erything and
go away.? 2e sighed.
?+ should like to sa"e the %hire$ if +
1ould O though there ha"e ,een ti)es
when + thought the
inha,itants too stupid and dull for
words$ and ha"e felt that an
earthJuake or an in"asion of dragons
)ight ,e good for the). But + don?t
feel like that now. + feel that as long
as the %hire lies ,ehind$
safe and 1o)forta,le$ + shall find
wandering )ore ,eara,le: + shall
know that so)ewhere there is a
fir) foothold$ e"en if )y feet 1annot
stand there again.
?*f 1ourse$ + ha"e so)eti)es thought
of going away$ ,ut + i)agined that as
a kind of holiday$ a
series of ad"entures like Bil,o?s or
,etter$ ending in pea1e. But this
would )ean e5ile$ a flight fro)
danger into danger$ drawing it after
)e. 4nd + suppose + )ust go alone$ if
+ a) to do that and sa"e
the %hire. But + feel "ery s)all$ and
"ery uprooted$ and well O desperate.
The !ne)y is so strong
and terri,le.?
2e did not tell /andalf$ ,ut as he was
speaking a great desire to follow
Bil,o fla)ed up in his
heart O to follow Bil,o$ and e"en
perhaps to find hi) again. +t was so
strong that it o"er1a)e his
fear: he 1ould al)ost ha"e run out
there and then down the road without
his hat$ as Bil,o had done
on a si)ilar )orning long ago.
?(y dear FrodoN? e51lai)ed /andalf.
?2o,,its really are a)a<ing 1reatures$
as + ha"e said
,efore. Gou 1an learn all that there is
to know a,out their ways in a )onth$
and yet after a hundred
years they 1an still surprise you at a
pin1h. + hardly e5pe1ted to get su1h
an answer$ not e"en fro)
you. But Bil,o )ade no )istake in
1hoosing his heir$ though he little
thought how i)portant it
would pro"e. + a) afraid you are
right. The Ring will not ,e a,le to
stay hidden in the %hire )u1h
longerI and for your own sake$ as well
as for others$ you will ha"e to go$ and
lea"e the na)e of
Baggins ,ehind you. That na)e will
not ,e safe to ha"e$ outside the %hire
or in the .ild. + will gi"e
you a tra"elling na)e now. .hen you
go$ go as (r. 0nderhill.
?But + don?t think you need go alone.
'ot if you know of anyone you 1an
trust$ and who would
,e willing to go ,y your side O and
that you would ,e willing to take into
unknown perils. But if
you look for a 1o)panion$ ,e 1areful
in 1hoosingN 4nd ,e 1areful of what
you say$ e"en to your
1losest friendsN The ene)y has )any
spies and )any ways of hearing.?
%uddenly he stopped as if listening.
Frodo ,e1a)e aware that all was "ery
Juiet$ inside and
outside. /andalf 1rept to one side of
the window. Then with a dart he
sprang to the sill$ and thrust a
long ar) out and downwards. There
was a sJuawk$ and up 1a)e %a)
/a)gee?s 1urly head hauled
,y one ear.
?.ell$ well$ ,less )y ,eardN? said
/andalf. ?%a) /a)gee is itM 'ow
what )ay you ,e doingM?
?Lor ,less you$ (r. /andalf$ sirN? said
%a). ?'othingN Leastways + was Kust
tri))ing the grass,order
under the window$ if you follow )e.?
2e pi1ked up his shears and e5hi,ited
the) as
e"iden1e.
?+ don?t$? said /andalf gri)ly. +t is
so)e ti)e sin1e + last heard the sound
of your shears. 2ow
long ha"e you ,een ea"esdroppingM?
?!a"esdropping$ sirM + don?t follow
you$ ,egging your pardon. There ain?t
no ea"es at Bag !nd$
and that?s a fa1t.?
?&on?t ,e a foolN .hat ha"e you
heard$ and why did you listenM?
/andalf?s eyes flashed and his
,rows stu1k out like ,ristles.
?(r. Frodo$ sirN? 1ried %a) Juaking.
?&on?t let hi) hurt )e$ sirN &on?t let
hi) turn )e into
anything unnaturalN (y old dad
would take on so. + )eant no har)$ on
)y honour$ sirN?
?2e won?t hurt you$? said Frodo$ hardly
a,le to keep fro) laughing$ although
he was hi)self
startled and rather pu<<led. ?2e
knows$ as well as + do$ that you )ean
no har). But Kust you up and
answer his Juestions straight awayN?
?.ell$ sir$? said %a) dithering a little.
?+ heard a deal that + didn?t rightly
understand$ a,out an
ene)y$ and rings$ and (r. Bil,o$ sir$
and dragons$ and a fiery )ountain$
and O and !l"es$ sir. +
listened ,e1ause + 1ouldn?t help
)yself$ if you know what + )ean. Lor
,less )e$ sir$ ,ut + do lo"e
tales of that sort. 4nd + ,elie"e the)
too$ whate"er Ted )ay say. !l"es$ sirN
+ would dearly lo"e to
see Athe).A -ouldn?t you take )e to
see !l"es$ sir$ when you goM?
%uddenly /andalf laughed. ?-o)e
insideN? he shouted$ and putting out
,oth his ar)s he lifted the
astonished %a)$ shears$ grass#
1lippings and all$ right through the
window and stood hi) on the
floor. ?Take you to see !l"es$ ehM? he
said$ eyeing %a) 1losely$ ,ut with a
s)ile fli1kering on his
fa1e. ?%o you heard that (r. Frodo is
going awayM?
?+ did$ sir. 4nd that?s why + 1hoked:
whi1h you heard see)ingly. + tried
not to$ sir$ ,ut it ,urst out
of )e: + was so upset.?
?+t 1an?t ,e helped$ %a)$? said Frodo
sadly. 2e had suddenly reali<ed that
flying fro) the %hire
would )ean )ore painful partings
than )erely saying farewell to the
fa)iliar 1o)forts of Bag !nd.
?+ shall ha"e to go. But? O and here he
looked hard at %a) O ?if you really
1are a,out )e$ you will
keep that AdeadA se1ret. %eeM +f you
don?t$ if you e"en ,reathe a word of
what you?"e heard here$
then + hope /andalf will turn you into
a spotted toad and fill the garden full
of grass#snakes.?
%a) fell on his knees$ tre),ling. ?/et
up$ %a)N? said /andalf. + ha"e thought
of so)ething ,etter
than that. %o)ething to shut your
)outh$ and punish you properly for
listening. Gou shall go away
with (r. FrodoN?
?(e$ sirN? 1ried %a)$ springing up like
a dog in"ited for a walk. ?(e go and
see !l"es and allN
2oorayN? he shouted$ and then ,urst
into tears.
A-hapter 3A
Three is -o)pany
?Gou ought to go Juietly$ and you
ought to go soon$? said /andalf. Two
or three weeks had
passed$ and still Frodo )ade no sign
of getting ready to go.
?+ know. But it is diffi1ult to do ,oth$?
he o,Ke1ted. +f + Kust "anish like Bil,o$
the tale will ,e all
o"er the %hire in no ti)e.?
?*f 1ourse you )ustn?t "anishN? said
/andalf. ?That wouldn?t do at allN +
said Asoon$A not
Ainstantly.A +f you 1an think of any
way of slipping out of the %hire
without its ,eing generally
known$ it will ,e worth a little delay.
But you )ust not delay too long.?
?.hat a,out the autu)n$ on or after
*ur BirthdayM? asked Frodo. ?+ think +
1ould pro,a,ly )ake
so)e arrange)ents ,y then.?
To tell the truth$ he was "ery relu1tant
to start$ now that it had 1o)e to the
point. Bag !nd
see)ed a )ore desira,le residen1e
than it had for years$ and he wanted to
sa"our as )u1h as he
1ould of his last su))er in the %hire.
.hen autu)n 1a)e$ he knew that part
at least of his heart
would think )ore kindly of
Kourneying$ as it always did at that
season. 2e had indeed pri"ately
)ade up his )ind to lea"e on his
fiftieth ,irthday: Bil,o?s one hundred
and twenty#eighth. +t
see)ed so)ehow the proper day on
whi1h to set out and follow hi).
Following Bil,o was
upper)ost in his )ind$ and the one
thing that )ade the thought of lea"ing
,eara,le. 2e thought as
little as possi,le a,out the Ring$ and
where it )ight lead hi) in the end.
But he did not tell all his
thoughts to /andalf. .hat the wi<ard
guessed was always diffi1ult to tell.
2e looked at Frodo and s)iled. ?@ery
well$? he said. ?+ think that will do O
,ut it )ust not ,e any
later. + a) getting "ery an5ious. +n the
)ean#while$ do take 1are$ and don?t
let out any hint of where
you are goingN 4nd see that %a)
/a)gee does not talk. +f he does$ +
really shall turn hi) into a
toad.?
?4s for Awhere +A a) going$? said
Frodo$ ?it would ,e diffi1ult to gi"e
that away$ for + ha"e no
1lear idea )yself$ yet.?
?&on?t ,e a,surdN? said /andalf. ?+ a)
not warning you against lea"ing an
address at the postoffi1eN
But you are lea"ing the %hire O and
that should not ,e known$ until you
are far away. 4nd
you )ust go$ or at least set out$ either
'orth$ %outh$ .est or !ast O and the
dire1tion should
1ertainly not ,e known.?
?+ ha"e ,een so taken up with the
thoughts of lea"ing Bag !nd$ and of
saying farewell$ that +
ha"e ne"er e"en 1onsidered the
dire1tion$? said Frodo. ?For where a) +
to goM 4nd ,y what shall +
steerM .hat is to ,e )y JuestM Bil,o
went to find a treasure$ there and ,a1k
againI ,ut + go to lose
one$ and not return$ as far as + 1an
see.?
?But you 1annot see "ery far$? said
/andalf. ?'either 1an +. +t )ay ,e
your task to find the -ra1ks
of &oo)I ,ut that Juest )ay ,e for
others: + do not know. 4t any rate you
are not ready for that
long road yet.?
?'o indeedN? said Frodo. ?But in the
)eanti)e what 1ourse a) + to lakeM?
?Towards dangerI ,ut not too rashly$
nor too straight$? answered the wi<ard.
?+f you want )y
ad"i1e$ )ake for Ri"endell. That
Kourney should not pro"e too perilous$
though the Road is less
easy than it was$ and it will grow
worse as the year fails.?
?Ri"endellN? said Frodo. ?@ery good: +
will go east$ and + will )ake for
Ri"endell. + will take %a)
to "isit the !l"esI he will ,e
delighted.? 2e spoke lightlyI ,ut his
heart was )o"ed suddenly with a
desire to see the house of !lrond
2alfel"en$ and ,reathe the air of that
deep "alley where )any of
the Fair Folk still dwelt in pea1e.
*ne su))er?s e"ening an astonishing
pie1e of news rea1hed the A+"y BushA
and A/reen
&ragon.A /iants and other portents on
the ,orders of the %hire were
forgotten for )ore i)portant
)atters: (r. Frodo was selling Bag
!nd$ indeed he had already sold it O to
the %a1k"ille#BagginsesN
?For a ni1e ,it$ loo$? said so)e. ?4t a
,argain pri1e$? said others$ ?and that?s
)ore likely when
(istress Lo,elia?s the ,uyer.? D*tho
had died so)e years ,efore$ at the
ripe ,ut disappointed age of
1;2.E
Just why (r. Frodo was selling his
,eautiful hole was e"en )ore
de,ata,le than the pri1e. 4
few held the theory O supported ,y the
nods and hints of (r. Baggins hi)self
O that Frodo?s )oney
was running out: he was going to
lea"e 2o,,iton and li"e in a Juiet
way on the pro1eeds of the sale
down in Bu1kland a)ong his
Brandy,u1k relations. ?4s far fro) the
%a1k"ille#Bagginses as )ay
,e$? so)e added. But so fir)ly fi5ed
had the notion of the i))easura,le
wealth of the Bagginses of
Bag !nd ,e1o)e that )ost found this
hard to ,elie"e$ harder than any other
reason or unreason that
their fan1y 1ould suggest: to )ost it
suggested a dark and yet unre"ealed
plot ,y /andalf. Though
he kept hi)self "ery Juiet and did not
go a,out ,y day$ it was well known
that he was ?hiding up in
the Bag !nd?. But howe"er a re)o"al
)ight fit in with the designs of his
wi<ardry$ there was no
dou,t a,out the fa1t: Frodo Baggins
was going ,a1k to Bu1kland.
?Ges$ + shall ,e )o"ing this autu)n$?
he said. ?(erry Brandy,u1k is looking
out for a ni1e little
hole for )e$ or perhaps a s)all house.?
4s a )atter of fa1t with (erry?s help
he had already 1hosen and ,ought a
little house at
-ri1khollow in the 1ountry ,eyond
Bu1kle,ury. To all ,ut %a) he
pretended he was going to settle
down there per)anently. The de1ision
to set out eastwards had suggested the
idea to hi)I for
Bu1kland was on the eastern ,orders
of the %hire$ and as he had li"ed there
in 1hildhood his going
,a1k would at least see) 1redi,le.
/andalf stayed in the %hire for o"er
two )onths. Then one e"ening$ at the
end of June$ soon
after Frodo?s plan had ,een finally
arranged$ he suddenly announ1ed that
he was going off again
ne5t )orning. ?*nly for a short while$
+ hope$? he said. ?But + a) going down
,eyond the southern
,orders to get so)e news$ if + 1an. +
ha"e ,een idle longer than + should.?
2e spoke lightly$ ,ut it see)ed to
Frodo that he looked rather worried.
?2as anything happenedM?
he asked.
?.ell noI ,ut + ha"e heard so)ething
that has )ade )e an5ious and needs
looking into. +f + think
it ne1essary after all for you to get off
at on1e$ + shall 1o)e ,a1k
i))ediately$ or at least send
word. +n the )eanwhile sti1k to your
planI ,ut ,e )ore 1areful than e"er$
espe1ially of the Ring.
Let )e i)press on you on1e )ore:
Adon?t use itN?A
2e went off at dawn. ?+ )ay ,e ,a1k
any day$? he said. ?4t the "ery latest +
shall 1o)e ,a1k for
the farewell party. + think after all you
)ay need )y 1o)pany on the Road.?
4t first Frodo was a good deal
distur,ed$ and wondered often what
/andalf 1ould ha"e heardI
,ut his uneasiness wore off$ and in the
fine weather he forgot his trou,les for
a while. The %hire
had seldo) seen so fair a su))er$ or
so ri1h an autu)n: the trees were
laden with apples$ honey
was dripping in the 1o),s$ and the
1orn was tall and full.
4utu)n was well under way ,efore
Frodo ,egan to worry a,out /andalf
again. %epte),er was
passing and there was still no news of
hi). The Birthday$ and the re)o"al$
drew nearer$ and still he
did not 1o)e$ or send word. Bag !nd
,egan to ,e ,usy. %o)e of Frodo?s
friends 1a)e to stay and
help hi) with the pa1king: there was
Fredegar Bolger and Fol1o Boffin$
and of 1ourse his spe1ial
friends Pippin Took and (erry
Brandy,u1k. Between the) they
turned the whole pla1e upsidedown.
*n %epte),er 2;th two 1o"ered 1arts
went off laden to Bu1kland$
1on"eying the furniture and
goods that Frodo had not sold to his
new ho)e$ ,y way of the Brandywine
Bridge. The ne5t day
Frodo ,e1a)e really an5ious$ and
kept a 1onstant look#out for /andalf.
Thursday$ his ,irthday
)orning$ dawned as fair and 1lear as
it had long ago for Bil,o?s great party.
%till /andalf did not
appear. +n the e"ening Frodo ga"e his
farewell feast: it was Juite s)all$ Kust
a dinner for hi)self
and his four helpersI ,ut he was
trou,led and fell in no )ood for it.
The thought that he would so
soon ha"e to part with his young
friends weighed on his heart. 2e
wondered how he would ,reak it
to the).
The four younger ho,,its were$
howe"er$ in high spirits$ and the party
soon ,e1a)e "ery
1heerful in spite of /andalf?s a,sen1e.
The dining#roo) was ,are e51ept for
a ta,le and 1hairs$ ,ut
the food was good$ and there was
good wine: Frodo?s wine had not ,een
in1luded in the sale to the
%a1k"ille#Bagginses.
?.hate"er happens to the rest of )y
stuff$ when the %.#B.s get their 1laws
on it$ at any rate +
ha"e found a good ho)e for thisN? said
Frodo$ as he drained his glass. +t was
the last drop of *ld
.inyards.
.hen they had sung )any songs$ and
talked of )any things they had done
together$ they
toasted Bil,o?s ,irthday$ and they
drank his health and Frodo?s together
a11ording to Frodo?s
1usto). Then they went out for a sniff
of air$ and gli)pse of the stars$ and
then they went to ,ed.
Frodo?s party was o"er$ and /andalf
had not 1o)e.
The ne5t )orning they were ,usy
pa1king another 1art with the
re)ainder of the luggage. (erry
took 1harge of this$ and dro"e off with
Fatty Dthat is Fredegar BolgerE.
?%o)eone )ust get there and
war) the house ,efore you arri"e$?
said (erry. ?.ell$ see you later O the
day after to)orrow$ if you
don?t go to sleep on the wayN?
Fol1o went ho)e after lun1h$ ,ut
Pippin re)ained ,ehind. Frodo was
restless and an5ious$
listening in "ain for a sound of
/andalf. 2e de1ided to wait until
nightfall. 4fter that$ if /andalf
wanted hi) urgently$ he would go to
-ri1khollow$ and )ight e"en get there
first. For Frodo was
going on foot. 2is plan O for pleasure
and a last look at the %hire as )u1h as
any other reason O was
to walk fro) 2o,,iton to Bu1kle,ury
Ferry$ taking it fairly easy.
?+ shall get )yself a ,it into training$
too$? he said$ looking at hi)self in a
dusty )irror in the
half#e)pty hall. 2e had not done any
strenuous walking for a long ti)e$ and
the refle1tion looked
rather fla,,y$ he thought.
4fter lun1h$ the %a1k"ille#Bagginses$
Lo,elia and her sandy#haired son$
Lotho$ turned up$ )u1h
to Frodo?s annoyan1e. ?*urs at lastN?
said Lo,elia$ as she stepped inside. +t
was not politeI nor
stri1tly true$ for the sale of Bag !nd
did not take effe1t until )idnight. But
Lo,elia 1an perhaps ,e
forgi"en: she had ,een o,liged to wait
a,out se"enty#se"en years longer for
Bag !nd than she on1e
hoped$ and she was now a hundred
years old. 4nyway$ she had 1o)e to
see that nothing she had
paid for had ,een 1arried offI and she
wanted the keys. +t took a long while
to satisfy her$ as she
had ,rought a 1o)plete in"entory
with her and went right through it. +n
the end she departed with
Lotho and the spare key and the
pro)ise that the other key would ,e
left at the /a)gees? in
Bagshot Row. %he snorted$ and
showed plainly that she thought the
/a)gees 1apa,le of plundering
the hole during the night. Frodo did
not offer her any tea.
2e took his own tea with Pippin and
%a) /a)gee in the kit1hen. +t had
,een offi1ially
announ1ed that %a) was 1o)ing to
Bu1kland ?to do for (r. Frodo and
look after his ,it of garden?I
an arrange)ent that was appro"ed ,y
the /affer$ though it did not 1onsole
hi) for the prospe1t of
ha"ing Lo,elia as a neigh,our.
?*ur last )eal at Bag !ndN? said
Frodo$ pushing ,a1k his 1hair. They
left the washing up for
Lo,elia. Pippin and %a) strapped up
their three pa1ks and piled the) in the
por1h. Pippin went out
for a last stroll in the garden. %a)
disappeared.
The sun went down. Bag !nd see)ed
sad and gloo)y and dishe"elled.
Frodo wandered round
the fa)iliar roo)s$ and saw the light
of the sunset fade on the walls$ and
shadows 1reep out of the
1orners. +t grew slowly dark indoors.
2e went out and walked down to the
gate at the ,otto) of the
path$ and then on a short way down
the 2ill Road. 2e half e5pe1ted to see
/andalf 1o)e striding
up through the dusk.
The sky was 1lear and the stars were
growing ,right. ?+t?s going to ,e a fine
night$? he said aloud.
?That?s good for a ,eginning. + feel
like walking. + 1an?t ,ear any )ore
hanging a,out. + a) going to
start$ and /andalf )ust follow )e.?
2e turned to go ,a1k$ and then
slopped$ for he heard "oi1es$
Kust round the 1orner ,y the end of
Bagshot Row. *ne "oi1e was
1ertainly the old /affer?sI the
other was strange$ and so)ehow
unpleasant. 2e 1ould not )ake out
what it said$ ,ut he heard the
/affer?s answers$ whi1h were rather
shrill. The old )an see)ed put out.
?'o$ (r. Baggins has gone away.
.ent this )orning$ and )y %a) went
with hi): anyway all
his stuff went. Ges$ sold out and gone$
+ tell?ee. .hyM .hy?s none of )y
,usiness$ or yours. .here
toM That ain?t no se1ret. 2e?s )o"ed to
Bu1kle,ury or so)e su1h pla1e$ away
down yonder. Ges it is
O a tidy way. +?"e ne"er ,een so far
)yselfI they?re Jueer folks in
Bu1kland. 'o$ + 1an?t gi"e no
)essage. /ood night to youN?
Footsteps went away down the 2ill.
Frodo wondered "aguely why the fa1t
that they did not
1o)e on up the 2ill see)ed a great
relief. ?+ a) si1k of Juestions and
1uriosity a,out )y doings$ +
suppose$? he thought. ?.hat an
inJuisiti"e lot they all areN? 2e had
half a )ind to go and ask the
/affer who the inJuirer wasI ,ut he
thought ,etter Dor worseE of it$ and
turned and walked Jui1kly
,a1k to Bag !nd.
Pippin was sitting on his pa1k in the
por1h. %a) was not there. Frodo
stepped inside the dark
door. ?%a)N? he 1alled. ?%a)N Ti)eN?
?-o)ing$ sirN? 1a)e the answer fro)
far within$ followed soon ,y %a)
hi)self$ wiping his
)outh. 2e had ,een saying farewell
to the ,eer#,arrel in the 1ellar.
?4ll a,oard$ %a)M? said Frodo.
?Ges$ sir. +?ll last for a ,it now$ sir.?
Frodo shut and lo1ked the round door$
and ga"e the key to %a). ?Run down
with this to your
ho)e$ %a)N? he said. ?Then 1ut along
the Row and )eet us as Jui1k as you
1an at the gate in the
lane ,eyond the )eadows. .e are not
going through the "illage tonight. Too
)any ears pri1king
and eyes prying.? %a) ran off at full
speed.
?.ell$ now we?re off at lastN? said
Frodo. They shouldered their pa1ks
and took up their sti1ks$
and walked round the 1orner to the
west side of Bag !nd. ?/ood#,yeN?
said Frodo$ looking at the
dark ,lank windows. 2e wa"ed his
hand$ and then turned and Dfollowing
Bil,o$ if he had known itE
hurried after Peregrin down the
garden#path. They Ku)ped o"er the
low pla1e in the hedge at the
,otto) and took to the fields$ passing
into the darkness like a rustle in the
grasses.
4t the ,otto) of the 2ill on its
western side they 1a)e to the gate
opening on to a narrow lane.
There they halted and adKusted the
straps of their pa1ks. Presently %a)
appeared$ trotting Jui1kly
and ,reathing hardI his hea"y pa1k
was hoisted high on his shoulders$ and
he had put on his head a
tall shapeless fell ,ag$ whi1h he 1alled
a hat. +n the gloo) he looked "ery
)u1h like a dwarf.
?+ a) sure you ha"e gi"en )e all the
hea"iest stuff$? said Frodo. ?+ pity
snails$ and all that 1arry
their ho)es on their ,a1ks.?
?+ 1ould take a lot )ore yet$ sir. (y
pa1ket is Juite light$? said %a) stoutly
and untruthfully.
?'o$ you don?t$ %a)N? said Pippin. ?+t is
good for hi). 2e?s got nothing e51ept
what he ordered us
to pa1k. 2e?s ,een sla1k lately$ and
he?ll feel the weight less when he?s
walked off so)e of his own.?
?Be kind to a poor old ho,,itN? laughed
Frodo. ?+ shall ,e as thin as a willow#
wand$ +?) sure$
,efore + get to Bu1kland. But + was
talking nonsense. + suspe1t you ha"e
taken )ore than your
share$ %a)$ and + shall look into it at
our ne5t pa1king.? 2e pi1ked up his
sti1k again. ?.ell$ we all
like walking in the dark$? he said$ ?so
let?s put so)e )iles ,ehind us ,efore
,ed.?
For a short way they followed the lane
westwards. Then lea"ing it they
turned left and took
Juietly to the fields again. They went
in single file along hedgerows and the
,orders of 1oppi1es$
and night fell dark a,out the). +n
their dark 1loaks they were as
in"isi,le as if they all had )agi1
rings. %in1e they were all ho,,its$ and
were trying to ,e silent$ they )ade no
noise that e"en
ho,,its would hear. !"en the wild
things in the fields and woods hardly
noti1ed their passing.
4fter so)e ti)e they 1rossed the
.ater$ west of 2o,,iton$ ,y a narrow
plank#,ridge. The
strea) was there no )ore than a
winding ,la1k ri,,on$ ,ordered with
leaning alder#trees. 4 )ile or
two further south they hastily 1rossed
the great road fro) the Brandywine
BridgeI they were now in
the Tookland and ,ending south#
eastwards they )ade for the /reen
2ill -ountry. 4s they ,egan to
1li), its first slopes they looked ,a1k
and saw the la)ps in 2o,,iton far off
twinkling in the gentle
"alley of the .ater. %oon it
disappeared in the folds of the
darkened land$ and was followed ,y
Bywater ,eside its grey pool. .hen
the light of the last far) was far
,ehind$ peeping a)ong the
trees$ Frodo turned and wa"ed a hand
in farewell.
?+ wonder if + shall e"er look down
into that "alley again$? he said Juietly.
.hen they had walked for a,out three
hours they rested. The night was
1lear$ 1ool$ and starry$
,ut s)oke#like wisps of )ist were
1reeping up the hill#sides fro) the
strea)s and deep )eadows.
Thin#1lad ,ir1hes$ swaying in a light
wind a,o"e their heads$ )ade a ,la1k
net against the pale sky.
They ate a "ery frugal supper Dfor
ho,,itsE$ and then went on again.
%oon they stru1k a narrow
road$ that went rolling up and down$
fading grey into the darkness ahead:
the road to .oodhall$ and
%to1k$ and the Bu1kle,ury Ferry. +t
1li),ed away fro) the )ain road in
the .ater#"alley$ and
wound o"er the skirts of the /reen
2ills towards .oody#!nd$ a wild
1orner of the !astfarthing.
4fter a while they plunged into a
deeply 1lo"en tra1k ,etween tall trees
that rustled their dry
lea"es in the night. +t was "ery dark.
4t first they talked$ or hu))ed a tune
softly together$ ,eing
now far away fro) inJuisiti"e ears.
Then they )ar1hed on in silen1e$ and
Pippin ,egan to lag
,ehind. 4t last$ as they ,egan to 1li),
a steep slope$ he stopped and yawned.
?+ a) so sleepy$? he said$ ?that soon +
shall fall down on the road. 4re you
going to sleep on your
legsM +t is nearly )idnight.?
?+ thought you liked walking in the
dark$? said Frodo. ?But there is no
great hurry. (erry e5pe1ts
us so)e ti)e the day after to)orrowI
,ut that lea"es us nearly two days
)ore. .e?ll halt at the first
likely spot.?
?The wind?s in the .est$? said %a). ?+f
we get to the other side of this hill$ we
shall find a spot
that is sheltered and snug enough$ sir.
There is a dry fir#wood Kust ahead$ if +
re)e),er rightly.?
%a) knew the land well within twenty
)iles of 2o,,iton$ ,ut that was the
li)it of his geography.
Just o"er the top of the hill they 1a)e
on the pat1h of fir#wood. Lea"ing the
road they went into
the deep resin#s1ented darkness of the
trees$ and gathered dead sti1ks and
1ones to )ake a fire.
%oon they had a )erry 1ra1kle of
fla)e at the foot of a large fir#tree and
they sat round it for a
while$ until they ,egan to nod. Then$
ea1h in an angle of the great tree?s
roots$ they 1urled up in
their 1loaks and ,lankets$ and were
soon fast asleep. They set no wat1hI
e"en Frodo feared no
danger yet$ for they were still in the
heart of the %hire. 4 few 1reatures
1a)e and looked at the)
when the fire had died away. 4 fo5
passing through the wood on ,usiness
of his own stopped
se"eral )inutes and sniffed.
?2o,,itsN? he thought. ?.ell$ what
ne5tM + ha"e heard of strange doings
in this land$ ,ut + ha"e
seldo) heard of a ho,,it sleeping out
of doors under a tree. Three of the)N
There?s so)ething
)ighty Jueer ,ehind this.? 2e was
Juite right$ ,ut he ne"er found out any
)ore a,out it.
The )orning 1a)e$ pale and 1la))y.
Frodo woke up first$ and found that a
tree#root had )ade
a hole in his ,a1k$ and that his ne1k
was stiff.
?.alking for pleasureN .hy didn?t +
dri"eM? he thought$ as he usually did at
the ,eginning of an
e5pedition. ?4nd all )y ,eautiful
feather ,eds are sold to the %a1k"ille#
BagginsesN These tree#roots
would do the) good.? 2e stret1hed.
?.ake up$ ho,,itsN? he 1ried. +t?s a
,eautiful )orning.?
?.hat?s ,eautiful a,out itM? said
Pippin$ peering o"er the edge of his
,lanket with one eye. ?%a)N
/el ,reakfast ready for half#past nineN
2a"e you got the ,ath#water hotM?
%a) Ku)ped up$ looking rather ,leary.
?'o$ sir$ + ha"en?t$ sirN? he said.
Frodo stripped the ,lankets fro)
Pippin and rolled hi) o"er$ and then
walked off to the edge of
the wood. 4way eastward the sun was
rising red out of the )ists that lay
thi1k on the world.
Tou1hed with gold and red the
autu)n trees see)ed to ,e sailing
rootless in a shadowy sea. 4 little
,elow hi) to the left the road ran
down steeply into a hollow and
disappeared.
.hen he returned %a) and Pippin
had got a good fire going. ?.aterN?
shouted Pippin. ?.here?s
the waterM?
?+ don?t keep water in )y po1kets$?
said Frodo. ?.e thought you had gone
to find so)e$? said
Pippin$ ,usy setting out the food$ and
1ups. ?Gou had ,etter go now.?
?Gou 1an 1o)e too$? said Frodo$ ?and
,ring all the water#,ottles.? There was
a strea) at the foot
of the hill. They filled their ,ottles
and the s)all 1a)ping kettle at a little
fall where the water fell a
few feet o"er an out1rop of grey
stone. +t was i1y 1oldI and they
spluttered and puffed as they
,athed their fa1es and hands.
.hen their ,reakfast was o"er$ and
their pa1ks all trussed up again$ it was
after ten o?1lo1k$ and
the day was ,eginning to turn fine and
hot. They went down the slope$ and
a1ross the strea) where
it di"ed under the road$ and up the
ne5t slope$ and up and down another
shoulder of the hillsI and
,y that ti)e their 1loaks$ ,lankets$
water$ food$ and other gear already
see)ed a hea"y ,urden.
The day?s )ar1h pro)ised to ,e war)
and tiring work. 4fter so)e )iles$
howe"er$ the road
1eased to roll up and down: it 1li),ed
to the top of a steep ,ank in a weary
<ig#<agging sort of way$
and then prepared to go down for the
last ti)e. +n front of the) they saw
the lower lands dotted
with s)all 1lu)ps of trees that )elted
away in the distan1e to a ,rown
woodland ha<e. They were
looking a1ross the .oody !nd
towards the Brandywine Ri"er. The
road wound away ,efore the)
like a pie1e of string.
?The road goes on for e"er$? said
PippinI ?,ut + 1an?t without a rest. +t is
high ti)e for lun1h.? 2e
sat down on the ,ank at the side of the
road and looked away east into the
ha<e$ ,eyond whi1h lay
the Ri"er$ and the end of the %hire in
whi1h he had spent all his life. %a)
stood ,y hi). 2is round
eyes were wide open O for he was
looking a1ross lands he had ne"er
seen to a new hori<on.
?&o !l"es li"e in those woodsM? he
asked.
?'ot that + e"er heard$? said Pippin.
Frodo was silent. 2e too was ga<ing
eastward along the road$
as if he had ne"er seen it ,efore.
%uddenly he spoke$ aloud ,ut as if to
hi)self$ saying slowly:
The Road goes e"er on and on
&own fro) the door where it ,egan.
'ow far ahead the Road has gone$
4nd + )ust follow$ if + 1an$
Pursuing it with weary feet$
0ntil it Koins so)e larger way$
.here )any paths and errands )eet.
4nd whither thenM + 1annot say.
?That sounds like a ,it of old Bil,o?s
rhy)ing$? said Pippin. ?*r is it one of
your i)itationsM +t
does not sound altogether
en1ouraging.?
?+ don?t know$? said Frodo. +t 1a)e to
)e then$ as if + was )aking it upI ,ut
+ )ay ha"e heard it
long ago. -ertainly it re)inds )e
"ery )u1h of Bil,o in the last years$
,efore he went away. 2e
used often to say there was only one
RoadI that it was like a great ri"er: its
springs were at e"ery
doorstep$ and e"ery path was its
tri,utary. L+t?s a dangerous ,usiness$
Frodo$ going out of your
door$L he used to say. LGou step into
the Road$ and if you don?t keep your
feet$ there is no knowing
where you )ight ,e swept off to. &o
you reali<e that this is the "ery path
that goes through
(irkwood$ and that if you let it$ it
)ight take you to the Lonely
(ountain or e"en further and to
worse pla1esML 2e used to say that on
the path outside the front door at Bag
!nd$ espe1ially after he
had ,een out for a long walk.?
?.ell$ the Road won?t sweep )e
anywhere for an hour at least$? said
Pippin$ unslinging his pa1k.
The others followed his e5a)ple$
putting their pa1ks against the ,ank
and their legs out into the
road. 4fter a rest they had a good
lun1h$ and then )ore rest.
The sun was ,eginning to get low and
the light of afternoon was on the land
as they went down
the hill. %o far they had not )et a soul
on the road. This way was not )u1h
used$ ,eing hardly fit
for 1arts$ and there was little traffi1 to
the .oody !nd. They had ,een
Kogging along again for an
hour or )ore when %a) stopped a
)o)ent as if listening. They were
now on le"el ground$ and the
road after )u1h winding lay straight
ahead through grass#land sprinkled
with tall trees$ outliers of
the approa1hing woods.
?+ 1an hear a pony or a horse 1o)ing
along the road ,ehind$? said %a).
They looked ,a1k$ ,ut the turn of the
road pre"ented the) fro) seeing far.
?+ wonder if that is
/andalf 1o)ing after us$? said FrodoI
,ut e"en as he said it$ he had a feeling
that it was not so$ and
a sudden desire to hide fro) the "iew
of the rider 1a)e o"er hi).
?+t )ay not )atter )u1h$? he said
apologeti1ally$ ?,ut + would rather not
,e seen on the road O ,y
anyone. + a) si1k of )y doings ,eing
noti1ed and dis1ussed. 4nd if it is
/andalf$? he added as an
afterthought$ ?we 1an gi"e hi) a little
surprise$ to pay hi) out for ,eing so
late. Let?s get out of
sightN?
The other two ran Jui1kly to the left
and down into a little hollow not far
fro) the road. There
they lay flat. Frodo hesitated for a
se1ond: 1uriosity or so)e other
feeling was struggling with his
desire to hide. The sound of hoofs
drew nearer. Just in ti)e he threw
hi)self down in a pat1h of
long grass ,ehind a tree that
o"ershadowed the road. Then he lifted
his head and peered 1autiously
a,o"e one of the great roots.
Round the 1orner 1a)e a ,la1k horse$
no ho,,it#pony ,ut a full#si<ed horseI
and on it sat a large
)an$ who see)ed to 1rou1h in the
saddle$ wrapped in a great ,la1k 1loak
and hood$ so that only his
,oots in the high stirrups showed
,elowI his fa1e was shadowed and
in"isi,le.
.hen it rea1hed the tree and was
le"el with Frodo the horse stopped.
The riding figure sat Juite
still with its head ,owed$ as if
listening. Fro) inside the hood 1a)e
a noise as of so)eone sniffing
to 1at1h an elusi"e s1entI the head
turned fro) side to side of the road.
4 sudden unreasoning fear of
dis1o"ery laid hold of Frodo$ and he
thought of his Ring. 2e
hardly dared to ,reathe$ and yet the
desire to get it out of his po1ket
,e1a)e so strong that he ,egan
slowly to )o"e his hand. 2e felt that
he had only to slip it on$ and then he
would ,e safe. The
ad"i1e of /andalf see)ed a,surd.
Bil,o had used the Ring. ?4nd + a)
still in the %hire$? he thought$
as his hand tou1hed the 1hain on
whi1h it hung. 4t that )o)ent the
rider sat up$ and shook the
reins. The horse stepped forward$
walking slowly at first$ and then
,reaking into a Jui1k trot.
Frodo 1rawled to the edge of the road
and wat1hed the rider$ until he
dwindled into the distan1e.
2e 1ould not ,e Juite sure$ ,ut it
see)ed to hi) that suddenly$ ,efore it
passed out of sight$ the
horse turned aside and went into the
trees on the right.
?.ell$ + 1all that "ery Jueer$ and
indeed distur,ing$? said Frodo to
hi)self$ as he walked towards
his 1o)panions. Pippin and %a) had
re)ained flat in the grass$ and had
seen nothingI so Frodo
des1ri,ed the rider and his strange
,eha"iour.
?+ 1an?t say why$ ,ut + felt 1ertain he
was looking or As)ellingA for )eI
and also + felt 1ertain
that + did not want hi) to dis1o"er
)e. +?"e ne"er seen or fell anything
like it in the %hire ,efore.?
?But what has one of the Big People
got to do with usM? said Pippin. ?4nd
what is he doing in this
part of the worldM?
?There are so)e (en a,out$? said
Frodo. ?&own in the %outhfarthing
they ha"e had trou,le with
Big People$ + ,elie"e. But + ha"e
ne"er heard of anything like this rider.
+ wonder where he 1o)es
fro).?
?Begging your pardon$? put in %a)
suddenly$ ?+ know where he 1o)es
fro). +t?s fro) 2o,,iton
that this here ,la1k rider 1o)es$
unless there?s )ore than one. 4nd +
know where he?s going to.?
?.hat do you )eanM? said Frodo
sharply$ looking at hi) in
astonish)ent. ?.hy didn?t you speak
up ,eforeM?
?+ ha"e only Kust re)e),ered$ sir. +t
was like this: when + got ,a1k to our
hole yesterday e"ening
with the key$ )y dad$ he says to )e:
A2ello$ %a)NA he says. A+ thought you
were away with (r.
Frodo this )orning. There?s ,een a
strange 1usto)er asking for (r.
Baggins of Bag !nd$ and he?s
only Kust gone. +?"e sent hi) on to
Bu1kle,ury. 'ot that + liked the sound
of hi). 2e see)ed
)ighty put out$ when + told hi) (r.
Baggins had left his old ho)e for
good. 2issed at )e$ he did.
+t ga"e )e Juite a shudder. .hat sort
of a fellow was heMA says + to the
/affer. A+ don?t know$A
says heI A,ut he wasn?t a ho,,it. 2e
was tall and ,la1k#like$ and he
stooped a"er )e. + re1kon it was
one of the Big Folk fro) foreign
parts. 2e spoke funny.A
?+ 1ouldn?t stay to hear )ore$ sir$ sin1e
you were waitingI and + didn?t gi"e
)u1h heed to it
)yself. The /affer is getting old$ and
)ore than a ,it ,lind$ and it )ust ha"e
,een near dark when
this fellow 1o)e up the 2ill and
found hi) taking the air at the end of
our Row. + hope he hasn?t
done no har)$ sir$ nor )e.?
?The /affer 1an?t ,e ,la)ed anyway$?
said Frodo. ?4s a )atter of fa1t + heard
hi) talking to a
stranger$ who see)ed to ,e inJuiring
for )e$ and + nearly went and asked
hi) who it was. + wish +
had$ or you had told )e a,out it
,efore. + )ight ha"e ,een )ore
1areful on the road.?
?%till$ there )ay ,e no 1onne5ion
,etween this rider and the /affer?s
stranger$? said Pippin. ?.e
left 2o,,iton se1retly enough$ and +
don?t see how he 1ould ha"e followed
us.?
?.hat a,out the As)elling$A sirM? said
%a). ?4nd the /affer said he was a
,la1k 1hap.?
?+ wish + had waited for /andalf$?
Frodo )uttered. ?But perhaps it would
only ha"e )ade )atters
worse.?
?Then you know or guess so)ething
a,out this riderM? said Pippin$ who had
1aught the )uttered
words.
?+ don?t know$ and + would rather not
guess$? said Frodo. ?4ll right$ 1ousin
FrodoN Gou 1an keep
your se1ret for the present$ if you
want to ,e )ysterious. +n the
)eanwhile what are we to doM +
should like a ,ite and a sup$ ,ut
so)ehow + think we had ,etter )o"e
on fro) here. Gour talk of
sniffing riders with in"isi,le noses has
unsettled )e.?
?Ges$ + think we will )o"e on now$?
said FrodoI ?,ut not on the road #in
1ase that rider 1o)es
,a1k$ or another follows hi). .e
ought to do a good step )ore today.
Bu1kland is still )iles away.?
The shadows of the trees were long
and thin on the grass$ as they started
off again. They now
kept a stone?s throw to the left of the
road$ and kept out of sight of it as
)u1h as they 1ould. But this
hindered the)I for the grass was thi1k
and tusso1ky$ and the ground une"en$
and the trees ,egan to
draw together into thi1kets.
The sun had gone down red ,ehind
the hills at their ,a1ks$ and e"ening
was 1o)ing on ,efore
they 1a)e ,a1k to the road at the end
of the long le"el o"er whi1h it had run
straight for so)e
)iles. 4t that point it ,ent left and
went down into the lowlands of the
Gale )aking for %to1kI ,ut a
lane ,ran1hed right$ winding through
a wood of an1ient oak#trees on its way
to .oodhall. ?That is
the way for us$? said Frodo.
'ot far fro) the road#)eeting they
1a)e on the huge hulk of a tree: it
was still ali"e and had
lea"es on the s)all ,ran1hes that it
had put out round the ,roken stu)ps
of its long#fallen li),sI
,ut it was hollow$ and 1ould ,e
entered ,y a great 1ra1k on the side
away fro) the road. The
ho,,its 1rept inside$ and sat there
upon a floor of old lea"es and
de1ayed wood. They rested and
had a light )eal$ talking Juietly and
listening fro) ti)e to ti)e.
Twilight was a,out the) as they 1rept
,a1k to the lane. The .est wind was
sighing in the
,ran1hes. Lea"es were whispering.
%oon the road ,egan to fall gently ,ut
steadily into the dusk. 4
star 1a)e out a,o"e the trees in the
darkening !ast ,efore the). They
went a,reast and in step$ to
keep up their spirits. 4fter a ti)e$ as
the stars grew thi1ker and ,righter$ the
feeling of disJuiet left
the)$ and they no longer listened for
the sound of hoofs. They ,egan to
hu) softly$ as ho,,its ha"e
a way of doing as they walk along$
espe1ially when they are drawing near
to ho)e at night. .ith
)ost ho,,its it is a supper#song or a
,ed#songI ,ut these ho,,its hu))ed a
walking#song Dthough
not$ of 1ourse$ without any )ention of
supper and ,edE. Bil,o Baggins had
)ade the words$ to a
tune that was as old as the hills$ and
taught it to Frodo as they walked in
the lanes of the .ater"alley
and talked a,out 4d"enture.
0pon the hearth the fire is red$
Beneath the roof there is a ,edI
But not yet weary are our feet$
%till round the 1orner we )ay )eet
4 sudden tree or standing stone
That none ha"e seen ,ut we alone.
Tree and flower and leaf and grass$
Let the) passN Let the) passN
2ill and water under sky$
Pass the) ,yN Pass the) ,yN
%till round the 1orner there )ay wait
4 new road or a se1ret gate$
4nd though we pass the) ,y today$
To)orrow we )ay 1o)e this way
4nd take the hidden paths that run
Towards the (oon or to the %un.
4pple$ thorn$ and nut and sloe$
Let the) goN Let the) goN
%and and stone and pool and dell$
Fare you wellN Fare you wellN
2o)e is ,ehind$ the world ahead$
4nd there are )any paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night$
0ntil the stars are all alight.
Then world ,ehind and ho)e ahead$
.e?ll wander ,a1k to ho)e and ,ed.
(ist and twilight$ 1loud and shade$
4way shall fadeN 4way shall fadeN
Fire and la)p$ and )eat and ,read$
4nd then to ,edN 4nd then to ,edN
The song ended. ?4nd AnowA to ,edN
4nd AnowA to ,edN? sang Pippin in a
high "oi1e.
?2ushN? said Frodo. ?+ think + hear
hoofs again.?
They slopped suddenly and stood as
silent as tree#shadows$ listening.
There was a sound of
hoofs in the lane$ so)e way ,ehind$
,ut 1o)ing slow and 1lear down the
wind. Pui1kly and Juietly
they slipped off the path$ and ran into
the deeper shade under the oak#trees.
?&on?t let us go too farN? said Frodo. ?+
don?t want to ,e seen$ ,ut + want to
see if it is another
Bla1k Rider.?
?@ery wellN? said Pippin. ?But don?t
forget the sniffingN?
The hoofs drew nearer. They had no
ti)e to find any hiding#pla1e ,etter
than the general
darkness under the treesI %a) and
Pippin 1rou1hed ,ehind a large tree#
,ole$ while Frodo 1rept ,a1k
a few yards towards the lane. +t
showed grey and pale$ a line of fading
light through the wood.
4,o"e it the stars were thi1k in the
di) sky$ ,ut there was no )oon.
The sound of hoofs stopped. 4s Frodo
wat1hed he saw so)ething dark pass
a1ross the lighter
spa1e ,etween two trees$ and then
halt. +t looked like the ,la1k shade of
a horse led ,y a s)aller
,la1k shadow. The ,la1k shadow
stood 1lose to the point where they
had left the path$ and it
swayed fro) side to side. Frodo
thought he heard the sound of
snuffling. The shadow ,ent to the
ground$ and then ,egan to 1rawl
towards hi).
*n1e )ore the desire to slip on the
Ring 1a)e o"er FrodoI ,ut this ti)e it
was stronger than
,efore. %o strong that$ al)ost ,efore
he reali<ed what he was doing$ his
hand was groping in his
po1ket. But at that )o)ent there
1a)e a sound like )ingled song and
laughter. -lear "oi1es rose
and fell in the starlit air. The ,la1k
shadow straightened up and retreated.
+t 1li),ed on to the
shadowy horse and see)ed to "anish
a1ross the lane into the darkness on
the other side. Frodo
,reathed again.
?!l"esN? e51lai)ed %a) in a hoarse
whisper. ?!l"es$ sirN? 2e would ha"e
,urst out of the trees and
dashed off towards the "oi1es$ if they
had not pulled hi) ,a1k.
?Ges$ it is !l"es$? said Frodo. ?*ne 1an
)eet the) so)eti)es in the .oody
!nd. They don?t li"e
in the %hire$ ,ut they wander into it in
%pring and 4utu)n$ out of their own
lands away ,eyond the
Tower 2ills. + a) thankful that they
doN Gou did not see$ ,ut that Bla1k
Rider stopped Kust here and
was a1tually 1rawling towards us
when the song ,egan. 4s soon as he
heard the "oi1es he slipped
away.?
?.hat a,out the !l"esM? said %a)$ too
e51ited to trou,le a,out the rider.
?-an?t we go and see
the)M?
?ListenN They are 1o)ing this way$?
said Frodo. ?.e ha"e only to wait.?
The singing drew nearer.
*ne 1lear "oi1e rose now a,o"e the
others. +t was singing in the fair
el"en#tongue$ of whi1h Frodo
knew only a little$ and the others
knew nothing. Get the sound ,lending
with the )elody see)ed to
shape itself in their thought into
words whi1h they only partly
understood. This was the song as
Frodo heard it:
%now#whiteN %now#whiteN * Lady
1learN
* Pueen ,eyond the .estern %easN
* Light to us that wander here
4)id the world of wo"en treesN
/ilthonielN * !l,erethN
-lear are thy eyes and ,right thy
,reathN
%now#whiteN %now#whiteN .e sing to
thee
+n a far land ,eyond the %ea.
* stars that in the %unless Gear
.ith shining hand ,y her were sawn$
+n windy fields now ,right and 1lear
.e see your sil"er ,losso) ,lownN
* !l,erethN /ilthonielN
.e still re)e),er$ we who dwell
+n this far land ,eneath the trees$
Thy starlight on the .estern %eas.
The song ended. ?These are 2igh
!l"esN They spoke the na)e of
!l,erethN? said Frodo in
a)a<e)ent$ ?Few of that fairest folk
are e"er seen in the %hire. 'ot )any
now re)ain in (iddleearth$
east of the /reat %ea. This is indeed a
strange 1han1eN?
The ho,,its sat in shadow ,y the
wayside. Before long the !l"es 1a)e
down the lane towards
the "alley. They passed slowly$ and
the ho,,its 1ould see the starlight
gli))ering on their hair and
in their eyes. They ,ore no lights$ yet
as they walked a shi))er$ like the
light of the )oon a,o"e
the ri) of the hills ,efore it rises$
see)ed to fall a,out their feet. They
were now silent$ and as the
last !lf passed he turned and looked
towards the ho,,its and laughed.
?2ail$ FrodoN? he 1ried. ?Gou are
a,road late. *r are you perhaps lostM?
Then he 1alled aloud to
the others$ and all the 1o)pany
stopped and gathered round.
?This is indeed wonderfulN? they said.
?Three ho,,its in a wood at nightN .e
ha"e not seen su1h a
thing sin1e Bil,o went away. .hat is
the )eaning of itM?
?The )eaning of it$ fair people$? said
Frodo$ ?is si)ply that we see) to ,e
going the sa)e way as
you are. + like walking under the stars.
But + would wel1o)e your 1o)pany.?
?But we ha"e no need of other
1o)pany$ and ho,,its are so dull$?
they laughed. ?4nd how do you
know that we go the sa)e way as you$
for you do not know whither we are
goingM?
?4nd how do you know )y na)eM?
asked Frodo in return.
?.e know )any things$? they said.
?.e ha"e seen you often ,efore with
Bil,o$ though you )ay
not ha"e seen us.?
?.ho are you$ and who is your lordM?
asked Frodo.
?+ a) /ildor$? answered their leader$
the !lf who had first hailed hi).
?/ildor +nglorion of the
2ouse of Finrod. .e are !5iles$ and
)ost of our kindred ha"e long ago
departed and we too are
now only tarrying here a while$ ere
we return o"er the /reat %ea. But
so)e of our kinsfolk dwell
still in pea1e in Ri"endell. -o)e now$
Frodo$ tell us what you are doingM For
we see that there is
so)e shadow of fear upon you.?
?* .ise PeopleN? interrupted Pippin
eagerly. ?Tell us a,out the Bla1k
RidersN?
?Bla1k RidersM? they said in low
"oi1es. ?.hy do you ask a,out Bla1k
RidersM?
?Be1ause two Bla1k Riders ha"e
o"ertaken us today$ or one has done
so twi1e$? said PippinI ?only
a little while ago he slipped away as
you drew near.?
The !l"es did not answer at on1e$ ,ut
spoke together softly in their own
tongue. 4t length
/ildor turned to the ho,,its. ?.e will
not speak of this here$? he said. ?.e
think you had ,est 1o)e
now with us. +t is not our 1usto)$ ,ut
for this ti)e we will lake you on our
road$ and you shall
lodge with us tonight$ if you will.?
?* Fair FolkN This is good fortune
,eyond )y hope$? said Pippin. %a)
was spee1hless. ?+ thank
you indeed$ /ildor +nglorion$? said
Frodo ,owing. A?!len sQla lC)enn?
o)entiel"o$A a star shines on
the hour of our )eeting$? he added in
the high#el"en spee1h.
?Be 1areful$ friendsN? 1ried /ildor
laughing. ?%peak no se1retsN 2ere is a
s1holar in the 4n1ient
Tongue. Bil,o was a good )aster.
2ail$ !lf#friendN? he said$ ,owing to
Frodo. ?-o)e now with your
friends and Koin our 1o)panyN Gou
had ,est walk in the )iddle so that
you )ay not stray. Gou )ay
,e weary ,efore we halt.?
?.hyM .here are you goingM? asked
Frodo.
?For tonight we go to the woods on the
hills a,o"e .oodhall. +t is so)e
)iles$ ,ut you shall
ha"e rest at the end of it$ and it will
shorten your Kourney to)orrow.?
They now )ar1hed on again in
silen1e$ and passed like shadows and
faint lights: for !l"es De"en
)ore than ho,,itsE 1ould walk when
they wished without sound or footfall.
Pippin soon ,egan to
feel sleepy$ and staggered on1e or
twi1eI ,ut ea1h ti)e a tall !lf at his
side put out his ar) and
sa"ed hi) fro) a fall. %a) walked
along at Frodo?s side$ as if in a drea)$
with an e5pression on his
fa1e half of fear and half of astonished
Koy.
The woods on either side ,e1a)e
denserI the trees were now younger
and thi1kerI and as the
lane went lower$ running down into a
fold of the hills$ there were )any
deep ,rakes of ha<el on the
rising slopes at either hand. 4t last the
!l"es turned aside fro) the path. 4
green ride lay al)ost
unseen through the thi1kets on the
rightI and this they followed as it
wound away ,a1k up the
wooded slopes on to the top of a
shoulder of the hills that stood out
into the lower land of the ri"er"alley.
%uddenly they 1a)e out of the
shadow of the trees$ and ,efore the)
lay a wide spa1e of
grass$ grey under the night. *n three
sides the woods pressed upon itI ,ut
eastward the ground fell
steeply and the tops of the dark trees$
growing at the ,otto) of the slope$
were ,elow their feet.
Beyond$ the low lands lay di) and
flat under the stars. 'earer at hand a
few lights twinkled in the
"illage of .oodhall.
The !l"es sat on the grass and spoke
together in soft "oi1esI they see)ed to
take no further
noti1e of the ho,,its. Frodo and his
1o)panions wrapped the)sel"es in
1loaks and ,lankets$ and
drowsiness stole o"er the). The night
grew on$ and the lights in the "alley
went out. Pippin fell
asleep$ pillowed on a green hillo1k.
4way high in the !ast swung
Re))irath$ the 'etted %tars$ and
slowly a,o"e the )ists red
Borgil rose$ glowing like a Kewel of
fire. Then ,y so)e shift of airs all the
)ist was drawn away
like a "eil$ and there leaned up$ as he
1li),ed o"er the ri) of the world$ the
%words)an of the %ky$
(enel"agor with his shining ,elt. The
!l"es all ,urst into song. %uddenly
under the trees a fire
sprang up with a red light.
?-o)eN? the !l"es 1alled to the
ho,,its. ?-o)eN 'ow is the ti)e for
spee1h and )erri)entN?
Pippin sat up and ru,,ed his eyes. 2e
shi"ered. ?There is a fire in the hall$
and food for hungry
guests$? said an !lf standing ,efore
hi).
4t the south end of the greensward
there was an opening. There the green
floor ran on into the
wood$ and for)ed a wide spa1e like a
hall$ roofed ,y the ,oughs of trees.
Their great trunks ran like
pillars down ea1h side. +n the )iddle
there was a wood#fire ,la<ing$ and
upon the tree#pillars
tor1hes with lights of gold and sil"er
were ,urning steadily. The !l"es sat
round the fire upon the
grass or upon the sawn rings of old
trunks. %o)e went to and fro ,earing
1ups and pouring drinkI
others ,rought food on heaped plates
and dishes.
?This is poor fare$? they said to the
ho,,itsI ?for we are lodging in the
greenwood far fro) our
halls. +f e"er you are our guests at
ho)e$ we will treat you ,etter.?
?+t see)s to )e good enough for a
,irthday#party$? said Frodo.
Pippin afterwards re1alled little of
either food or drink$ for his )ind was
filled with the light
upon the elf#fa1es$ and the sound of
"oi1es so "arious and so ,eautiful that
he felt in a waking
drea). But he re)e),ered that there
was ,read$ surpassing the sa"our of a
fair white loaf to one
who is star"ingI and fruits sweet as
wild,erries and ri1her than the tended
fruits of gardensI he
drained a 1up that was filled with a
fragrant draught$ 1ool as a 1lear
fountain$ golden as a su))er
afternoon.
%a) 1ould ne"er des1ri,e in words$
nor pi1ture 1learly to hi)self$ what he
felt or thought that
night$ though it re)ained in his
)e)ory as one of the 1hief e"ents of
his life. The nearest he e"er
got was to say: ?.ell$ sir$ if + 1ould
grow apples like that$ + would 1all
)yself a gardener. But it was
the singing that went to )y heart$ if
you know what + )ean.?
Frodo sat$ eating$ drinking$ and
talking with delightI ,ut his )ind was
1hiefly on the words
spoken. 2e knew a little of the elf#
spee1h and listened eagerly. 'ow and
again he spoke to those
that ser"ed hi) and thanked the) in
their own language. They s)iled at
hi) and said laughing:
?2ere is a Kewel a)ong ho,,itsN?
4fter a while Pippin fell fast asleep$
and was lifted up and ,orne away to a
,ower under the
treesI there he was laid upon a soft
,ed and slept the rest of the night
away. %a) refused to lea"e
his )aster. .hen Pippin had gone$ he
1a)e and sat 1urled up at Frodo?s feet$
where at last he
nodded and 1losed his eyes. Frodo
re)ained long awake$ talking with
/ildor.
They spoke of )any things$ old and
new$ and Frodo Juestioned /ildor
)u1h a,out happenings
in the wide world outside the %hire.
The tidings were )ostly sad and
o)inous: of gathering
darkness$ the wars of (en$ and the
flight of the !l"es. 4t last Frodo
asked the Juestion that was
nearest to his heart:
?Tell )e$ /ildor$ ha"e you e"er seen
Bil,o sin1e he left usM?
/ildor s)iled. ?Ges$? he answered.
?Twi1e. 2e said farewell to us on this
"ery spot. But + saw
hi) on1e again$ far fro) here.? 2e
would say no )ore a,out Bil,o$ and
Frodo fell silent.
?Gou do not ask )e or tell )e )u1h
that 1on1erns yourself$ Frodo$? said
/ildor. ?But + already
know a little$ and + 1an read )ore in
your fa1e and in the thought ,ehind
your Juestions. Gou are
lea"ing the %hire$ and yet you dou,t
that you will find what you seek$ or
a11o)plish what you
intend$ or that you will e"er return. +s
not that soM?
?+t is$? said FrodoI ?,ut + thought )y
going was a se1ret known only to
/andalf and )y faithful
%a).? 2e looked down at %a)$ who
was snoring gently.
?The se1ret will not rea1h the !ne)y
fro) us$? said /ildor.
?The !ne)yM? said Frodo. ?Then you
know why + a) lea"ing the %hireM?
?+ do not know for what reason the
!ne)y is pursuing you$? answered
/ildorI ?,ut + per1ei"e that
he is O strange indeed though that
see)s to )e. 4nd + warn you that
peril is now ,oth ,efore you
and ,ehind you$ and upon either side.?
?Gou )ean the RidersM + feared that
they were ser"ants of the !ne)y.
.hat AareA the Bla1k
RidersM?
?2as /andalf told you nothingM?
?'othing a,out su1h 1reatures.?
?Then + think it is not for )e to say
)ore O lest terror should keep you
fro) your Kourney. For it
see)s to )e that you ha"e set out
only Kust in ti)e$ if indeed you are in
ti)e. Gou )ust now )ake
haste$ and neither stay nor turn ,a1kI
for the %hire is no longer any
prote1tion to you.?
?+ 1annot i)agine what infor)ation
1ould ,e )ore terrifying than your
hints and warnings$?
e51lai)ed Frodo. ?+ knew that danger
lay ahead$ of 1ourseI ,ut + did not
e5pe1t to )eet it in our
own %hire. -an?t a ho,,it walk fro)
the .ater to the Ri"er in pea1eM?
?But it is not your own %hire$? said
/ildor. ?*thers dwelt here ,efore
ho,,its wereI and others
will dwell here again when ho,,its
are no )ore. The wide world is all
a,out you: you 1an fen1e
yoursel"es in$ ,ut you 1annot for e"er
fen1e it out.?
?+ know O and yet it has always
see)ed so safe and fa)iliar. .hat 1an
+ do nowM (y plan was to
lea"e the %hire se1retly$ and )ake )y
way to Ri"endellI ,ut now )y
footsteps are dogged$ ,efore
e"er + get to Bu1kland.?
?+ think you should still follow that
plan$? said /ildor. ?+ do not think the
Road will pro"e too
hard for your 1ourage. But if you
desire 1learer 1ounsel$ you should ask
/andalf. + do not know the
reason for your flight$ and therefore +
do not know ,y what )eans your
pursuers will assail you.
These things /andalf )ust know. +
suppose that you will see hi) ,efore
you lea"e the %hireM?
?+ hope so. But that is another thing
that )akes )e an5ious. + ha"e ,een
e5pe1ting /andalf for
)any days. 2e was to ha"e 1o)e to
2o,,iton at the latest two nights agoI
,ut he has ne"er
appeared. 'ow + a) wondering what
1an ha"e happened. %hould + wait for
hi)M?
/ildor was silent for a )o)ent. ?+ do
not like this news$? he said at last.
?That /andalf should ,e
late$ does not ,ode well. But it is said:
A&o not )eddle in the affairs of
.i<ards$ for they are su,tle
and Jui1k to anger.A The 1hoi1e is
yours: to go or wait.?
?4nd it is also said$? answered Frodo:
?/o Anot to the !l"es for 1ounsel$ for
they will say ,oth no
and yes.?A
?+s it indeedM? laughed /ildor. ?!l"es
seldo) gi"e unguarded ad"i1e$ for
ad"i1e is a dangerous
gift$ e"en fro) the wise to the wise$
and all 1ourses )ay run ill. But what
would youM Gou ha"e not
told )e all 1on1erning yourselfI and
how then shall + 1hoose ,etter than
youM But if you de)and
ad"i1e$ + will for friendship?s sake
gi"e it. + think you should now go at
on1e$ without delayI and if
/andalf does not 1o)e ,efore you set
out$ then + also ad"ise this: do not go
alone. Take su1h
friends as are trusty and willing. 'ow
you should ,e grateful$ for + do not
gi"e this 1ounsel gladly.
The !l"es ha"e their own la,ours and
their own sorrows$ and they are little
1on1erned with the
ways of ho,,its$ or of any other
1reatures upon earth. *ur paths 1ross
theirs seldo)$ ,y 1han1e or
purpose. +n this )eeting there )ay ,e
)ore than 1han1eI ,ut the purpose is
not 1lear to )e$ and +
fear to say too )u1h.?
?+ a) deeply grateful$? said FrodoI ?,ut
+ wish you would tell )e plainly what
the Bla1k Riders
are. +f + take your ad"i1e + )ay not
see /andalf for a long while$ and +
ought to know what is the
danger that pursues )e.?
?+s it not enough to know that they are
ser"ants of the !ne)yM? answered
/ildor. ?Flee the)N
%peak no words to the)N They are
deadly. 4sk no )ore of )eN But )y
heart for,odes that$ ere all
is ended$ you$ Frodo son of &rogo$
will know )ore of these fell things
than /ildor +nglorion. (ay
!l,ereth prote1t youN?
?But where shall + find 1ourageM?
asked Frodo. ?That is what + 1hiefly
need.?
?-ourage is found in unlikely pla1es$?
said /ildor. ?Be of good hopeN %leep
nowN +n the )orning
we shall ha"e goneI ,ut we will send
our )essages through the lands. The
.andering -o)panies
shall know of your Kourney$ and those
that ha"e power for good shall ,e on
the wat1h. + na)e you
!lf#friendI and )ay the stars shine
upon the end of your roadN %eldo)
ha"e we had su1h delight in
strangers$ and it is fair to hear words
of the 4n1ient %pee1h fro) the lips of
other wanderers in the
world.?
Frodo felt sleep 1o)ing upon hi)$
e"en as /ildor finished speaking. ?+
will sleep now$? he saidI
and the !lf led hi) to a ,ower ,eside
Pippin$ and he threw hi)self upon a
,ed and fell at on1e into
a drea)less slu),er.
A-hapter 3A
4 %hort -ut to (ushroo)s
+n the )orning Frodo woke refreshed.
2e was lying in a ,ower )ade ,y a
li"ing tree with
,ran1hes la1ed and drooping to the
groundI his ,ed was of fern and grass$
deep and soft and
strangely fragrant. The sun was
shining through the fluttering lea"es$
whi1h were still green upon
the tree. 2e Ku)ped up and went out.
%a) was sitting on the grass near the
edge of the wood. Pippin was
standing studying the sky
and weather. There was no sign of the
!l"es.
?They ha"e left us fruit and drink$ and
,read$? said Pippin. ?-o)e and ha"e
your ,reakfast. The
,read tastes al)ost as good as it did
last night. + did not want to lea"e you
any$ ,ut %a) insisted.?
Frodo sat down ,eside %a) and ,egan
to eat. ?.hat is the plan for todayM?
asked Pippin.
?To walk to Bu1kle,ury as Jui1kly as
possi,le$? answered Frodo$ and ga"e
his attention to the
food.
?&o you think we shall see anything of
those RidersM? asked Pippin
1heerfully. 0nder the
)orning sun the prospe1t of seeing a
whole troop of the) did not see)
"ery alar)ing to hi).
?Ges$ pro,a,ly$? said Frodo$ not liking
the re)inder. ?But + hope to get a1ross
the ri"er without
their seeing us.?
?&id you find out anything a,out the)
fro) /ildorM?
?'ot )u1h O only hints and riddles$?
said Frodo e"asi"ely. ?&id you ask
a,out the sniffingM?
?.e didn?t dis1uss it$? said Frodo with
his )outh full.
?Gou should ha"e. + a) sure it is "ery
i)portant.?
?+n that 1ase + a) sure /ildor would
ha"e refused to e5plain it$? said Frodo
sharply. ?4nd now
lea"e )e in pea1e for a ,itN + don?t
want to answer a string of Juestions
while + a) eating. + want to
thinkN?
?/ood hea"ensN? said Pippin. ?4t
,reakfastM? 2e walked away towards
the edge of the green.
Fro) Frodo?s )ind the ,right
)orning O trea1herously ,right$ he
thought O had not ,anished the
fear of pursuitI and he pondered the
words of /ildor. The )erry "oi1e of
Pippin 1a)e to hi). 2e
was running on the green turf and
singing.
?'oN + 1ould notN? he said to hi)self.
?+t is one thing to take )y young
friends walking o"er the
%hire with )e$ until we are hungry
and weary$ and food and ,ed are
sweet. To take the) into e5ile$
where hunger and weariness )ay
ha"e no 1ure$ is Juite another O e"en
if they are willing to 1o)e.
The inheritan1e is )ine alone. + don?t
think + ought e"en to take %a).? 2e
looked at %a) /a)gee$
and dis1o"ered that %a) was
wat1hing hi).
?.ell$ %a)N? he said. ?.hat a,out itM +
a) lea"ing the %hire as soon as e"er +
1an O in fa1t + ha"e
)ade up )y )ind now not e"en to
wait a day at -ri1khollow$ if it 1an ,e
helped.?
?@ery good$ sirN?
?Gou still )ean to 1o)e with )eM?
?+ do.?
?+t is going to ,e "ery dangerous$ %a).
?+t is already dangerous. (ost likely
neither of us will
1o)e ,a1k.?
?+f you don?t 1o)e ,a1k$ sir$ then +
shan?t$ that?s 1ertain$? said %a).
A?&on?t you lea"e hi)NA they
said to )e. ALea"e hi)NA + said. A+
ne"er )ean to. + a) going with hi)$
if he 1li),s to the (oon$
and if any of those Bla1k Rulers try to
stop hi)$ they?ll ha"e %a) /a)gee to
re1kon with$A + said.
They laughed.?
?.ho are Athey$A and what are you
talking a,outM?
?The !l"es$ sir. .e had so)e talk last
nightI and they see)ed to know you
were going away$ so
+ didn?t see the use of denying it.
.onderful folk$ !l"es$ sirN
.onderfulN?
?They are$? said Frodo. ?&o you like
the) still$ now you ha"e had a 1loser
"iewM?
?They see) a ,it a,o"e )y likes and
dislikes$ so to speak$? answered %a)
slowly. ?+t don?t see)
to )atter what + think a,out the).
They are Juite different fro) what +
e5pe1ted O so old and
young$ and so gay and sad$ as it were.?
Frodo looked at %a) rather startled$
half e5pe1ting to see so)e outward
sign of the odd 1hange
that see)ed to ha"e 1o)e o"er hi). +t
did not sound like the "oi1e of the old
%a) /a)gee that he
thought he knew. But it looked like
the old %a) /a)gee sitting there$
e51ept that his fa1e was
unusually thoughtful.
?&o you feel any need to lea"e the
%hire now O now that your wish to see
the) has 1o)e true
alreadyM? he asked.
?Ges$ sir. + don?t know how to say it$
,ut after last night + feel different. +
see) to see ahead$ in a
kind of way. + know we are going to
take a "ery long road$ into darknessI
,ut + know + 1an?t turn
,a1k. +t isn?t to see !l"es now$ nor
dragons$ nor )ountains$ that + want O
+ don?t rightly know what +
want: ,ut + ha"e so)ething to do
,efore the end$ and it lies ahead$ not
in the %hire. + )ust see it
through$ sir$ if you understand )e.?
?+ don?t altogether. But + understand
that /andalf 1hose )e a good
1o)panion. + a) 1ontent. .e
will go together.?
Frodo finished his ,reakfast in
silen1e. Then standing up he looked
o"er the land ahead$ and
1alled to Pippin.
?4ll ready to startM? he said as Pippin
ran up. ?.e )ust ,e getting off at
on1e. .e slept lateI and
there are a good )any )iles to go.?
A?GouA slept late$ you )ean$? said
Pippin. ?+ was up long ,eforeI and we
are only waiting for you
to finish eating and thinking.?
?+ ha"e finished ,oth now. 4nd + a)
going to )ake for Bu1kle,ury Ferry
as Jui1kly as possi,le.
+ a) not going out of the way$ ,a1k to
the road we left last night: + a) going
to 1ut straight a1ross
1ountry fro) here.?
?Then you are going to fly$? said
Pippin. ?Gou won?t 1ut straight on foot
anywhere in this
1ountry.?
?.e 1an 1ut straighter than the road
anyway$? answered Frodo. ?The Ferry
is east fro) .oodhallI
,ut the hard road 1ur"es away to the
left #you 1an see a ,end of it away
north o"er there. +t goes
round the north end of the (arish so
as to strike the 1auseway fro) the
Bridge a,o"e %to1k. But
that is )iles out of the way. .e 1ould
sa"e a Juarter of the distan1e if we
)ade a line for the Ferry
fro) where we stand.?
A?%hort 1uts )ake long delays$?A
argued Pippin. ?The 1ountry is rough
round here$ and there are
,ogs and all kinds of diffi1ulties down
in the (arish #+ know the land in
these parts. 4nd if you are
worrying a,out Bla1k Riders$ + 1an?t
see that it is any worse )eeting the)
on a road than in a wood
or a field.?
?+t is less easy to find people in the
woods and fields$? answered Frodo.
?4nd if you are supposed
to ,e on the road$ there is so)e
1han1e that you will ,e looked for on
the road and not off it.?
?4ll rightN? said Pippin. ?+ will follow
you into e"ery ,og and dit1h. But it is
hardN + had 1ounted
on passing the A/olden Per1hA at
%to1k ,efore sundown. The ,est ,eer
in the !astfarthing$ or used
to ,e: it is a long ti)e sin1e + tasted
it.?
?That settles itN? said Frodo. ?%hort 1uts
)ake delays$ ,ut inns )ake longer
ones. 4t all 1osts we
)ust keep you away fro) the
A/olden Per1hA. .e want to get to
Bu1kle,ury ,efore dark. .hat do
you say$ %a)M?
?+ will go along with you$ (r. Frodo$?
said %a) Din spite of pri"ate
)isgi"ing and a deep regret
for the ,est ,eer in the !astfarthingE.
?Then if we are going to toil through
,og and ,riar$ let?s go nowN? said
Pippin.
+t was already nearly as hot as it had
,een the day ,eforeI ,ut 1louds were
,eginning to 1o)e up
fro) the .est. +t looked likely to turn
to rain. The ho,,its s1ra),led down a
steep green ,ank and
plunged into the thi1k trees ,elow.
Their 1ourse had ,een 1hosen to lea"e
.oodhall to their left$
and to 1ut slanting through the woods
that 1lustered along the eastern side of
the hills$ until they
rea1hed the flats ,eyond. Then they
1ould )ake straight for the Ferry o"er
1ountry that was open$
e51ept for a few dit1hes and fen1es.
Frodo re1koned they had eighteen
)iles to go in a straight line.
2e soon found that the thi1ket was
1loser and )ore tangled than it had
appeared. There were no
paths in the undergrowth$ and they did
not get on "ery fast. .hen they had
struggled to the ,otto)
of the ,ank$ they found a strea)
running down fro) the hills ,ehind in
a deeply dug ,ed with steep
slippery sides o"erhung with
,ra),les. (ost in1on"eniently it 1ut
a1ross the line they had 1hosen.
They 1ould not Ku)p o"er it$ nor
indeed get a1ross it at all without
getting wet$ s1rat1hed$ and
)uddy. They halted$ wondering what
to do. ?First 1he1kN? said Pippin$
s)iling gri)ly.
%a) /a)gee looked ,a1k. Through
an opening in the trees he 1aught a
gli)pse of the top of the
green ,ank fro) whi1h they had
1li),ed down.
?LookN? he said$ 1lut1hing Frodo ,y
the ar). They all looked$ and on the
edge high a,o"e the)
they saw against the sky a horse
standing. Beside it stooped a ,la1k
figure.
They at on1e ga"e up any idea of
going ,a1k. Frodo led the way$ and
plunged Jui1kly into the
thi1k ,ushes ,eside the strea).
?.hewN? he said to Pippin. ?.e were
,oth rightN The short 1ut has
gone 1rooked alreadyI ,ut we got
under 1o"er only Kust in ti)e. Gou?"e
got sharp ears$ %a): 1an
you hear anything 1o)ingM?
They stood still$ al)ost holding their
,reath as they listenedI ,ut there was
no sound of pursuit.
?+ don?t fan1y he would try ,ringing
his horse down that ,ank$? said %a).
?But + guess he knows we
1a)e down it. .e had ,etter ,e going
on.?
/oing on was not altogether easy.
They had pa1ks to 1arry$ and the
,ushes and ,ra),les were
relu1tant to let the) through. They
were 1ut off fro) the wind ,y the
ridge ,ehind$ and the air was
still and stuffy. .hen they for1ed
their way at last into )ore open
ground$ they were hot and tired
and "ery s1rat1hed$ and they were
also no longer 1ertain of the dire1tion
in whi1h they were going.
The ,anks of the strea) sank$ as it
rea1hed the le"els and ,e1a)e
,roader and shallower$
wandering off towards the (arish and
the Ri"er.
?.hy$ this is the %to1k#,rookN? said
Pippin. ?+f we are going to try and get
,a1k on to our 1ourse$
we )ust 1ross at on1e and ,ear right.?
They waded the strea)$ and hurried
o"er a wide open spa1e$ rush#grown
and treeless$ on the
further side. Beyond that they 1a)e
again to a ,elt of trees: tall oaks$ for
the )ost part$ with here
and there an el) tree or an ash. The
ground was fairly le"el$ and there was
little undergrowthI ,ut
the trees were loo 1lose for the) to
see far ahead. The lea"es ,lew
upwards in sudden gusts of
wind$ and spots of rain ,egan to fall
fro) the o"er1ast sky. Then the wind
died away and the rain
1a)e strea)ing down. They trudged
along as fast as they 1ould$ o"er
pat1hes of grass$ and through
thi1k drifts of old lea"esI and all a,out
the) the rain pattered and tri1kled.
They did not talk$ ,ut
kept glan1ing ,a1k$ and fro) side to
side.
4fter half an hour Pippin said: ?+ hope
we ha"e not turned too )u1h towards
the south$ and are
not walking longwise through this
woodN +t is not a "ery ,road ,elt #+
should ha"e said no )ore
than a )ile at the widest O and we
ought to ha"e ,een through it ,y now.?
?+t is no good our starting to go in <ig#
<ags$? said Frodo. ?That won?t )end
)atters. Let us keep
on as we are goingN + a) not sure that
+ want to 1o)e out into the open yet.?
They went on for perhaps another
1ouple of )iles. Then the sun
glea)ed out of ragged 1louds
again and the rain lessened. +t was
now past )id#day$ and they felt it was
high ti)e for lun1h. They
halted under an el) tree: its lea"es
though fast turning yellow were still
thi1k$ and the ground at its
feel was fairly dry and sheltered.
.hen they 1a)e to )ake their )eal$
they found that the !l"es had
filled their ,ottles with a 1lear drink$
pale golden in 1olour: it had the s1ent
of a honey )ade of
)any flowers$ and was wonderfully
refreshing. @ery soon they were
laughing$ and snapping their
fingers at rain$ and at Bla1k Riders.
The last few )iles$ they felt$ would
soon ,e ,ehind the).
Frodo propped his ,a1k against the
tree#trunk$ and 1losed his eyes. %a)
and Pippin sat near$ and
they ,egan to hu)$ and then to sing
softly:
2oN 2oN 2oN to the ,ottle + go
To heal )y heart and drown )y woe.
Rain )ay fall and wind )ay ,low$
4nd )any )iles ,e still to go$
But under a tall tree + will lie$
4nd let the 1louds go sailing ,y.
A2oN 2oN 2oNA they ,egan again
louder. They stopped short suddenly.
Frodo sprang to his feet.
4 long#drawn wail 1a)e down the
wind$ like the 1ry of so)e e"il and
lonely 1reature. +t rose and
fell$ and ended on a high pier1ing
note. !"en as they sat and stood$ as if
suddenly fro<en$ it was
answered ,y another 1ry$ fainter and
further off$ ,ut no less 1hilling to the
,lood. There was then a
silen1e$ ,roken only ,y the sound of
the wind in the lea"es.
?4nd what do you think that wasM?
Pippin asked at last$ trying to speak
lightly$ ,ut Jua"ering a
little. ?+f it was a ,ird$ it was one that +
ne"er heard in the %hire ,efore.?
?+t was not ,ird or ,east$? said Frodo.
?+t was a 1all$ or a signal O there were
words in that 1ry$
though + 1ould not 1at1h the). But no
ho,,it has su1h a "oi1e.?
'o )ore was said a,out it. They were
all thinking of the Riders$ ,ut no one
spoke of the). They
were now relu1tant either to stay or go
onI ,ut sooner or later they had got to
get a1ross the open
1ountry to the Ferry$ and it was ,est to
go sooner and in daylight. +n a few
)o)ents they had
shouldered their pa1ks again and were
off.
Before long the wood 1a)e to a
sudden end. .ide grass#lands
stret1hed ,efore the). They now
saw that they had$ in fa1t$ turned too
)u1h to the south. 4way o"er the
flats they 1ould gli)pse the
low hill of Bu1kle,ury a1ross the
Ri"er$ ,ut it was now to their left.
-reeping 1autiously out fro)
the edge of the trees$ they set off
a1ross the open as Jui1kly as they
1ould.
4t first they felt afraid$ away fro) the
shelter of the wood. Far ,a1k ,ehind
the) stood the high
pla1e where they had ,reakfasted.
Frodo half e5pe1ted to see the s)all
distant figure of a horse)an
on the ridge dark against the skyI ,ut
there was no sign of one. The sun
es1aping fro) the ,reaking
1louds$ as it sank towards the hills
they had left$ was now shining
,rightly again. Their fear left
the)$ though they still felt uneasy.
But the land ,e1a)e steadily )ore
ta)e and well#ordered. %oon
they 1a)e into well#tended fields and
)eadows: there were hedges and
gates and dikes for
drainage. !"erything see)ed Juiet
and pea1eful$ Kust an ordinary 1orner
of the %hire. Their spirits
rose with e"ery step. The line of the
Ri"er grew nearerI and the Bla1k
Riders ,egan to see) like
phanto)s of the woods now left far
,ehind.
They passed along the edge of a huge
turnip#field$ and 1a)e to a stout gate.
Beyond it a rutted
lane ran ,etween low well#laid hedges
towards a distant 1lu)p of trees.
Pippin stopped.
?+ know these fields and this gateN? he
said. ?This is Ba)furlong$ old Far)er
(aggot?s land.
That?s his far) away there in the
trees.?
?*ne trou,le after anotherN? said
Frodo$ looking nearly as )u1h
alar)ed as if Pippin had de1lared
the lane was the slot leading to a
dragon?s den. The others looked at
hi) in surprise.
?.hat?s wrong with old (aggotM?
asked Pippin. ?2e?s a good friend to all
the Brandy ,u1ks. *f
1ourse he?s a terror to trespassers$ and
keeps fero1ious dogs O ,ut after all$
folk down here are near
the ,order and ha"e to ,e )ore on
their guard.?
?+ know$? said Frodo. ?But all the
sa)e$? he added with a sha)efa1ed
laugh$ ?+ a) terrified of hi)
and his dogs. + ha"e a"oided his far)
for years and years. 2e 1aught )e
se"eral ti)es trespassing
after )ushroo)s$ when + was a
youngster at Brandy 2all. *n the last
o11asion he ,eat )e$ and then
took )e and showed )e to his dogs.
L%ee$ lads$L he said$ Lne5t ti)e this
young "ar)int sets foot on
)y land$ you 1an eat hi). 'ow see
hi) offNL They 1hased )e all the way
to the Ferry. + ha"e ne"er
got o"er the fright O though + daresay
the ,easts knew their ,usiness and
would not really ha"e
tou1hed )e.?
Pippin laughed. ?.ell$ it?s ti)e you
)ade it up. !spe1ially if you are
1o)ing ,a1k to li"e in
Bu1kland. *ld (aggot is really a
stout fellow O if you lea"e his
)ushroo)s alone. Let?s get into the
lane and then we shan?t ,e trespassing.
+f we )eet hi)$ +?ll do the talking. 2e
is a friend of (erry?s$
and + used to 1o)e here with hi) a
good deal at one ti)e.?
They went along the lane$ until they
saw the that1hed roofs of a large
house and far)#,uildings
peeping out a)ong the trees ahead.
The (aggots$ and the Puddifoots of
%to1k$ and )ost of the
inha,itants of the (arish$ were house#
dwellersI and this far) was stoutly
,uilt of ,ri1k and had a
high wall all round it. There was a
wide wooden gate opening out of the
wall into the lane.
%uddenly as they drew nearer a
terrifi1 ,aying and ,arking ,roke out$
and a loud "oi1e was
heard shouting: ?/ripN FangN .olfN
-o)e on$ ladsN?
Frodo and %a) stopped dead$ ,ut
Pippin walked on a few pa1es. The
gate opened and three
huge dogs 1a)e pelting out into the
lane$ and dashed towards the
tra"ellers$ ,arking fier1ely. They
took no noti1e of PippinI ,ut %a)
shrank against the wall$ while two
wol"ish#looking dogs sniffed
at hi) suspi1iously$ and snarled if he
)o"ed. The largest and )ost
fero1ious of the three halted in
front of Frodo$ ,ristling and growling.
Through the gate there now appeared
a ,road thi1k#set ho,,it with a round
red fa1e. ?2alloN
2alloN 4nd who )ay you ,e$ and
what )ay you ,e wantingM? he asked.
?/ood afternoon$ (r. (aggotN? said
Pippin.
The far)er looked at hi) 1losely.
?.ell$ if it isn?t (aster Pippin O (r.
Peregrin Took$ + should
sayN? he 1ried$ 1hanging fro) a s1owl
to a grin. ?+t?s a long ti)e sin1e + saw
you round here. +t?s
lu1ky for you that + know you. + was
Kust going out to set )y dogs on any
strangers. There are so)e
funny things going on today. *f
1ourse$ we do get Jueer folk
wandering in these parts at ti)es. Too
near the Ri"er$? he said$ shaking his
head. ?But this fellow was the )ost
outlandish + ha"e e"er set
eyes on. 2e won?t 1ross )y land
without lea"e a se1ond ti)e$ not if +
1an stop it.?
?.hat fellow do you )eanM? asked
Pippin.
?Then you ha"en?t seen hi)M? said the
far)er. ?2e went up the lane towards
the 1auseway not a
long while ,a1k. 2e was a funny
1usto)er and asking funny Juestions.
But perhaps you?ll 1o)e
along inside$ and we?ll pass the news
)ore 1o)forta,le. +?"e a drop of good
ale on tap$ if you and
your friends are willing$ (r. Took.?
+t see)ed plain that the far)er would
tell the) )ore$ if allowed to do it in
his own ti)e and
fashion$ so they all a11epted the
in"itation. ?.hat a,out the dogsM?
asked Frodo an5iously.
The far)er laughed. ?They won?t har)
you O not unless + tell ?e) to. 2ere$
/ripN FangN 2eelN? he
1ried. ?2eel$ .olfN? To the relief of
Frodo and %a)$ the dogs walked
away and let the) go free.
Pippin introdu1ed the other two to the
far)er. ?(r. Frodo Baggins$? he said.
?Gou )ay not
re)e),er hi)$ ,ut he used to li"e at
Brandy 2all.? 4t the na)e Baggins
the far)er started$ and
ga"e Frodo a sharp glan1e. For a
)o)ent Frodo thought that the
)e)ory of stolen )ushroo)s had
,een aroused$ and that the dogs would
,e told to see hi) off. But Far)er
(aggot took hi) ,y the
ar).
?.ell$ if that isn?t Jueerer than e"erM?
he e51lai)ed. ?(r. Baggins is itM
-o)e insideN .e )ust
ha"e a talk.?
They went into the far)er?s kit1hen$
and sat ,y the wide fire#pla1e. (rs.
(aggot ,rought out
,eer in a huge Kug$ and filled four
large )ugs. +t was a good ,rew$ and
Pippin found hi)self )ore
than 1o)pensated for )issing the
A/olden Per1h.A %a) sipped his ,eer
suspi1iously. 2e had a
natural )istrust of the inha,itants of
other parts of the %hireI and also he
was not disposed to ,e
Jui1k friends with anyone who had
,eaten his )aster$ howe"er long ago.
4fter a few re)arks a,out the weather
and the agri1ultural prospe1ts Dwhi1h
were no worse than
usualE$ Far)er (aggot put down his
)ug and looked at the) all in turn.
?'ow$ (r. Peregrin$? he said$ ?where
)ight you ,e 1o)ing fro)$ and where
)ight you ,e going
toM .ere you 1o)ing to "isit? )eM
For$ if so$ you had gone past )y gate
without )y seeing you.?
?.ell$ no$? answered Pippin. ?To tell
you the truth$ sin1e you ha"e guessed
it$ we got into the lane
fro) the other end: we had 1o)e o"er
your fields. But that was Juite ,y
a11ident. .e lost our way
in the woods$ ,a1k near .oodhall$
trying to take a short 1ut to the Ferry.?
?+f you were in a hurry$ the road would
ha"e ser"ed you ,etter$? said the
far)er. ?But + wasn?t
worrying a,out that. Gou ha"e lea"e
to walk o"er )y land$ if you ha"e a
)ind$ (r. Peregrin. 4nd
you$ (r. Baggins O though + daresay
you still like )ushroo)s.? 2e
laughed. ?4h yes$ + re1ogni<ed
the na)e. + re1olle1t the ti)e when
young Frodo Baggins was one of the
worst young ras1als of
Bu1kland. But it wasn?t )ushroo)s +
was thinking of. + had Kust heard the
na)e Baggins ,efore you
turned up. .hat do you think that
funny 1usto)er asked )eM?
They waited an5iously for hi) to go
on. ?.ell$? the far)er 1ontinued$
approa1hing his point with
slow relish$ ?he 1a)e riding on a ,ig
,la1k horse in at the gate$ whi1h
happened to ,e open$ and
right up to )y door. 4ll ,la1k he was
hi)self$ too$ and 1loaked and hooded
up$ as if he did not
want to ,e known. L'ow what in the
%hire 1an he wantML + thought to
)yself. .e don?t see )any of
the Big Folk o"er the ,orderI and
anyway + had ne"er heard of any like
this ,la1k fellow.
? L/ood#day to youNL + says$ going out
to hi). LThis lane don?t lead
anywhere$ and where"er you
)ay ,e going$ your Jui1kest way will
,e ,a1k to the road.L + didn?t like the
looks of hi)I and when
/rip 1a)e out$ he took one sniff and
let out a yelp as if he had ,een slung:
he put down his tail and
,olted off howling. The ,la1k fellow
sat Juite still.
? L+ 1o)e fro) yonder$L he said$ slow
and stiff#like$ pointing ,a1k west$
o"er A)yA fields$ if you
please. L2a"e you seen ABagginsMLA
he asked in a Jueer "oi1e$ and ,ent
down towards )e. + 1ould
not see any fa1e$ for his hood fell
down so lowI and + felt a sort of
shi"er down )y ,a1k. But + did
not see why he should 1o)e riding
o"er )y land so ,old.
? LBe offNL + said. LThere are no
Bagginses here. Gou?re in the wrong
part of the %hire. Gou had
,etter go ,a1k west to 2o,,iton O ,ut
you 1an go ,y road this ti)e.L
? LBaggins has left$L he answered in a
whisper. L2e is 1o)ing. 2e is not far
away. + wish to find
hi). +f he passes will you tell )eM +
will 1o)e ,a1k with gold.L
? L'o you won?t$L + said. LGou?ll go
,a1k where you ,elong$ dou,le Jui1k.
+ gi"e you one )inute
,efore + 1all all )y dogs.L
?2e ga"e a sort of hiss. +t )ight ha"e
,een laughing$ and it )ight not. Then
he spurred his great
horse right at )e$ and + Ku)ped out of
the way only Kust in ti)e. + 1alled the
dogs$ ,ut he swung off$
and rode through the gate and up the
lane towards the 1auseway like a ,olt
of thunder. .hat do you
think of thatM?
Frodo sat for a )o)ent looking at the
fire$ ,ut his only thought was how on
earth would they
rea1h the Ferry. ?+ don?t know what to
think$? he said at last.
?Then +?ll tell you what to think$? said
(aggot. ?Gou should ne"er ha"e gone
)i5ing yourself up
with 2o,,iton folk$ (r. Frodo. Folk
are Jueer up there.? %a) stirred in his
1hair$ and looked at the
far)er with an unfriendly eye. ?But
you were always a re1kless lad. .hen
+ heard you had left the
Brandy,u1ks and gone off to that old
(r. Bil,o$ + said that you were going
to find trou,le. (ark
)y words$ this all 1o)es of those
strange doings of (r. Bil,o?s. 2is
)oney was got in so)e
strange fashion in foreign parts$ they
say. (ay,e there is so)e that want to
know what has ,e1o)e
of the gold and Kewels that he ,uried
in the hill of 2o,,iton$ as + hearM?
Frodo said nothing: the shrewd
guesses of the far)er were rather
dis1on1erting.
?.ell$ (r. Frodo$? (aggot went on$
?+?) glad that you?"e had the sense to
1o)e ,a1k to
Bu1kland. (y ad"i1e is: stay thereN
4nd don?t get )i5ed up with these
outlandish folk. Gou?ll ha"e
friends in these parts. +f any of these
,la1k fellows 1o)e after you again$
+?ll deal with the). +?ll say
you?re dead$ or ha"e left the %hire$ or
anything you like. 4nd that )ight ,e
true enoughI for as like
as not it is old (r. Bil,o they want
news of.?
?(ay,e you?re right$? said Frodo$
a"oiding the far)er?s eye and staring
at the fire.
(aggot looked at hi) thoughtfully.
?.ell$ + see you ha"e ideas of your
own$? he said. ?+t is as
plain as )y nose that no a11ident
,rought you and that rider here on the
sa)e afternoonI and )ay,e
)y news was no great news to you$
after all. + a) not asking you to tell
)e anything you ha"e a
)ind to keep to yourselfI ,ut + see
you are in so)e kind of trou,le.
Perhaps you are thinking it
won?t ,e too easy to get to the Ferry
without ,eing 1aughtM?
?+ was thinking so$? said Frodo. ?But
we ha"e got to try and get thereI and it
won?t ,e done ,y
sitting and thinking. %o + a) afraid we
)ust ,e going. Thank you "ery )u1h
indeed for your
kindnessN +?"e ,een in terror of you
and your dogs for o"er thirty years$
Far)er (aggot$ though you
)ay laugh to hear it. +t?s a pity: for
+?"e )issed a good friend. 4nd now
+?) sorry to lea"e so soon.
But +?ll 1o)e ,a1k$ perhaps$ one day O
if + get a 1han1e.?
?Gou?ll ,e wel1o)e when you 1o)e$?
said (aggot. ?But now +?"e a notion.
+t?s near sundown
already$ and we are going to ha"e our
supperI for we )ostly go to ,ed soon
after the %un. +f you
and (r. Peregrin and all 1ould stay
and ha"e a ,ite with us$ we would ,e
pleasedN?
?4nd so should weN? said Frodo. ?But
we )ust ,e going at on1e$ +?) afraid.
!"en now it will ,e
dark ,efore we 1an rea1h the Ferry.?
?4hN ,ut wait a )inuteN + was going to
say: after a ,it of supper$ +?ll gel out a
s)all waggon$ and
+?ll dri"e you all to the Ferry. That will
sa"e you a good step$ and it )ight
also sa"e you trou,le of
another sort.?
Frodo now a11epted the in"itation
gratefully$ to the relief of Pippin and
%a). The sun was
already ,ehind the western hills$ and
the light was failing. Two of (aggot?s
sons and his three
daughters 1a)e in$ and a generous
supper was laid on the large ta,le.
The kit1hen was lit with
1andles and the fire was )ended. (rs.
(aggot hustled in and out. *ne or
two other ho,,its
,elonging to the far)#household
1a)e in. +n a short while fourteen sat
down to eat. There was ,eer
in plenty$ and a )ighty dish of
)ushroo)s and ,a1on$ ,esides )u1h
other solid far)house fare.
The dogs lay ,y the fire and gnawed
rinds and 1ra1ked ,ones.
.hen they had finished$ the far)er
and his sons went out with a lantern
and got the waggon
ready. +t was dark in the yard$ when
the guests 1a)e out. They threw their
pa1ks on ,oard and
1li),ed in. The far)er sat in the
dri"ing#seat$ and whipped up his two
stout ponies. 2is wife stood
in the light of the open door.
?Gou ,e 1areful of yourself. (aggotN?
she 1alled. ?&on?t go arguing with any
foreigners$ and
1o)e straight ,a1kN?
?+ willN? said he$ and dro"e out of the
gate. There was now no ,reath of
wind stirringI the night
was still and Juiet$ and a 1hill was in
the air. They went without lights and
took it slowly. 4fter a
)ile or two the lane 1a)e to an end$
1rossing a deep dike$ and 1li),ing a
short slope up on to the
high#,anked 1auseway.
(aggot got down and took a good
look either way$ north and south$ ,ut
nothing 1ould ,e seen
in the darkness$ and there was not a
sound in the still air. Thin strands of
ri"er#)ist were hanging
a,o"e the dikes$ and 1rawling o"er the
fields.
?+t?s going to ,e thi1k$? said (aggotI
?,ut +?ll not light )y lantern till + turn
for ho)e. .e?ll hear
anything on the road long ,efore we
)eet it tonight.?
+t was fi"e )iles or )ore fro)
(aggot?s lane to the Ferry. The
ho,,its wrapped the)sel"es up$
,ut their ears were strained for any
sound a,o"e the 1reak of the wheels
and the slow A1lopA of the
ponies? hoofs. The waggon see)ed
slower than a snail to Frodo. Beside
hi) Pippin was nodding
towards sleepI ,ut %a) was staring
forwards into the rising fog.
They rea1hed the entran1e to the
Ferry lane at last. +t was )arked ,y
two tall white posts that
suddenly loo)ed up on their right.
Far)er (aggot drew in his ponies
and the waggon 1reaked to a
halt. They were Kust ,eginning lo
s1ra),le out$ when suddenly they
heard what they had all ,een
dreading: hoofs on the road ahead.
The sound was 1o)ing towards the).
(aggot Ku)ped down and stood
holding the ponies? heads$ and peering
forward into the gloo).
A-lip#1lop$ 1lip#1lopA 1a)e the
approa1hing rider. The fall of the
hoofs sounded loud in the still$
foggy air.
?Gou?d ,etter ,e hidden$ (r. Frodo$?
said %a) an5iously. ?Gou get down in
the waggon and
1o"er up with ,lankets$ and we?ll send
this rider to the righta,outsN? 2e
1li),ed out and went to the
far)er?s side. Bla1k Riders would
ha"e to ride o"er hi) to get near the
waggon.
A-lop#1lop$ 1lop#1lop.A The rider was
nearly on the).
?2allo thereN? 1alled Far)er (aggot.
The ad"an1ing hoofs stopped short.
They thought they
1ould di)ly guess a dark 1loaked
shape in the )ist$ a yard or two ahead.
?'ow thenN? said the
far)er$ throwing the reins to %a) and
striding forward. ?&on?t you 1o)e a
step nearerN .hat do you
want$ and where are you goingM?
?+ want (r. Baggins. 2a"e you seen
hi)M? said a )uffled "oi1e O ,ut the
"oi1e was the "oi1e of
(erry Brandy,u1k. 4 dark lantern
was un1o"ered$ and its light fell on
the astonished fa1e of the
far)er.
?(r. (erryN? he 1ried.
?Ges$ of 1ourseN .ho did you think it
wasM? said (erry 1o)ing forward. 4s
he 1a)e out of the
)ist and their fears su,sided$ he
see)ed suddenly to di)inish to
ordinary ho,,it#si<e. 2e was
riding a pony$ and a s1arf was
swathed round his ne1k and o"er his
1hin to keep out the fog.
Frodo sprang out of the waggon to
greet hi). ?%o there you are at lastN?
said (erry. ?+ was
,eginning to wonder if you would
turn up at all today$ and + was Kust
going ,a1k to supper. .hen it
grew foggy + 1a)e a1ross and rode up
towards %to1k to see if you had fallen
in any dit1hes. But +?)
,lest if + know whi1h way you ha"e
1o)e. .here did you find the)$ (r.
(aggotM +n your du1kpondM?
?'o$ + 1aught ?e) trespassing$? said the
far)er$ ?and nearly set )y dogs on
?e)I ,ut they?ll tell
you all the story$ +?"e no dou,t. 'ow$
if you?ll e51use )e$ (r. (erry and
(r. Frodo and all$ +?d ,est
,e turning for ho)e. (rs. (aggot
will ,e worriting with the night
getting thi1k.?
2e ,a1ked the waggon into the lane
and turned it. ?.ell$ good night to you
all$? he said. ?+t?s ,een
a Jueer day$ and no )istake. But all?s
well as ends wellI though perhaps we
should not say that until
we rea1h our own doors. +?ll not deny
that +?ll ,e glad now when + do.? 2e lit
his lanterns$ and got
up. %uddenly he produ1ed a large
,asket fro) under the seat. ?+ was
nearly forgetting$? he said. ?(rs.
(aggot put this up for (r. Baggins$
with her 1o)pli)ents.? 2e handed it
down and )o"ed off$
followed ,y a 1horus of thanks and
good#nights.
They wat1hed the pale rings of light
round his lanterns as they dwindled
into the foggy night.
%uddenly Frodo laughed: fro) the
1o"ered ,asket he held$ the s1ent of
)ushroo)s was rising.
A-hapter 6A
4 -onspira1y 0n)asked
?'ow we had ,etter get ho)e
oursel"es$? said (erry. There?s
so)ething funny a,out all this$ +
seeI ,ut it )ust wait till we get in.?
They turned down the Ferry lane$
whi1h was straight and well#kept and
edged with large whitewashed
stones. +n a hundred yards or so it
,rought the) to the ri"er#,ank$ where
there was a ,road
wooden landing#stage. 4 large flat
ferry#,oat was )oored ,eside it. The
white ,ollards near the
water?s edge gli))ered in the light of
two la)ps on high posts. Behind the)
the )ists in the flat
fields were now a,o"e the hedgesI ,ut
the water ,efore the) was dark$ with
only a few 1urling
wisps like stea) a)ong the reeds ,y
the ,ank. There see)ed to ,e less fog
on the further side.
(erry led the pony o"er a gangway
on to the ferry$ and the others
followed. (erry then pushed
slowly off with a long pole. The
Brandywine flowed slow and ,road
,efore the). *n the other side
the ,ank was steep$ and up it a
winding path 1li),ed fro) the further
landing. La)ps were
twinkling there. Behind loo)ed up
the Bu1k 2illI and out of it$ through
stray shrouds of )ist$
shone )any round windows$ yellow
and red. They were the windows of
Brandy 2all$ the an1ient
ho)e of the Brandy,u1ks.
Long ago /orhendad *ld,u1k$ head
of the *ld,u1k fa)ily$ one of the
oldest in the (arish or
indeed in the %hire$ had 1rossed the
ri"er$ whi1h was the original
,oundary of the land eastwards.
2e ,uilt Dand e51a"atedE Brandy 2all$
1hanged his na)e to Brandy,u1k$ and
settled down to
,e1o)e )aster of what was "irtually
a s)all independent 1ountry. 2is
fa)ily grew and grew$ and
after his days 1ontinued to grow$ until
Brandy 2all o11upied the whole of
the low hill$ and had
three large front#doors$ )any side#
doors$ and a,out a hundred windows.
The Brandy,u1ks and their
nu)erous dependants then ,egan to
,urrow$ and later to ,uild$ all round
a,out. That was the origin
of Bu1kland$ a thi1kly inha,ited strip
,etween the ri"er and the *ld Forest$
a sort of 1olony fro)
the %hire. +ts 1hief "illage was
Bu1kle,ury$ 1lustering in the ,anks
and slopes ,ehind Brandy 2all.
The people in the (arish were
friendly with the Bu1klanders$ and the
authority of the (aster of
the 2all Das the head of the
Brandy,u1k fa)ily was 1alledE was
still a1knowledged ,y the far)ers
,etween %to1k and Rushey. But )ost
of the folk of the old %hire regarded
the Bu1klanders as
pe1uliar$ half foreigners as it were.
Though$ as a )atter of fa1t$ they were
not "ery different fro)
the other ho,,its of the Four
Farthings. !51ept in one point: they
were fond of ,oats$ and so)e of
the) 1ould swi).
Their land was originally unprote1ted
fro) the !astI ,ut on that side they
had ,uilt a hedge: the
2igh 2ay. +t had ,een planted )any
generations ago$ and was now thi1k
and tail$ for it was
1onstantly tended. +t ran all the way
fro) Brandywine Bridge$ in a ,ig
loop 1ur"ing away fro) the
ri"er$ to 2aysend Dwhere the
.ithywindle flowed out of the Forest
into the BrandywineE: well o"er
twenty )iles fro) end to end. But$ of
1ourse$ it was not a 1o)plete
prote1tion. The Forest drew
1lose to the hedge in )any pla1es.
The Bu1klanders kept their doors
lo1ked after dark$ and that also
was not usual in the %hire.
The ferry#,oat )o"ed slowly a1ross
the water. The Bu1kland shore drew
nearer. %a) was the
only )e),er of the party who had not
,een o"er the ri"er ,efore. 2e had a
strange feeling as the
slow gurgling strea) slipped ,y: his
old life lay ,ehind in the )ists$ dark
ad"enture lay in front. 2e
s1rat1hed his head$ and for a )o)ent
had a passing wish that (r. Frodo
1ould ha"e gone on li"ing
Juietly at Bag !nd.
The four ho,,its stepped off the ferry.
(erry was tying it up$ and Pippin was
already leading the
pony up the path$ when %a) Dwho had
,een looking ,a1k$ as if to take
farewell of the %hireE said in
a hoarse whisper:
?Look ,a1k$ (r. FrodoN &o you see
anythingM?
*n the far stage$ under the distant
la)ps$ they 1ould Kust )ake out a
figure: it looked like a dark
,la1k ,undle left ,ehind. But as they
looked it see)ed to )o"e and sway
this way and that$ as if
sear1hing the ground. +t then 1rawled$
or went 1rou1hing$ ,a1k into the
gloo) ,eyond the la)ps.
?.hat in the %hire is thatM? e51lai)ed
(erry.
?%o)ething that is following us$? said
Frodo. ?But don?t ask any )ore nowN
Let?s get away at
on1eN? They hurried up the path to the
top of the ,ank$ ,ut when they looked
,a1k the far shore was
shrouded in )ist$ and nothing 1ould
,e seen.
?Thank goodness you don?t keep any
,oats on the west#,ankN? said Frodo.
?-an horses 1ross the
ri"erM?
?They 1an go twenty )iles north to
Brandywine Bridge O or they )ight
swi)$? answered (erry.
?Though + ne"er heard of any horse
swi))ing the Brandywine. But what
ha"e horses to do with itM?
+?ll tell you later. Let?s get indoors and
then we 1an talk.?
?4ll rightN Gou and Pippin know your
wayI so +?ll Kust ride on and tell Fatty
Bolger that you are
1o)ing. .e?ll see a,out supper and
things.?
?.e had our supper early with Far)er
(aggot$? said FrodoI ?,ut we 1ould do
with another.?
?Gou shall ha"e itN /i"e )e that
,asketN? said (erry$ and rode ahead
into the darkness.
+t was so)e distan1e fro) the
Brandywine to Frodo?s new house at
-ri1khollow. They passed
Bu1k 2ill and Brandy 2all on their
left$ and on the outskirts of
Bu1kle,ury stru1k the )ain road of
Bu1kland that ran south fro) the
Bridge. 2alf a )ile northward along
this they 1a)e to a lane
opening on their right. This they
followed for a 1ouple of )iles as it
1li),ed up and down into the
1ountry.
4t last they 1a)e to a narrow gate in a
thi1k hedge. 'othing 1ould ,e seen of
the house in the
dark: it stood ,a1k fro) the lane in
the )iddle of a wide 1ir1le of lawn
surrounded ,y a ,elt of low
trees inside the outer hedge. Frodo
had 1hosen it$ ,e1ause it stood in an
out#of#the#way 1orner of
the 1ountry$ and there were no other
dwellings 1lose ,y. Gou 1ould get in
and out without ,eing
noti1ed. +t had ,een ,uilt a long while
,efore ,y the Brandy,u1ks$ for the
use of guests$ or
)e),ers of the fa)ily that wished to
es1ape fro) the 1rowded life of
Brandy 2all for a ti)e. +t
was an old#fashioned 1ountrified
house$ as )u1h like a ho,,it#hole as
possi,le: it was long and
low$ with no upper storeyI and it had a
roof of turf$ round windows$ and a
large round door.
4s they walked lip the green path
fro) the gate no light was "isi,leI the
windows were dark and
shuttered. Frodo kno1ked on the door$
and Fatty Bolger opened it. 4 friendly
light strea)ed out.
They slipped in Jui1kly and shut
the)sel"es and the light inside. They
were in a wide hall with
doors on either sideI in front of the) a
passage ran ,a1k down the )iddle of
the house.
?.ell$ what do you think of itM? asked
(erry 1o)ing up the passage. ?.e
ha"e done our ,est in a
short ti)e to )ake it look like ho)e.
4fter all Fatty and + only got here
with the last 1art#load
yesterday.?
Frodo looked round. +t did look like
ho)e. (any of his own fa"ourite
things O or Bil,o?s things
Dthey re)inded hi) sharply of hi) in
their new sellingE O were arranged as
nearly as possi,le as
they had ,een at Bag !nd. +t was a
pleasant$ 1o)forta,le$ wel1o)ing
pla1eI and he found hi)self
wishing that he was really 1o)ing
here to settle down in Juiet
retire)ent. +t see)ed unfair to ha"e
put his friends to all this trou,leI and
he wondered again how he was going
to ,reak the news to
the) that he )ust lea"e the) so soon$
indeed at on1e. Get that would ha"e to
,e done that "ery
night$ ,efore they all went to ,ed.
?+t?s delightfulN? he said with an effort.
?+ hardly feel that + ha"e )o"ed at all.?
The tra"ellers hung up their 1loaks$
and piled their pa1ks on the floor.
(erry led the) down the
passage and threw open a door at the
far end. Firelight 1a)e out$ and a puff
of stea).
?4 ,athN? 1ried Pippin. ?* ,lessed
(eriado1N?
?.hi1h order shall we go inM? said
Frodo. ?!ldest first$ or Jui1kest firstM
Gou?ll ,e last either way$
(aster Peregrin.?
?Trust )e to arrange things ,etter than
thatN? said (erry. ?.e 1an?t ,egin life
at -ri1khollow with
a Juarrel o"er ,aths. +n that roo)
there are AthreeA tu,s$ and a 1opper
full of ,oiling water. There
are also towels$ )ats and soap. /et
inside$ and ,e Jui1kN?
(erry and Fatty went into the kit1hen
on the other side of the passage$ and
,usied the)sel"es
with the final preparations for a late
supper. %nat1hes of 1o)peting songs
1a)e fro) the ,athroo)
)i5ed with the sound of splashing
and wallowing. The "oi1e of Pippin
was suddenly lifted up
a,o"e the others in one of Bil,o?s
fa"ourite ,ath#songs.
%ing heyN for the ,ath at 1lose of day
that washes the weary )ud awayN
4 loon is he that will not sing:
*N .ater 2ot is a no,le thingN
*N %weet is the sound of falling rain$
and the ,rook that leaps fro) hill to
plainI
,ut ,etter than rain or rippling strea)s
is .ater 2ot that s)okes and stea)s.
*N .ater 1old we )ay pour at need
down a thirsty throat and ,e glad
indeedI
,ut ,etter is Beer$ if drink we la1k$
and .ater 2ot poured down the ,a1k.
*N .ater is fair that leaps on high
in a fountain white ,eneath the skyI
,ut ne"er did fountain sound so sweet
as splashing 2ot .ater with )y feetN
There was a terrifi1 splash$ and a
shout of A.hoaNA fro) Frodo. +t
appeared that a lot of Pippin?s
,ath had i)itated a fountain and
leaped on high.
(erry went to the door: ?.hat a,out
supper and ,eer in the throatM? he
1alled. Frodo 1a)e out
drying his hair.
?There?s so )u1h water in the air that
+?) 1o)ing into the kit1hen to finish$?
he said.
?LawksN? said (erry$ looking in. The
stone floor was swi))ing. ?Gou
ought to )op all that up
,efore you get anything to eat.
Peregrin$? he said. ?2urry up$ or we
shan?t wait for you.?
They had supper in the kit1hen on a
ta,le near the fire. ?+ suppose you
three won?t want
)ushroo)s againM? said Fredegar
without )u1h hope.
?Ges we shallN? 1ried Pippin.
?They?re )ineN? said Frodo. ?/i"en to
A)eA ,y (rs. (aggot$ a Jueen
a)ong far)ers? wi"es.
Take your greedy hands away$ and +?ll
ser"e the).?
2o,,its ha"e a passion for
)ushroo)s$ surpassing e"en the
greediest likings of Big People. 4
fa1t whi1h partly e5plains young
Frodo?s long e5peditions to the
renowned fields of the (arish$ and
the wrath of the inKured (aggot. *n
this o11asion there was plenty for all$
e"en a11ording to ho,,it
standards. There were also )any
other things to follow$ and when they
had finished e"en Fatty
Bolger hea"ed a sigh of 1ontent. They
pushed ,a1k the ta,le$ and drew
1hairs round the fire.
?.e?ll 1lear up later$? said (erry.
?'ow tell )e all a,out itN + guess that
you ha"e ,een ha"ing
ad"entures$ whi1h was not Juite fair
without )e. + want a full a11ountI and
)ost of all + want to
know what was the )atter with old
(aggot$ and why he spoke to )e like
that. 2e sounded al)ost
as if he was As1ared$A if that is
possi,le.?
?.e ha"e all ,een s1ared$? said Pippin
after a pause$ in whi1h Frodo stared at
the fire and did not
speak. ?Gou would ha"e ,een$ too$ if
you had ,een 1hased for two days ,y
Bla1k Riders.?
?4nd what are theyM?
?Bla1k figures riding on ,la1k horses$?
answered Pippin. ?+f Frodo won?t talk$
+ will tell you the
whole tale fro) the ,eginning.? 2e
then ga"e a full a11ount of their
Kourney fro) the ti)e when
they left 2o,,iton. %a) ga"e "arious
supporting nods and e51la)ations.
Frodo re)ained silent.
?+ should think you were )aking it all
up$? said (erry$ ?if + had not seen that
,la1k shape on the
landing#stage O and heard the Jueer
sound in (aggot?s "oi1e. .hat do
you )ake of it all$ FrodoM?
?-ousin Frodo has ,een "ery 1lose$?
said Pippin. ?But the ti)e has 1o)e
for hi) to open out. %o
far we ha"e ,een gi"en nothing )ore
to go on than Far)er (aggot?s guess
that it has so)ething to
do with old Bil,o?s treasure.?
?That was only a guess$? said Frodo
hastily. ?(aggot does not
AknowAanything.?
?*ld (aggot is a shrewd fellow$? said
(erry. ?4 lot goes on ,ehind his
round fa1e that does not
1o)e out in his talk. +?"e heard that he
used to go into the *ld Forest at one
ti)e$ and he has the
reputation of knowing a good )any
strange things. But you 1an at least
tell us$ Frodo$ whether you
think his guess good or ,ad.?
?+ Athink$?A answered Frodo slowly$
?that it was a good guess$ as far as it
goes. There Ais aA
1onne5ion with Bil,o?s old
ad"entures$ and the Riders are
looking$ or perhaps one ought to say
Asear1hing$A for hi) or for )e. + also
fear$ if you want to know$ that it is no
Koke at allI and that +
a) not safe here or anywhere else.?
2e looked round at the windows and
walls$ as if he was afraid
they would suddenly gi"e way. The
others looked at hi) in silen1e$ and
e51hanged )eaning
glan1es a)ong the)sel"es.
?+t?s 1o)ing out in a )inute$?
whispered Pippin to (erry. (erry
nodded.
?.ellN? said Frodo at last$ sitting up
and straightening his ,a1k$ as if he
had )ade a de1ision. ?+
1an?t keep it dark any longer. + ha"e
got so)ething to tell you all. But +
don?t know Juite how to
,egin.?
?+ think + 1ould help you$? said (erry
Juietly$ ?,y telling you so)e of it
)yself.?
?.hat do you )eanM? said Frodo$
looking at hi) an5iously. ?Just this$
)y dear old Frodo: you are
)isera,le$ ,e1ause you don?t know
how to say good#,ye. Gou )eant to
lea"e the %hire$ of 1ourse.
But danger has 1o)e on you sooner
than you e5pe1ted$ and now you are
)aking up your )ind to
go at on1e. 4nd you don?t want to. .e
are "ery sorry for you.?
Frodo opened his )outh and shut it
again. 2is look of surprise was so
1o)i1al that they laughed.
?&ear old FrodoN? said Pippin. ?&id
you really think you had thrown dust
in all our eyesM Gou ha"e
not ,een nearly 1areful or 1le"er
enough for thatN Gou ha"e o,"iously
,een planning to go and
saying farewell to all your haunts all
this year sin1e 4pril. .e ha"e
1onstantly heard you )uttering:
L%hall + e"er look down into that
"alley again$ + wonderL$ and things
like that. 4nd pretending that
you had 1o)e to the end of your
)oney$ and a1tually selling your
,elo"ed Bag !nd to those
%a1k"ille#BagginsesN 4nd all those
1lose talks with /andalf.?
?/ood hea"ensN? said Frodo. ?+ thought
+ had ,een ,oth 1areful and 1le"er. +
don?t know what
/andalf would say. +s all the %hire
dis1ussing )y departure thenM?
?*h noN? said (erry. ?&on?t worry
a,out thatN The se1ret won?t keep for
long$ of 1ourseI ,ut at
present it is$ + think$ only known to us
1onspirators. 4fter all$ you )ust
re)e),er that we know
you well$ and are often with you. .e
1an usually guess what you are
thinking. + knew Bil,o$ too.
To tell you the truth$ + had ,een
wat1hing you rather 1losely e"er sin1e
he left. + thought you would
go after hi) sooner or laterI indeed +
e5pe1ted you to go sooner$ and lately
we ha"e ,een "ery
an5ious. .e ha"e ,een terrified that
you )ight gi"e us the slip$ and go off
suddenly$ all on your
own like he did. !"er sin1e this spring
we ha"e kept our eyes open$ and done
a good deal of
planning on our own a11ount. Gou are
not going to es1ape so easilyN?
?But + )ust go$? said Frodo. ?+t 1annot
,e helped$ dear friends. +t is wret1hed
for us all$ ,ut it is no
use your trying to keep )e. %in1e you
ha"e guessed so )u1h$ please help )e
and do not hinder
)eN?
?Gou do not understandN? said Pippin.
?Gou )ust go O and therefore we
)ust$ too. (erry and +
are 1o)ing with you. %a) is an
e51ellent fellow$ and would Ku)p
down a dragon?s throat to sa"e
you$ if he did not trip o"er his own
feetI ,ut you will need )ore than one
1o)panion in your
dangerous ad"enture.?
?(y dear and )ost ,elo"ed ho,,itsN?
said Frodo deeply )o"ed. ?But + 1ould
not allow it. +
de1ided that long ago$ too. Gou speak
of danger$ ,ut you do not understand.
This is no treasurehunt$
no there#and#,a1k Kourney. + a)
flying fro) deadly peril into deadly
peril.?
?*f 1ourse we understand$? said (erry
fir)ly. ?That is why we ha"e de1ided
to 1o)e. .e know
the Ring is no laughing#)atterI ,ut
we are going to do our ,est to help
you against the !ne)y.?
?The RingN? said Frodo$ now
1o)pletely a)a<ed.
?Ges$ the Ring$? said (erry. ?(y dear
old ho,,it$ you don?t allow for the
inJuisiti"eness of
friends. + ha"e known a,out the
e5isten1e of the Ring for years O
,efore Bil,o went away$ in fa1tI
,ut sin1e he o,"iously regarded it as
se1ret$ + kept the knowledge in )y
head$ until we for)ed our
1onspira1y. + did not know Bil,o$ of
1ourse$ as well as + know youI + was
too young$ and he was
also )ore 1areful O ,ut he was not
1areful enough. +f you want to know
how + first found out$ + will
tell you.?
?/o onN? said Frodo faintly.
?+t was the %a1k"ille#Bagginses that
were his downfall$ as you )ight
e5pe1t. *ne day$ a year
,efore the Party$ + happened to ,e
walking along the road$ when + saw
Bil,o ahead. %uddenly in the
distan1e the %.#B.s appeared$ 1o)ing
towards us. Bil,o slowed down$ and
then hey prestoN he
"anished. + was so startled that +
hardly had the wits to hide )yself in a
)ore ordinary fashionI ,ut +
got through the hedge and walked
along the field inside. + was peeping
through into the road$ after
the %.#B.s had passed$ and was
looking straight at Bil,o when he
suddenly reappeared. + 1aught a
glint of gold as he put so)ething ,a1k
in his trouser#po1ket.
?4fter that + kept )y eyes open. +n
fa1t$ + 1onfess that + spied. But you
)ust ad)it that it was
"ery intriguing$ and + was only in )y
teens. + )ust ,e the only one in the
%hire$ ,esides you Frodo$
that has e"er seen the old fellow?s
se1ret ,ook.?
?Gou ha"e read his ,ookN? 1ried Frodo.
?/ood hea"ens a,o"eN +s nothing
safeM?
?'ot too safe$ + should say$? said
(erry. ?But + ha"e only had one rapid
glan1e$ and that was
diffi1ult to get. 2e ne"er left the ,ook
a,out. + wonder what ,e1a)e of it. +
should like another
look. 2a"e you got it$ FrodoM?
?'o. +t was not at Bag !nd. 2e )ust
ha"e taken it away.?
?.ell$ as + was saying$? (erry
pro1eeded$ ?+ kept )y knowledge to
)yself$ till this %pring when
things got serious. Then we for)ed
our 1onspira1yI and as we were
serious$ too$ and )eant
,usiness$ we ha"e not ,een too
s1rupulous. Gou are not a "ery easy
nut to 1ra1k$ and /andalf is
worse. But if you want to ,e
introdu1ed to our 1hief in"estigator$ +
1an produ1e hi).?
?.here is heM? said Frodo$ looking
round$ as if he e5pe1ted a )asked and
sinister figure to 1o)e
out of a 1up,oard.
?%tep forward$ %a)N? said (erryI and
%a) stood up with a fa1e s1arlet up to
the ears. ?2ere?s our
1olle1tor of infor)ationN 4nd he
1olle1ted a lot$ + 1an tell you$ ,efore
he was finally 1aught. 4fter
whi1h$ + )ay say$ he see)ed to regard
hi)self as on parole$ and dried up.?
?%a)N? 1ried Frodo$ feeling that
a)a<e)ent 1ould go no further$ and
Juite una,le to de1ide
whether he felt angry$ a)used$
relie"ed$ or )erely foolish.
?Ges$ sirN? said %a). ?Begging your
pardon$ sirN But + )eant no wrong to
you$ (r. Frodo$ nor to
(r. /andalf for that )atter. A2eA has
so)e sense$ )ind youI and when you
said Ago alone$A he
said AnoN lake so)eone as you 1an
trust.?A
?But it does not see) that + 1an trust
anyone$? said Frodo. %a) looked at
hi) unhappily. ?+t all
depends on what you want$? put in
(erry. ?Gou 1an trust us to sti1k to
you through thi1k and thin O
to the ,itter end. 4nd you 1an trust us
to keep any se1ret of yours O 1loser
than you keep it yourself.
But you 1annot trust us to let you fa1e
trou,le alone$ and go off without a
word. .e are your
friends$ Frodo. 4nyway: there it is.
.e know )ost of what /andalf has
told you. .e know a good
deal a,out the Ring. .e are horri,ly
afraid O ,ut we are 1o)ing with youI
or following you like
hounds.?
?4nd after all$ sir$? added %a)$ ?you
did ought to take the !l"es? ad"i1e.
/ildor said you should
take the) as was willing$ and you
1an?t deny it.?
?+ don?t deny it$? said Frodo$ looking at
%a)$ who was now grinning. ?+ don?t
deny it$ ,ut +?ll ne"er
,elie"e you are sleeping again$
whether you snore or not. + shall ki1k
you hard to )ake sure.
?Gou are a set of de1eitful s1oundrelsN?
he said$ turning to the others. ?But
,less youN? he laughed$
getting up and wa"ing his ar)s$ ?+
gi"e in. + will take /ildor?s ad"i1e. +f
the danger were not so
dark$ + should dan1e for Koy. !"en so$
+ 1annot help feeling happyI happier
than + ha"e felt for a
long ti)e. + had dreaded this e"ening.?
?/oodN That?s settled. Three 1heers for
-aptain Frodo and 1o)panyN? they
shoutedI and they
dan1ed round hi). (erry and Pippin
,egan a song$ whi1h they had
apparently got ready for the
o11asion.
+t was )ade on the )odel of the
dwarf#song that started Bil,o on his
ad"enture long ago$ and
went to the sa)e tune:
Farewell we 1all to hearth and hallN
Though wind )ay ,low and rain )ay
fall$
.e )ust away ere ,reak of day
Far o"er wood and )ountain tall.
To Ri"endell$ where !l"es yet dwell
+n glades ,eneath the )isty fell$
Through )oor and waste we ride in
haste$
4nd whither then we 1annot tell.
.ith foes ahead$ ,ehind us dread$
Beneath the sky shall ,e our ,ed$
0ntil at last our toil ,e passed$
*ur Kourney done$ our errand sped.
.e )ust awayN .e )ust awayN
.e ride ,efore the ,reak of dayN
?@ery goodN? said Frodo. ?But in that
1ase there are a lot of things to do
,efore we go to ,ed O
under a roof$ for tonight at any rate.?
?*hN That was poetryN? said Pippin.
?&o you really )ean to start ,efore the
,reak of dayM?
?+ don?t know$? answered Frodo. ?+ fear
those Bla1k Riders$ and + a) sure it is
unsafe to stay in
one pla1e long$ espe1ially in a pla1e
to whi1h it is known + was going.
4lso /ildor ad"ised )e not
to wait. But + should "ery )u1h like
to see /andalf. + 1ould see that e"en
/ildor was distur,ed
when he heard that /andalf had ne"er
appeared. +t really depends on two
things. 2ow soon 1ould
the Riders get to Bu1kle,uryM 4nd
how soon 1ould we get offM +t will
take a good deal of
preparation.?
?The answer to the se1ond Juestion$?
said (erry$ ?is that we 1ould get off in
an hour. + ha"e
prepared pra1ti1ally e"erything. There
are si5 ponies in a sta,le a1ross the
fieldsI stores and ta1kle
are all pa1ked$ e51ept for a few e5tra
1lothes$ and the perisha,le food.?
?+t see)s to ha"e ,een a "ery effi1ient
1onspira1y$? said Frodo. ?But what
a,out the Bla1k RidersM
.ould it ,e safe to wait one day for
/andalfM?
?That all depends on what you think
the Riders would do$ if they found
you here$? answered
(erry. ?They A1ouldA ha"e rea1hed
here ,y now$ of 1ourse$ if they were
not stopped at the 'orthgate$
where the 2edge runs down to the
ri"er#,ank$ Kust this side of the
Bridge. The gate#guards
would not let the) through ,y night$
though they )ight ,reak through.
!"en in the daylight they
would try to keep the) out$ + think$ at
any rate until they got a )essage
through to the (aster of the
2all O for they would not like the look
of the Riders$ and would 1ertainly ,e
frightened ,y the).
But$ of 1ourse$ Bu1kland 1annot resist
a deter)ined atta1k for long. 4nd it is
possi,le that in the
)orning e"en a Bla1k Rider that rode
up and asked for (r. Baggins would
,e let through. +t is
pretty generally known that you are
1o)ing ,a1k to li"e at -ri1khollow.?
Frodo sat for a while in thought. ?+
ha"e )ade up )y )ind$? he said
finally. ?+ a) starting
to)orrow$ as soon as it is light. But +
a) not going ,y road: it would ,e
safer to wait here than that.
+f + go through the 'orth#gate )y
departure fro) Bu1kland will ,e
known at on1e$ instead of ,eing
se1ret for se"eral days at least$ as it
)ight ,e. 4nd what is )ore$ the
Bridge and the !ast Road near
the ,orders will 1ertainly ,e wat1hed$
whether any Rider gets into Bu1kland
or not. .e don?t know
how )any there areI ,ut there are at
least two$ and possi,ly )ore. The
only thing to do is to go off
in a Juite une5pe1ted dire1tion.?
?But that 1an only )ean going into the
*ld ForestN? said Fredegar horrified.
?Gou 1an?t ,e
thinking of doing that. +t is Juite as
dangerous as Bla1k Riders.?
?'ot Juite$? said (erry. +t sounds "ery
desperate$ ,ut + ,elie"e Frodo is right.
+t is the only way
of getting off without ,eing followed
at on1e. .ith lu1k we )ight gel a
1onsidera,le start.?
?But you won?t ha"e any lu1k in the
*ld Forest$? o,Ke1ted Fredegar. ?'o
one e"er has lu1k in
there. Gou?ll gel lost. People don?t go
in there.?
?*h yes they doN? said (erry. ?The
Brandy,u1ks go in O o11asionally
when the fit takes the).
.e ha"e a pri"ate entran1e. Frodo
went in on1e$ long ago. + ha"e ,een in
se"eral ti)es: usually in
daylight$ of 1ourse$ when the trees are
sleepy and fairly Juiet.?
?.ell$ do as you think ,estN? said
Fredegar. ?+ a) )ore afraid of the *ld
Forest than of anything +
know a,out: the stories a,out it are a
night)areI ,ut )y "ote hardly 1ounts$
as + a) not going on
the Kourney. %till$ + a) "ery glad
so)eone is stopping ,ehind$ who 1an
tell /andalf what you ha"e
done$ when he turns up$ as + a) sure
he will ,efore long.?
Fond as he was of Frodo$ Fatty Bolger
had no desire to lea"e the %hire$ nor to
see what lay
outside it. 2is fa)ily 1a)e fro) the
!astfarthing$ fro) Budgeford in
Bridgefields in fa1t$ ,ut he
had ne"er ,een o"er the Brandywine
Bridge. 2is task$ a11ording to the
original plans of the
1onspirators$ was to stay ,ehind and
deal with inJuisiti"e folk$ and to keep
up as long as possi,le
the preten1e that (r. Baggins was still
li"ing at -ri1khollow. 2e had e"en
,rought along so)e old
1lothes of Frodo?s to help hi) in
playing the part. They little thought
how dangerous that part )ight
pro"e.
?!51ellentN? said Frodo$ when he
understood the plan. ?.e 1ould not
ha"e left any )essage
,ehind for /andalf otherwise. + don?t
know whether these Riders 1an read
or not$ of 1ourse$ ,ut +
should not ha"e dared to risk a written
)essage$ in 1ase they got in and
sear1hed the house. But if
Fatty is willing to hold the fort$ and +
1an ,e sure of /andalf knowing the
way we ha"e gone$ that
de1ides )e. + a) going into the *ld
Forest first thing to)orrow.?
?.ell$ that?s that$? said Pippin. ?*n the
whole + would rather ha"e our Ko,
than Fatty?s O waiting
here till Bla1k Riders 1o)e.?
?Gou wait till you are well inside the
Forest$? said Fredegar. ?Gou?ll wish
you were ,a1k here with
)e ,efore this ti)e to)orrow.?
?+t?s no good arguing a,out it any
)ore$? said (erry. ?.e ha"e still got
to tidy up and put the
finishing tou1hes to the pa1king$
,efore we get to ,ed. + shall 1all you
all ,efore the ,reak of day.?
.hen at last he had got to ,ed$ Frodo
1ould not sleep for so)e ti)e. 2is
legs a1hed. 2e. was
glad that he was riding in the
)orning. !"entually he fell into a
"ague drea)$ in whi1h he see)ed
to ,e looking out of a high window
o"er a dark sea of tangled trees. &own
,elow a)ong the roots
there was the sound of 1reatures
1rawling and snuffling. 2e felt sure
they would s)ell hi) out
sooner or later.
Then he heard a noise in the distan1e.
4t first he thought it was a great wind
1o)ing o"er the
lea"es of the forest. Then he knew
that it was not lea"es$ ,ut the sound of
the %ea far#offI a sound
he had ne"er heard in waking life$
though it had often trou,led his
drea)s. %uddenly he found he
was out in the open. There were no
trees after all. 2e was on a dark heath$
and there was a strange
salt s)ell in the air. Looking up he
saw ,efore hi) a tall white tower$
standing alone on a high
ridge. 4 great desire 1a)e o"er hi) to
1li), the tower and see the %ea. 2e
started to struggle up
the ridge towards the tower: ,ut
suddenly a light 1a)e in the sky$ and
there was a noise of thunder.
A-hapter 7A
The *ld Forest
Frodo woke suddenly. +t was still dark
in the roo). (erry was standing there
with a 1andle in
one hand$ and ,anging on the door
with the other. ?4ll rightN .hat is itM?
said Frodo$ still shaken
and ,ewildered.
?.hat is itN? 1ried (erry. ?+t is ti)e to
get up. +t is half past four and "ery
foggy. -o)e onN %a)
is already getting ,reakfast ready.
!"en Pippin is up. + a) Kust going to
saddle the ponies$ and fet1h
the one that is to ,e the ,aggage#
1arrier. .ake that sluggard FattyN 4t
least he )ust get up and see
us off.?
%oon after si5 o?1lo1k the fi"e ho,,its
were ready to start. Fatty Bolger was
still yawning. They
stole Juietly out of the house. (erry
went in front leading a laden pony$
and took his way along a
path that went through a spinney
,ehind the house$ and then 1ut a1ross
se"eral fields. The lea"es of
trees were glistening$ and e"ery twig
was drippingI the grass was grey with
1old dew. !"erything
was still$ and far#away noises see)ed
near and 1lear: fowls 1hattering in a
yard$ so)eone 1losing a
door of a distant house.
+n their shed they found the poniesI
sturdy little ,easts of the kind lo"ed
,y ho,,its$ not speedy$
,ut good for a long day?s work. They
)ounted$ and soon they were riding
off into the )ist$ whi1h
see)ed to open relu1tantly ,efore
the) and 1lose for,iddingly ,ehind
the). 4fter riding for a,out
an hour$ slowly and without talking$
they saw the 2edge loo)ing suddenly
ahead. +t was tall and
netted o"er with sil"er 1o,we,s. ?2ow
are you going to get through thisM?
asked Fredegar. ?Follow
)eN? said (erry$ ?and you will see.? 2e
turned to the left along the 2edge$ and
soon they 1a)e to a
point where it ,ent inwards$ running
along the lip of a hollow. 4 1utting
had ,een )ade$ at so)e
distan1e fro) the 2edge$ and went
sloping gently down into the ground.
+t had walls of ,ri1k at the
sides$ whi1h rose steadily$ until
suddenly they ar1hed o"er and for)ed
a tunnel that di"ed deep
under the 2edge and 1a)e out in the
hollow on the other side.
2ere Fatty Bolger halted. ?/ood#,ye$
FrodoN? he said. ?+ wish you were not
going into the Forest.
+ only hope you will not need res1uing
,efore the day is out. But good lu1k to
you O today and
e"ery dayN?
?+f there are no worse things ahead
than the *ld Forest$ + shall ,e lu1ky$?
said Frodo. ?Tell
/andalf to hurry along the !ast Road:
we shall soon ,e ,a1k on it and going
as fast as we 1an.?
?/ood#,yeN? they 1ried$ and rode down
the slope and disappeared fro)
Fredegar?s sight into the
tunnel.
+t was dark and da)p. 4t the far end
it was 1losed ,y a gate of thi1k#set
iron ,ars. (erry got
down and unlo1ked the gate$ and
when they had all passed through he
pushed it to again. +t shut
with a 1lang$ and the lo1k 1li1ked.
The sound was o)inous.
?ThereN? said (erry. ?Gou ha"e left the
%hire$ and are now outside$ and on the
edge of the *ld
Forest.?
?4re the stories a,out it trueM? asked
Pippin.
?+ don?t know what stories you )ean$?
(erry answered. ?+f you )ean the old
,ogey#stories Fatty?s
nurses used to tell hi)$ a,out go,lins
and wol"es and things of that sort$ +
should say no. 4t any
rate + don?t ,elie"e the). But the
Forest AisA Jueer. !"erything in it is
"ery )u1h )ore ali"e$ )ore
aware of what is going on$ so to
speak$ than things are in the %hire.
4nd the trees do not like
strangers. They wat1h you. They are
usually 1ontent )erely to wat1h you$
as long as daylight lasts$
and don?t do )u1h. *11asionally the
)ost unfriendly ones )ay drop a
,ran1h$ or sti1k a root out$ or
grasp at you with a long trailer. But at
night things 1an ,e )ost alar)ing$ or
so + a) told. + ha"e
only on1e or twi1e ,een in here after
dark$ and then only near the hedge. +
thought all the trees were
whispering to ea1h other$ passing
news and plots along in an
unintelligi,le languageI and the
,ran1hes swayed and groped without
any wind. They do say the trees do
a1tually )o"e$ and 1an
surround strangers and he) the) in.
+n fa1t long ago they atta1ked the
2edge: they 1a)e and
planted the)sel"es right ,y it$ and
leaned o"er it. But the ho,,its 1a)e
and 1ut down hundreds of
trees$ and )ade a great ,onfire in the
Forest$ and ,urned all the ground in a
long strip east of the
2edge. 4fter that the trees ga"e up
the atta1k$ ,ut they ,e1a)e "ery
unfriendly. There is still a wide
,are spa1e not far inside where the
,onfire was )ade.?
?+s it only the trees that are
dangerousM? asked Pippin.
?There are "arious Jueer things li"ing
deep in the Forest$ and on the far
side$? said (erry$ ?or at
least + ha"e heard soI ,ut + ha"e ne"er
seen any of the). But so)ething
)akes paths. .hene"er
one 1o)es inside one finds open
tra1ksI ,ut they see) to shift and
1hange fro) ti)e to ti)e in a
Jueer fashion. 'ot far fro) this tunnel
there is$ or was for a long ti)e$ the
,eginning of Juite a
,road path leading to the Bonfire
/lade$ and then on )ore or less in our
dire1tion$ east and a little
north. That is the path + a) going to
try and find.?
The ho,,its now left the tunnel#gate
and rode a1ross the wide hollow. *n
the far side was a faint
path leading up on to the floor of the
Forest$ a hundred yards and )ore
,eyond the 2edgeI ,ut it
"anished as soon as it ,rought the)
under the trees. Looking ,a1k they
1ould see the dark line of
the 2edge through the ste)s of trees
that were already thi1k a,out the).
Looking ahead they 1ould
see only tree#trunks of innu)era,le
si<es and shapes: straight or ,ent$
twisted$ leaning$ sJuat or
slender$ s)ooth or gnarled and
,ran1hedI and all the ste)s were
green or grey with )oss and
sli)y$ shaggy growths.
(erry alone see)ed fairly 1heerful.
?Gou had ,etter lead on and find that
path$? Frodo said to
hi). ?&on?t let us lose one another$ or
forget whi1h way the 2edge liesN?
They pi1ked a way a)ong the trees$
and their ponies plodded along$
1arefully a"oiding the )any
writhing and interla1ing roots. There
was no undergrowth. The ground was
rising steadily$ and as
they went forward it see)ed that the
trees ,e1a)e taller$ darker$ and
thi1ker. There was no sound$
e51ept an o11asional drip of )oisture
falling through the still lea"es. For the
)o)ent there was no
whispering or )o"e)ent a)ong the
,ran1hesI ,ut they all got an
un1o)forta,le feeling that they
were ,eing wat1hed with disappro"al$
deepening to dislike and e"en en)ity.
The feeling steadily
grew$ until they found the)sel"es
looking up Jui1kly$ or glan1ing ,a1k
o"er their shoulders$ as if
they e5pe1ted a sudden ,low.
There was not as yet any sign of a
path$ and the trees see)ed 1onstantly
to ,ar their way. Pippin
suddenly felt that he 1ould not ,ear it
any longer$ and without warning let
out a shout. ?*iN *iN? he
1ried. ?+ a) not going to do anything.
Just let )e pass through$ will youN?
The others halted startledI ,ut the 1ry
fell as if )uffled ,y a hea"y 1urtain.
There was no e1ho or
answer though the wood see)ed to
,e1o)e )ore 1rowded and )ore
wat1hful than ,efore.
?+ should not shout$ if + were you$? said
(erry. +t does )ore har) than good.?
Frodo ,egan to wonder if it were
possi,le to find a way through$ and if
he had ,een right to
)ake the others 1o)e into this
a,o)ina,le wood. (erry was looking
fro) side to side$ and see)ed
already un1ertain whi1h way to go.
Pippin noti1ed it. ?+t has not taken you
long to lose us$? he said.
But at that )o)ent (erry ga"e a
whistle of relief and pointed ahead.
?.ell$ wellN? he said. ?These trees AdoA
shift. There is the Bonfire /lade in
front of us Dor + hope
soE$ ,ut the path to it see)s to ha"e
)o"ed awayN?
The light grew 1learer as they went
forward. %uddenly they 1a)e out of
the trees and found
the)sel"es in a wide 1ir1ular spa1e.
There was sky a,o"e the)$ ,lue and
1lear to their surprise$ for
down under the Forest#roof they had
not ,een a,le to see the rising
)orning and the lifting of the
)ist. The sun was not$ howe"er$ high
enough yet to shine down into the
1learing$ though its light
was on the tree#tops. The lea"es were
all thi1ker and greener a,out the
edges of the glade$
en1losing it with an al)ost solid wall.
'o tree grew there$ only rough grass
and )any tall plants:
stalky and faded he)lo1ks and wood#
parsley$ fire#weed seeding into fluffy
ashes$ and ra)pant
nettles and thistles. 4 dreary pla1e:
,ut it see)ed a 1har)ing and 1heerful
garden after the 1lose
Forest.
The ho,,its felt en1ouraged$ and
looked up hopefully at the ,roadening
daylight in the sky. 4t
the far side of the glade there was a
,reak in the wall of trees$ and a 1lear
path ,eyond it. They
1ould see it running on into the wood$
wide in pla1es and open a,o"e$
though e"ery now and again
the trees drew in and o"ershadowed it
with their dark ,oughs. 0p this path
they rode. They were
still 1li),ing gently$ ,ut they now
went )u1h Jui1ker$ and with ,etter
heartI for it see)ed to the)
that the Forest had relented$ and was
going to let the) pass unhindered
after all.
But after a while the air ,egan to get
hot and stuffy. The trees drew 1lose
again on either side$
and they 1ould no longer see far
ahead. 'ow stronger than e"er they
felt again the ill will of the
wood pressing on the). %o silent was
it that the fall of their ponies? hoofs$
rustling on dead lea"es
and o11asionally stu),ling on hidden
roots$ see)ed to thud in their ears.
Frodo tried to sing a song
to en1ourage the)$ ,ut his "oi1e sank
to a )ur)ur.
*N .anderers in the shadowed land
despair notN For though dark they
stand$
all woods there ,e )ust end at last$
and see the open sun go past:
the setting sun$ the rising sun$
the day?s end$ or the day ,egun.
For east or west all woods )ust fail ...
AFail #A e"en as he said the word his
"oi1e faded into silen1e. The air
see)ed hea"y and the
)aking of words weariso)e. Just
,ehind the) a large ,ran1h fell fro)
an old o"erhanging tree
with a 1rash into the path. The trees
see)ed to 1lose in ,efore the).
?They do not like all that a,out ending
and failing$? said (erry. ?+ should not
sing any )ore at
present. .ait till we do get to the
edge$ and then we?ll turn and gi"e
the) a rousing 1horusN?
2e spoke 1heerfully$ and if he felt any
great an5iety$ he did not show it. The
others did not
answer. They were depressed. 4
hea"y weight was settling steadily on
Frodo?s heart$ and he
regretted now with e"ery step forward
that he had e"er thought of
1hallenging the )ena1e of the
trees. 2e was$ indeed$ Kust a,out to
stop and propose going ,a1k Dif that
was still possi,leE$ when
things took a new turn. The path
stopped 1li),ing$ and ,e1a)e for a
while nearly le"el. The dark
trees drew aside$ and ahead they 1ould
see the path going al)ost straight
forward. Before the)$ ,ut
so)e distan1e off$ there stood a green
hill#top$ treeless$ rising like a ,ald
head out of the en1ir1ling
wood. The path see)ed to ,e )aking
dire1tly for it.
They now hurried forward again$
delighted with the thought of 1li),ing
out for a while a,o"e
the roof of the Forest. The path
dipped$ and then again ,egan to 1li),
upwards$ leading the) at last
to the foot of the steep hillside. There
it left the trees and faded into the turf.
The wood stood all
round the hill like thi1k hair that
ended sharply in a 1ir1le round a
sha"en 1rown.
The ho,,its led their ponies up$
winding round and round until they
rea1hed the top. There they
stood and ga<ed a,out the). The air
was glea)ing and sunlit$ ,ut ha<yI
and they 1ould not see to
any great distan1e. 'ear at hand the
)ist was now al)ost goneI though
here and there it lay in
hollows of the wood$ and to the south
of the)$ out of a deep fold 1utting
right a1ross the Forest$ the
fog still rose like stea) or wisps of
white s)oke.
?That$? said (erry$ pointing with his
hand$ ?that is the line of the
.ithywindle. +t 1o)es down
out of the &owns and flows south#
west through the )idst of the Forest
to Koin the Brandywine
,elow 2aysend. .e don?t want to go
AthatA wayN The .ithywindle "alley
is said to ,e the Jueerest
part of the whole wood O the 1entre
fro) whi1h all the Jueerness 1o)es$
as it were.?
The others looked in the dire1tion that
(erry pointed out$ ,ut they 1ould see
little ,ut )ists o"er
the da)p and deep#1ut "alleyI and
,eyond it the southern half of the
Forest faded fro) "iew.
The sun on the hill#lop was now
getting hot. +t )ust ha"e ,een a,out
ele"en o?1lo1kI ,ut the
autu)n ha<e still pre"ented the)
fro) seeing )u1h in other dire1tions.
+n the west they 1ould not
)ake out either the line of the 2edge
or the "alley of the Brandywine
,eyond it. 'orthward$ where
they looked )ost hopefully$ they
1ould see nothing that )ight ,e the
line of the great !ast Road$
for whi1h they were )aking. They
were on an island in a sea of trees$
and the hori<on was "eiled.
*n the south#eastern side the ground
fell "ery steeply$ as if the slopes of the
hill were 1ontinued
far down under the trees$ like island#
shores that really are the sides of a
)ountain rising out of deep
waters. They sat on the green edge
and looked out o"er the woods ,elow
the)$ while they ate their
)id#day )eal. 4s the sun rose and
passed noon they gli)psed far off in
the east the grey#green
lines of the &owns that lay ,eyond the
*ld Forest on that side. That 1heered
the) greatlyI for it
was good to see a sight of anything
,eyond the wood?s ,orders$ though
they did not )ean to go that
way$ if they 1ould help it: the Barrow#
downs had as sinister a reputation in
ho,,it#legend as the
Forest itself.
4t length they )ade up their )inds to
go on again. The path that had
,rought the) to the hill
reappeared on the northward sideI ,ut
they had not followed it far ,efore
they ,e1a)e aware that it
was ,ending steadily to the right.
%oon it ,egan to des1end rapidly and
they guessed that it )ust
a1tually ,e heading towards the
.ithywindle "alley: not at all the
dire1tion they wished lo take.
4fter so)e dis1ussion they de1ided to
lea"e this )isleading path and strike
northwardI for although
they had not ,een a,le to see it fro)
the hill#top$ the Road )ust lie that
way$ and it 1ould not ,e
)any )iles off. 4lso northward$ and
to the left of the path$ the land see)ed
lo ,e drier and )ore
open$ 1li),ing up to slopes where the
trees were thinner$ and pines and firs
repla1ed the oaks and
ashes and other strange and na)eless
trees of the denser wood.
4t first their 1hoi1e see)ed to ,e
good: they got along at a fair speed$
though whene"er they got
a gli)pse of the sun in an open glade
they see)ed una11ounta,ly to ha"e
"eered eastwards. But
after a ti)e the trees ,egan to 1lose in
again$ Kust where they had appeared
fro) a distan1e to ,e
thinner and less tangled. Then deep
folds in the ground were dis1o"ered
une5pe1tedly$ like the ruts
of great giant#wheels or wide )oats
and sunken roads long disused and
1hoked with ,ra),les.
These lay usually right a1ross their
line of )ar1h$ and 1ould only ,e
1rossed ,y s1ra),ling down
and out again$ whi1h was trou,leso)e
and diffi1ult with their ponies. !a1h
ti)e they 1li),ed down
they found the hollow filled with
thi1k ,ushes and )atted undergrowth$
whi1h so)ehow would not
yield to the left$ ,ut only ga"e way
when they turned to the rightI and
they had to go so)e distan1e
along the ,otto) ,efore they 1ould
find a way up the further ,ank. !a1h
ti)e they 1la),ered out$
the trees see)ed deeper and darkerI
and always to the left and upwards it
was )ost diffi1ult to find
a way$ and they were for1ed to the
right and downwards.
4fter an hour or two they had lost all
1lear sense of dire1tion$ though they
knew well enough
that they had long 1eased to go
northward at all. They were ,eing
headed off$ and were si)ply
following a 1ourse 1hosen for the) O
eastwards and southwards$ into the
heart of the Forest and not
out of it.
The afternoon was wearing away
when they s1ra),led and stu),led
into a fold that was wider
and deeper than any they had yet )et.
+t was so sleep and o"erhung that it
pro"ed i)possi,le to
1li), out of it again$ either forwards
or ,a1kwards$ without lea"ing their
ponies and their ,aggage
,ehind. 4ll they 1ould do was to
follow the fold O downwards. The
ground grew soft$ and in pla1es
,oggyI springs appeared in the ,anks$
and soon they found the)sel"es
following a ,rook that
tri1kled and ,a,,led through a weedy
,ed. Then the ground ,egan to fall
rapidly$ and the ,rook
growing strong and noisy$ flowed and
leaped swiftly downhill. They were in
a deep di)#lit gully
o"er#ar1hed ,y trees high a,o"e the).
4fter stu),ling along for so)e way
along the strea)$ they 1a)e Juite
suddenly out of the
gloo). 4s if through a gate they saw
the sunlight ,efore the). -o)ing to
the opening they found
that they had )ade their way down
through a 1left in a high sleep ,ank$
al)ost a 1liff. 4t its feet
was a wide spa1e of grass and reedsI
and in the distan1e 1ould ,e gli)psed
another ,ank al)ost as
steep. 4 golden afternoon of late
sunshine lay war) and drowsy upon
the hidden land ,etween. +n
the )idst of it there wound la<ily a
dark ri"er of ,rown water$ ,ordered
with an1ient willows$
ar1hed o"er with willows$ ,lo1ked
with fallen willows$ and fle1ked with
thousands of faded
willow#lea"es. The air was thi1k with
the)$ fluttering yellow fro) the
,ran1hesI for there was a
war) and gentle ,ree<e ,lowing
softly in the "alley$ and the reeds
were rustling$ and the willow,oughs
were 1reaking.
?.ell$ now + ha"e at least so)e notion
of where we areN? said (erry. ?.e
ha"e 1o)e al)ost in
the opposite dire1tion to whi1h we
intended. This is the Ri"er
.ithywindleN + will go on and
e5plore.?
2e passed out into the sunshine and
disappeared into the long grasses.
4fter a while he
reappeared$ and reported that there
was fairly solid ground ,etween the
1liff#foot and the ri"erI in
so)e pla1es fir) turf went down to
the water?s edge. ?.hat?s )ore$? he
said$ ?there see)s to ,e
so)ething like a footpath winding
along on this side of the ri"er. +f we
turn left and follow it$ we
shall ,e ,ound to 1o)e out on the east
side of the Forest e"entually.?
?+ dare sayN? said Pippin. ?That is$ if the
tra1k goes on so far$ and does not
si)ply lead us into a
,og and lea"e us there. .ho )ade the
tra1k$ do you suppose$ and whyM + a)
sure it was not for our
,enefit. + a) getting "ery suspi1ious
of this Forest and e"erything in it$ and
+ ,egin to ,elie"e all
the stories a,out it. 4nd ha"e you any
idea how far eastward we should ha"e
to goM?
?'o$? said (erry$ ?+ ha"en?t. + don?t
know in the least how far down the
.ithywindle we are$ or
who 1ould possi,ly 1o)e here often
enough to )ake a path along it. But
there is no other way out
that + 1an see or think of.?
There ,eing nothing else for it$ they
filed out$ and (erry led the) to the
path that he had
dis1o"ered. !"erywhere the reeds and
grasses were lush and tall$ in pla1es
far a,o"e their headsI
,ut on1e found$ the path was easy to
follow$ as it turned and twisted$
pi1king out the sounder
ground a)ong the ,ogs and pools.
2ere and there it passed o"er other
rills$ running down gullies
into the .ithywindle out of the higher
forest#lands$ and at these points there
were tree#trunks or
,undles of ,rushwood laid 1arefully
a1ross.
The ho,,its ,egan to feel "ery hot.
There were ar)ies of flies of all kinds
,u<<ing round their
ears$ and the afternoon sun was
,urning on their ,a1ks. 4t last they
1a)e suddenly into a thin
shadeI great grey ,ran1hes rea1hed
a1ross the path. !a1h step forward
,e1a)e )ore relu1tant than
the last. %leepiness see)ed to ,e
1reeping out of the ground and up
their legs$ and falling softly out
of the air upon their heads and eyes.
Frodo felt his 1hin go down and his
head nod. Just in front of hi) Pippin
fell forward on to his
knees. Frodo halted. ?+t?s no good$? he
heard (erry saying. ?-an?t go another
step without rest. (ust
ha"e nap. +t?s 1ool under the willows.
Less fliesN?
Frodo did not like the sound of this.
?-o)e onN? he 1ried. ?.e 1an?t ha"e a
nap yet. .e )ust get
1lear of the Forest first.? But the others
were too far gone to 1are. Beside
the) %a) stood yawning
and ,linking stupidly.
%uddenly Frodo hi)self felt sleep
o"erwhel)ing hi). 2is head swa).
There now see)ed
hardly a sound in the air. The flies had
stopped ,u<<ing. *nly a gentle noise
on the edge of hearing$
a soft fluttering as of a song half
whispered$ see)ed to stir in the
,oughs a,o"e. 2e lifted his hea"y
eyes and saw leaning o"er hi) a huge
willow#tree$ old and hoary. !nor)ous
it looked$ its
sprawling ,ran1hes going up like
rea1hing ar)s with )any long#
fingered hands$ its knotted and
twisted trunk gaping in wide fissures
that 1reaked faintly as the ,oughs
)o"ed. The lea"es
fluttering against the ,right sky
da<<led hi)$ and he toppled o"er$
lying where he fell upon the
grass.
(erry and Pippin dragged the)sel"es
forward and lay down with their
,a1ks to the willowtrunk.
Behind the) the great 1ra1ks gaped
wide to re1ei"e the) as the tree
swayed and 1reaked.
They looked up at the grey and yellow
lea"es$ )o"ing softly against the
light$ and singing. They
shut their eyes$ and then it see)ed
that they 1ould al)ost hear words$
1ool words$ saying so)ething
a,out water and sleep. They ga"e
the)sel"es up to the spell and fell fast
asleep at the foot of the
great grey willow.
Frodo lay for a while fighting with the
sleep that was o"erpowering hi)I
then with an effort he
struggled to his feel again. 2e felt a
1o)pelling desire for 1ool water.
?.ait for )e$ %a)$? he
sta))ered. ?(ust ,athe feet a
)inute.?
2alf in a drea) he wandered forward
to the ri"erward side of the tree$
where great winding
roots grew out into the strea)$ like
gnarled dragonets straining down to
drink. 2e straddled one of
these$ and paddled his hot feel in the
1ool ,rown waterI and there he too
suddenly fell asleep with
his ,a1k against the tree.
%a) sat down and s1rat1hed his head$
and yawned like a 1a"ern. 2e was
worried. The afternoon
was getting late$ and he thought this
sudden sleepiness un1anny. ?There?s
)ore ,ehind this than sun
and war) air$? he )uttered to hi)self.
?+ don?t like this great ,ig tree. + don?t
trust it. 2ark at it
singing a,out sleep nowN This won?t
do at allN?
2e pulled hi)self to his feet$ and
staggered off to see what had ,e1o)e
of the ponies. 2e found
that two had wandered on a good way
along the pathI and he had Kust 1aught
the) and ,rought
the) ,a1k towards the others$ when
he heard two noisesI one loud$ and the
other soft ,ut "ery
1lear. *ne was the splash of
so)ething hea"y falling into the
waterI the other was a noise like the
sni1k of a lo1k when a door Juietly
1loses fast.
2e rushed ,a1k to the ,ank. Frodo
was in the water 1lose to the edge$ and
a great tree#root
see)ed to ,e o"er hi) and holding
hi) down$ ,ut he was not struggling.
%a) gripped hi) ,y the
Ka1ket$ and dragged hi) fro) under
the rootI and then with diffi1ulty
hauled hi) on to the ,ank.
4l)ost at on1e he woke$ and 1oughed
and spluttered.
?&o you know$ %a)$? he said at length$
?the ,eastly tree AthrewA )e inN + felt
it. The ,ig root Kust
twisted round and tipped )e inN?
?Gou were drea)ing + e5pe1t$ (r.
Frodo$? said %a). ?Gou shouldn?t sit in
su1h a pla1e$ if you feel
sleepy.?
?.hat a,out the othersM? Frodo asked.
?+ wonder what sort of drea)s they are
ha"ing.?
They went round to the other side of
the tree$ and then %a) understood the
1li1k that he had
heard. Pippin had "anished. The 1ra1k
,y whi1h he had laid hi)self had
1losed together$ so that not
a 1hink 1ould ,e seen. (erry was
trapped: another 1ra1k had 1losed
a,out his waistI his legs lay
outside$ ,ut the rest of hi) was inside
a dark opening$ the edges of whi1h
gripped like a pair of
pin1ers.
Frodo and %a) ,eat first upon the
tree#trunk where Pippin had lain.
They then struggled
franti1ally to pull open the Kaws of the
1ra1k that held poor (erry. +t was
Juite useless.
?.hat a foul thing to happenN? 1ried
Frodo wildly. ?.hy did we e"er 1o)e
into this dreadful
ForestM + wish we were all ,a1k at
-ri1khollowN? 2e ki1ked the tree with
all his strength$ heedless
of his own feet. 4 hardly per1epti,le
shi"er ran through the ste) and up
into the ,ran1hesI the
lea"es rustled and whispered$ ,ut with
a sound now of faint and far#off
laughter.
?+ suppose we ha"en?t got an a5e
a)ong our luggage$ (r. FrodoM?
asked %a).
?+ ,rought a little hat1het for 1hopping
firewood$? said Frodo. ?That wouldn?t
,e )u1h use.?
?.ait a )inuteN? 1ried %a)$ stru1k ,y
an idea suggested ,y firewood. ?.e
)ight do so)ething
with fireN?
?.e )ight$? said Frodo dou,tfully.
?.e )ight su11eed in roasting Pippin
ali"e inside.?
?.e )ight try to hurt or frighten this
tree to ,egin with$? said %a) fier1ely.
?+f it don?t let the)
go$ +?ll ha"e it down$ if + ha"e to gnaw
it.? 2e ran to the ponies and ,efore
long 1a)e ,a1k with two
tinder#,o5es and a hat1het.
Pui1kly they gathered dry grass and
lea"es$ and ,its of ,arkI and )ade a
pile of ,roken twigs
and 1hopped sti1ks. These they
heaped against the trunk on the far
side of the tree fro) the
prisoners. 4s soon as %a) had stru1k
a spark into the tinder$ it kindled the
dry grass and a flurry of
fla)e and s)oke went up. The twigs
1ra1kled. Little fingers of fire li1ked
against the dry s1ored
rind of the an1ient tree and s1or1hed
it. 4 tre)or ran through the whole
willow. The lea"es see)ed
to hiss a,o"e their heads with a sound
of pain and anger. 4 loud s1rea)
1a)e fro) (erry$ and
fro) far inside the tree they heard
Pippin gi"e a )uffled yell.
?Put it outN Put it outN? 1ried (erry.
?2e?ll sJuee<e )e in two$ if you don?t.
2e says soN?
?.hoM .hatM? shouted Frodo$ rushing
round to the other side of the tree.
?Put it outN Put it outN? ,egged (erry.
The ,ran1hes of the willow ,egan to
sway "iolently. There
was a sound as of a wind rising and
spreading outwards to the ,ran1hes of
all the other trees round
a,out$ as though they had dropped a
stone into the Juiet slu),er of the
ri"er#"alley and set up
ripples of anger that ran out o"er the
whole Forest. %a) ki1ked at the little
fire and sta)ped out the
sparks. But Frodo$ without any 1lear
idea of why he did so$ or what he
hoped for$ ran along the path
1rying AhelpN helpN helpNA+t see)ed to
hi) that he 1ould hardly hear the
sound of his own shrill
"oi1e: it was ,lown away fro) hi) ,y
the willow#wind and drowned in a
1la)our of lea"es$ as
soon as the words left his )outh. 2e
felt desperate: lost and witless.
%uddenly he slopped. There was an
answer$ or so he thoughtI ,ut it
see)ed to 1o)e fro) ,ehind
hi)$ away down the path further ,a1k
in the Forest. 2e turned round and
listened$ and soon there
1ould ,e no dou,t: so)eone was
singing a songI a deep glad "oi1e was
singing 1arelessly and
happily$ ,ut it was singing nonsense:
2ey dolN )erry dolN ring a dong dilloN
Ring a dongN hop alongN fal lal the
willowN
To) Bo)$ Kolly To)$ To)
Bo),adilloN
2alf hopeful and half afraid of so)e
new danger$ Frodo and %a) now ,oth
stood still. %uddenly
out of a long string of nonsense#words
Dor so they see)edE the "oi1e rose up
loud and 1lear and
,urst into this song:
2eyN -o)e )erry dotN derry dolN (y
darlingN
Light goes the weather#wind and the
feathered starling.
&own along under 2ill$ shining in the
sunlight$
.aiting on the doorstep for the 1old
starlight$
There )y pretty lady is. Ri"er#
wo)an?s daughter$
%lender as the willow#wand$ 1learer
than the water.
*ld To) Bo),adil water#lilies
,ringing
-o)es hopping ho)e again. -an you
hear hi) singingM
2eyN -o)e )erry dolN deny dolN and
)erry#o$
/old,erry$ /old,erry$ )erry yellow
,erry#oN
Poor old .illow#)an$ you tu1k your
roots awayN
To)?s in a hurry now. !"ening will
follow day.
To)?s going ho)e again water#lilies
,ringing.
2eyN -o)e derry dolN -an you hear
)e singingM
Frodo and %a) stood as if en1hanted.
The wind puffed out. The lea"es hung
silently again on
stiff ,ran1hes. There was another
,urst of song$ and then suddenly$
hopping and dan1ing along the
path$ there appeared a,o"e the reeds
an old ,attered hat with a tall 1rown
and a long ,lue feather
stu1k in the ,and. .ith another hop
and a ,ound there 1a)e into "iew a
)an$ or so it see)ed. 4t
any rate he was too large and hea"y
for a ho,,it$ if not Juite tall enough
for one of the Big People$
though he )ade noise enough for one$
slu)ping along with great yellow
,oots on his thi1k legs$
and 1harging through grass and rushes
like a 1ow going down to drink. 2e
had a ,lue 1oat and a
long ,rown ,eardI his eyes were ,lue
and ,right$ and his fa1e was red as a
ripe apple$ ,ut 1reased
into a hundred wrinkles of laughter. +n
his hands he 1arried on a large leaf as
on a tray a s)all pile
of white water#lilies.
?2elpN? 1ried Frodo and %a) running
towards hi) with their hands
stret1hed out.
?.hoaN .hoaN steady thereN? 1ried the
old )an$ holding up one hand$ and
they stopped short$ as
if they had ,een stru1k stiff. ?'ow$ )y
little fellows$ where ,e you a#going
to$ puffing like a
,ellowsM .hat?s the )atter here thenM
&o you know who + a)M +?) To)
Bo),adil. Tell )e what?s
your trou,leN To)?s in a hurry now.
&on?t you 1rush )y liliesN?
?(y friends are 1aught in the willow#
tree$? 1ried Frodo ,reathlessly.
?(aster (erry?s ,eing sJuee<ed in a
1ra1kN? 1ried %a).
?.hatM? shouted To) Bo),adil$
leaping up in the air. ?*ld (an
.illowM 'aught worse than
that$ ehM That 1an soon ,e )ended. +
know the tune for hi). *ld grey
.illow#)anN +?ll free<e his
)arrow 1old$ if he don?t ,eha"e
hi)self. +?ll sing his roots off. +?ll sing
a wind up and ,low leaf and
,ran1h away. *ld (an .illowN?
%etting down his lilies 1arefully on
the grass$ he ran to the tree.
There he saw (erry?s feet still
sti1king out O the rest had already
,een drawn further inside. To)
put his )outh to the 1ra1k and ,egan
singing into it in a low "oi1e. They
1ould not 1at1h the words$
,ut e"idently (erry was aroused. 2is
legs ,egan to ki1k. To) sprang away$
and ,reaking off a
hanging ,ran1h s)ote the side of the
willow with it. ?Gou let the) out
again$ *ld (an .illowN? he
said. ?.hat ,e you a#thinking ofM Gou
should not ,e waking. !at earthN &ig
deepN &rink waterN /o
to sleepN Bo),adil is talkingN? 2e
then sei<ed (erry?s feet and drew hi)
out of the suddenly
widening 1ra1k.
There was a tearing 1reak and the
other 1ra1k split open$ and out of it
Pippin sprang$ as if he had
,een ki1ked. Then with a loud snap
,oth 1ra1ks 1losed fast again. 4
shudder ran through the tree
fro) root to tip$ and 1o)plete silen1e
fell.
?Thank youN? said the ho,,its$ one
after the other.
To) Bo),adil ,urst out laughing.
?.ell$ )y little fellowsN? said he$
stooping so that he peered
into their fa1es. ?Gou shall 1o)e ho)e
with )eN The ta,le is all laden with
yellow 1rea)$
honey1o),$ and white ,read and
,utter. /old,erry is waiting. Ti)e
enough for Juestions around
the supper ta,le. Gou follow after )e
as Jui1k as you are a,leN? .ith that he
pi1ked up his lilies$
and then with a ,e1koning wa"e of his
hand went hopping and dan1ing along
the path eastward$
still singing loudly and nonsensi1ally.
Too surprised and too relie"ed to talk$
the ho,,its followed after hi) as fast
as they 1ould. But
that was not fast enough. To) soon
disappeared in front of the)$ and the
noise of his singing got
fainter and further away. %uddenly his
"oi1e 1a)e floating ,a1k to the) in a
loud hallooN
2op along$ )y little friends$ up the
.ithywindleN
To)?s going on ahead 1andles for to
kindle.
&own west sinks the %un: soon you
will ,e groping.
.hen the night#shadows fall$ then the
door will open$
*ut of the window#panes light will
twinkle yellow.
Fear no alder ,la1kN 2eed no hoary
willowN
Fear neither root nor ,oughN To)
goes on ,efore you.
2ey nowN )erry dotN .e?ll ,e waiting
for youN
4fter that the ho,,its heard no )ore.
4l)ost at on1e the sun see)ed to sink
into the trees
,ehind the). They thought of the
slanting light of e"ening glittering on
the Brandywine Ri"er$ and
the windows of Bu1kle,ury ,eginning
to glea) with hundreds of lights.
/reat shadows fell a1ross
the)I trunks and ,ran1hes of trees
hung dark and threatening o"er the
path. .hite )ists ,egan to
rise and 1url on the surfa1e of the
ri"er and stray a,out the roots of the
trees upon its ,orders. *ut
of the "ery ground at their feet a
shadowy stea) arose and )ingled
with the swiftly falling dusk.
+t ,e1a)e diffi1ult to follow the path$
and they were "ery tired. Their legs
see)ed leaden.
%trange furti"e noises ran a)ong the
,ushes and reeds on either side of
the)I and if they looked up
to the pale sky$ they 1aught sight of
Jueer gnarled and kno,,ly fa1es that
gloo)ed dark against the
twilight$ and leered down at the)
fro) the high ,ank and the edges of
the wood. They ,egan to
feel that all this 1ountry was unreal$
and that they were stu),ling through
an o)inous drea) that
led to no awakening.
Just as they felt their feet slowing
down to a standstill$ they noti1ed that
the ground was gently
rising. The water ,egan to )ur)ur. +n
the darkness they 1aught the white
gli))er of foa)$ where
the ri"er flowed o"er a short fall.
Then suddenly the trees 1a)e to an
end and the )ists were left
,ehind. They stepped out fro) the
Forest$ and found a wide sweep of
grass welling up ,efore the).
The ri"er$ now s)all and swift$ was
leaping )errily down to )eet the)$
glinting here and there in
the light of the stars$ whi1h were
already shining in the sky.
The grass under their feet was s)ooth
and short$ as if it had ,een )own or
sha"en. The ea"es of
the Forest ,ehind were 1lipped$ and
tri) as a hedge. The path was now
plain ,efore the)$ welltended
and ,ordered with stone. +t wound up
on to the top of a grassy knoll$ now
grey under the
pale starry nightI and there$ still high
a,o"e the) on a further slope$ they
saw the twinkling lights
of a house. &own again the path went$
and then up again$ up a long s)ooth
hillside of turf$ towards
the light. %uddenly a wide yellow
,ea) flowed out ,rightly fro) a door
that was opened. There
was To) Bo),adil?s house ,efore
the)$ up$ down$ under hill. Behind it
a steep shoulder of the
land lay grey and ,are$ and ,eyond
that the dark shapes of the Barrow#
downs stalked away into the
eastern night.
They all hurried forward$ ho,,its and
ponies. 4lready half their weariness
and all their fears had
fallen fro) the). A2eyN -o)e )erry
dolNA rolled out the song to greet
the).
2eyN -o)e derry dolN 2op along$ )y
heartiesN
2o,,itsN Ponies allN .e are fond of
parties.
'ow let the fun ,eginN Let us sing
togetherN
Then another 1lear "oi1e$ as young
and as an1ient as %pring$ like the song
of a glad water
flowing down into the night fro) a
,right )orning in the hills$ 1a)e
falling like sil"er to )eet
the):
'ow let the song ,eginN Let us sing
together
*f sun$ stars$ )oon and )ist$ rain and
1loudy weather$
Light on the ,udding leaf$ dew on the
feather$
.ind on the open hill$ ,ells on the
heather$
Reeds ,y the shady pool$ lilies on the
water:
*ld To) Bo),adil and the Ri"er#
daughterN
4nd with that song the ho,,its stood
upon the threshold$ and a golden light
was all a,out the).
A-hapter 8A
+n the 2ouse of To) Bo),adil
The four ho,,its stepped o"er the
wide stone threshold$ and stood still$
,linking. They were in a
long low roo)$ filled with the light of
la)ps swinging fro) the ,ea)s of the
roofI and on the ta,le
of dark polished wood stood )any
1andles$ tall and yellow$ ,urning
,rightly.
+n a 1hair$ at the far side of the roo)
fa1ing the outer door$ sat a wo)an.
2er long yellow hair
rippled down her shouldersI her gown
was green$ green as young reeds$ shot
with sil"er like ,eads
of dewI and her ,elt was of gold$
shaped like a 1hain of flag#lilies set
with the pale#,lue eyes of
forget#)e#nots. 4,out her feel in
wide "essels of green and ,rown
earthenware$ white water#lilies
were floating$ so that she see)ed to
,e enthroned in the )idst of a pool.
?!nter$ good guestsN? she said$ and as
she spoke they knew that it was her
1lear "oi1e they had
heard singing. They 1a)e a few ti)id
steps further into the roo)$ and ,egan
to ,ow low$ feeling
strangely surprised and awkward$ like
folk that$ kno1king at a 1ottage door
to ,eg for a drink of
water$ ha"e ,een answered ,y a fair
young elf#Jueen 1lad in li"ing
flowers. But ,efore they 1ould
say anything$ she sprang lightly up
and o"er the lily#,owls$ and ran
laughing towards the)I and as
she ran her gown rustled softly like
the wind in the flowering ,orders of a
ri"er.
?-o)e dear folkN? she said$ taking
Frodo ,y the hand. ?Laugh and ,e
)erryN + a) /old,erry$
daughter of the Ri"er.? Then lightly
she passed the) and 1losing the door
she turned her ,a1k to it$
with her white ar)s spread out a1ross
it. ?Let us shut out the nightN? she said.
?For you are still
afraid$ perhaps$ of )ist and tree#
shadows and deep water$ and unta)e
things. Fear nothingN For
tonight you are under the roof of To)
Bo),adil.?
The ho,,its looked at her in wonderI
and she looked at ea1h of the) and
s)iled. ?Fair lady
/old,erryN? said Frodo at last$ feeling
his heart )o"ed with a Koy that he did
not understand. 2e
stood as he had at ti)es stood
en1hanted ,y fair el"en#"oi1esI ,ut
the spell that was now laid upon
hi) was different: less keen and lofty
was the delight$ ,ut deeper and nearer
to )ortal heartI
)ar"ellous and yet not strange. ?Fair
lady /old,erryN? he said again. ?'ow
the Koy that was hidden
in the songs we heard is )ade plain to
)e.
* slender as a willow#wandN *
1learer than 1lear waterN
* reed ,y the li"ing poolN Fair Ri"er#
daughterN
* spring#ti)e and su))er#ti)e$ and
spring again afterN
* wind on the waterfall$ and the
lea"es? laughterN?
%uddenly he stopped and sta))ered$
o"er1o)e with surprise to hear
hi)self saying su1h things.
But /old,erry laughed.
?.el1o)eN? she said. ?+ had not heard
that folk of the %hire were so sweet#
tongued. But + see you
are an elf#friendI the light in your eyes
and the ring in your "oi1e tells it. This
is a )erry )eetingN
%it now$ and wait for the (aster of
the houseN 2e will not ,e long. 2e is
tending your tired ,easts.?
The ho,,its sat down gladly in low
rush#seated 1hairs$ while /old,erry
,usied herself a,out the
ta,leI and their eyes followed her$ for
the slender gra1e of her )o"e)ent
filled the) with Juiet
delight. Fro) so)ewhere ,ehind the
house 1a)e the sound of singing.
!"ery now and again they
1aught$ a)ong )any a Aderry dolA
and a A)erry dolA and a Aring a ding
dilloA the repeated words:
*ld To) Bo),adil is a )erry fellowI
Bright ,lue his Ka1ket is$ and his ,oots
are yellow.
?Fair ladyN? said Frodo again after a
while. ?Tell )e$ if )y asking does not
see) foolish$ who is
To) Bo),adilM?
?2e is$? said /old,erry$ staying her
swift )o"e)ents and s)iling.
Frodo looked at her Juestioningly. ?2e
is$ as you ha"e seen hi)$? she said in
answer to his look.
?2e is the (aster of wood$ water$ and
hill.?
?Then all this strange land ,elongs to
hi)M?
?'o indeedN? she answered$ and her
s)ile faded. ?That would indeed ,e a
,urden$? she added in a
low "oi1e$ as if to herself. ?The trees
and the grasses and all things growing
or li"ing in the land
,elong ea1h to the)sel"es. To)
Bo),adil is the (aster. 'o one has
e"er 1aught old To) walking
in the forest$ wading in the water$
leaping on the hill#tops under light
and shadow. 2e has no fear.
To) Bo),adil is )aster.?
4 door opened and in 1a)e To)
Bo),adil. 2e had now no hat and his
thi1k ,rown hair was
1rowned with autu)n lea"es. 2e
laughed$ and going to /old,erry$ took
her hand.
?2ere?s )y pretty ladyN? he said$
,owing to the ho,,its. ?2ere?s )y
/old,erry 1lothed all in
sil"er#green with flowers in her
girdleN +s the ta,le ladenM + see yellow
1rea) and honey1o),$ and
white ,read$ and ,utterI )ilk$ 1heese$
and green her,s and ripe ,erries
gathered. +s that enough for
usM +s the supper readyM?
?+t is$? said /old,erryI ?,ut the guests
perhaps are notM?
To) 1lapped his hands and 1ried:
?To)$ To)N your guests are tired$ and
you had near forgottenN
-o)e now$ )y )erry friends$ and
To) will refresh youN Gou shall 1lean
gri)y hands$ and wash
your weary fa1esI 1ast off your
)uddy 1loaks and 1o), out your
tanglesN?
2e opened the door$ and they
followed hi) down a short passage
and round a sharp turn. They
1a)e to a low roo) with a sloping
roof Da penthouse$ it see)ed$ ,uilt on
to the north end of the
houseE. +ts walls were of 1lean stone$
,ut they were )ostly 1o"ered with
green hanging )ats and
yellow 1urtains. The floor was
flagged$ and strewn with fresh green
rushes. There were four deep
)attresses$ ea1h piled with white
,lankets$ laid on the floor along one
side. 4gainst the opposite
wall was a long ,en1h laden with
wide earthenware ,asins$ and ,eside it
stood ,rown ewers filled
with water$ so)e 1old$ so)e stea)ing
hot. There were soft green slippers set
ready ,eside ea1h
,ed.
Before long$ washed and refreshed$
the ho,,its were seated at the ta,le$
two on ea1h side$ while
at either end sat /old,erry and the
(aster. +t was a long and )erry )eal.
Though the ho,,its ate$
as only fa)ished ho,,its 1an eat$
there was no la1k. The drink in their
drinking#,owls see)ed to ,e
1lear 1old water$ yet it went to their
hearts like wine and set free their
"oi1es. The guests ,e1a)e
suddenly aware that they were singing
)errily$ as if it was easier and )ore
natural than talking.
4t last To) and /old,erry rose and
1leared the ta,le swiftly. The guests
were 1o))anded to sit
Juiet$ and were set in 1hairs$ ea1h
with a footstool to his tired feet. There
was a fire in the wide
hearth ,efore the)$ and it was
,urning with a sweet s)ell$ as if it
were ,uilt of apple#wood. .hen
e"erything was set in order$ all the
lights in the roo) were put out$
e51ept one la)p and a pair of
1andles at ea1h end of the 1hi)ney#
shelf. Then /old,erry 1a)e and stood
,efore the)$ holding a
1andleI and she wished the) ea1h a
good night and deep sleep.
?2a"e pea1e now$? she said$ ?until the
)orningN 2eed no nightly noisesN For
nothing passes door
and window here sa"e )oonlight and
starlight and the wind off the hill#top.
/ood nightN? %he
passed out of the roo) with a
gli))er and a rustle. The sound of
her footsteps was like a strea)
falling gently away downhill o"er
1ool stones in the Juiet of night.
To) sat on a while ,eside the) in
silen1e$ while ea1h of the) tried to
)uster the 1ourage to ask
one of the )any Juestions he had
)eant to ask at supper. %leep gathered
on their eyelids. 4t last
Frodo spoke:
?&id you hear )e 1alling$ (aster$ or
was it Kust 1han1e that ,rought you at
that )o)entM?
To) stirred like a )an shaken out of
a pleasant drea). ?!h$ whatM? said he.
?&id + hear you
1allingM 'ay$ + did not hear: + was
,usy singing. Just 1han1e ,rought )e
then$ if 1han1e you 1all it.
+t was no plan of )ine$ though + was
waiting for you. .e heard news of
you$ and learned that you
were wandering. .e guessed you?d
1o)e ere long down to the water: all
paths lead that way$ down
to .ithywindle. *ld grey .illow#
)an$ he?s a )ighty singerI and it?s
hard for little folk to es1ape
his 1unning )a<es. But To) had an
errand there$ that he dared not hinder.?
To) nodded as if sleep
was taking hi) againI ,ut he went on
in a soft singing "oi1e:
+ had an errand there: gathering water#
lilies$
green lea"es and lilies white to please
)y pretty lady$
the last ere the year?s end to keep
the) fro) the winter$
to flower ,y her pretty feet tilt the
snows are )elted.
!a1h year at su))er?s end + go to find
the) for her$
in a wide pool$ deep and 1lear$ far
down .ithywindleI
there they open first in spring and
there they linger latest.
By that pool long ago + found the
Ri"er#daughter$
fair young /old,erry sitting in the
rushes.
%weet was her singing then$ and her
heart was ,eatingN
2e opened his eyes and looked at
the) with a sudden glint of ,lue:
4nd that pro"ed well for you O for
now + shall no longer
go down deep again along the forest#
water$
not while the year is old. 'or shall +
,e passing
*ld (an .illow?s house this side of
spring#ti)e$
not till the )erry spring$ when the
Ri"er#daughter
dan1es down the withy#path to ,athe
in the water.
2e fell silent againI ,ut Frodo 1ould
not help asking one )ore Juestion:
the one he )ost desired
to ha"e answered. ?Tell us$ (aster$? he
said$ ?a,out the .illow#)an. .hat is
heM + ha"e ne"er heard
of hi) ,efore.?
?'o$ don?tN? said (erry and Pippin
together$ sitting suddenly upright.
?'ot nowN 'ot until the
)orningN?
?That is rightN? said the old )an. ?'ow
is the ti)e for resting. %o)e things
are ill to hear when the
world?s in shadow. %leep till the
)orning#light$ rest on the pillowN
2eed no nightly noiseN Fear no
grey willowN? 4nd with that he took
down the la)p and ,lew it out$ and
grasping a 1andle in either
hand he led the) out of the roo).
Their )attresses and pillows were soft
as down$ and the ,lankets were of
white wool. They had
hardly laid the)sel"es on the deep
,eds and drawn the light 1o"ers o"er
the) ,efore they were
asleep.
+n the dead night$ Frodo lay in a
drea) without light. Then he saw the
young )oon risingI under
its thin light there loo)ed ,efore hi)
a ,la1k wall of ro1k$ pier1ed ,y a dark
ar1h like a great gate.
+t see)ed to Frodo that he was lifted
up$ and passing o"er he saw that the
ro1k#wall was a 1ir1le of
hills$ and that within it was a plain$
and in the )idst of the plain stood a
pinna1le of stone$ like a
"ast tower ,ut not )ade ,y hands. *n
its top stood the figure of a )an. The
)oon as it rose see)ed
to hang for a )o)ent a,o"e his head
and glistened in his white hair as the
wind stirred it. 0p fro)
the dark plain ,elow 1a)e the 1rying
of fell "oi1es$ and the howling of
)any wol"es. %uddenly a
shadow$ like the shape of great wings$
passed a1ross the )oon. The figure
lifted his ar)s and a
light flashed fro) the staff that he
wielded. 4 )ighty eagle swept down
and ,ore hi) away. The
"oi1es wailed and the wol"es
ya))ered. There was a noise like a
strong wind ,lowing$ and on it
was ,orne the sound of hoofs$
galloping$ galloping$ galloping fro)
the !ast. ?Bla1k RidersN? thought
Frodo as he wakened$ with the sound
of the hoofs still e1hoing in his )ind.
2e wondered if he
would e"er again ha"e the 1ourage to
lea"e the safety of these stone walls.
2e lay )otionless$ still
listeningI ,ut all was now silent$ and
at last he turned and fell asleep again
or wandered into so)e
other unre)e),ered drea).
4t his side Pippin lay drea)ing
pleasantlyI ,ut a 1hange 1a)e o"er
his drea)s and he turned
and groaned. %uddenly he woke$ or
thought he had waked$ and yet still
heard in the darkness the
sound that had distur,ed his drea):
Atip#tap$ sJueakA: the noise was like
,ran1hes fretting in the
wind$ twig#fingers s1raping wall and
window: A1reak$ 1reak$ 1reak.A 2e
wondered if there were
willow#trees 1lose to the houseI and
then suddenly he had a dreadful
feeling that he was not in an
ordinary house at all$ ,ut inside the
willow and listening to that horri,le
dry 1reaking "oi1e
laughing at hi) again. 2e sat up$ and
felt the soft pillows yield to his hands$
and he lay down again
relie"ed. 2e see)ed to hear the e1ho
of words in his ears: ?Fear nothingN
2a"e pea1e until the
)orningN 2eed no nightly noisesN?
Then he went to sleep again.
+t was the sound of water that (erry
heard falling into his Juiet sleep:
water strea)ing down
gently$ and then spreading$ spreading
irresisti,ly all round the house into a
dark shoreless pool. +t
gurgled under the walls$ and was
rising slowly ,ut surely. ?+ shall ,e
drownedN? he thought. +t will
find its way in$ and then + shall
drown.? 2e felt that he was lying in a
soft sli)y ,og$ and springing
up he set his fool on the 1orner of a
1old hard flagstone. Then he
re)e),ered where he was and lay
down again. 2e see)ed to hear or
re)e),er hearing: ?'othing passes
doors or windows sa"e
)oonlight and starlight and the wind
off the hill#top.? 4 little ,reath of
sweet air )o"ed the 1urtain.
2e ,reathed deep and fell asleep
again.
4s far as he 1ould re)e),er$ %a)
slept through the night in deep
1ontent$ if logs are 1ontented.
They woke up$ all four at on1e$ in the
)orning light. To) was )o"ing
a,out the roo) whistling
like a starling. .hen he heard the)
stir he 1lapped his hands$ and 1ried:
?2eyN -o)e )erry dolN
derry dolN (y heartiesN? 2e drew ,a1k
the yellow 1urtains$ and the ho,,its
saw that these had
1o"ered the windows$ at either end of
the roo)$ one looking east and the
other looking west.
They leapt up refreshed. Frodo ran to
the eastern window$ and found
hi)self looking into a
kit1hen#garden grey with dew. 2e had
half e5pe1ted to see turf right up to
the walls$ turf all po1ked
with hoof#prints. 41tually his "iew
was s1reened ,y a tall line of ,eans on
polesI ,ut a,o"e and far
,eyond the) the grey top of the hill
loo)ed up against the sunrise. +t was
a pale )orning: in the
!ast$ ,ehind long 1louds like lines of
soiled wool stained red at the edges$
lay gli))ering deeps of
yellow. The sky spoke of rain to
1o)eI ,ut the light was ,roadening
Jui1kly$ and the red flowers on
the ,eans ,egan to glow against the
wet green lea"es.
Pippin looked out of the western
window$ down into a pool of )ist.
The Forest was hidden
under a fog. +t was like looking down
on to a sloping 1loud#roof fro)
a,o"e. There was a fold or
1hannel where the )ist was ,roken
into )any plu)es and ,illowsI the
"alley of the .ithywindle.
The strea) ran down the hill on the
left and "anished into the white
shadows. 'ear at hand was a
flower#garden and a 1lipped hedge
sil"er#netted$ and ,eyond that grey
sha"en grass pale with dewdrops.
There was no willow#tree to ,e seen.
?/ood )orning$ )erry friendsN? 1ried
To)$ opening the eastern window
wide. 4 1ool air flowed
inI it had a rainy s)ell. ?%un won?t
show her fa1e )u1h today. +?)
thinking. + ha"e ,een walking
wide$ leaping on the hilltops$ sin1e the
grey dawn ,egan$ nosing wind and
weather$ wet grass
underfoot$ wet sky a,o"e )e. +
wakened /old,erry singing under
windowI ,ut nought wakes
ho,,it#folk in the early )orning. +n
the night little folk wake up in the
darkness$ and sleep after
light has 1o)eN Ring a ding dilloN
.ake now$ )y )erry friendsN Forget
the nightly noisesN Ring a
ding dillo delN derry del$ )y heartiesN
+f you 1o)e soon you?ll find ,reakfast
on the ta,le. +f you
1o)e late you?ll get grass and rain#
waterN?
'eedless to say O not that To)?s
threat sounded "ery serious O the
ho,,its 1a)e soon$ and left
the ta,le late and only when it was
,eginning lo look rather e)pty.
'either To) nor /old,erry
were there. To) 1ould ,e heard a,out
the house$ 1lattering in the kit1hen$
and up and down the
stairs$ and singing here and there
outside. The roo) looked westward
o"er the )ist#1louded "alley$
and the window was open. .ater
dripped down fro) the that1hed ea"es
a,o"e. Before they had
finished ,reakfast the 1louds had
Koined into an un,roken roof$ and a
straight grey rain 1a)e softly
and steadily down. Behind its deep
1urtain the Forest was 1o)pletely
"eiled.
4s they looked out of the window
there 1a)e falling gently as if it was
flowing down the rain
out of the sky$ the 1lear "oi1e of
/old,erry singing up a,o"e the).
They 1ould hear few words$ ,ut
it see)ed plain to the) that the song
was a rain#song$ as sweet as showers
on dry hills$ that told the
tale of a ri"er fro) the spring in the
highlands to the %ea far ,elow. The
ho,,its listened with
delightI and Frodo was glad in his
heart$ and ,lessed the kindly weather$
,e1ause it delayed the)
fro) departing. The thought of going
had ,een hea"y upon hi) fro) the
)o)ent he awokeI ,ut he
guessed now that they would not go
further that day.
The upper wind settled in the .est
and deeper and wetter 1louds rolled
up to spill their laden
rain on the ,are heads of the &owns.
'othing 1ould ,e seen all round the
house ,ut falling water.
Frodo stood near the open door and
wat1hed the white 1halky path turn
into a little ri"er of )ilk
and go ,u,,ling away down into the
"alley. To) Bo),adil 1a)e trotting
round the 1orner of the
house$ wa"ing his ar)s as if he was
warding off the rain O and indeed
when he sprang o"er the
threshold he see)ed Juite dry$ e51ept
for his ,oots. These he took off and
put in the 1hi)ney1orner.
Then he sat in the largest 1hair and
1alled the ho,,its to gather round
hi).
?This is /old,erry?s washing day$? he
said$ ?and her autu)n#1leaning. Too
wet for ho,,it#folk O
let the) rest while they are a,leN +t?s a
good day for long tales$ for Juestions
and for answers$ so
To) will start the talking.?
2e then told the) )any re)arka,le
stories$ so)eti)es half as if speaking
to hi)self$ so)eti)es
looking at the) suddenly with a
,right ,lue eye under his deep ,rows.
*ften his "oi1e would turn
to song$ and he would get out of his
1hair and dan1e a,out. 2e told the)
tales of ,ees and flowers$
the ways of trees$ and the strange
1reatures of the Forest$ a,out the e"il
things and good things$
things friendly and things unfriendly$
1ruel things and kind things$ and
se1rets hidden under
,ra),les.
4s they listened$ they ,egan to
understand the li"es of the Forest$
apart fro) the)sel"es$ indeed
to feel the)sel"es as the strangers
where all other things were at ho)e.
(o"ing 1onstantly in and
out of his talk was *ld (an .illow$
and Frodo learned now enough to
1ontent hi)$ indeed )ore
than enough$ for it was not
1o)forta,le lore. To)?s words laid
,are the hearts of trees and their
thoughts$ whi1h were often dark and
strange$ and filled with a hatred of
things that go free upon the
earth$ gnawing$ ,iting$ ,reaking$
ha1king$ ,urning: destroyers and
usurpers. +t was not 1alled the
*ld Forest without reason$ for it was
indeed an1ient$ a sur"i"or of "ast
forgotten woodsI and in it
there li"ed yet$ ageing no Jui1ker than
the hills$ the fathers of the fathers of
trees$ re)e),ering
ti)es when they were lords. The
1ountless years had filled the) with
pride and rooted wisdo)$ and
with )ali1e. But none were )ore
dangerous than the /reat .illow: his
heart was rotten$ ,ut his
strength was greenI and he was
1unning$ and a )aster of winds$ and
his song and thought ran
through the woods on ,oth sides of
the ri"er. 2is grey thirsty spirit drew
power out of the earth and
spread like fine root#threads in the
ground$ and in"isi,le twig#fingers in
the air$ till it had under its
do)inion nearly all the trees of the
Forest fro) the 2edge to the &owns.
%uddenly To)?s talk left the woods
and went leaping up the young
strea)$ o"er ,u,,ling
waterfalls$ o"er pe,,les and worn
ro1ks$ and a)ong s)all flowers in
1lose grass and wet 1rannies$
wandering at last up on to the &owns.
They heard of the /reat Barrows$ and
the green )ounds$ and
the stone#rings upon the hills and in
the hollows a)ong the hills. %heep
were ,leating in flo1ks.
/reen walls and white walls rose.
There were fortresses on the heights.
ings of little kingdo)s
fought together$ and the young %un
shone like fire on the red )etal of
their new and greedy swords.
There was "i1tory and defeatI and
towers fell$ fortresses were ,urned$
and fla)es went up into the
sky. /old was piled on the ,iers of
dead kings and JueensI and )ounds
1o"ered the)$ and the
stone doors were shutI and the grass
grew o"er all. %heep walked for a
while ,iting the grass$ ,ut
soon the hills were e)pty again. 4
shadow 1a)e out of dark pla1es far
away$ and the ,ones were
stirred in the )ounds. Barrow#wights
walked in the hollow pla1es with a
1link of rings on 1old
fingers$ and gold 1hains in the wind.?
%tone rings grinned out of the ground
like ,roken teeth in the
)oonlight.
The ho,,its shuddered. !"en in the
%hire the ru)our of the Barrow#
wights of the Barrow#downs
,eyond the Forest had ,een heard. But
it was not a tale that any ho,,it liked
to listen to$ e"en ,y a
1o)forta,le fireside far away. These
four now suddenly re)e),ered what
the Koy of this house had
dri"en fro) their )inds: the house of
To) Bo),adil nestled under the "ery
shoulder of those
dreaded hills. They lost the thread of
his tale and shifted uneasily$ looking
aside at one another.
.hen they 1aught his words again
they found that he had now wandered
into strange regions
,eyond their )e)ory and ,eyond
their waking thought$ into li)es when
the world was wider$ and
the seas flowed straight to the western
%horeI and still on and ,a1k To)
went singing out into
an1ient starlight$ when only the !lf#
sires were awake. Then suddenly he
slopped$ and they saw that
he nodded as if he was falling asleep.
The ho,,its sat still ,efore hi)$
en1hantedI and it see)ed as
if$ under the spell of his words$ the
wind had gone$ and the 1louds had
dried up$ and the day had
,een withdrawn$ and darkness had
1o)e fro) !ast and .est$ and all the
sky was filled with the
light of white stars.
.hether the )orning and e"ening of
one day or of )any days had passed
Frodo 1ould not tell.
2e did not feel either hungry or tired$
only filled with wonder. The stars
shone through the window
and the silen1e of the hea"ens see)ed
to ,e round hi). 2e spoke at last out
of his wonder and a
sudden fear of that silen1e:
?.ho are you$ (asterM? he asked.
?!h$ whatM? said To) sitting up$ and
his eyes glinting in the gloo). ?&on?t
you know )y na)e
yetM That?s the only answer. Tell )e$
who are you$ alone$ yourself and
na)elessM But you are
young and + a) old. !ldest$ that?s
what + a). (ark )y words$ )y
friends: To) was here ,efore the
ri"er and the treesI To) re)e),ers
the first raindrop and the first a1orn.
2e )ade paths ,efore the
Big People$ and saw the little People
arri"ing. 2e was here ,efore the
ings and the gra"es and the
Barrow#wights. .hen the !l"es
passed westward$ To) was here
already$ ,efore the seas were
,ent. 2e knew the dark under the stars
when it was fearless O ,efore the &ark
Lord 1a)e fro)
*utside.?
4 shadow see)ed to pass ,y the
window$ and the ho,,its glan1ed
hastily through the panes.
.hen they turned again$ /old,erry
stood in the door ,ehind$ fra)ed in
light. %he held a 1andle$
shielding its fla)e fro) the draught
with her handI and the light flowed
through it$ like sunlight
through a white shell.
?The rain has ended$? she saidI ?and
new waters are running downhill$
under the stars. Let us now
laugh and ,e gladN?
?4nd let us ha"e food and drinkN? 1ried
To). ?Long tales are thirsty. 4nd long
listening?s hungry
work$ )orning$ noon$ and e"eningN?
.ith that he Ku)ped out of his 1hair$
and with a ,ound took a
1andle fro) the 1hi)ney#shelf and lit
it in the fla)e that /old,erry heldI
then he dan1ed a,out the
ta,le. %uddenly he hopped through
the door and disappeared.
Pui1kly he returned$ ,earing a large
and laden tray. Then To) and
/old,erry set the ta,leI and
the ho,,its sat half in wonder and half
in laughter: so fair was the gra1e of
/old,erry and so )erry
and odd the 1aperings of To). Get in
so)e fashion they see)ed to wea"e a
single dan1e$ neither
hindering the other$ in and out of the
roo)$ and round a,out the ta,leI and
with great speed food
and "essels and lights were set in
order. The ,oards ,la<ed with
1andles$ white and yellow. To)
,owed to his guests. ?%upper is ready$?
said /old,erryI and now the ho,,its
saw that she was
1lothed all in sil"er with a white
girdle$ and her shoes were like fishes?
)ail. But To) was all in
1lean ,lue$ ,lue as rain#washed
forget#)e#nots$ and he had green
sto1kings.
+t was a supper e"en ,etter than
,efore. The ho,,its under the spell of
To)?s words )ay ha"e
)issed one )eal or )any$ ,ut when
the food was ,efore the) it see)ed at
least a week sin1e they
had eaten. They did not sing or e"en
speak )u1h for a while$ and paid
1lose attention to ,usiness.
But after a ti)e their hearts and spirit
rose high again$ and their "oi1es rang
out in )irth and
laughter.
4fter they had eaten$ /old,erry sang
)any songs for the)$ songs that
,egan )errily in the hills
and fell softly down into silen1eI and
in the silen1es they saw in their )inds
pools and waters wider
than any they had known$ and looking
into the) they saw the sky ,elow
the) and the stars like
Kewels in the depths. Then on1e )ore
she wished the) ea1h good night and
left the) ,y the
fireside. But To) now see)ed wide
awake and plied the) with Juestions.
2e appeared already to know )u1h
a,out the) and all their fa)ilies$ and
indeed to know )u1h
of all the history and doings of the
%hire down fro) days hardly
re)e),ered a)ong the ho,,its
the)sel"es. +t no longer surprised
the)I ,ut he )ade no se1ret that he
owed his re1ent knowledge
largely to Far)er (aggot$ who) he
see)ed to regard as a person of )ore
i)portan1e than they
had i)agined. ?There?s earth under his
old feet$ and 1lay on his fingersI
wisdo) in his ,ones$ and
,oth his eyes are open$? said To). +t
was also 1lear that To) had dealings
with the !l"es$ and it
see)ed that in so)e fashion$ news
had rea1hed hi) fro) /ildor
1on1erning the flight of Frodo.
+ndeed so )u1h did To) know$ and
so 1unning was his Juestioning$ that
Frodo found hi)self
telling hi) )ore a,out Bil,o and his
own hopes and fears than he had told
,efore e"en to /andalf.
To) wagged his head up and down$
and there was a glint in his eyes when
he heard of the Riders.
?%how )e the pre1ious RingN? he said
suddenly in the )idst of the story: and
Frodo$ to his own
astonish)ent$ drew out the 1hain fro)
his po1ket$ and unfastening the Ring
handed it at on1e to
To).
+t see)ed to grow larger as it lay for a
)o)ent on his ,ig ,rown#skinned
hand. Then suddenly
he put it to his eye and laughed. For a
se1ond the ho,,its had a "ision$ ,oth
1o)i1al and alar)ing$
of his ,right ,lue eye glea)ing
through a 1ir1le of gold. Then To)
put the Ring round the end of
his little finger and held it up to the
1andlelight. For a )o)ent the ho,,its
noti1ed nothing strange
a,out this. Then they gasped. There
was no sign of To) disappearingN
To) laughed again$ and then he spun
the Ring in the air O and it "anished
with a flash. Frodo
ga"e a 1ry O and To) leaned forward
and handed it ,a1k to hi) with a
s)ile.
Frodo looked at it 1losely$ and rather
suspi1iously Dlike one who has lent a
trinket to a KugglerE.
+t was the sa)e Ring$ or looked the
sa)e and weighed the sa)e: for that
Ring had always see)ed
to Frodo to weigh strangely hea"y in
the hand. But so)ething pro)pted
hi) to )ake sure. 2e was
perhaps a trifle annoyed with To) for
see)ing to )ake so light of what e"en
/andalf thought so
perilously i)portant. 2e waited for an
opportunity$ when the talk was going
again$ and To) was
telling an a,surd story a,out ,adgers
and their Jueer ways O then he slipped
the Ring on.
(erry turned towards hi) to say
so)ething and ga"e a start$ and
1he1ked an e51la)ation. Frodo
was delighted Din a wayE: it was his
own ring all right$ for (erry was
staring ,lankly at his 1hair$
and o,"iously 1ould not see hi). 2e
got up and 1rept Juietly away fro)
the fireside towards the
outer door.
?2ey thereN? 1ried To)$ glan1ing
towards hi) with a )ost seeing look
in his shining eyes. ?2eyN
-o)e Frodo$ thereN .here ,e you a#
goingM *ld To) Bo),adil?s not as
,lind as that yet. Take off
your golden ringN Gour hand?s )ore
fair without it. -o)e ,a1kN Lea"e
your ga)e and sit down
,eside )eN .e )ust talk a while
)ore$ and think a,out the )orning.
To) )ust tea1h the right
road$ and keep your feet fro)
wandering.?
Frodo laughed Dtrying to feel pleasedE$
and taking off the Ring he 1a)e and
sat down again.
To) now told the) that he re1koned
the %un would shine to)orrow$ and it
would ,e a glad
)orning$ and setting out would ,e
hopeful. But they would do well to
start earlyI for weather in
that 1ountry was a thing that e"en
To) 1ould not ,e sure of for long$
and it would 1hange
so)eti)es Jui1ker than he 1ould
1hange his Ka1ket. ?+ a) no weather#
)aster$? he saidI ?nor is aught
that goes on two legs.?
By his ad"i1e they de1ided to )ake
nearly due 'orth fro) his house$ o"er
the western and
lower slopes of the &owns: they
)ight hope in that way to strike the
!ast Road in a day?s Kourney$
and a"oid the Barrows. 2e told the)
not to ,e afraid O ,ut to )ind their
own ,usiness.
?eep to the green grass. &on?t you go
a#)eddling with old stone or 1old
.ights or prying in
their houses$ unless you ,e strong folk
with hearts that ne"er falterN? 2e said
this )ore than on1eI
and he ad"ised the) to pass ,arrows
,y on the west#side$ if they 1han1ed to
stray near one. Then he
taught the) a rhy)e to sing$ if they
should ,y ill#lu1k fall into any danger
or diffi1ulty the ne5t
day.
2oN To) Bo),adil$ To)
Bo),adilloN
By water$ wood and hill$ ,y the reed
and willow$
By fire$ sun and )oon$ harken now
and hear usN
-o)e$ To) Bo),adil$ for our need is
near usN
.hen they had sung this altogether
after hi)$ he 1lapped the) ea1h on
the shoulder with a
laugh$ and taking 1andles led the)
,a1k to their ,edroo).
A-hapter 9A
Fog on the Barrow#&owns
That night they heard no noises. But
either in his drea)s or out of the)$ he
1ould not tell whi1h$
Frodo heard a sweet singing running
in his )indI a song that see)ed to
1o)e like a pale light
,ehind a grey rain#1urtain$ and
growing stronger to turn the "eil all to
glass and sil"er$ until at last it
was rolled ,a1k$ and a far green
1ountry opened ,efore hi) under a
swift sunrise.
The "ision )elted into wakingI and
there was To) whistling like a tree#
full of ,irdsI and the sun
was already slanting down the hill and
through the open window. *utside
e"erything was green and
pale gold.
4fter ,reakfast$ whi1h they again ate
alone$ they )ade ready to say
farewell$ as nearly hea"y of
heart as was possi,le on su1h a
)orning: 1ool$ ,right$ and 1lean under
a washed autu)n sky of thin
,lue. The air 1a)e fresh fro) the
'orth#west. Their Juiet ponies were
al)ost frisky$ sniffing and
)o"ing restlessly. To) 1a)e out of
the house and wa"ed his hat and
dan1ed upon the doorstep$
,idding the ho,,its to get up and ,e
off and go with good speed.
They rode off along a path that wound
away fro) ,ehind the house$ and
went slanting up
towards the north end of the hill#,row
under whi1h it sheltered. They had
Kust dis)ounted to lead
their ponies up the last steep slope$
when suddenly Frodo stopped.
?/old,erryN? he 1ried. ?(y fair lady$
1lad all in sil"er greenN .e ha"e
ne"er said farewell to her$
nor seen her sin1e the e"eningN? 2e
was so distressed that he turned ,a1kI
,ut at that )o)ent a 1lear
1all 1a)e rippling down. There on the
hill#,row she stood ,e1koning to
the): her hair was flying
loose$ and as it 1aught the sun it shone
and shi))ered. 4 light like the glint
of water on dewy grass
flashed fro) under her feet as she
dan1ed.
They hastened up the last slope$ and
stood ,reathless ,eside her. They
,owed$ ,ut with a wa"e
of her ar) she ,ade the) look roundI
and they looked out fro) the hill#top
o"er lands under the
)orning. +t was now as 1lear and far#
seen as it had ,een "eiled and )isty
when they stood upon the
knoll in the Forest$ whi1h 1ould now
,e seen rising pale and green out of
the dark trees in the .est.
+n that dire1tion the land rose in
wooded ridges$ green$ yellow$ russet
under the sun$ ,eyond whi1h
lay hidden the "alley of the
Brandywine. To the %outh$ o"er the
line of the .ithywindle$ there was
a distant glint like pale glass where
the Brandywine Ri"er )ade a great
loop in the lowlands and
flowed away out of the knowledge of
the ho,,its. 'orthward ,eyond the
dwindling downs the land
ran away in flats and swellings of
grey and green and pale earth#1olours$
until it faded into a
featureless and shadowy distan1e.
!astward the Barrow#downs rose$
ridge ,ehind ridge into the
)orning$ and "anished out of eyesight
into a guess: it was no )ore than a
guess of ,lue and a
re)ote white gli))er ,lending with
the he) of the sky$ ,ut it spoke to
the)$ out of )e)ory and
old tales$ of the high and distant
)ountains.
They took a deep draught of the air$
and felt that a skip and a few stout
strides would ,ear the)
where"er they wished. +t see)ed
fainthearted to go Kogging aside o"er
the 1ru)pled skirts of the
downs towards the Road$ when they
should ,e leaping$ as lusty as To)$
o"er the stepping stones of
the hills straight towards the
(ountains.
/old,erry spoke to the) and re1alled
their eyes and thoughts. ?%peed now$
fair guestsN? she said.
?4nd hold to your purposeN 'orth with
the wind in the left eye and a ,lessing
on your footstepsN
(ake haste while the %un shinesN?
4nd to Frodo she said: ?Farewell$ !lf#
friend$ it was a )erry
)eetingN?
But Frodo found no words to answer.
2e ,owed low$ and )ounted his
pony$ and followed ,y
his friends Kogged slowly down the
gentle slope ,ehind the hill. To)
Bo),adil?s house and the
"alley$ and the Forest were lost to
"iew. The air grew war)er ,etween
the green walls of hillside
and hillside$ and the s1ent of turf rose
strong and sweet as they ,reathed.
Turning ,a1k$ when they
rea1hed the ,otto) of the green
hollow$ they saw /old,erry$ now
s)all and slender like a sunlit
flower against the sky: she was
standing still wat1hing the)$ and her
hands were stret1hed out
towards the). 4s they looked she
ga"e a 1lear 1all$ and lifting up her
hand she turned and "anished
,ehind the hill.
Their way wound along the floor of
the hollow$ and round the green feet
of a steep hill into
another deeper and ,roader "alley$
and then o"er the shoulder of further
hills$ and down their long
li),s$ and up their s)ooth sides
again$ up on to new hill#tops and
down into new "alleys. There
was no tree nor any "isi,le water: it
was a 1ountry of grass and short
springy turf$ silent e51ept for
the whisper of the air o"er the edges
of the land$ and high lonely 1ries of
strange ,irds. 4s they
Kourneyed the sun )ounted$ and grew
hot. !a1h ti)e they 1li),ed a ridge
the ,ree<e see)ed to
ha"e grown less. .hen they 1aught a
gli)pse of the 1ountry westward the
distant Forest see)ed to
,e s)oking$ as if the fallen rain was
stea)ing up again fro) leaf and root
and )ould. 4 shadow
now lay round the edge of sight$ a
dark ha<e a,o"e whi1h the upper sky
was like a ,lue 1ap$ hot
and hea"y.
4,out )id#day they 1a)e to a hill
whose top was wide and flattened$
like a shallow sau1er with
a green )ounded ri). +nside there
was no air stirring$ and the sky
see)ed near their heads. They
rode a1ross and looked northwards.
Then their hearts rose$ for it see)ed
plain that they had 1o)e
further already than they had
e5pe1ted. -ertainly the distan1es had
now all ,e1o)e ha<y and
de1epti"e$ ,ut there 1ould ,e no dou,t
that the &owns were 1o)ing to an
end. 4 long "alley lay
,elow the) winding away
northwards$ until it 1a)e to an
opening ,etween two steep shoulders.
Beyond$ there see)ed to ,e no )ore
hills. &ue north they faintly gli)psed
a long dark line. That is
a line of trees$? said (erry$ ?and that
)ust )ark the Road. 4ll along it for
)any leagues east of the
Bridge there are trees growing. %o)e
say they were planted in the old days.?
?%plendidN? said Frodo. ?+f we )ake as
good going this afternoon as we ha"e
done this )orning$
we shall ha"e left the &owns ,efore
the %un sets and ,e Kogging on in
sear1h of a 1a)ping pla1e.?
But e"en as he spoke he turned his
glan1e eastwards$ and he saw that on
that side the hills were
higher and looked down upon the)I
and all those hills were 1rowned with
green )ounds$ and on
so)e were standing stones$ pointing
upwards like Kagged teeth out of green
gu)s.
That "iew was so)ehow disJuietingI
so they turned fro) the sight and went
down into the
hollow 1ir1le. +n the )idst of it there
stood a single stone$ standing tall
under the sun a,o"e$ and at
this hour 1asting no shadow. +t was
shapeless and yet signifi1ant: like a
land)ark$ or a guarding
finger$ or )ore like a warning. But
they were now hungry$ and the sun
was still at the fearless
noonI so they set their ,a1ks against
the east side of the stone. +t was 1ool$
as if the sun had had no
power to war) itI ,ut at that ti)e this
see)ed pleasant. There they took
food and drink$ and )ade
as good a noon#)eal under the open
sky as anyone 1ould wishI for the
food 1a)e fro) ?down under
2ill?. To) had pro"ided the) with
plenty for the 1o)fort of the day.
Their ponies un,urdened
strayed upon the grass.
Riding o"er the hills$ and eating their
fill$ the war) sun and the s1ent of
turf$ lying a little too
long$ stret1hing out their legs and
looking at the sky a,o"e their noses:
these things are$ perhaps$
enough to e5plain what happened.
2owe"er$ that )ay ,e: they woke
suddenly and un1o)forta,ly
fro) a sleep they had ne"er )eant to
take. The standing stone was 1old$
and it 1ast a long pale
shadow that stret1hed eastward o"er
the). The sun$ a pale and watery
yellow$ was glea)ing
through the )ist Kust a,o"e the west
wall of the hollow in whi1h they layI
north$ south$ and east$
,eyond the wall the fog was thi1k$
1old and white. The air was silent$
hea"y and 1hill. Their ponies
were standing 1rowded together with
their heads down.
The ho,,its sprang to their feet in
alar)$ and ran to the western ri).
They found that they were
upon an island in the fog. !"en as
they looked out in dis)ay towards the
setting sun$ it sank ,efore
their eyes into a white sea$ and a 1old
grey shadow sprang up in the !ast
,ehind. The fog rolled up
to the walls and rose a,o"e the)$ and
as it )ounted it ,ent o"er their heads
until it ,e1a)e a roof:
they were shut in a hall of )ist whose
1entral pillar was the standing stone.
They felt as if a trap was 1losing
a,out the)I ,ut they did not Juite lose
heart. They still
re)e),ered the hopeful "iew they
had had of the line of the Road ahead$
and they still knew in
whi1h dire1tion it lay. +n any 1ase$
they now had so great a dislike for
that hollow pla1e a,out the
stone that no thought of re)aining
there was in their )inds. They pa1ked
up as Jui1kly as their
1hilled fingers would work.
%oon they were leading their ponies in
single file o"er the ri) and down the
long northward
slope of the hill$ down into a foggy
sea. 4s they went down the )ist
,e1a)e 1older and da)per$
and their hair hung lank and dripping
on their foreheads. .hen they
rea1hed the ,otto) it was so
1old that they halted and got out
1loaks and hoods$ whi1h soon ,e1a)e
,edewed with grey drops.
Then$ )ounting their ponies$ they
went slowly on again$ feeling their
way ,y the rise and fall of the
ground. They were steering$ as well as
they 1ould guess$ for the gate#like
opening at the far
northward end of the long "alley
whi1h they had seen in the )orning.
*n1e they were through the
gap$ they had only lo keep on in
anything like a straight line and they
were ,ound in the end to
strike the Road. Their thoughts did
not go ,eyond that$ e51ept for a "ague
hope that perhaps away
,eyond the &owns there )ight ,e no
fog.
Their going was "ery slow. To
pre"ent their getting separated and
wandering in different
dire1tions they went in file$ with
Frodo leading. %a) was ,ehind hi)$
and after hi) 1a)e Pippin$
and then (erry. The "alley see)ed to
stret1h on endlessly. %uddenly Frodo
saw a hopeful sign. *n
either side ahead a darkness ,egan to
loo) through the )istI and he
guessed that they were at last
approa1hing the gap in the hills$ the
north#gate of the Barrow#downs. +f
they 1ould pass that$ they
would ,e free.
?-o)e onN Follow )eN? he 1alled ,a1k
o"er his shoulder$ and he hurried
forward. But his hope
soon 1hanged to ,ewilder)ent and
alar). The dark pat1hes grew darker$
,ut they shrankI and
suddenly he saw$ towering o)inous
,efore hi) and leaning slightly
towards one another like the
pillars of a headless door$ two huge
standing stones. 2e 1ould not
re)e),er ha"ing seen any sign
of these in the "alley$ when he looked
out fro) the hill in the )orning. 2e
had passed ,etween
the) al)ost ,efore he was aware: and
e"en as he did so darkness see)ed to
fall round hi). 2is
pony reared and snorted$ and he fell
off. .hen he looked ,a1k he found
that he was alone: the
others had not followed hi). ?%a)N?
he 1alled. ?PippinN (erryN -o)e
alongN .hy don?t you keep
upM?
There was no answer. Fear took hi)$
and he ran ,a1k past the stones
shouting wildly: ?%a)N
%a)N (erryN PippinN? The pony ,olted
into the )ist and "anished. Fro)
so)e way off$ or so it
see)ed$ he thought he heard a 1ry:
?2oyN FrodoN 2oyN? +t was away
eastward$ on his left as he stood
under the great stones$ staring and
straining into the gloo). 2e plunged
off in the dire1tion of the
1all$ and found hi)self going steeply
uphill.
4s he struggled on he 1alled again$
and kept on 1alling )ore and )ore
franti1allyI ,ut he heard
no answer for so)e ti)e$ and then it
see)ed faint and far ahead and high
a,o"e hi). ?FrodoN 2oyN?
1a)e the thin "oi1es out of the )ist:
and then a 1ry that sounded like
Ahelp$ helpNA often repeated$
ending with a last AhelpNA that trailed
off into a long wail suddenly 1ut
short. 2e stu),led forward
with all the speed he 1ould towards
the 1riesI ,ut the light was now gone$
and 1linging night had
1losed a,out hi)$ so that it was
i)possi,le to ,e sure of any dire1tion.
2e see)ed all the ti)e to ,e
1li),ing up and up.
*nly the 1hange in the le"el of the
ground at his feet told hi) when he at
last 1a)e to the top of
a ridge or hill. 2e was weary$
sweating and yet 1hilled. +t was
wholly dark.
?.here are youM? he 1ried out
)isera,ly.
There was no reply. 2e stood
listening. 2e was suddenly aware that
it was getting "ery 1old$
and that up here a wind was ,eginning
to ,low$ an i1y wind. 4 1hange was
1o)ing in the weather.
The )ist was flowing past hi) now in
shreds and tatters. 2is ,reath was
s)oking$ and the darkness
was less near and thi1k. 2e looked up
and saw with surprise that faint stars
were appearing
o"erhead a)id the strands of hurrying
1loud and fog. The wind ,egan to hiss
o"er the grass.
2e i)agined suddenly that he 1aught
a )uffled 1ry$ and he )ade towards
itI and e"en as he
went forward the )ist was rolled up
and thrust aside$ and the starry sky
was un"eiled. 4 glan1e
showed hi) that he was now fa1ing
southwards and was on a round hill#
top$ whi1h he )ust ha"e
1li),ed fro) the north. *ut of the
east the ,iting wind was ,lowing. To
his right there loo)ed
against the westward stars a dark
,la1k shape. 4 great ,arrow stood
there.
?.here are youM? he 1ried again$ ,oth
angry and afraid.
?2ereN? said a "oi1e$ deep and 1old$
that see)ed to 1o)e out of the
ground. ?+ a) waiting for
youN?
?'oN? said FrodoI ,ut he did not run
away. 2is knees ga"e$ and he fell on
the ground. 'othing
happened$ and there was no sound.
Tre),ling he looked up$ in ti)e to
see a tall dark figure like a
shadow against the stars. +t leaned
o"er hi). 2e thought there were two
eyes$ "ery 1old though lit
with a pale light that see)ed to 1o)e
fro) so)e re)ote distan1e. Then a
grip stronger and 1older
than iron sei<ed hi). The i1y tou1h
fro<e his ,ones$ and he re)e),ered
no )ore.
.hen he 1a)e to hi)self again$ for a
)o)ent he 1ould re1all nothing
e51ept a sense of dread.
Then suddenly he knew that he was
i)prisoned$ 1aught hopelesslyI he was
in a ,arrow. 4 Barrowwight
had taken hi)$ and he was pro,a,ly
already under the dreadful spells of
the Barrow#wights
a,out whi1h whispered tales spoke.
2e dared not )o"e$ ,ut lay as he
found hi)self: flat on his
,a1k upon a 1old stone with his hands
on his ,reast.
But though his fear was so great that
it see)ed to ,e part of the "ery
darkness that was round
hi)$ he found hi)self as he lay
thinking a,out Bil,o Baggins and his
stories$ of their Kogging along
together in the lanes of the %hire and
talking a,out roads and ad"entures.
There is a seed of 1ourage
hidden Doften deeply$ it is trueE in the
heart of the fattest and )ost ti)id
ho,,it$ wailing for so)e
final and desperate danger to )ake it
grow. Frodo was neither "ery fat nor
"ery ti)idI indeed$
though he did not know it$ Bil,o Dand
/andalfE had thought hi) the ,est
ho,,it in the %hire. 2e
thought he had 1o)e to the end of his
ad"enture$ and a terri,le end$ ,ut the
thought hardened hi).
2e found hi)self stiffening$ as if for a
final springI he no longer felt li)p
like a helpless prey.
4s he lay there$ thinking and getting a
hold of hi)self$ he noti1ed all at on1e
that the darkness
was slowly gi"ing way: a pale
greenish light was growing round
hi). +t did not at first show hi)
what kind of a pla1e he was in$ for the
light see)ed to ,e 1o)ing out of
hi)self$ and fro) the floor
,eside hi)$ and had not yet rea1hed
the roof or wall. 2e turned$ and there
in the 1old glow he saw
lying ,eside hi) %a)$ Pippin$ and
(erry. They were on their ,a1ks$ and
their fa1es looked deathly
paleI and they were 1lad in white.
4,out the) lay )any treasures$ of
gold )ay,e$ though in that
light they looked 1old and unlo"ely.
*n their heads were 1ir1lets$ gold
1hains were a,out their
waists$ and on their fingers were
)any rings. %words lay ,y their sides$
and shields were at their
feet. But a1ross their three ne1ks lay
one long naked sword.
%uddenly a song ,egan: a 1old
)ur)ur$ rising and falling. The "oi1e
see)ed far away and
i))easura,ly dreary$ so)eti)es high
in the air and thin$ so)eti)es like a
low )oan fro) the
ground. *ut of the for)less strea) of
sad ,ut horri,le sounds$ strings of
words would now and
again shape the)sel"es: gri)$ hard$
1old words$ heartless and )isera,le.
The night was railing
against the )orning of whi1h it was
,erea"ed$ and the 1old was 1ursing
the war)th for whi1h it
hungered. Frodo was 1hilled to the
)arrow. 4fter a while the song
,e1a)e 1learer$ and with dread
in his heart he per1ei"ed that it had
1hanged into an in1antation:
-old ,e hand and heart and ,one$
and 1old ,e sleep under stone:
ne"er )are to wake on stony ,ed$
ne"er$ till the %un fails and the (oon
is dead.
+n the ,la1k wind the stars shall die$
and still on gold here let the) lie$
till the dark lord lifts his hand
o"er dead sea and withered land.
2e heard ,ehind his head a 1reaking
and s1raping sound. Raising hi)self
on one ar) he looked$
and saw now in the pale light that
they were in a kind of passage whi1h
,ehind the) turned a
1orner. Round the 1orner a long ar)
was groping$ walking on its fingers
towards %a)$ who was
lying nearest$ and towards the hilt of
the sword that lay upon hi).
4t first Frodo felt as if he had indeed
,een turned into stone ,y the
in1antation. Then a wild
thought of es1ape 1a)e to hi). 2e
wondered if he put on the Ring$
whether the Barrow#wight
would )iss hi)$ and he )ight find
so)e way out. 2e thought of hi)self
running free o"er the
grass$ grie"ing for (erry$ and %a)$
and Pippin$ ,ut free and ali"e hi)self.
/andalf would ad)it
that there had ,een nothing else he
1ould do.
But the 1ourage that had ,een
awakened in hi) was now too strong:
he 1ould not lea"e his
friends so easily. 2e wa"ered$ groping
in his po1ket$ and then fought with
hi)self againI and as he
did so the ar) 1rept nearer. %uddenly
resol"e hardened in hi)$ and he
sei<ed a short sword that lay
,eside hi)$ and kneeling he stooped
low o"er the ,odies of his
1o)panions. .ith what strength he
had he hewed at the 1rawling ar)
near the wrist$ and the hand ,roke offI
,ut at the sa)e )o)ent
the sword splintered up to the hilt.
There was a shriek and the light
"anished. +n the dark there was
a snarling noise.
Frodo fell forward o"er (erry$ and
(erry?s fa1e felt 1old. 4ll at on1e
,a1k into his )ind$ fro)
whi1h it had disappeared with the first
1o)ing of the fog$ 1a)e the )e)ory
of the house down
under the 2ill$ and of To) singing.
2e re)e),ered the rhy)e that To)
had taught the). +n a
s)all desperate "oi1e he ,egan: A2oN
To) Bo),adilNA and with that na)e
his "oi1e see)ed to
grow strong: it had a full and li"ely
sound$ and the dark 1ha),er e1hoed
as if to dru) and tru)pet.
2oN To) Bo),adil$ To)
Bo),adilloN
By water$ wood and hill$ ,y the reed
and willow$
By fire$ sun and )oon$ harken now
and hear usN
-o)e$ To) Bo),adil$ for our need is
near usN
There was a sudden deep silen1e$ in
whi1h Frodo 1ould hear his heart
,eating. 4fter a long slow
)o)ent he heard plain$ ,ut far away$
as if it was 1o)ing down through the
ground or through thi1k
walls$ an answering "oi1e singing:
*ld To) Bo),adil is a )erry fellow$
Bright ,lue his Ka1ket is$ and his ,oots
are yellow.
'one has e"er 1aught hi) yet$ for
To)$ he is the )aster:
2is songs are stronger songs$ and his
feet are faster.
There was a loud ru),ling sound$ as
of stones rolling and falling$ and
suddenly light strea)ed
in$ real light$ the plain light of day. 4
low door#like opening appeared at the
end of the 1ha),er
,eyond Frodo?s feetI and there was
To)?s head Dhat$ feather$ and allE
fra)ed against the light of the
sun rising red ,ehind hi). The light
fell upon the floor$ and upon the fa1es
of the three ho,,its
lying ,eside Frodo. They did not stir$
,ut the si1kly hue had left the). They
looked now as if they
were only "ery deeply asleep.
To) stooped$ re)o"ed his hat$ and
1a)e into the dark 1ha),er$ singing:
/et out$ you old .ightN @anish in the
sunlightN
%hri"el like the 1old )ist$ like the
winds go wailing$
*ut into the ,arren lands far ,eyond
the )ountainsN
-o)e ne"er here againN Lea"e your
,arrow e)ptyN
Lost and forgotten ,e$ darker than the
darkness$
.here gates stand for e"er shut$ till
the world is )ended.
4t these words there was a 1ry and
part of the inner end of the 1ha),er
fell in with a 1rash.
Then there was a long trailing shriek$
fading away into an unguessa,le
distan1eI and after that
silen1e.
?-o)e$ friend FrodoN? said To). ?Let
us get out on to 1lean grassN Gou )ust
help )e ,ear the).?
Together they 1arried out (erry$
Pippin$ and %a). 4s Frodo left the
,arrow for the last ti)e he
thought he saw a se"ered hand
wriggling still$ like a wounded spider$
in a heap of fallen earth. To)
went ,a1k in again$ and there was a
sound of )u1h thu)ping and
sta)ping. .hen he 1a)e out he
was ,earing in his ar)s a great load
of treasure: things of gold$ sil"er$
1opper$ and ,ron<eI )any
,eads and 1hains and Kewelled
orna)ents. 2e 1li),ed the green
,arrow and laid the) all on top in
the sunshine.
There he stood$ with his hat in his
hand and the wind in his hair$ and
looked down upon the
three ho,,its$ that had ,een laid on
their ,a1ks upon the grass at the west
side of the )ound.
Raising his right hand he said in a
1lear and 1o))anding "oi1e:
.ake now )y )erry tadsN .ake and
hear )e 1allingN
.ar) now ,e heart and li),N The
1old stone is fallenI
&ark door is standing wideI dead
hand is ,roken.
'ight under 'ight is flown$ and the
/ate is openN
To Frodo?s great Koy the ho,,its
stirred$ stret1hed their ar)s$ ru,,ed
their eyes$ and then
suddenly sprang up. They looked
a,out in a)a<e)ent$ first at Frodo$
and then at To) standing
large as life on the ,arrow#top a,o"e
the)I and then at the)sel"es in their
thin white rags$ 1rowned
and ,elted with pale gold$ and Kingling
with trinkets.
?.hat in the na)e of wonderM? ,egan
(erry$ feeling the golden 1ir1let that
had slipped o"er one
eye. Then he stopped$ and a shadow
1a)e o"er his fa1e$ and he 1losed his
eyes. ?*f 1ourse$ +
re)e),erN? he said. ?The )en of -arn
&=) 1a)e on us at night$ and we
were worsted. 4hN the
spear in )y heartN? 2e 1lut1hed at his
,reast. ?'oN 'oN? he said$ opening his
eyes. ?.hat a) +
sayingM + ha"e ,een drea)ing. .here
did you get to$ FrodoM?
?+ thought that + was lost$? said FrodoI
?,ut + don?t want to speak of it. Let us
think of what we are
to do nowN Let us go onN?
?&ressed up like this$ sirM? said %a).
?.here are )y 1lothesM? 2e flung his
1ir1let$ ,elt$ and rings
on the grass$ and looked round
helplessly$ as if he e5pe1ted to find
his 1loak$ Ka1ket$ and ,ree1hes$
and other ho,,it#gar)ents lying
so)ewhere to hand.
?Gou won?t find your 1lothes again$?
said To)$ ,ounding down fro) the
)ound$ and laughing as
he dan1ed round the) in the sunlight.
*ne would ha"e thought that nothing
dangerous or dreadful
had happenedI and indeed the horror
faded out of their hearts as they
looked at hi)$ and saw the
)erry glint in his eyes.
?.hat do you )eanM? asked Pippin$
looking at hi)$ half pu<<led and half
a)used. ?.hy notM?
But To) shook his head$ saying:
?Gou?"e found yoursel"es again$ out of
the deep water. -lothes
are ,ut little loss$ if you es1ape fro)
drowning. Be glad$ )y )erry friends$
and let the war)
sunlight heal now heart and li),N
-ast off these 1old ragsN Run naked
on the grass$ while To) goes
a#huntingN?
2e sprang away down hill$ whistling
and 1alling. Looking down after hi)
Frodo saw hi)
running away southwards along the
green hollow ,etween their hill and
the ne5t$ still whistling and
1rying:
2eyN nowN -o)e hoy nowN .hither
do you wanderM
0p$ down$ near or far$ here$ there or
yonderM
%harp#ears$ .ise#nose$ %wish#tail and
Bu)pkin$
.hite#so1ks )y little lad$ and old
Fatty Lu)pkinN
%o he sang$ running fast$ tossing up
his hat and 1at1hing it$ until he was
hidden ,y a fold of the
ground: ,ut for so)e ti)e his Ahey
nowN hoy nowNA1a)e floating ,a1k
down the wind$ whi1h had
shifted round towards the south.
The air was growing "ery war)
again. The ho,,its ran a,out for a
while on the grass$ as he told
the). Then they lay ,asking in the
sun with the delight of those that ha"e
,een wafted suddenly
fro) ,itter winter to a friendly 1li)e$
or of people that$ after ,eing long ill
and ,edridden$ wake one
day to find that they are une5pe1tedly
well and the day is again full of
pro)ise.
By the ti)e that To) returned they
were feeling strong Dand hungryE. 2e
reappeared$ hat first$
o"er the ,row of the hill$ and ,ehind
hi) 1a)e in an o,edient line Asi5A
ponies: their own fi"e and
one )ore. The last was plainly old
Fatty Lu)pkin: he was larger$
stronger$ fatter Dand olderE than
their own ponies. (erry$ to who) the
others ,elonged$ had not$ in fa1t$
gi"en the) any su1h
na)es$ ,ut they answered to the new
na)es that To) had gi"en the) for
the rest of their li"es.
To) 1alled the) one ,y one and they
1li),ed o"er the ,row and stood in a
line. Then To) ,owed
to the ho,,its.
?2ere are your ponies$ nowN? he said.
?They?"e )ore sense Din so)e waysE
than you wandering
ho,,its ha"e O )ore sense in their
noses. For they sniff danger ahead
whi1h you walk right intoI
and if they run to sa"e the)sel"es$
then they run the right way. Gou )ust
forgi"e the) allI for
though their hearts are faithful$ to fa1e
fear of Barrow#wights is not what
they were )ade for. %ee$
here they 1o)e again$ ,ringing all
their ,urdensN?
(erry$ %a)$ and Pippin now 1lothed
the)sel"es in spare gar)ents fro)
their pa1ksI and they
soon felt too hot$ for they were
o,liged to put on so)e of the thi1ker
and war)er things that they
had ,rought against the on1o)ing of
winter.
?.here does that other old ani)al$
that Fatty Lu)pkin$ 1o)e fro)M?
asked Frodo.
?2e?s )ine$? said To). ?(y four#
legged friendI though + seldo) ride
hi)$ and he wanders often
far$ free upon the hillsides. .hen
your ponies stayed with )e$ they got
to know )y Lu)pkinI and
they s)elt hi) in the night$ and
Jui1kly ran to )eet hi). + thought
he?d look for the) and with his
words of wisdo) take all their fear
away. But now$ )y Kolly Lu)pkin$
old To)?s going to ride.
2eyN he?s 1o)ing with you$ Kust to set
you on the roadI so he needs a pony.
For you 1annot easily
talk to ho,,its that are riding$ when
you?re on your own legs trying to trot
,eside the).?
The ho,,its were delighted to hear
this$ and thanked To) )any ti)esI
,ut he laughed$ and said
that they were so good at losing
the)sel"es that he would not feel
happy till he had seen the) safe
o"er the ,orders of his land. ?+?"e got
things to do$? he said: ?)y )aking and
)y singing$ )y talking
and )y walking$ and )y wat1hing of
the 1ountry. To) 1an?t ,e always near
to open doors and
willow#1ra1ks. To) has his house to
)ind$ and /old,erry is waiting.?
+t was still fairly early ,y the sun$
so)ething ,etween nine and ten$ and
the ho,,its turned their
)inds to food. Their last )eal had
,een lun1h ,eside the standing stone
the day ,efore. They
,reakfasted now off the re)ainder of
To)?s pro"isions$ )eant for their
supper$ with additions that
To) had ,rought with hi). +t was not
a large )eal D1onsidering ho,,its and
the 1ir1u)stan1esE$ ,ut
they felt )u1h ,etter for it. .hile
they were eating To) went up to the
)ound$ and looked through
the treasures. (ost of these he )ade
into a pile that glistened and sparkled
on the grass. 2e ,ade
the) lie there ?free to all finders$
,irds$ ,easts. !l"es or (en$ and all
kindly 1reatures?I for so the
spell of the )ound should ,e ,roken
and s1attered and no .ight e"er 1o)e
,a1k to it. 2e 1hose for
hi)self fro) the pile a ,roo1h set
with ,lue stones$ )any#shaded like
fla5#flowers or the wings of
,lue ,utterflies. 2e looked long at it$
as if stirred ,y so)e )e)ory$ shaking
his head$ and saying at
last:
?2ere is a pretty toy for To) and for
his ladyN Fair was she who long ago
wore this on her
shoulder. /old,erry shall wear it now$
and we will not forget herN?
For ea1h of the ho,,its he 1hose a
dagger$ long$ leaf#shaped$ and keen$
of )ar"ellous
work)anship$ da)asked with
serpent#for)s in red and gold. They
glea)ed as he drew the) fro)
their ,la1k sheaths$ wrought of so)e
strange )etal$ light and strong$ and
set with )any fiery
stones. .hether ,y so)e "irtue in
these sheaths or ,e1ause of the spell
that lay on the )ound$ the
,lades see)ed untou1hed ,y ti)e$
unrusted$ sharp$ glittering in the sun.
?*ld kni"es are long enough as swords
for ho,,it#people$? he said. ?%harp
,lades are good to
ha"e$ if %hire#folk go walking$ east$
south$ or far away into dark and
danger.? Then he told the)
that these ,lades were forged )any
long years ago ,y (en of
.esternesse: they were foes of the
&ark Lord$ ,ut they were o"er1o)e
,y the e"il king of -arn &=) in the
Land of 4ng)ar.
?Few now re)e),er the)$? To)
)ur)ured$ ?yet still so)e go
wandering$ sons of forgotten
kings walking in loneliness$ guarding
fro) e"il things folk that are
heedless.?
The ho,,its did not understand his
words$ ,ut as he spoke they had a
"ision as it were of a great
e5panse of years ,ehind the)$ like a
"ast shadowy plain o"er whi1h there
strode shapes of (en$
tall and gri) with ,right swords$ and
last 1a)e one with a star on his ,row.
Then the "ision faded$
and they were ,a1k in the sunlit
world. +t was ti)e to start again. They
)ade ready$ pa1king their
,ags and lading their ponies. Their
new weapons they hung on their
leather ,elts under their
Ka1kets$ feeling the) "ery awkward$
and wondering if they would ,e of
any use. Fighting had not
,efore o11urred to any of the) as one
of the ad"entures in whi1h their flight
would land the).
4t last they set off. They led their
ponies down the hillI and then
)ounting they trotted Jui1kly
along the "alley. They looked ,a1k
and saw the top of the old )ound on
the hill$ and fro) it the
sunlight on the gold went up like a
yellow fla)e. Then they turned a
shoulder of the &owns and it
was hidden fro) "iew.
Though Frodo looked a,out hi) on
e"ery side he saw no sign of the great
stones standing like a
gate$ and ,efore long they 1a)e to the
northern gap and rode swiftly
through$ and the land fell
away ,efore the). +t was a )erry
Kourney with To) Bo),adil trotting
gaily ,eside the)$ or ,efore
the)$ on Fatty Lu)pkin$ who 1ould
)o"e )u1h faster than his girth
pro)ised. To) sang )ost of
the ti)e$ ,ut it was 1hiefly nonsense$
or else perhaps a strange language
unknown to the ho,,its$ an
an1ient language whose words were
)ainly those of wonder and delight.
They went forward steadily$ ,ut they
soon saw that the Road was further
away than they had
i)agined. !"en without a fog$ their
sleep at )id#day would ha"e
pre"ented the) fro) rea1hing it
until after nightfall on the day ,efore.
The dark line they had seen was not a
line of trees ,ut a line
of ,ushes growing on the edge of a
deep dike with a steep wall on the
further side. To) said that it
had on1e ,een the ,oundary of a
kingdo)$ ,ut a "ery long li)e ago.
2e see)ed to re)e),er
so)ething sad a,out it$ and would not
say )u1h.
They 1li),ed down and out of the
dike and through a gap in the wall$
and then To) turned due
north$ for they had ,een ,earing
so)ewhat to the west. The land was
now open and fairly le"el$ and
they Jui1kened their pa1e$ ,ut the sun
was already sinking low when at last
they saw a line of tall
trees ahead$ and they knew that they
had 1o)e ,a1k to the Road after )any
une5pe1ted ad"entures.
They galloped their ponies o"er the
last furlongs$ and halted under the
long shadows of the trees.
They were on the top of a sloping
,ank$ and the Road$ now di) as
e"ening drew on$ wound away
,elow the). 4t this point it ran nearly
fro) %outh#west to 'orth#east$ and on
their right it fell
Jui1kly down into a wide hollow. +t
was rutted and ,ore )any signs of the
re1ent hea"y rainI there
were pools and pot#holes full of
water. They rode down the ,ank and
looked up and down. There
was nothing to ,e seen. ?.ell$ here we
are again at lastN? said Frodo. ?+
suppose we ha"en?t lost )ore
than two days ,y )y short 1ut through
the ForestN But perhaps the delay will
pro"e useful O it )ay
ha"e put the) off our trail.?
The others looked at hi). The shadow
of the fear of the Bla1k Riders 1a)e
suddenly o"er the)
again. !"er sin1e they had entered the
Forest they had thought 1hiefly of
getting ,a1k to the RoadI
only now when it lay ,eneath their
feet did they re)e),er the danger
whi1h pursued the)$ and was
)ore than likely to ,e lying in wait
for the) upon the Road itself. They
looked an5iously ,a1k
towards the setting sun$ ,ut the Road
was ,rown and e)pty.
?&o you think$? asked Pippin
hesitatingly$ ?do you think we )ay ,e
pursued$ tonightM?
?'o$ + hope not tonight$? answered
To) Bo),adilI ?nor perhaps the ne5t
day. But do not trust )y
guessI for + 1annot tell for 1ertain. *ut
east )y knowledge fails. To) is not
)aster of Riders fro)
the Bla1k Land far ,eyond his
1ountry.?
4ll the sa)e the ho,,its wished he
was 1o)ing with the). They felt that
he would know how to
deal with Bla1k Riders$ if anyone did.
They would soon now ,e going
forward into lands wholly
strange to the)$ and ,eyond all ,ut
the )ost "ague and distant legends of
the %hire$ and in the
gathering twilight they longed for
ho)e. 4 deep loneliness and sense of
loss was on the). They
stood silent$ relu1tant to )ake the
final parting$ and only slowly ,e1a)e
aware that To) was
wishing the) farewell$ and telling
the) to ha"e good heart and to ride
on till dark without halting.
?To) will gi"e you good ad"i1e$ till
this day is o"er Dafter that your own
lu1k )ust go with you
and guide youE: four )iles along the
Road you?ll 1o)e upon a "illage$ Bree
under Bree#hill$ with
doors looking westward. There you?ll
find an old inn that is 1alled AThe
Pran1ing Pony.A Barli)an
Butter,ur is the worthy keeper. There
you 1an stay the night$ and afterwards
the )orning will speed
you upon your way. Be ,old$ ,ut
waryN eep up your )erry hearts$ and
ride to )eet your fortuneN?
They ,egged hi) to 1o)e at least as
far as the inn and drink on1e )ore
with the)I ,ut he
laughed and refused$ saying:
To)?s 1ountry ends here: he will not
pass the ,orders.
To) has his house to )ind$ and
/old,erry is waitingN
Then he turned$ tossed up his hat$
leaped on Lu)pkin?s ,a1k$ and rode
up o"er the ,ank and
away singing into the dusk.
The ho,,its 1li),ed up and wat1hed
hi) until he was out of sight.
?+ a) sorry to take lea"e of (aster
Bo),adil$? said %a). ?2e?s a 1aution
and no )istake. + re1kon
we )ay go a good deal further and
see naught ,etter$ nor Jueerer. But +
won?t deny +?ll ,e glad to
see this APran1ing PonyAhe spoke of.
+ hope it?ll ,e like AThe /reen
&ragonA away ,a1k ho)eN
.hat sort of folk are they in BreeM?
?There are ho,,its in Bree$? said
(erry$ ?as well as Big Folk. + daresay
it will ,e ho)elike
enough. AThe PonyA is a good inn ,y
all a11ounts. (y people ride out there
now and again.?
?+t )ay ,e all we 1ould wish$? said
FrodoI ?,ut it is outside the %hire all
the sa)e. &on?t )ake
yoursel"es too )u1h at ho)eN Please
re)e),er #all of you O that the na)e
of Baggins )ust '*T
,e )entioned. + a) (r. 0nderhill$ if
any na)e )ust ,e gi"en.?
They now )ounted their ponies and
rode off silently into the e"ening.
&arkness 1a)e down
Jui1kly$ as they plodded slowly
downhill and up again$ until at last
they saw lights twinkling so)e
distan1e ahead.
Before the) rose Bree#hill ,arring the
way$ a dark )ass against )isty starsI
and under its
western flank nestled a large "illage.
Towards it they now hurried desiring
only to find a fire$ and a
door ,etween the) and the night.
A-hapter :A
4t the %ign of
The Pran1ing PonyA
Bree was the 1hief "illage of the Bree#
land$ a s)all inha,ited region$ like an
island in the e)pty
lands round a,out. Besides Bree itself$
there was %taddle on the other side of
the hill$ -o),e in a
deep "alley a little further eastward$
and 4r1het on the edge of the
-hetwood. Lying round Breehill
and the "illages was a s)all 1ountry
of fields and ta)ed woodland only a
few )iles ,road.
The (en of Bree were ,rown#haired$
,road$ and rather short$ 1heerful and
independent: they
,elonged to no,ody ,ut the)sel"esI
,ut they were )ore friendly and
fa)iliar with 2o,,its$
&war"es$ !l"es$ and other inha,itants
of the world a,out the) than was Dor
isE usual with Big
People. 411ording to their own tales
they were the original inha,itants and
were the des1endants of
the first (en that e"er wandered into
the .est of the )iddle#world. Few
had sur"i"ed the tur)oils
of the !lder &aysI ,ut when the ings
returned again o"er the /reat %ea they
had found the Bree)en
still there$ and they were still there
now$ when the )e)ory of the old
ings had faded into the
grass.
+n those days no other (en had
settled dwellings so far west$ or
within a hundred leagues of the
%hire. But in the wild lands ,eyond
Bree there were )ysterious
wanderers. The Bree#folk 1alled
the) Rangers$ and knew nothing of
their origin. They were taller and
darker than the (en of Bree
and were ,elie"ed to ha"e strange
powers of sight and hearing$ and to
understand the languages of
,easts and ,irds. They roa)ed at will
southwards$ and eastwards e"en as far
as the (isty
(ountainsI ,ut they were now few
and rarely seen. .hen they appeared
they ,rought news fro)
afar$ and told strange forgotten tales
whi1h were eagerly listened toI ,ut
the Bree#folk did not )ake
friends of the).
There were also )any fa)ilies of
ho,,its in the Bree#land and
AtheyA1lai)ed to ,e the oldest
settle)ent of 2o,,its in the world$
one that was founded long ,efore
e"en the Brandywine was
1rossed and the %hire 1oloni<ed. They
li"ed )ostly in %taddle though there
were so)e in Bree
itself$ espe1ially on the higher slopes
of the hill$ a,o"e the houses of the
(en. The Big Folk and the
Little Folk Das they 1alled one
anotherE were on friendly ter)s$
)inding their own affairs in their
own ways$ ,ut ,oth rightly regarding
the)sel"es as ne1essary parts of the
Bree#folk. 'owhere else
in the world was this pe1uliar D,ut
e51ellentE arrange)ent to ,e found.
The Bree#folk$ Big and Little$ did not
the)sel"es tra"el )u1hI and the
affairs of the four
"illages were their 1hief 1on1ern.
*11asionally the 2o,,its of Bree
went as far as Bu1kland$ or the
!astfarthingI ,ut though their link
land was not )u1h further than a day?s
riding east of the
Brandywine Bridge$ the 2o,,its of
the %hire now seldo) "isited it. 4n
o11asional Bu1klander or
ad"enturous Took would 1o)e out to
the +nn for a night or two$ ,ut e"en
that was ,e1o)ing less
and less usual. The %hire#ho,,its
referred to those of Bree$ and to any
others that li"ed ,eyond the
,orders$ as *utsiders$ and took "ery
little interest in the)$ 1onsidering
the) dull and un1outh.
There were pro,a,ly )any )ore
*utsiders s1attered a,out in the .est
of the .orld in those days
than the people of the %hire i)agined.
%o)e$ dou,tless$ were no ,etter than
tra)ps$ ready to dig a
hole in any ,ank and stay only as long
as it suited the). But in the Bree#land$
at any rate$ the
ho,,its were de1ent and prosperous$
and no )ore rusti1 than )ost of their
distant relati"es +nside. +t
was not yet forgotten that there had
,een a ti)e when there was )u1h
1o)ing and going ,etween
the %hire and Bree. There was Bree#
,lood in the Brandy,u1ks ,y all
a11ounts.
The "illage of Bree had so)e hundred
stone houses of the Big Folk$ )ostly
a,o"e the Road$
nestling on the hillside with windows
looking west. *n that side$ running in
)ore than half a 1ir1le
fro) the hill and ,a1k to it$ there was
a deep dike with a thi1k hedge on the
inner side. *"er this the
Road 1rossed ,y a 1ausewayI ,ut
where it pier1ed the hedge it was
,arred ,y a great gate. There
was another gate in the southern
1o)er where the Road ran out of the
"illage. The gates were
1losed at nightfallI ,ut Kust inside
the) were s)all lodges for the
gatekeepers.
&own on the Road$ where it swept to
the right to go round the foot of the
hill$ there was a large
inn. +t had ,een ,uilt long ago when
the traffi1 on the roads had ,een far
greater. For Bree stood at
an old )eeting of waysI another
an1ient road 1rossed the !ast Road
Kust outside Dhe dike at the
western end of the "illage$ and in
for)er days (en and other folk of
"arious sorts had tra"elled
)u1h on it. A%trange as 'ews fro)
BreeA was still a saying in the
!astfarthing$ des1ending fro)
those days$ when news fro) 'orth$
%outh$ and !ast 1ould ,e heard in the
inn$ and when the %hireho,,its
used to go )ore often to hear it. But
the 'orthern Lands had long ,een
desolate$ and the
'orth Road was now seldo) used: it
was grass#grown$ and the Bree#folk
1alled it the /reenway.
The +nn of Bree was still there$
howe"er$ and the innkeeper was an
i)portant person. 2is house
was a )eeting pla1e for the idle$
talkati"e$ and inJuisiti"e a)ong the
inha,itants$ large and s)all$
of the four "illagesI and a resort of
Rangers and other wanderers$ and for
su1h tra"ellers D)ostly
dwar"esE as still Kourneyed on the
!ast Road$ to and fro) the
(ountains.
+t was dark$ and white stars were
shining$ when Frodo and his
1o)panions 1a)e at last to the
/reenway#1rossing and drew near the
"illage. They 1a)e to the .est#gate
and found it shut$ ,ut at
the door of the lodge ,eyond it$ there
was a )an sitting. 2e Ku)ped up and
fet1hed a lantern and
looked o"er the gate at the) in
surprise.
?.hat do you want$ and where do you
1o)e fro)M? he asked gruffly.
?.e are )aking for the inn here$?
answered Frodo. ?.e are Kourneying
east and 1annot go further
tonight.?
?2o,,itsN Four ho,,itsN 4nd what?s
)ore$ out of the %hire ,y their talk$?
said the gatekeeper$
softly as if speaking to hi)self. 2e
stared at the) darkly for a )o)ent$
and then slowly opened the
gate and let the) ride through.
?.e don?t often see %hire#folk riding
on the Road at night$? he went on$ as
they halted a )o)ent
,y his door. ?Gou?ll pardon )y
wondering what ,usiness takes you
away east of BreeN .hat )ay
your na)es ,e$ )ight + askM?
?*ur na)es and our ,usiness are our
own$ and this does not see) a good
pla1e to dis1uss the)$?
said Frodo$ not liking the look of the
)an or the tone of his "oi1e.
?Gour ,usiness is your own$ no dou,t$?
said the )anI ?,ut it?s )y ,usiness to
ask Juestions after
nightfall.?
?.e are ho,,its fro) Bu1kland$ and
we ha"e a fan1y to tra"el and to stay
at the inn here$? put in
(erry. ?+ a) (r. Brandy,u1k. +s that
enough for youM The Bree#folk used
to ,e fair#spoken to
tra"ellers$ or so + had heard.?
?4ll right$ all rightN? said the )an. ?+
)eant no offen1e. But you?ll find
)ay,e that )ore folk than
old 2arry at the gate will ,e asking
you Juestions. There?s Jueer folk
a,out. +f you go on to AThe
Pony$A you?ll find you?re oat the only
guests.?
2e wished the) good night$ and they
said no )oreI ,ut Frodo 1ould see in
the lantern#light that
the )an was still eyeing the)
1uriously. 2e was glad to hear the
gate 1lang to ,ehind the)$ as they
rode forward. 2e wondered why the
)an was so suspi1ious$ and whether
any one had ,een asking
for Anews ofA a party of ho,,its.
-ould it ha"e ,een /andalfM 2e
)ight ha"e arri"ed$ while they
were delayed in the Forest and the
&owns. But there was so)ething in
the look and the "oi1e of the
gatekeeper that )ade hi) uneasy.
The )an stared after the ho,,its for a
)o)ent$ and then he went ,a1k to his
house. 4s soon as
his ,a1k was turned$ a dark figure
1li),ed Jui1kly in o"er the gate and
)elted into the shadows of
the "illage street.
The ho,,its rode on up a gentle slope$
passing a few deta1hed houses$ and
drew up outside the
inn. The houses looked large and
strange to the). %a) stared up at the
inn with its three storeys
and )any windows$ and felt his heart
sink. 2e had i)agined hi)self
)eeting giants taller than
trees$ and other 1reatures e"en )ore
terrifying$ so)e ti)e or other in the
1ourse of his KourneyI ,ut
at the )o)ent he was finding his first
sight of (en and their tall houses
Juite enough$ indeed too
)u1h for the dark end of a tiring day.
2e pi1tured ,la1k horses standing all
saddled in the shadows
of the inn#yard$ and Bla1k Riders
peering out of dark upper windows.
?.e surely aren?t going to stay here
for the night$ are we$ sirM? he
e51lai)ed. ?+f there are ho,,itfolk
in these pans$ why don?t we look for
so)e that would ,e willing to take us
inM +t would ,e
)ore ho)elike.?
?.hat?s wrong with the innM? said
Frodo. ?To) Bo),adil re1o))ended
it. + e5pe1t it?s ho)elike
enough inside.?
!"en fro) the outside the inn looked
a pleasant house to fa)iliar eyes. +t
had a front on the
Road$ and two wings running ,a1k on
land partly 1ut out of the lower slopes
of the hill$ so that at
the rear the se1ond#floor windows
were le"el with the ground. There was
a wide ar1h leading to a
1ourtyard ,etween the two wings$ and
on the left under the ar1h there was a
large doorway rea1hed
,y a few ,road steps. The door was
open and light strea)ed out of it.
4,o"e the ar1h there was a
la)p$ and ,eneath it swung a large
sign,oard: a fat white pony reared up
on its hind legs. *"er the
door was painted in white letters:
T2! PR4'-+'/ P*'G ,y
B4RL+(4' B0TT!RB0R. (any
of the lower windows showed lights
,ehind thi1k 1urtains.
4s they hesitated outside in the
gloo)$ so)eone ,egan singing a
)erry song inside$ and )any
1heerful "oi1es Koined loudly in the
1horus. They listened to this
en1ouraging sound for a )o)ent
and then got off their ponies. The
song ended and there was a ,urst of
laughter and 1lapping.
They led their ponies under the ar1h$
and lea"ing the) standing in the yard
they 1li),ed up the
steps. Frodo went forward and nearly
,u)ped into a short fat )an with a
,ald head and a red fa1e.
2e had a white apron on$ and was
,ustling out of one door and in
through another$ 1arrying a tray
laden with full )ugs.
?-an we#? ,egan Frodo.
?2alf a )inute$ if you pleaseN? shouted
the )an o"er his shoulder$ and
"anished into a ,a,el of
"oi1es and a 1loud of s)oke. +n a
)o)ent he was out again$ wiping his
hands on his apron.
?/ood e"ening$ little )asterN? he said$
,ending down. ?.hat )ay you ,e
wantingM?
?Beds for four$ and sta,ling for fi"e
ponies$ if that 1an ,e )anaged. 4re
you (r. Butter,urM?
?That?s rightN Barli)an is )y na)e.
Barli)an Butter,ur at your ser"i1eN
Gou?re fro) the %hire$
ehM? he said$ and then suddenly he
1lapped his hand to his forehead$ as if
trying to re)e),er
so)ething. ?2o,,itsN? he 1ried. ?'ow
what does that re)ind )e ofM (ight +
ask your na)es$ sirM?
?(r. Took and (r. Brandy,u1k$? said
FrodoI ?and this is %a) /a)gee. (y
na)e is 0nderhill.?
?There nowN? said (r. Butter,ur$
snapping his fingers. ?+t?s gone againN
But it?ll 1o)e ,a1k$ when
+ ha"e ti)e to think. +?) run off )y
feetI ,ut +?ll see what + 1an do for you.
.e don?t often get a
party out of the %hire nowadays$ and +
should ,e sorry not to )ake you
wel1o)e. But there is su1h
a 1rowd already in the house tonight
as there hasn?t ,een for long enough.
+t ne"er rains ,ut it
pours$ we say in Bree.
?2iN 'o,N? he shouted. ?.here are you$
you woolly#footed slow#1oa1hM 'o,N?
?-o)ing$ sirN -o)ingN? 4 1heery#
looking ho,,it ,o,,ed out of a door$
and seeing the tra"ellers$
stopped short and stared at the) with
great interest.
?.here?s Bo,M? asked the landlord.
?Gou don?t knowM .ell find hi)N
&ou,le sharpN + ha"en?t got
si5 legs$ nor si5 eyes neitherN Tell
Bo, there?s fi"e ponies that ha"e to ,e
sta,led. 2e )ust find
roo) so)ehow.? 'o, trotted off with
a grin and a wink.
?.ell$ now$ what was + going to sayM?
said (r. Butter,ur$ tapping his
forehead. ?*ne thing dri"es
out another$ so to speak. +?) that ,usy
tonight$ )y head is going round.
There?s a party that 1a)e up
the /reenway fro) down %outh last
night O and that was strange enough to
,egin with. Then there?s
a tra"elling 1o)pany of dwar"es
going .est 1o)e in this e"ening. 4nd
now there?s you. +f you
weren?t ho,,its$ + dou,t if we 1ould
house you. But we?"e got a roo) or
two in the north wing that
were )ade spe1ial for ho,,its$ when
this pla1e was ,uilt. *n the ground
floor as they usually
preferI round windows and all as they
like it. + hope you?ll ,e 1o)forta,le.
Gou?ll ,e wanting
supper$ + don?t dou,t. 4s soon as )ay
,e. This way nowN?
2e led the) a short way down a
passage$ and opened a door. ?2ere is a
ni1e little parlourN? he
said. ?+ hope it will suit. !51use )e
now. +?) that ,usy. 'o ti)e for
talking. + )ust ,e trotting. +t?s
hard work for two legs$ ,ut + don?t get
thinner. +?ll look in again later. +f you
want anything$ ring the
hand#,ell$ and 'o, will 1o)e. +f he
don?t 1o)e$ ring and shoutN?
*ff he went at last$ and left the)
feeling rather ,reathless. 2e see)ed
1apa,le of an endless
strea) of talk$ howe"er ,usy he )ight
,e. They found the)sel"es in a s)all
and 1osy roo). There
was a ,it of ,right fire ,urning on the
hearth$ and in front of it were so)e
low and 1o)forta,le
1hairs. There was a round ta,le$
already spread with a white 1loth$ and
on it was a large hand#,ell.
But 'o,$ the ho,,it ser"ant$ 1a)e
,ustling in long ,efore they thought
of ringing. 2e ,rought
1andles and a tray full of plates.
?.ill you ,e wanting anything to
drink$ )astersM? he asked. ?4nd shall +
show you the ,edroo)s$
while your supper is got readyM?
They were washed and in the )iddle
of good deep )ugs of ,eer when (r.
Butter,ur and 'o,
1a)e in again. +n a twinkling the ta,le
was laid. There was hot soup$ 1old
)eats$ a ,la1k,erry tart$
new loa"es$ sla,s of ,utter$ and half a
ripe 1heese: good plain food$ as good
as the %hire 1ould
show$ and ho)elike enough to dispel
the last of %a)?s )isgi"ings Dalready
)u1h relie"ed ,y the
e51ellen1e of the ,eerE.
The landlord ho"ered round for a link$
and then prepared to lea"e the). ?+
don?t know whether
you would 1are to Koin the 1o)pany$
when you ha"e supped$? he said$
standing at the door. ?Perhaps
you would rather go to your ,eds.
%till the 1o)pany would ,e "ery
pleased to wel1o)e youA$A if
you had a )ind. .e don?t get
*utsiders O tra"ellers fro) the %hire$ +
should say$ ,egging your
pardon O oftenI and we like to hear a
,it of news$ or any story or song you
)ay ha"e in )ind. But
as you pleaseN Ring the ,ell$ if you
la1k anythingN?
%o refreshed and en1ouraged did they
feel at the end of their supper Da,out
three Juarters of an
hour?s steady going$ not hindered ,y
unne1essary talkE that Frodo$ Pippin$
and %a) de1ided to Koin
the 1o)pany. (erry said it would ,e
too stuffy. ?+ shall sit here Juietly ,y
the fire for a ,it$ and
perhaps go out later for a sniff of the
air. (ind your Ps and Ps$ and don?t
forget that you are
supposed to ,e es1aping in se1ret$ and
are still AonA the high#road and not
"ery far fro) the %hireN?
?4ll rightN? said Pippin. ?(ind
yourselfN &on?t get lost$ and don?t
forget that it is safer indoorsN?
The 1o)pany was in the ,ig 1o))on#
roo) of the inn. The gathering was
large and )i5ed$ as
Frodo dis1o"ered$ when his eyes got
used to the light. This 1a)e 1hiefly
fro) a ,la<ing log#fire$ for
the three la)ps hanging fro) the
,ea)s were di)$ and half "eiled in
s)oke. Barli)an Butter,ur
was standing near the fire$ talking to a
1ouple of dwar"es and one or two
strange#looking )en. *n
the ,en1hes were "arious folk: )en of
Bree$ a 1olle1tion of lo1al ho,,its
Dsitting 1hattering
togetherE$ a few )ore dwar"es$ and
other "ague figures diffi1ult to )ake
out away in the shadows
and 1o)ers.
4s soon as the %hire#ho,,its entered$
there was a 1horus of wel1o)e fro)
the Bree#landers. The
strangers$ espe1ially those that had
1o)e up the /reenway$ stared at the)
1uriously. The landlord
introdu1ed the new1o)ers to the
Bree#folk$ so Jui1kly that$ though
they 1aught )any na)es$ they
were seldo) sure who the na)es
,elonged to. The (en of Bree see)ed
all to ha"e rather ,otani1al
Dand to the %hire#folk rather oddE
na)es$ like Rushlight$ /oatleaf$
2eathertoes$ 4ppledore$
Thistlewool and Ferny Dnot to
)ention Butter,urE. %o)e of the
ho,,its had si)ilar na)es. The
(ugworts$ for instan1e$ see)ed
nu)erous. But )ost of the) had
natural na)es$ su1h as Banks$
Bro1khouse$ Longholes$ %andhea"er$
and Tunnelly$ )any of whi1h were
used in the %hire. There
were se"eral 0nderhills fro) %addle$
and as they 1ould not i)agine sharing
a na)e without ,eing
related$ they took Frodo to their hearts
as a long#lost 1ousin.
The Bree#ho,,its were$ in fa1t$
friendly and inJuisiti"e$ and Frodo
soon found that so)e
e5planation of what he was doing
would ha"e to ,e gi"en. 2e ga"e out
that he was interested in
history and geography Dat whi1h there
was )u1h wagging of heads$ although
neither of these words
were )u1h used in the Bree#diale1tE.
2e said he was thinking of writing a
,ook Dat whi1h there was
silent astonish)entE$ AandA that he
and his friends wanted to 1olle1t
infor)ation a,out ho,,its
li"ing outside the %hire$ espe1ially in
the eastern lands.
4t this a 1horus of "oi1es ,roke out. +f
Frodo had really wanted to write a
,ook$ and had had
)any ears$ he would ha"e learned
enough for se"eral 1hapters in a few
)inutes. 4nd if that was not
enough$ he was gi"en a whole list of
na)es$ ,eginning with ?*ld Barli)an
here?$ to who) he 1ould
go for further infor)ation. But after a
ti)e$ as Frodo did not show any
AsignA of writing a ,ook on
the spot$ the ho,,its returned to their
Juestions a,out doings in the %hire.
Frodo did not pro"e "ery
1o))uni1ati"e$ and he soon found
hi)self sitting alone in a 1o)er$
listening and looking around.
The (en and &war"es were )ostly
talking of distant e"ents and telling
flews of a kind that was
,e1o)ing only too fa)iliar. There
was trou,le away in the %outh$ and it
see)ed that the (en who
had 1o)e up the /reenway were on
the )o"e$ looking for lands where
they 1ould find so)e pea1e.
The Bree#folk were sy)patheti1$ ,ut
plainly not "ery ready to take a large
nu),er of strangers into
their little land. *ne of the tra"ellers$
a sJuint#eyed ill#fa"oured fellow$ was
foretelling that )ore
and )ore people would ,e 1o)ing
north in the near future. ?+f roo) isn?t
found for the)$ they?ll find
it for the)sel"es. They?"e a right to
li"e$ sa)e as other folk$? he said
loudly. The lo1al inha,itants
did not look pleased at the prospe1t.
The ho,,its did not pay )u1h
attention to all this$ and it did not at
the )o)ent see) to 1on1ern
ho,,its. Big Folk 1ould hardly ,eg for
lodgings in ho,,it#holes. They were
)ore interested in %a)
and Pippin$ who were now feeling
Juite at ho)e$ and were 1hatting gaily
a,out e"ents in the %hire.
Pippin roused a good deal of laughter
with an a11ount of the 1ollapse of the
roof of the Town 2ole
in (i1hel &el"ing: .ill .hitfoot$ the
(ayor$ and the fattest ho,,it in the
.estfarthing$ had ,een
,uried in 1halk$ and 1a)e out like a
floured du)pling. But there were
se"eral Juestions asked that
)ade Frodo a little uneasy. *ne of the
Bree#landers$ who see)ed to ha"e
,een in the %hire se"eral
ti)es$ wanted to know where the
0nderhills li"ed and who they were
related to.
%uddenly Frodo noti1ed that a
strange#looking weather#,eaten )an$
sitting in the shadows near
the wall$ was also listening intently to
the ho,,it#talk. 2e had a tall tankard
in front of hi)$ and was
s)oking a long#ste))ed pipe
1uriously 1ar"ed. 2is legs were
stret1hed out ,efore hi)$ showing
high ,oots of supple leather that fitted
hi) well$ ,ut had seen )u1h wear and
were now 1aked with
)ud. 4 tra"el#stained 1loak of hea"y
dark#green 1loth was drawn 1lose
a,out hi)$ and in spite of
the heat of the roo) he wore a hood
that o"ershadowed his fa1eI ,ut the
glea) of his eyes 1ould ,e
seen as he wat1hed the ho,,its.
?.ho is thatM? Frodo asked$ when he
got a 1han1e to whisper to (r.
Butter,ur. ?+ don?t think you
introdu1ed hi)M?
?2i)M? said the landlord in an
answering whisper$ 1o1king an eye
without turning his head. ?+
don?t rightly know. 2e is one of the
wandering folk #Rangers we 1all
the). 2e seldo) talks: not ,ut
what he 1an tell a rare tale when he
has the )ind. 2e disappears for a
)onth$ or a year$ and then he
pops up again. 2e was in and out
pretty often last springI ,ut + ha"en?t
seen hi) a,out lately. .hat
his right na)e is +?"e ne"er heard: ,ut
he?s known round here as %trider.
/oes a,out at a great pa1e
on his long shanksI though he don?t
tell no,ody what 1ause he has to
hurry. But there?s no
a11ounting for !ast and .est$ as we
say in Bree$ )eaning the Rangers and
the %hire#folk$ ,egging
your pardon. Funny you should ask
a,out hi).? But at that )o)ent (r.
Butter,ur was 1alled away
,y a de)and for )ore ale and his last
re)ark re)ained une5plained.
Frodo found that %trider was now
looking at hi)$ as if he had heard or
guessed all that had ,een
said. Presently$ with a wa"e of his
hand and a nod$ he in"ited Frodo to
1o)e o"er and sit ,y hi).
4s Frodo drew near ,e threw ,a1k his
hood$ showing a shaggy head of dark
hair ne1ked with grey$
and in a pale ste) fa1e a pair of keen
grey eyes.
?+ a) 1alled %trider$? he said in a low
"oi1e. ?+ a) "ery pleased to )eet you.
(aster O 0nderhill$
if old Butter,ur got your na)e right.?
?2e did$? said Frodo stiffly. 2e felt far
fro) 1o)forta,le under the stare of
those keen eyes.
?.ell$ (aster 0nderhill$? said %trider$
?if + were you$ + should stop your
young friends fro)
talking too )u1h. &rinkA$A fire$ and
1han1e#)eeting are pleasant enough$
,ut$ well O this isn?t the
%hire. There are Jueer folk a,out.
Though + say it as shouldn?t$ you )ay
think$? he added with a wry
s)ile$ seeing Frodo?s glan1e. ?4nd
there ha"e ,een e"en stranger
tra"ellers through Bree lately$? he
went on$ wat1hing Frodo?s fa1e.
Frodo returned his ga<e ,ut said
nothingI and %trider )ade no further
sign. 2is attention see)ed
suddenly to ,e fi5ed on Pippin. To his
alar) Frodo ,e1a)e aware that the
ridi1ulous young Took$
en1ouraged ,y his su11ess with the fat
(ayor of (i1hel &el"ing$ was now
a1tually gi"ing a 1o)i1
a11ount of Bil,o?s farewell party. 2e
was already gi"ing an i)itation of the
%pee1h$ and was
drawing near to the astonishing
&isappearan1e.
Frodo was annoyed. +t was a har)less
enough tale for )ost of the lo1al
ho,,its$ no dou,t: Kust a
funny story a,out those funny people
away ,eyond the Ri"erI ,ut so)e Dold
Butter,ur$ for
instan1eE knew a thing or two$ and
had pro,a,ly heard ru)ours long ago
a,out Bil,o?s "anishing. +t
would ,ring the na)e of Baggins to
their )inds$ espe1ially if there had
,een inJuiries in Bree after
that na)e.
Frodo fidgeted$ wondering what to do.
Pippin was e"idently )u1h enKoying
the attention he was
getting$ and had ,e1o)e Juite
forgetful of their danger. Frodo had a
sudden fear that in his present
)ood he )ight e"en )ention the
RingI and that )ight well ,e
disastrous.
?Gou had ,etter do so)ething Jui1kN?
whispered %trider in his ear.
Frodo Ku)ped up and stood on a ta,le$
and ,egan to talk. The attention of
Pippin?s audien1e was
distur,ed. %o)e of the ho,,its looked
at Frodo and laughed and 1lapped$
thinking that (r.
0nderhill had taken as )u1h ale as
was good for hi).
Frodo suddenly felt "ery foolish$ and
found hi)self Das was his ha,it when
)aking a spee1hE
fingering the things in his po1ket. 2e
felt the Ring on its 1hain$ and Juite
una11ounta,ly the desire
1a)e o"er hi) to slip it on and "anish
out of the silly situation. +t see)ed to
hi)$ so)ehow$ as if
)e suggestion 1a)e to hi) fro)
outside$ fro) so)eone or so)ething a
the roo). 2e resisted the
te)ptation fir)ly$ and 1lasped the
Ring in his hand$ as if to keep a hold
on it and pre"ent it fro)
es1aping or doing AanyA )is1hief. 4t
any rate it ga"e hi) no inspiration. 2e
spoke ?a few suita,le
words?$ as they would ha"e said in the
%hire: A.e are all "ery )u1h gratified
,y the kindness of
your re1eption$ and + "enture to hope
that )y ,rief "isit will help to renew
the old ties of friendship
,etween the %hire and BreeIAand then
he hesitated and 1oughed.
!"eryone in the roo) was now
looking at hi). ?4 songN? shouted one
of the ho,,its. ?4 songN 4
songN? shouted all the others. ?-o)e
on now$ )aster$ sing us so)ething
that we ha"en?t heard
,eforeN?
For a )o)ent Frodo stood gaping.
Then in desperation he ,egan a
ridi1ulous song that Bil,o
had ,een rather fond of Dand indeed
rather proud of$ for he had )ade up
the words hi)selfE. +t was
a,out an innI and that is pro,a,ly why
it 1a)e into Frodo?s )ind Kust then.
2ere it is in full. *nly a
few words of it are now$ as a rule$
re)e),ered.
There is an inn$ a )erry old inn
,eneath an old grey hill$
4nd there they ,rew a ,eer so ,rown
That the (an in the (oon hi)self
1a)e down
one night to drink his fill.
The ostler has a tipsy 1at
that plays a fi"e#stringed fiddleI
4nd up and down he runs his ,ow$
'ow sJueaking high$ now purring
low$
now sawing in the )iddle.
The landlord keeps a little dog
that is )ighty fond of KokesI
.hen there?s good 1heer a)ong the
guests$
2e 1o1ks an ear at all the Kests
and laughs until he 1hokes.
They also keep a horned 1ow
as proud as any JueenI
But )usi1 turns her head like ale$
4nd )akes her wa"e her tufted tail
and dan1e upon the green.
4nd *N the rows of sil"er dishes
and the store of sil"er spoonsN
For %unday there?s a spe1ial pair$
4nd these they polish up with 1are
on %aturday afternoons.
The (an in the (oon was drinking
deep$
and the 1at ,egan to wailI
4 dish and a spoon on the ta,le
dan1ed$
The 1ow in the garden )adly pran1ed$
and the little dog 1hased his tail.
The (an in the (oon took another
)ug$
and then rolled ,eneath his 1hairI
4nd there he do<ed and drea)ed of
ale$
Till in the sky the stars were pale$
and dawn was in the air.
Then the ostler said to his tipsy 1at:
?The white horses of the (oon$
They neigh and 1ha)p their sil"er
,itsI
But their )aster?s ,een and drowned
his wits$
and the %un?ll ,e rising soonN?
%o the 1at on his fiddle played hey#
diddle#diddle$
a Kig that would wake the dead:
2e sJueaked and sawed and
Jui1kened the tune$
.hile the landlord shook the (an in
the (oon:
?+t?s after threeN? he said.
They rolled the (an slowly up the hill
and ,undled hi) into the (oon$
.hile his horses galloped up in rear$
4nd the 1ow 1a)e 1apering like a
deer$
and a dish ran up with the spoon.
'ow Jui1ker the fiddle went deedle#
du)#diddleI
the dog ,egan to roar$
The 1ow and the horses stood on their
headsI
The guests all ,ounded fro) their
,eds
and dan1ed upon the floor.
.ith a ping and a pong the fiddle#
strings ,rokeN
the 1ow Ku)ped o"er the (oon$
4nd the little dog laughed to see su1h
fun$
4nd the %aturday dish went off at a
run
with the sil"er %unday spoon.
The round (oon rolled ,ehind the hill
as the %un raised up her head.
%he hardly ,elie"ed her fiery eyesI
For though it was day$ to her surprise
they all went ,a1k to ,edN
There was loud and long applause.
Frodo had a good "oi1e$ and the song
ti1kled their fan1y.
?.here?s old BarleyM? they 1ried. ?2e
ought to hear this. Bo, ought to learn
his 1at the fiddle$ and
then we?d ha"e a dan1e.? They 1alled
for )ore ale$ and ,egan to shout:
?Let?s ha"e it again$ )asterN
-o)e on nowN *n1e )oreN?
They )ade Frodo ha"e another drink$
and then ,egin his song again$ while
)any of the) Koined
inI for the tune was well known$ and
they were Jui1k at pi1king up words.
+t was now Frodo?s turn
to feel pleased with hi)self. 2e
1apered a,out on the ta,leI and when
he 1a)e a se1ond ti)e to
Athe 1ow Ku)ped o"er the (oon$A he
leaped in the air. (u1h too
"igorouslyI for he 1a)e down$
,ang$ into a tray full of )ugs$ and
slipped$ and rolled off the ta,le with a
1rash$ 1latter$ and ,u)pN
The audien1e all opened their )ouths
wide for laughter$ and stopped short a
gaping silen1eI for the
singer disappeared. 2e si)ply
"anished$ as if he had gone slap
through the floor without lea"ing a
holeN
The lo1al ho,,its stared in
a)a<e)ent$ and then sprang to their
feet and shouted for Barli)an.
4ll the 1o)pany drew away fro)
Pippin and %a)$ who found
the)sel"es left alone in a 1o)er$ and
eyed darkly and dou,tfully fro) a
distan1e. +t was plain that )any
people regarded the) now as
the 1o)panions of a tra"elling
)agi1ian of unknown powers and
purpose. But there was one
swarthy Bree#lander$ who stood
looking at the) with a knowing and
half#)o1king e5pression that
)ade the) feel "ery un1o)forta,le.
Presently he slipped out of the door$
followed ,y the sJuinteyed
southerner: the two had ,een
whispering together a good deal
during the e"ening. 2arry the
gatekeeper also went out Kust ,ehind
the)..
Frodo felt a fool. 'ot knowing what
else to do$ he 1rawled away under the
ta,les to the dark
1o)er ,y %trider$ who sat un)o"ed$
gi"ing no sign of his thoughts. Frodo
leaned ,a1k against the
wall and took off the Ring. 2ow it
1a)e to ,e on his finger he 1ould not
tell. 2e 1ould only
suppose that he had ,een handling it
in his po1ket while he sang$ and that
so)ehow it had slipped
on when he stu1k out his hand with a
Kerk to sa"e his fall. For a )o)ent he
wondered if the Ring
itself had not played hi) a tri1kI
perhaps it had tried to re"eal itself in
response to so)e wish or
1o))and that was felt in the roo).
2e did not like the looks of the )en
that had gone out.
?.ellM? said %trider$ when he
reappeared. ?.hy did you do thatM
.orse than anything your
friends 1ould ha"e saidN Gou ha"e put
your foot in itN *r should + say your
fingerM?
?+ don?t know what you )ean$? said
Frodo$ annoyed and alar)ed.
?*h yes$ you do$? answered %triderI
?,ut we had ,etter wait until the
uproar has died down. Then$
if you please$ (r. ABaggins$ +A should
like a Juiet word with you.?
?.hat a,outM? asked Frodo$ ignoring
the sudden use of his proper na)e.
?4 )atter of so)e i)portan1e O to us
,oth$? answered %trider$ looking Frodo
in the eye. ?Gou
)ay hear so)ething to your
ad"antage.?
?@ery well$? said Frodo$ trying to
appear un1on1erned. ?+?ll talk to you
later.?
(eanwhile an argu)ent was going on
,y the firepla1e. (r. Butter,ur had
1o)e trotting in$ and
he was now trying to listen to se"eral
1onfli1ting a11ounts of the e"ent at
the sa)e ti)e.
?+ saw hi)$ (r. Butter,ur$? said a
ho,,itI ?or leastways + didn?t see hi)$
if you take )y )eaning.
2e Kust "anished into thin air$ in a
)anner of speaking.?
?Gou don?t say$ (r. (ugwortN? said
the landlord$ looking pu<<led.
?Ges + doN? replied (ugwort. ?4nd +
)ean what + say$ what?s )ore.?
?There?s so)e )istake so)ewhere$?
said Butter,ur$ shaking his head.
There was too )u1h of that
(r. 0nderhill to go "anishing into
thin airI or into thi1k air$ as is )ore
likely in this roo).?
?.ell$ where is he nowM? 1ried se"eral
"oi1es.
?2ow should + knowM 2e?s wel1o)e to
go where he will$ so long as he pays
in the )orning.
There?s (r. Took$ now: he?s not
"anished.?
?.ell$ + saw what + saw$ and + saw
what + didn?t$? said (ugwort
o,stinately.
?4nd + say there?s so)e )istake$?
repeated Butter,ur$ pi1king up the
tray and gathering up the
,roken 1ro1kery.
?*f 1ourse there?s a )istakeN? said
Frodo. ?+ ha"en?t "anished. 2ere + a)N
+?"e Kust ,een ha"ing a
few words with %trider in the 1o)er.?
2e 1a)e forward into the firelightI
,ut )ost of the 1o)pany ,a1ked
away$A$A e"en )ore
pertur,ed than ,efore. They were not
in the least satisfied ,y his
e5planation that he had 1rawled
away Jui1kly under the ta,les after he
had fallen. (ost of the 2o,,its and
the (en of Bree went
off then and there in a huff$ ha"ing no
fan1y for further entertain)ent that
e"ening. *ne or two
ga"e Frodo a ,la1k look and departed
)uttering a)ong the)sel"es. The
&war"es and the two or
three strange (en that still re)ained
got up and said good night to the
landlord$ ,ut not to Frodo
and his friends. Before long no one
was left ,ut %trider$ who sat on$
unnoti1ed$ ,y the wall.
(r. Butter,ur did not see) )u1h put
out. 2e re1koned$ "ery pro,a,ly$ that
his house would ,e
full again on )any future nights$ until
the present )ystery had ,een
thoroughly dis1ussed. ?'ow
what ha"e you ,een doing$ (r.
0nderhillM? he asked. ?Frightening )y
1usto)ers and ,reaking up
)y 1ro1ks with your a1ro,ati1sN?
?+ a) "ery sorry to ha"e 1aused any
trou,le$? said Frodo. ?+t was Juite
unintentional$ + assure you.
4 )ost unfortunate a11ident.?
?4ll right$ (r. 0nderhillN But if you?re
going to do any )ore tu),ling$ or
1onKuring$ or whate"er
it was$ you?d ,est warn folk
,eforehand O and warn A)e.A .e?re a
,it suspi1ious round here of
anything out of the way #un1anny$ if
you understand )eI and we don?t take
to it all of a sudden.?
?+ shan?t ,e doing anything of the sort
again$ (r. Butter,ur$ + pro)ise you.
4nd now + think +?ll
,e getting to ,ed. .e shall ,e )aking
an early start. .ill you see that our
ponies are ready ,y eight
o?1lo1kM?
?@ery goodN But ,efore you go$ +
should like a word with you in
pri"ate$ (r. 0nderhill.
%o)ething has Kust 1o)e ,a1k to )y
)ind that + ought to tell you. + hope
that you?ll not take it
a)iss. .hen +?"e seen to a thing or
two$ +?ll 1o)e along to your roo)$ if
you?re willing.?
?-ertainlyN? said FrodoI ,ut his heart
sank. 2e wondered how )any pri"ate
talks he would ha"e
,efore he got to ,ed$ and what they
would re"eal. .ere these people all in
league against hi)M 2e
,egan to suspe1t e"en old Butter,ur?s
fat fa1e of 1on1ealing dark designs.
A-hapter 1;A
%trider
Frodo$ Pippin$ and %a) )ade their
way ,a1k to the parlour. There was no
light. (erry was not
there$ and the fire had ,urned low. +t
was not until they had puffed up the
e),ers into a ,la<e and
thrown on a 1ouple of faggots that
they dis1o"ered %trider had 1o)e with
the). There he was
1al)ly sitting in a 1hair ,y the doorN
?2alloN? said Pippin. ?.ho are you$ and
what do you wantM?
?+ a) 1alled %trider$? he answered: ?and
though he )ay ha"e forgotten it$ your
friend pro)ised to
ha"e a Juiet talk with )e.?
?Gou said + )ight hear so)ething to
)y ad"antage$ + ,elie"e$? said Frodo.
?.hat ha"e you to
sayM?
?%e"eral things$? answered %trider.
?But$ of 1ourse$ + ha"e )y pri1e.?
?.hat do you )eanM? asked Frodo
sharply.
?&on?t ,e alar)edN + )ean Kust this: +
will tell you what + know$ and gi"e
you so)e good ad"i1e
O ,ut + shall want a reward.?
?4nd what will that ,e$ prayM? said
Frodo. 2e suspe1ted now that he had
fallen in with a ras1al$
and he thought un1o)forta,ly that he
had ,rought only a little )oney with
hi). 4ll of it would
hardly satisfy a rogue$ and he 1ould
not spare any of it.
?'o )ore than you 1an afford$?
answered %trider with a slow s)ile$ as
if he guessed Frodo?s
thoughts. ?Just this: you )ust take )e
along with you$ until + wish to lea"e
you.?
?*h$ indeedN? replied Frodo$ surprised$
,ut not )u1h relie"ed. ?!"en if +
wanted another
1o)panion$ + should not agree to any
su1h thing$ until + knew a good deal
)ore a,out you$ and your
,usiness.?
?!51ellentN? e51lai)ed %trider$
1rossing his legs and sitting ,a1k
1o)forta,ly. ?Gou see) to ,e
1o)ing to your senses again$ and that
is all to the good. Gou ha"e ,een
)u1h too 1areless so far.
@ery wellN + will tell you what +
know$ and lea"e the reward to you.
Gou )ay ,e glad to grant it$
when you ha"e heard )e.?
?/o on thenN? said Frodo. ?.hat do
you knowM?
?Too )u1hI too )any dark things$?
said %trider gri)ly. ?But as for your
,usiness #? 2e got up and
went to the door$ opened it Jui1kly
and looked out. Then he shut it
Juietly and sat down again. ?+
ha"e Jui1k ears$? he went on$ lowering
his "oi1e$ ?and though + 1annot
disappear$ + ha"e hunted
)any wild and wary things and + 1an
usually a"oid ,eing seen$ if + wish.
'ow$ + was ,ehind the
hedge this e"ening on the Road west
of Bree$ when four ho,,its 1a)e out
of the &ownlands. + need
not repeat all that they said to old
Bo),adil or to one another$ ,ut one
thing interested )e. APlease
re)e),er$A said one of the)$ Athat
the na)e Baggins )ust not ,e
)entioned. + a) (r. 0nderhill$
if any na)e )ust ,e gi"en.A That
interested )e so )u1h that + followed
the) here. + slipped o"er
the gate Kust ,ehind the). (ay,e (r.
Baggins has an honest reason for
lea"ing his na)e ,ehindI
,ut if so$ + should ad"ise hi) and his
friends to ,e )ore 1areful.?
?+ don?t see what interest )y na)e has
for any one in Bree$? said Frodo
angrily$ ?and + ha"e still
to learn why it interests you. (r.
%trider )ay ha"e an honest reason for
spying and ea"esdroppingI
,ut if so$ + should ad"ise hi) to
e5plain it.?
?.ell answeredN? said %trider
laughing. ?But the e5planation is
si)ple:
+ was looking for a 2o,,it 1alled
Frodo Baggins. + wanted to find hi)
Jui1kly. + had learned
that he was 1arrying out of the %hire$
well$ a se1ret that 1on1erned )e and
)y friends.
?'ow$ don?t )istake )eN? he 1ried$ as
Frodo rose fro) his seat$ and %a)
Ku)ped up with a s1owl.
?+ shall take )ore 1are of the se1ret
than you do. 4nd 1are is neededN? 2e
leaned forward and looked
at the). ?.at1h e"ery shadowN? he
said in a low "oi1e. ?Bla1k horse)en
ha"e passed through Bree.
*n (onday one 1a)e down the
/reenway$ they sayI and another
appeared later$ 1o)ing up the
/reenway fro) the south.?
There was a silen1e. 4t last Frodo
spoke to Pippin and %a): ?+ ought to
ha"e guessed it fro) the
way the gatekeeper greeted us$? he
said. ?4nd the landlord see)s to ha"e
heard so)ething. .hy did
he press us to Koin the 1o)panyM 4nd
why on earth did we ,eha"e so
foolishly: we ought to ha"e
stayed Juiet in here.?
?+t would ha"e ,een ,etter$? said
%trider. ?+ would ha"e stopped your
going into the 1o))onroo)$
if + 1ouldI ,ut the innkeeper would not
let )e in to see you$ or take a
)essage.?
?&o you think heOOO? ,egan Frodo.
?'o$ + don?t think any har) of old
Butter,ur. *nly he does not altogether
like )ysterious
"aga,onds of )y sort.? Frodo ga"e
hi) a pu<<led look. ?.ell$ + ha"e
rather a ras1ally look$ ha"e +
notM? said %trider with a 1url of his lip
and a Jueer glea) in his eye. ?But +
hope we shall get to
know one another ,etter. .hen we
do$ + hope you will e5plain what
happened at the end of your
song. For that little prankOOO?
?+t was sheer a11identN? interrupted
Frodo.
?+ wonder$? said %trider. ?411ident$
then. That a11ident has )ade your
position dangerous.?
?2ardly )ore than it was already$? said
Frodo. ?+ knew these horse)en were
pursuing )eI ,ut
now at any rate they see) to ha"e
)issed )e and to ha"e gone away.?
?Gou )ust not 1ount on thatN? said
%trider sharply. ?They will return. 4nd
)ore are 1o)ing.
There are others. + know their
nu),er. + know these Riders.? 2e
paused$ and his eyes were 1old and
hard. ?4nd there are so)e folk in Bree
who are not to ,e trusted$? he went on.
?Bill Ferny$ for
instan1e. 2e has an e"il na)e in the
Bree#land$ and Jueer folk 1all at his
house. Gou )ust ha"e
noti1ed hi) a)ong the 1o)pany: a
swarthy sneering fellow. 2e was "ery
1lose with one of the
%outhern strangers$ and they slipped
out together Kust after your La11identL.
'ot all of those
%outherners )ean wellI and as for
Ferny$ he would sell anything to
any,odyI or )ake )is1hief for
a)use)ent.?
?.hat will Ferny sell$ and what has
)y a11ident got to do with hi)M? said
Frodo$ still deter)ined
not to understand %trider?s hints.
?'ews of you$ of 1ourse$? answered
%trider. ?4n a11ount of your
perfor)an1e would ,e "ery
interesting to 1ertain people. 4fter
that they would hardly need to ,e told
your real na)e. +t see)s
to )e only too likely that they will
hear of it ,efore this night is o"er. +s
that enoughM Gou 1an do
as you like a,out )y reward: take )e
as a guide or not. But + )ay say that +
know all the lands
,etween the %hire and the (isty
(ountains$ for + ha"e wandered o"er
the) for )any years. + a)
older than + look. + )ight pro"e
useful. Gou will ha"e to lea"e the
open road after tonightI for the
horse)en will wat1h it night and day.
Gou )ay es1ape fro) Bree$ and ,e
allowed to go forward
while the %un is upI ,ut you won?t go
far. They will 1o)e on you in the
wild$ in so)e dark pla1e
where there is no help. &o you wish
the) to find youM They are terri,leN?
The ho,,its looked at hi)$ and saw
with surprise that his fa1e was drawn
as if with pain$ and his
hands 1len1hed the ar)s of his 1hair.
The roo) was "ery Juiet and still$ and
the light see)ed to
ha"e grown di). For a while he sat
with unseeing eyes as if walking in
distant )e)ory or listening
to sounds in the 'ight far away.
?ThereN? he 1ried after a )o)ent$
drawing his hand a1ross his ,row.
?Perhaps + know )ore a,out
these pursuers than you do. Gou fear
the)$ ,ut you do not fear the)
enough$ yet. To)orrow you
will ha"e to es1ape$ if you 1an. %trider
1an take you ,y paths that are seldo)
trodden. .ill you
ha"e hi)M?
There was a hea"y silen1e. Frodo
)ade no answer$ his )ind was
1onfused with dou,t and fear.
%a) frowned$ and looked at his
)asterI and at last he ,roke out:
?.ith your lea"e$ (r. Frodo$ +?d say
noN This %trider here$ he warns and he
says take 1areI and +
Asay yesA to that$ and let?s ,egin with
hi). 2e 1o)es out of the .ild$ and +
ne"er heard no good of
su1h folk. 2e knows so)ething$ that?s
plain$ and )ore than + likeI ,ut it?s no
reason why we should
let hi) go leading us out into so)e
dark pla1e far fro) help$ as he puts it.?
Pippin fidgeted and looked
un1o)forta,le. %trider did not reply
to %a)$ ,ut turned his keen eyes
on Frodo. Frodo 1aught his glan1e and
looked away. ?'o$? he said slowly. ?+
don?t agree. + think$ +
think you are not really as you 1hoose
to look. Gou ,egan to talk to )e like
the Bree#folk$ ,ut your
"oi1e has 1hanged. %till %a) see)s
right in this: + don?t see why you
should warn us to take 1are$
and yet ask us to take you on trust.
.hy the disguiseM .ho are youM
.hat do you really know
a,out O a,out )y ,usinessI and how
do you know itM?
?The lesson in 1aution has ,een well
learned$? said %trider with a gri)
s)ile. ?But 1aution is one
thing and wa"ering is another. Gou
will ne"er get to Ri"endell now on
your own$ and to trust )e is
your only 1han1e. Gou )ust )ake up
your )ind. + will answer so)e of your
Juestions$ if that will
help you to do so. But why should
you ,elie"e )y story$ if you do not
trust )e alreadyM %till here it
isOOO?
4t that )o)ent there 1a)e a kno1k at
the door. (r. Butter,ur had arri"ed
with 1andles$ and
,ehind hi) was 'o, with 1ans of hot
water. %trider withdrew into a dark
1orner.
?+?"e 1o)e to ,id you good night$? said
the landlord$ putting the 1andles on
the ta,le. ?'o,N Take
the water to the roo)sN? 2e 1a)e in
and shut the door.
?+t?s like this$? he ,egan$ hesitating and
looking trou,led. ?+f +?"e done any
har)$ +?) sorry indeed.
But one thing dri"es out another$ as
you?ll ad)itI and +?) a ,usy )an. But
first one thing and then
another this week ha"e Kogged )y
)e)ory$ as the saying goesI and not
too late + hope. Gou see$ +
was asked to look out for ho,,its of
the %hire$ and for one ,y the na)e of
Baggins in parti1ular.?
?4nd what has that got to do with )eM?
asked Frodo.
?4hN you know ,est$? said the landlord$
knowingly. ?+ won?t gi"e you awayI
,ut + was told that
this Baggins would ,e going ,y the
na)e of 0nderhill$ and + was gi"en a
des1ription that fits you
well enough$ if + )ay say so.?
?+ndeedN Let?s ha"e it thenN? said
Frodo$ unwisely interrupting.
A?4 stout little fellow with red
1heeks$?A said (r. Butter,ur
sole)nly. Pippin 1hu1kled$ ,ut %a)
looked indignant. A?That won?t help
you )u1hI it goes for )ost ho,,its.
Barley$A he says to )e$?
1ontinued (r. Butter,ur with a glan1e
at Pippin. A?But this one is taller than
so)e and fairer than
)ost$ and he has a 1left in his 1hin:
perky 1hap with a ,right eye.A
Begging your pardon$ ,ut he
said it$ not )e.?
A?2eA said itM 4nd who was heM?
asked Frodo eagerly.
?4hN That was /andalf$ if you know
who + )ean. 4 wi<ard they say he is$
,ut he?s a good friend
of )ine$ whether or no. But now +
don?t know what he?ll ha"e to say to
)e$ if + see hi) again: turn
all )y ale sour or )e into a ,lo1k of
wood$ + shouldn?t wonder. 2e?s a ,it
hasty. %till what?s done
1an?t ,e undone. ?
?.ell$ what ha"e you doneM? said
Frodo$ getting i)patient with the slow
unra"elling of
Butter,ur?s thoughts.
?.here was +M? said the landlord$
pausing and snapping his fingers. ?4h$
yesN *ld /andalf. Three
)onths ,a1k he walked right into )y
roo) without a kno1k. ABarley$A he
says$ A+?) off in the
)orning. .ill you do so)ething for
)eM Gou?"e only to na)e it$A + said.
A+?) in a hurry$A said he$
Aand +?"e no ti)e )yself$ ,ut + want a
)essage took to the %hire. 2a"e you
anyone you 1an send$
and trust to goM + 1an find so)eone$A +
said$ Ato)orrow$ )ay,e$ or the day
after. (ake it
to)orrow$A he says$ and then he ga"e
)e a letter.
?+t?s addressed plain enough$? said (r.
Butter,ur$ produ1ing a letter fro) his
po1ket$ and reading
out the address slowly and proudly
Dhe "alued his reputation as a lettered
)anE:
A(r. FR*&* B4//+'%$ B4/
!'&$ 2*BB+T*' in the %2+R!.A
?4 letter for )e fro) /andalfN? 1ried
Frodo.
?4hN? said (r. Butter,ur. ?Then your
right na)e is BagginsM?
?+t is$? said Frodo$ ?and you had ,etter
gi"e )e that letter at on1e$ and
e5plain why you ne"er sent
it. That?s what you 1a)e to tell )e$ +
suppose$ though you?"e taken a long
ti)e to 1o)e to the
point.?
Poor (r. Butter,ur looked trou,led.
?Gou?re right$ )aster$? he said$ ?and +
,eg your pardon. 4nd
+?) )ortal afraid of what /andalf will
say$ if har) 1o)es of it. But + didn?t
keep it ,a1k a#purpose.
+ put it ,y safe. Then + 1ouldn?t find
no,ody willing to go to the %hire ne5t
day$ nor the day after$
and none of )y own folk were to
spareI and then one thing after another
dro"e it out of )y )ind.
+?) a ,usy )an. +?ll do what + 1an to
set )atters right$ and if there?s any
help + 1an gi"e$ you?"e only
to na)e it.
?Lea"ing the letter aside$ + pro)ised
/andalf no less. ABarley$A he says to
)e$ Athis friend of
)ine fro) the %hire$ he )ay ,e
1o)ing out this way ,efore long$ hi)
and another. 2e?ll ,e 1alling
hi)self 0nderhill. (ind thatN But you
need ask no Juestions. 4nd if +?) not
with hi)$ he )ay ,e in
trou,le$ and he )ay need help. &o
whate"er you 1an for hi)$ and +?ll ,e
grateful$A he says. 4nd
here you are$ and trou,le is not far
off$ see)ingly.?
?.hat do you )eanM? asked Frodo.
?These ,la1k )en$? said the landlord
lowering his "oi1e. ?They?re looking
for ABaggins$A and if
they )ean well$ then +?) a ho,,it. +t
was on (onday$ and all the dogs were
ya))ering and the
geese s1rea)ing. 0n1anny$ + 1alled it.
'o,$ he 1a)e and told )e that two
,la1k )en were at the
door asking for a ho,,it 1alled
Baggins. 'o,?s hair was all stood on
end. + ,id the ,la1k fellows ,e
off$ and sla))ed the door on the)I
,ut they?"e ,een asking the sa)e
Juestion all the way to
4r1het$ + hear. 4nd that Ranger$
%trider$ he?s ,een asking Juestions$
too. Tried to get in here to see
you$ ,efore you?d had ,ite or sup$ he
did.?
?2e didN? said %trider suddenly$
1o)ing forward into the light. ?4nd
)u1h trou,le would ha"e
,een sa"ed$ if you had let hi) in$
Barli)an.?
The landlord Ku)ped with surprise.
?GouN? he 1ried. ?Gou?re always
popping up. .hat do you
want nowM?
?2e?s here with )y lea"e$? said Frodo.
?2e 1a)e to offer )e his help.?
?.ell$ you know your own ,usiness$
)ay,e$? said (r. Butter,ur$ looking
suspi1iously at %trider.
?But if + was in your plight$ + wouldn?t
take up with a Ranger.?
?Then who would you take up withM?
asked %trider. ?4 fat innkeeper who
only re)e),ers his
own na)e ,e1ause people shout it at
hi) all dayM They 1annot stay in AThe
PonyA for e"er$ and
they 1annot go ho)e. They ha"e a
long road ,efore the). .ill you go
with the) and keep the
,la1k )en offM?
?(eM Lea"e BreeN + wouldn?t do that
for any )oney$? said (r. Butter,ur$
looking really s1ared.
?But why 1an?t you stay here Juiet for
a ,it$ (r. 0nderhillM .hat are all
these Jueer goings onM
.hat are these ,la1k )en after$ and
where do they 1o)e fro)$ +?d like to
knowM?
?+?) sorry + 1an?t e5plain it all$?
answered Frodo. ?+ a) tired and "ery
worried$ and it?s a long tale.
But if you )ean to help )e$ + ought to
warn you that you will ,e in danger as
long as + a) in your
house. These Bla1k Riders: + a) not
sure$ ,ut + think$ + fear they 1o)e
fro)OOO?
?They 1o)e fro) (ordor$? said %trider
in a low "oi1e. ?Fro) (ordor$
Barli)an$ if that )eans
anything to you.?
?%a"e usN? 1ried (r. Butter,ur turning
paleI the na)e e"idently was known
to hi). ?That is the
worst news that has 1o)e to Bree in
)y ti)e.? ?+t is$? said Frodo. ?4re you
still willing to help )eM? ?+
a)$? said (r. Butter,ur. ?(ore than
e"er. Though + don?t know what the
likes of )e 1an do against$
againstOOO? he faltered.
?4gainst the %hadow in the !ast$? said
%trider Juietly. ?'ot )u1h$ Barli)an$
,ut e"ery little
helps. Gou 1an let (r. 0nderhill stay
here tonight$ as (r. 0nderhill$ and
you 1an forget the na)e
of Baggins$ till he is far away.?
?+?ll do that$? said Butter,ur. ?But
they?ll find out he?s here without help
fro) )e$ +?) afraid. +t?s a
pity (r. Baggins drew attention to
hi)self this e"ening$ to say no )ore.
The story of that (r.
Bil,o?s going off has ,een heard
,efore tonight in Bree. !"en our 'o,
has ,een doing so)e
guessing in his slow pate: and there
are others in Bree Jui1ker in the
uptake than he is.?
?.ell$ we 1an only hope the Riders
won?t 1o)e ,a1k yet$? said Frodo.
?+ hope not$ indeed$? said Butter,ur.
?But spooks or no spooks$ they won?t
get in AThe PonyAso
easy. &on?t you worry till the
)orning. 'o,?ll say no word. 'o
,la1k )an shall pass )y doors$
while + 1an stand on )y legs. (e and
)y folk?ll keep wat1h tonightI ,ut you
had ,est get so)e
sleep$ if you 1an.?
?+n any 1ase we )ust ,e 1alled at
dawn$? said Frodo. ?.e )ust get off as
early as possi,le.
Breakfast at si5#thirty$ please.?
?RightN +?ll see to the orders$? said the
landlord. ?/ood night$ (r. Baggins O
0nderhill$ + should
sayN /ood night O now$ ,less )eN
.here?s your (r. Brandy,u1kM?
?+ don?t know$? said Frodo with sudden
an5iety. They had forgotten all a,out
(erry$ and it was
getting late. ?+ a) afraid he is out. 2e
said so)ething a,out going for a
,reath of air.?
?.ell$ you do want looking after and
no )istake: your party )ight ,e on a
holidayN? said
Butter,ur. ?+ )ust go and ,ar the
doors Jui1k$ ,ut +?ll see your friend is
let in when he 1o)es. +?d
,etter send 'o, to look for hi). /ood
night to you allN? 4t last (r. Butter,ur
went out$ with
another dou,tful look at %trider and a
shake of his head. 2is footsteps
retreated down the passage.
?.ellM? said %trider. ?.hen are you
going to open that letterM? Frodo
looked 1arefully at the seal
,efore he ,roke it. +t see)ed 1ertainly
to ,e /andalf?s. +nside$ written in the
wi<ard?s strong ,ut
gra1eful s1ript$ was the following
)essage:
AT2! PR4'-+'/ P*'G$ BR!!.
(idyear?s &ay$ %hire Gear$ 1319.A
A&ear Frodo$A
ABad news has rea1hed )e here. +
)ust go off at on1e. Gou had ,etter
lea"e Bag !nd soon$ and
get out of the %hire ,efore the end of
July at latest. + will return as soon as +
1anI and + will follow
you$ if + find that you are gone. Lea"e
a )essage for )e here$ if you pass
through Bree. Gou 1an
trust the landlord DButter,urE. Gou
)ay )eet a friend of )ine on the
Road: a (an$ lean$ dark$ tall$
,y so)e 1alled %trider. 2e knows our
,usiness and will help you. (ake for
Ri"endell. There + hope
we )ay )eet again. +f + do not 1o)e$
!lrond will ad"ise you.A
AGours in hasteA
A/4'&4LFA.
AP%. &o '*T use +t again$ not far any
reason whate"erN &o not tra"el ,y
nightNA
APP%. (ake sure that it is the real
%trider. There are )any strange )en
on the roads. 2is true
na)e is 4ragornA.
4ll that is gold does not glitter$
'ot all those who wander are lostI
The old that is strong does not wither$
&eep roots are not rea1hed ,y the
frost.
Fro) the ashes a fire shall ,e woken$
4 light fro) the shadows shall springI
Renewed shall ,e ,lade that was
,roken$
The 1rownless again shall ,e king.
APPP%. + hope Butter,ur sends this
pro)ptly. 4 worthy )an$ ,ut his
)e)ory is like a
lu),er#roo): thing wanted always
,uried. +f he forgets$ + shall roast
hi).A
AFare .ellNA
Frodo read the letter to hi)self$ and
then passed it to Pippin and %a).
?Really old Butter,ur has
)ade a )ess of thingsN? he said. ?2e
deser"es roasting. +f + had got this at
on1e$ we )ight all ha"e
,een safe in Ri"endell ,y now. But
what 1an ha"e happened to /andalfM
2e writes as if he was
going into great danger.?
?2e has ,een doing that for )any
years$? said %trider.
Frodo turned and looked at hi)
thoughtfully$ wondering a,out
/andalf?s se1ond posts1ript.
?.hy didn?t you tell )e that you were
/andalf?s friend at on1eM? he asked. ?+t
would ha"e sa"ed
ti)e.?
?.ould itM .ould any of you ha"e
,elie"ed )e till nowM? said %trider. ?+
knew nothing of this
letter. For all + knew + had to persuade
you to trust )e without proofs$ if +
was to help you. +n any
1ase$ + did not intend to tell you all
a,out )yself at on1e. + had to study
AyouA first$ and )ake sure
of you. The !ne)y has set traps for
)e ,efore now. 4s soon as + had
)ade up )y )ind$ + was
ready to tell you whate"er you asked.
But + )ust ad)it$? he added with a
Jueer laugh$ ?that + hoped
you would take to )e for )y own
sake. 4 hunted )an so)eti)es
wearies of distrust and longs for
friendship. But there$ + ,elie"e )y
looks are against )e.?
?They are O at first sight at any rate$?
laughed Pippin with sudden relief
after reading /andalf?s
letter. ?But handso)e is as handso)e
does$ as we say in the %hireI and +
daresay we shall all look
)u1h the sa)e after lying for days in
hedges and dit1hes.?
?+t would take )ore than a few days$
or weeks$ or years$ of wandering in
the .ild to )ake you
look like %trider$? he answered. ?4nd
you would die first$ unless you are
)ade of sterner stuff than
you look to ,e.?
Pippin su,sidedI ,ut %a) was not
daunted$ and he still eyed %trider
du,iously. ?2ow do we
know you are the %trider that /andalf
speaks a,outM? he de)anded. ?Gou
ne"er )entioned /andalf$
till this letter 1a)e out. Gou )ight ,e
a play#a1ting spy$ for all + 1an see$
trying to get us to go with
you. Gou )ight ha"e done in the real
%trider and took his 1lothes. .hat
ha"e you to say to thatM?
?That you are a stout fellow$? answered
%triderI ?,ut + a) afraid )y only
answer to you$ %a)
/a)gee$ is this. +f + had killed the real
%trider$ + 1ould kill you. 4nd + should
ha"e killed you
already without so )u1h talk. +f + was
after the Ring$ + 1ould ha"e it O
'*.N?
2e stood up$ and see)ed suddenly to
grow taller. +n his eyes glea)ed a
light$ keen and
1o))anding. Throwing ,a1k his
1loak$ he laid his hand on the hilt of a
sword that had hung
1on1ealed ,y his side. They did not
dare to )o"e. %a) sat wide#)outhed
staring at hi) du),ly.
?But + Aa)A the real %trider$
fortunately$? he said$ looking down at
the) with his fa1e softened ,y
a sudden s)ile. ?+ a) 4ragorn son of
4rathornI and if ,y life or death + 1an
sa"e you$ + will.?
There was a long silen1e. 4t last
Frodo spoke with hesitation. ?+
,elie"ed that you were a friend
,efore the letter 1a)e$? he said$ ?or at
least + wished to. Gou ha"e frightened
)e se"eral ti)es
tonight$ ,ut ne"er in the way that
ser"ants of the !ne)y would$ or so +
i)agine. + think one of his
spies would O well$ see) fairer and
feel fouler$ if you understand.?
?+ see$? laughed %trider. ?+ look foul
and feel fair. +s that itM A4ll that is
gold does not glitter$ not
all those who wander are lost.?A
?&id the "erses apply to you thenM?
asked Frodo. ?+ 1ould not )ake out
what they were a,out. But
how did you know that they were in
/andalf?s letter$ if you ha"e ne"er
seen itM?
?+ did not know$? he answered. ?But +
a) 4ragorn$ and those "erses go with
that na)e.? 2e drew
out his sword$ and they saw that the
,lade was indeed ,roken a foot ,elow
the hilt. ?'ot )u1h use is
it$ %a)M? said %trider. ?But the ti)e is
near when it shall ,e forged anew.?
%a) said nothing.
?.ell$? said %trider$ ?with %a)?s
per)ission we will 1all that settled.
%trider shall ,e your guide.
.e shall ha"e a rough road to)orrow.
!"en if we are allowed to lea"e Bree
unhindered$ we 1an
hardly hope now to lea"e it unnoti1ed.
But + shall try to get lost as soon as
possi,le. + know one or
two ways out of Bree#land other than
the )ain road. +f on1e we shake off
the pursuit$ + shall )ake
for .eathertop.?
?.eathertopM? said %a). ?.hat?s thatM?
?+t is a hill$ Kust to the north of the
Road$ a,out half way fro) here to
Ri"endell. +t 1o))ands a
wide "iew all roundI and there we
shall ha"e a 1han1e to look a,out us.
/andalf will )ake for that
point$ if he follows us. 4fter
.eathertop our Kourney will ,e1o)e
)ore diffi1ult$ and we shall ha"e
to 1hoose ,etween "arious dangers.?
?.hen did you last see /andalfM?
asked Frodo. ?&o you know where he
is$ or what he is doingM?
%trider looked gra"e. ?+ do not know$?
he said. ?+ 1a)e west with hi) in the
spring. + ha"e often
kept wat1h on the ,orders of the %hire
in the last few years$ when he was
,usy elsewhere. 2e
seldo) left it unguarded. .e last )et
on the first of (ay: at %a) Ford down
the Brandywine. 2e
told )e that his ,usiness with you had
gone well$ and that you would ,e
starting for Ri"endell in
the last week of %epte),er. 4s +
knew he was at your side$ + went
away on a Kourney of )y own.
4nd that has pro"ed illI for plainly
so)e news rea1hed hi)$ and + was
not at hand to help.
?+ a) trou,led$ for the first ti)e sin1e
+ ha"e known hi). .e should ha"e
had )essages$ e"en if
he 1ould not 1o)e hi)self. .hen +
returned$ )any days ago$ + heard the
ill news. The tidings had
gone far and wide that /andalf was
)issing and the horse)en had ,een
seen. +t was the !l"en#folk
of /ildor that told )e thisI and later
they told )e that you had left your
ho)eI ,ut there was no
news of your lea"ing Bu1kland. +
ha"e ,een wat1hing the !ast Road
an5iously.?
?&o you think the Bla1k Riders ha"e
anything to do with it O with
/andalf?s a,sen1e$ + )eanM?
asked Frodo.
?+ do not know of anything else that
1ould ha"e hindered hi)$ e51ept the
!ne)y hi)self$? said
%trider. ?But do not gi"e up hopeN
/andalf is greater than you %hire#folk
know O as a rule you 1an
only see his Kokes and toys. But this
,usiness of ours will ,e his greatest
task.?
Pippin yawned. ?+ a) sorry$? he said$
?,ut + a) dead tired. +n spite of all the
danger and worry +
)ust go to ,ed$ or sleep where + sit.
.here is that silly fellow$ (erryM +t
would ,e the last straw$ if
we had to go out in the dark to look
for hi).?
4t that )o)ent they heard a door
sla)I then feet 1a)e running along
the passage. (erry 1a)e
in with a rush followed ,y 'o,. 2e
shut the door hastily$ and leaned
against it. 2e was out of
,reath. They stared at hi) in alar)
for a )o)ent ,efore he gasped: ?+
ha"e seen the)$ FrodoN +
ha"e seen the)N Bla1k RidersN?
?Bla1k RidersN? 1ried Frodo. ?.hereM?
?2ere. +n the "illage. + stayed indoors
for an hour. Then as you did not 1o)e
,a1k$ + went out for
a stroll. + had 1o)e ,a1k again and
was standing Kust outside the light of
the la)p looking at the
stars. %uddenly + shi"ered and felt that
so)ething horri,le was 1reeping near:
there was a son of
deeper shade a)ong the shadows
a1ross the road$ Kust ,eyond the edge
of the la)plight. +t slid
away at on1e into the dark without a
sound. There was no horse.?
?.hi1h way did it goM? asked %trider$
suddenly and sharply. (erry started$
noti1ing the stranger
for the first ti)e. ?/o onN? said Frodo.
?This is a friend of /andalf?s. + will
e5plain later.?
?+t see)ed to )ake off up the Road$
eastward$? 1ontinued (erry. ?+ tried to
follow. *f 1ourse$ it
"anished al)ost at on1eI ,ut + went
round the 1orner and on as far as the
last house on the Road.?
%trider looked at (erry with wonder.
?Gou ha"e a stout heart$? he saidI ?,ut
it was foolish.?
?+ don?t know$? said (erry. ?'either
,ra"e nor silly$ + think. + 1ould hardly
help )yself. + see)ed
to ,e drawn so)ehow. 4nyway$ +
went$ and suddenly + heard "oi1es ,y
the hedge. *ne was
)utteringI and the other was
whispering$ or hissing. + 1ouldn?t hear
a word that was said. + did not
1reep any 1loser$ ,e1ause + ,egan to
tre),le all o"er. Then + felt terrified$
and + turned ,a1k$ and
was Kust going to ,olt ho)e$ when
so)ething 1a)e ,ehind )e and +... +
fell o"er.?
?+ found hi)$ sir$? put in 'o,. ?(r.
Butter,ur sent )e out with a lantern. +
went down to .estgate$
and then ,a1k up towards %outh#gate.
Just nigh Bill Ferny?s house + thought
+ 1ould see
so)ething in the Road. + 1ouldn?t
swear to it$ ,ut it looked to )e as if
two )en was stooping o"er
so)ething$ lilting it. + ga"e a shout$
,ut where + got up to the spot there
was no signs of the)$ and
only (r. Brandy,u1k lying ,y the
roadside. 2e see)ed to ,e asleep. L+
thought + had fallen into
deep water$L he says to )e$ when +
shook hi). @ery Jueer he was$ and as
soon as + had roused hi)$
he got up and ran ,a1k here like a
hare.?
?+ a) afraid that?s true$? said (erry$
?though + don?t know what + said. + had
an ugly drea)$ whi1h
+ 1an?t re)e),er. + went to pie1es. +
don?t know what 1a)e o"er )e.?
?+ do$? said %trider. ?The Bla1k Breath.
The Riders )ust ha"e left their horses
outside$ and passed
,a1k through the %outh#gate in se1ret.
They will know all the news now$ for
they ha"e "isited Bill
FernyI and pro,a,ly that %outherner
was a spy as well. %o)ething )ay
happen in the night$ ,efore
we lea"e Bree.?
?.hat will happenM? said (erry. ?.ill
they atta1k the innM? ?'o$ + think not$?
said %trider. ?They
are not all here yet. 4nd in any 1ase
that is not their way. +n dark and
loneliness they are strongestI
they will not openly atta1k a house
where there are lights and )any
people #not until they are
desperate$ not while all the long
leagues of !riador still lie ,efore us.
But their power is in terror$
and already so)e in Bree are in their
1lut1h. They will dri"e these wret1hes
to so)e e"il work:
Ferny$ and so)e of the strangers$ and$
)ay,e$ the gatekeeper too. They had
words with 2arry at
.est#gate on (onday. + was
wat1hing the). 2e was white and
shaking when they left hi).?
?.e see) to ha"e ene)ies all round$?
said Frodo. ?.hat are we to doM?
?%tay here$ and do not go to your
roo)sN They are sure to ha"e found
out whi1h those are. The
ho,,it#roo)s ha"e windows looking
north and 1lose to the ground. .e will
all re)ain together and
,ar this window and the door. But
first 'o, and + will fet1h your
luggage.?
.hile %trider was gone$ Frodo ga"e
(erry a rapid a11ount of all that had
happened sin1e
supper. (erry was still reading and
pondering /andalf?s letter when
%trider and 'o, returned.
?.ell (asters$? said 'o,$ ?+?"e ruffled
up the 1lothes and put in a ,olster
down the )iddle of
ea1h ,ed. 4nd + )ade a ni1e i)itation
of your head with a ,rown woollen
)at$ (r. Bag O
0nderhill$ sir$? he added with a grin.
Pippin laughed. ?@ery life#likeN? he
said. ?But what will happen when they
ha"e penetrated the
disguiseM?
?.e shall see$? said %trider. ?Let us
hope to hold the fort till )orning.?
?/ood night to you$? said 'o,$ and
went off to take his part in the wat1h
on the doors.
Their ,ags and gear they piled on the
parlour#floor. They pushed a low
1hair against the door
and shut the window. Peering out$
Frodo saw that the night was still
1lear. The %i1kle was swinging
,right a,o"e the shoulders of Bree#
hill. 2e then 1losed and ,arred the
hea"y inside shutters and
drew the 1urtains together. %trider
,uilt up the fire and ,lew out all the
1andles.
The ho,,its lay down on their
,lankets with their feet towards the
hearthI ,ut %trider settled
hi)self in the 1hair against the door.
They talked for a little$ for (erry still
had se"eral Juestions to
ask.
?Ju)ped o"er the (oonN? 1hu1kled
(erry as he rolled hi)self in his
,lanket. ?@ery ridi1ulous of
you$ FrodoN But + wish + had ,een
there to see. The worthies of Bree will
,e dis1ussing it a hundred
years hen1e.?
?+ hope so$? said %trider. Then they all
fell silent$ and one ,y one the ho,,its
dropped off to sleep.
A-hapter 11A
4 nife in the &ark
4s they prepared for sleep in the inn
at Bree$ darkness lay on Bu1klandI a
)ist strayed in the
dells and along the ri"er#,ank. The
house at -ri1khollow stood silent.
Fatty Bolger opened the door
1autiously and peered out. 4 feeling
of fear had ,een growing on hi) all
day$ and he was una,le to
rest or go to ,ed: there was a ,rooding
threat in the ,reathless night#air. 4s
he stared out into the
gloo)$ a ,la1k shadow )o"ed under
the treesI the gate see)ed to open of
its own a11ord and 1lose
again without a sound. Terror sei<ed
hi). 2e shrank ,a1k$ and for a
)o)ent he stood tre),ling in
the hall. Then he shut and lo1ked the
door.
The night deepened. There 1a)e the
soft sound of horses led with stealth
along the lane. *utside
the gate they stopped$ and three ,la1k
figures entered$ like shades of night
1reeping a1ross the
ground. *ne went to the door$ one to
the 1orner of the house on either sideI
and there they stood$ as
still as the shadows of stones$ while
night went slowly on. The house and
the Juiet trees see)ed to
,e waiting ,reathlessly.
There was a faint stir in the lea"es$
and a 1o1k 1rowed far away. The 1old
hour ,efore dawn was
passing. The figure ,y the door
)o"ed. +n the dark without )oon or
stars a drawn ,lade glea)ed$
as if a 1hill light had ,een unsheathed.
There was a ,low$ soft ,ut hea"y$ and
the door shuddered.
?*pen$ in the na)e of (ordorN? said a
"oi1e thin and )ena1ing.
4t a se1ond ,low the door yielded and
fell ,a1k$ with ti),ers ,urst and lo1k
,roken. The ,la1k
figures passed swiftly in.
4t that )o)ent$ a)ong the trees
near,y$ a horn rang out. +t rent the
night like fire on a hill#top.
4.4!N F!4RN F+R!N F*!%N
4.4!N
Fatty Bolger had not ,een idle. 4s
soon as he saw the dark shapes 1reep
fro) the garden$ he
knew that he )ust run for it$ or perish.
4nd run he did$ out of the ,a1k door$
through the garden$
and o"er the fields. .hen he rea1hed
the nearest house$ )ore than a )ile
away$ he 1ollapsed on the
doorstep. ?'o$ no$ noN? he was 1rying.
?'o$ not )eN + ha"en?t got itN? +t was
so)e ti)e ,efore anyone
1ould )ake out what he was ,a,,ling
a,out. 4t last they got the idea that
ene)ies were in
Bu1kland$ so)e strange in"asion fro)
the *ld Forest. 4nd then they lost no
)ore ti)e.
F!4RN F+R!N F*!%N
The Brandy,u1ks were ,lowing the
2orn#1all of Bu1kland$ that had not
,een sounded for a
hundred years$ not sin1e the white
wol"es 1a)e in the Fell .inter$ when
the Brandywine was
fro<en o"er.
4.4!N 4.4!N
Far#away answering horns were
heard. The alar) was spreading. The
,la1k figures fled fro)
the house. *ne of the) let fall a
ho,,it#1loak on the step$ as he ran. +n
the lane the noise of hoofs
,roke out$ and gathering to a gallop$
went ha))ering away into the
darkness. 4ll a,out
-ri1khollow there was the sound of
horns ,lowing$ and "oi1es 1rying and
feet running. But the
Bla1k Riders rode like a gale to the
'orth#gate. Let the little people ,lowN
%auron would deal with
the) later. (eanwhile they had
another errand: they knew now that
the house was e)pty and the
Ring had gone. They rode down the
guards at the gate and "anished fro)
the %hire.
+n the early night Frodo woke fro)
deep sleep$ suddenly$ as if so)e
sound or presen1e had
distur,ed hi). 2e saw that %trider
was sitting alert in his 1hair: his eyes
glea)ed in the light of the
fire$ whi1h had ,een tended and was
,urning ,rightlyI ,ut he )ade no sign
or )o"e)ent.
Frodo soon went to sleep againI ,ut
his drea)s were again trou,led with
the noise of wind and
of galloping hoofs. The wind see)ed
to ,e 1urling round the house and
shaking itI and far off he
heard a horn ,lowing wildly. 2e
opened his eyes$ and heard a 1o1k
1rowing lustily in the inn#yard.
%trider had drawn the 1urtains and
pushed ,a1k the shutters with a 1lang.
The first grey light of day
was in the roo)$ and a 1old air was
1o)ing through the open window.
4s soon as %trider had roused the)
all$ he led the way to their ,edroo)s.
.hen they saw the)
they were glad that they had taken his
ad"i1e: the windows had ,een for1ed
open and were
swinging$ and the 1urtains were
flappingI the ,eds were tossed a,out$
and the ,olsters slashed and
flung upon the floorI the ,rown )at
was torn to pie1es.
%trider i))ediately went to fet1h the
landlord. Poor (r. Butter,ur looked
sleepy and
frightened. 2e had hardly 1losed his
eyes all night Dso he saidE$ ,ut he had
ne"er heard a sound.
?'e"er has su1h a thing happened in
)y ti)eN? he 1ried$ raising his hands
in horror. ?/uests
una,le to sleep in their ,eds$ and good
,olsters ruined and allN .hat are we
1o)ing toM?
?&ark ti)es$? said %trider. ?But for the
present you )ay ,e left in pea1e$
when you ha"e got rid of
us. .e will lea"e at on1e. 'e"er )ind
a,out ,reakfast: a drink and a ,ite
standing will ha"e to do.
.e shall ,e pa1ked in a few )inutes.?
(r. Butter,ur hurried off to see that
their ponies were got ready$ and to
fet1h the) a ?,ite?. But
"ery soon he 1a)e ,a1k in dis)ay.
The ponies had "anishedN The sta,le#
doors had all ,een opened
in the night$ and they were gone: not
only (erry?s ponies$ ,ut e"ery other
horse and ,east in the
pla1e.
Frodo was 1rushed ,y the news. 2ow
1ould they hope to rea1h Ri"endell on
foot$ pursued ,y
)ounted ene)iesM They )ight as well
set out for the (oon. %trider sat silent
for a while$ looking at
the ho,,its$ as if he was weighing up
their strength and 1ourage.
?Ponies would not help us to es1ape
horse)en$? he said at last$
thoughtfully$ as if he guessed
what Frodo had in )ind. ?.e should
not go )u1h slower on foot$ not on
the roads that + )ean to
take. + was going to walk in any 1ase.
+t is the food and stores that trou,le
)e. .e 1annot 1ount on
getting anything to eat ,etween here
and Ri"endell$ e51ept what we take
with usI and we ought to
take plenty to spareI for we )ay ,e
delayed$ or for1ed to go round#a,out$
far out of the dire1t way.
2ow )u1h are you prepared to 1arry
on your ,a1ksM?
?4s )u1h as we )ust$? said Pippin
with a sinking heart$ ,ut trying to
show that he was tougher
than he looked Dor feltE.
?+ 1an 1arry enough for two$? said %a)
defiantly.
?-an?t anything ,e done$ (r.
Butter,urM? asked Frodo. ?-an?t we get
a 1ouple of ponies in the
"illage$ or e"en one Kust for the
,aggageM + don?t suppose we 1ould
hire the)$ ,ut we )ight ,e a,le
to ,uy the)$? he added$ dou,tfully$
wondering if he 1ould afford it.
?+ dou,t it$? said the landlord
unhappily. ?The two or three riding#
ponies that there were in Bree
were sta,led in )y yard$ and they?re
gone. 4s for other ani)als$ horses or
ponies for draught or
what not$ there are "ery few of the)
in Bree$ and they won?t ,e for sale.
But +?ll do what + 1an. +?ll
rout out Bo, and send hi) round as
soon as )ay ,e.?
?Ges$? said %trider relu1tantly$ ?you had
,etter do that. + a) afraid we shall
ha"e to try to get one
pony at least. But so ends all hope of
starting early$ and slipping away
JuietlyN .e )ight as well
ha"e ,lown a horn to announ1e our
departure. That was part of their plan$
no dou,t.?
?There is one 1ru), of 1o)fort$? said
(erry$ ?and )ore than a 1ru),$ +
hope: we 1an ha"e
,reakfast while we wait O and sit
down to it. Let?s get hold of 'o,N?
+n the end there was )ore than three
hours? delay. Bo, 1a)e ,a1k with the
report that no horse
or pony was to ,e got for lo"e or
)oney in the neigh,ourhood O e51ept
one: Bill Ferny had one that
he )ight possi,ly sell. ?4 poor old
half#star"ed 1reature it is$? said Bo,I
?,ut he won?t part with it for
less than thri1e its worth$ seeing how
you?re pla1ed$ not if + knows Bill
Ferny.?
?Bill FernyM? said Frodo. ?+sn?t there
so)e tri1kM .ouldn?t the ,east ,olt
,a1k to hi) with all our
stuff$ or help in tra1king us$ or
so)ethingM?
?+ wonder$? said %trider. ?But + 1annot
i)agine any ani)al running ho)e to
hi)$ on1e it got
away. + fan1y this is only an
afterthought of kind (aster Ferny?s:
Kust a way of in1reasing his profits
fro) the affair. The 1hief danger is
that the poor ,east is pro,a,ly at
death?s door. But there does
not see) any 1hoi1e. .hat does he
want for itM?
Bill Ferny?s pri1e was twel"e sil"er
penniesI and that was indeed at least
three ti)es the pony?s
"alue in those pans. +t pro"ed to ,e a
,ony$ underfed$ and dispirited ani)alI
,ut it did not look like
dying Kust yet. (r. Butter,ur paid for
it hi)self$ and offered (erry another
eighteen pen1e as so)e
1o)pensation for the lost ani)als. 2e
was an honest )an$ and well#off as
things were re1koned in
BreeI ,ut thirty sil"er pennies was a
sore ,low to hi)$ and ,eing 1heated
,y Bill Ferny )ade it
harder to ,ear.
4s a )atter of fa1t he 1a)e out on the
right side in the end. +t turned out later
that only one
horse had ,een a1tually stolen. The
others had ,een dri"en off$ or had
,olted in terror$ and were
found wandering in different 1orners
of the Bree#land. (erry?s ponies had
es1aped altogether$ and
e"entually Dha"ing a good deal of
senseE they )ade their way to the
&owns in sear1h of Fatty
Lu)pkin. %o they 1a)e under the
1are of To) Bo),adil for a while$
and were well#off. But when
news of the e"ents at Bree 1a)e to
To)?s ears$ he sent the) to (r.
Butter,ur$ who thus got fi"e
good ,easts at a "ery fair pri1e. They
had to work harder in Bree$ ,ut Bo,
treated the) wellI so on
the whole they were lu1ky: they
)issed a dark and dangerous Kourney.
But they ne"er 1a)e to
Ri"endell.
2owe"er$ in the )eanwhile for all
(r. Butter,ur knew his )oney was
gone for good$ or for ,ad.
4nd he had other trou,les. For there
was a great 1o))otion as soon as the
re)aining guests were
astir and heard news of the raid on the
inn. The southern tra"ellers had lost
se"eral horses and
,la)ed the innkeeper loudly$ until it
,e1a)e known that one of their own
nu),er had also
disappeared in the night$ none other
than Bill Ferny?s sJuint#eyed
1o)panion. %uspi1ion fell on hi)
at on1e.
?+f you pi1k up with a horse#thief$ and
,ring hi) to )y house$? said
Butter,ur angrily$ ?you ought
to pay for all the da)age yoursel"es
and not 1o)e shouting at )e. /o and
ask Ferny where your
handso)e friend isN? But it appeared
that he was no,ody?s friend$ and
no,ody 1ould re1olle1t when
he had Koined their party.
4fter their ,reakfast the ho,,its had
to re#pa1k$ and get together further
supplies for the longer
Kourney they were now e5pe1ting. +t
was 1lose on ten o?1lo1k ,efore they at
last got off. By that
ti)e the whole of Bree was ,u<<ing
with e51ite)ent. Frodo?s "anishing
tri1kI the appearan1e of the
,la1k horse)enI the ro,,ing of the
sta,lesI and not least the news that
%trider the Ranger had
Koined the )ysterious ho,,its$ )ade
su1h a tale as would last for )any
une"entful years. (ost of
the inha,itants of Bree and %taddle$
and )any e"en fro) -o),e and
4r1het$ were 1rowded in the
road to see the tra"ellers start. The
other guests in the inn were at the
doors or hanging out of the
windows.
%trider had 1hanged his )ind$ and he
de1ided to lea"e Bree ,y the )ain
road. 4ny atte)pt to set
off a1ross 1ountry at on1e would only
)ake )atters worse: half the
inha,itants would follow the)$
to see what they were up to$ and to
pre"ent the) fro) trespassing.
They said farewell to 'o, and Bo,$
and took lea"e of (r. Butter,ur with
)any thanks. ?+ hope
we shall )eet again so)e day$ when
things are )erry on1e )ore$? said
Frodo. ?+ should like nothing
,etter than to stay in your house in
pea1e for a while.?
They tra)ped off$ an5ious and
downhearted$ under the eyes of the
1rowd. 'ot all the fa1es were
friendly$ nor all the words that were
shouted. But %trider see)ed to ,e
held in awe ,y )ost of the
Bree#landers$ and those that he stared
at shut their )ouths and drew away.
2e walked in front with
FrodoI ne5t 1a)e (erry and PippinI
and last 1a)e %a) leading the pony$
whi1h was laden with as
)u1h of their ,aggage as they had the
heart to gi"e itI ,ut already it looked
less deKe1ted$ as if it
appro"ed of the 1hange in its fortunes.
%a) was 1hewing an apple
thoughtfully. 2e had a po1ket
full of the): a parting present fro)
'o, and Bo,. ?4pples for walking$
and a pipe for sitting$? he
said. ?But + re1kon +?ll )iss the) ,oth
,efore long.?
The ho,,its took no noti1e of the
inJuisiti"e heads that peeped out of
doors$ or popped o"er
walls and fen1es$ as they passed. But
as they drew near to the further gate$
Frodo saw a dark ill#kept
house ,ehind a thi1k hedge: the last
house in the "illage. +n one of the
windows he 1aught a gli)pse
of a sallow fa1e with sly$ slanting
eyesI ,ut it "anished at on1e.
?%o that?s where that southerner is
hidingN? he thought. ?2e looks )ore
than half like a go,lin.?
*"er the hedge another )an was
staring ,oldly. 2e had hea"y ,la1k
,rows$ and dark s1ornful
eyesI his large )outh 1urled in a
sneer. 2e was s)oking a short ,la1k
pipe. 4s they approa1hed he
took it out of his )outh and spat.
?(orning$ LongshanksN? he said. ?*ff
earlyM Found so)e friends at lastM?
%trider nodded$ ,ut did
not answer. ?(orning$ )y little
friendsN? he said to the others. ?+
suppose you know who you?"e
taken up withM That?s %ti1k#at#naught
%trider$ that isN Though +?"e heard
other na)es not so pretty.
.at1h out tonightN 4nd you$ %a))ie$
don?t go ill#treating )y poor old ponyN
PahN? 2e spat again.
%a) turned Jui1kly. ?4nd you. Ferny$?
he said$ ?put your ugly fa1e out of
sight$ or it will get
hurt.? .ith a sudden fli1k$ Jui1k as
lightning$ an apple left his hand and
hit Bill sJuare on the nose.
2e du1ked too late$ and 1urses 1a)e
fro) ,ehind the hedge. ?.aste of a
good apple$? said %a)
regretfully$ and strode on.
4t last they left the "illage ,ehind.
The es1ort of 1hildren and stragglers
that had followed the)
got tired and turned ,a1k at the %outh#
gate. Passing through$ they kept on
along the Road for so)e
)iles. +t ,ent to the left$ 1ur"ing ,a1k
into its eastward line as it rounded the
feet of Bree#hill$ and
then it ,egan to run swiftly
downwards into wooded 1ountry. To
their left they 1ould see so)e of
the houses and ho,,it#holes of
%taddle on the gentler south#eastern
slopes of the hillI down in a
deep hollow away north of the Road
there were wisps of rising s)oke that
showed where -o),e
layI
4r1het was hidden in the trees
,eyond.
4fter the Road had run down so)e
way$ and had left Bree#hill standing
tall and ,rown ,ehind$
they 1a)e on a narrow tra1k that led
off towards the 'orth. ?This is where
we lea"e the open and
take to 1o"er$? said %trider.
?'ot a Lshort 1utL$ + hope$? said Pippin.
?*ur last short 1ut through woods
nearly ended in
disaster.?
?4h$ ,ut you had not got )e with you
then$? laughed %trider. ?(y 1uts$ short
or long$ don?t go
wrong.? 2e took a look up and down
the Road. 'o one was in sightI and he
led the way Jui1kly
down towards the wooded "alley.
2is plan$ as far as they 1ould
understand it without knowing the
1ountry$ was to go towards
4r1het at first$ ,ut to ,ear right and
pass it on the east$ and then to steer as
straight as he 1ould o"er
the wild lands to .eathertop 2ill. +n
that way they would$ if all went well$
1ut off a great loop of
the Road$ whi1h further on ,ent
southwards to a"oid the (idgewater
(arshes. But$ of 1ourse$ they
would ha"e to pass through the
)arshes the)sel"es$ and %trider?s
des1ription of the) was not
en1ouraging.
2owe"er$ in the )eanwhile$ walking
was not unpleasant. +ndeed$ if it had
not ,een for the
distur,ing e"ents of the night ,efore$
they would ha"e enKoyed this pan of
the Kourney ,etter than
any up to that ti)e. The sun was
shining$ 1lear ,ut not too hot. The
woods in the "alley were still
leafy and full of 1olour$ and see)ed
pea1eful and wholeso)e. %trider
guided the) 1onfidently
a)ong the )any 1rossing paths$
although left to the)sel"es they
would soon ha"e ,een at a loss.
2e was taking a wandering 1ourse
with )any turns and dou,lings$ to put
off any pursuit.
?Bill Ferny will ha"e wat1hed where
we left the Road$ for 1ertain$? he saidI
?though + don?t think
he will follow us hi)self. 2e knows
the land round here well enough$ ,ut
he knows he is not a
)at1h for )e in a wood. +t is what he
)ay tell others that + a) afraid of. +
don?t suppose they are far
away. +f they think we ha"e )ade for
4r1het$ so )u1h the ,etter.?
.hether ,e1ause of %trider?s skill or
for so)e other reason$ they saw no
sign and heard no sound
of any other li"ing thing all that day:
neither two#footed$ e51ept ,irdsI nor
four#footed$ e51ept one
fo5 and a few sJuirrels. The ne5t day
they ,egan to steer a steady 1ourse
eastwardsI and still all was
Juiet and pea1eful. *n the third day
out fro) Bree they 1a)e out of the
-hetwood. The land had
,een falling steadily$ e"er sin1e they
turned aside fro) the Road$ and they
now entered a wide flat
e5panse of 1ountry$ )u1h )ore
diffi1ult to )anage. They were far
,eyond the ,orders of the Breeland$
out in the pathless wilderness$ and
drawing near to the (idge#water
(arshes.
The ground now ,e1a)e da)p$ and in
pla1es ,oggy and here and there they
1a)e upon pools$
and wide stret1hes of reeds and rushes
filled with the war,ling of little
hidden ,irds. They had to
pi1k their way 1arefully to keep ,oth
dry#footed and on their proper 1ourse.
4t first they )ade fanprogress$
,ut as they went on$ their passage
,e1a)e slower and )ore dangerous.
The )arshes were
,ewildering and trea1herous$ and
there was no per)anent trail e"en for
Rangers to find through
their shifting Juag)ires. The flies
,egan to tor)ent the)$ and the air
was full of 1louds of tiny
)idges that 1rept up their slee"es and
,ree1hes and into their hair.
?+ a) ,eing eaten ali"eN? 1ried Pippin.
?(idgewaterN There are )ore )idges
than waterN?
?.hat do they li"e on when they 1an?t
get ho,,itM? asked %a)$ s1rat1hing his
ne1k.
They spent a )isera,le day in this
lonely and unpleasant 1ountry. Their
1a)ping#pla1e was
da)p$ 1old$ and un1o)forta,leI and
the ,iting inse1ts would not let the)
sleep. There were also
a,o)ina,le 1reatures haunting the
reeds and tusso1ks that fro) the
sound of the) were e"il
relati"es of the 1ri1ket. There were
thousands of the)$ and they sJueaked
all round$ Aneek#,reek$
,reek#neek$A un1easingly all the
night$ until the ho,,its were nearly
franti1.
The ne5t day$ the fourth$ was little
,etter$ and the night al)ost as
1o)fortless. Though the
'eeker,reekers Das %a) 1alled the)E
had ,een left ,ehind$ the )idges still
pursued the).
4s Frodo lay$ tired ,ut una,le to 1lose
his eyes$ it see)ed to hi) that far
away there 1a)e a
light in the eastern sky: it flashed and
faded )any ti)es. +t was not the
dawn$ for that was still so)e
hours off.
?.hat is the lightM? he said to %trider$
who had risen$ and was standing$
ga<ing ahead into the
night.
?+ do not know$? %trider answered. ?+t is
too distant to )ake out. +t is like
lightning that leaps up
fro) the hill#tops.?
Frodo lay down again$ ,ut for a long
while he 1ould still see the white
flashes$ and against the)
the tall dark figure of %trider$ standing
silent and wat1hful. 4t last he passed
into uneasy sleep.
They had not gone far on the fifth day
when they left the last straggling
pools and reed#,eds of
the )arshes ,ehind the). The land
,efore the) ,egan steadily to rise
again. 4way in the distan1e
eastward they 1ould now see a line of
hills. The highest of the) was at the
right of the line and a
little separated fro) the others. +t had
a 1oni1al top$ slightly flattened at the
su))it.
?That is .eathertop$? said %trider. ?The
*ld Road$ whi1h we ha"e left far
away on our right$ runs
to the south of it and passes not far
fro) its foot. .e )ight rea1h it ,y
noon to)orrow$ if we go
straight towards it. + suppose we had
,etter do so.?
?.hat do you )eanM? asked Frodo.
?+ )ean: when we do get there$ it is
not 1ertain what we shall find. +t is
1lose to the Road.?
?But surely we were hoping to find
/andalf thereM?
?GesI ,ut the hope is faint. +f he 1o)es
this way at all$ he )ay not pass
through Bree$ and so he
)ay not know what we are doing.
4nd anyway$ unless ,y lu1k we arri"e
al)ost together$ we shall
)iss one anotherI it will not ,e safe
for hi) or for us to wait there long. +f
the Riders fail to find us
in the wilderness$ they are likely to
)ake for .eathertop the)sel"es. +t
1o))ands a wide "iew all
round. +ndeed$ there are )any ,irds
and ,easts in this 1ountry that 1ould
see us$ as we stand here$
fro) that hill#top. 'ot all the ,irds are
to ,e trusted$ and there are other spies
)ore e"il than they
are.?
The ho,,its looked an5iously at the
distant hills. %a) looked up into the
pale sky$ fearing to see
hawks or eagles ho"ering o"er the)
with ,right unfriendly eyes. ?Gou do
)ake )e feel
un1o)forta,le and loneso)e$ %triderN?
he said.
?.hat do you ad"ise us to doM? asked
Frodo.
?+ think$? answered %trider slowly$ as if
he was not Juite sure$ ?+ think the ,est
thing is to go as
straight eastward fro) here as we 1an$
to )ake for the line of hills$ not for
.eathertop. There we
1an strike a path + know that runs at
their feetI it will ,ring us to
.eathertop fro) the north and less
openly. Then we shall see what we
shall see.?
4ll that day they plodded along$ until
the 1old and early e"ening 1a)e
down. The land ,e1a)e
drier and )ore ,arrenI ,ut )ists and
"apours lay ,ehind the) on the
)arshes. 4 few )elan1holy
,irds were piping and wailing$ until
the round red sun sank slowly into the
western shadowsI then
an e)pty silen1e fell. The ho,,its
thought of the soft light of sunset
glan1ing through the 1heerful
windows of Bag !nd far away.
4t the day?s end they 1a)e to a strea)
that wandered down fro) the hills to
lose itself in the
stagnant )arshland$ and they went up
along its ,anks while the light lasted.
+t was already night
when at last they halted and )ade
their 1a)p under so)e stunted alder#
trees ,y the shores of the
strea). 4head there loo)ed now
against the dusky sky the ,leak and
treeless ,a1ks of the hills.
That night they set a wat1h$ and
%trider$ it see)ed$ did not sleep at all.
The )oon was wa5ing$ and
in the early night#hours a 1old grey
light lay on the land.
'e5t )orning they set out again soon
after sunrise. There was a frost in the
air$ and the sky was
a pale 1lear ,lue. The ho,,its felt
refreshed$ as if they had had a night of
un,roken sleep. 4lready
they were getting used to )u1h
walking on short 1o))ons O shorter
at any rate than what in the
%hire they would ha"e thought ,arely
enough to keep the) on their legs.
Pippin de1lared that Frodo
was looking twi1e the ho,,it that he
had ,een.
?@ery odd$? said Frodo$ tightening his
,elt$ ?1onsidering that there is a1tually
a good deal less of
)e. + hope the thinning pro1ess will
not go on indefinitely$ or + shall
,e1o)e a wraith.?
?&o not speak of su1h thingsN? said
%trider Jui1kly$ and with surprising
earnestness.
The hills drew nearer. They )ade an
undulating ridge$ often rising al)ost
to a thousand feet$
and here and there falling again to low
1lefts or passes leading into the
eastern land ,eyond. 4long
the 1rest of the ridge the ho,,its 1ould
see what looked to ,e the re)ains of
green#grown walls and
dikes$ and in the 1lefts there still stood
the ruins of old works of stone. By
night they had rea1hed
the feet of the westward slopes$ and
there they 1a)ped. +t was the night of
the fifth of *1to,er$ and
they were si5 days out fro) Bree.
+n the )orning they found$ for the
first ti)e sin1e they had left the
-hetwood$ a tra1k plain to
see. They turned right and followed it
southwards. +t ran 1unningly$ taking a
line that see)ed
1hosen so as to keep as )u1h hidden
as possi,le fro) the "iew$ ,oth of the
hill#tops a,o"e and of
the flats to the west. +t di"ed into
dells$ and hugged steep ,anksI and
where it passed o"er flatter
and )ore open ground on either side
of it there were lines of large ,oulders
and hewn stones that
s1reened the tra"ellers al)ost like a
hedge.
?+ wonder who )ade this path$ and
what for$? said (erry$ as they walked
along one of these
a"enues$ where the stones were
unusually large and 1losely set. ?+ a)
not sure that + like it: it has a
O well$ rather a ,arrow#wightish look.
+s there any ,arrow on .eathertopM?
?'o. There is no ,arrow on
.eathertop$ nor on any of these hills$?
answered %trider. ?The (en of
the .est did not li"e hereI though in
their latter days they defended the
hills for a while against the
e"il that 1a)e out of 4ng)ar. This
path was )ade to ser"e the forts along
the walls. But long
,efore$ in the first days of the 'orth
ingdo)$ they ,uilt a great wat1h#
tower on .eathertop$
4)on %=l they 1alled it. +t was
,urned and ,roken$ and nothing
re)ains of it now ,ut a tu),led
ring$ like a rough 1rown on the old
hill?s head. Get on1e it was tall and
fair. +t is told that !lendil
stood there wat1hing for the 1o)ing
of /il#galad out of the .est$ in the
days of the Last 4llian1e.?
The ho,,its ga<ed at %trider. +t
see)ed that he was learned in old
lore$ as well as in the ways of
the wild. ?.ho was /il#galadM? asked
(erryI ,ut %trider did not answer$ and
see)ed to ,e lost in
thought. %uddenly a low "oi1e
)ur)ured:
/il#galad was an !l"en#king.
*f hi) the harpers sadly sing:
the last whose real) was fair and free
,etween the (ountains and the %ea.
2is sword was long$ his lan1e was
keen$
his shining hel) afar was seenI
the 1ountless stars of hea"en?s field
were )irrored in his sil"er shield.
But long ago he rode away$
and where he dwelleth none 1an sayI
for into darkness fell his star
in (ordor where the shadows are.
The others turned in a)a<e)ent$ for
the "oi1e was %a)?s.
?&on?t stopN? said (erry.
?That?s all + know$? sta))ered %a)$
,lushing. ?+ learned it fro) (r. Bil,o
when + was a lad. 2e
used to tell )e tales like that$
knowing how + was always one for
hearing a,out !l"es. +t was (r.
Bil,o as taught )e )y letters. 2e was
)ighty ,ook#learned was dear old (r.
Bil,o. 4nd he wrote
Apoetry.A 2e wrote what + ha"e Kust
said.?
?2e did not )ake it up$? said %trider. ?+t
is pan of the lay that is 1alled AThe
Fall of /il#galad$A
whi1h is in an an1ient tongue. Bil,o
)ust ha"e translated it. + ne"er knew
that.?
?There was a lot )ore$? said %a)$ ?all
a,out (ordor. + didn?t learn that part$
it ga"e )e the shi"ers
+ ne"er thought + should ,e going that
way )yselfN?
?/oing to (ordorN? 1ried Pippin. ?+
hope it won?t 1o)e to thatN?
?&o not speak that na)e so loudlyN?
said %trider.
+t was already )id#day when they
drew near the southern end of the
path$ and saw ,efore the)$
in the pale 1lear light of the *1to,er
sun$ a grey#green ,ank$ leading up
like a ,ridge on to the
northward slope of the hill They
de1ided to )ake for the top at on1e$
while the daylight was ,road
-on1eal)ent was no longer possi,le$
and they 1ould only hope that no
ene)y or spy was o,ser"ing
the). 'othing was to ,e seen )o"ing
on the hill. +f /andalf was anywhere
a,out$ there was no sign
of hi).
*n the western flank of .eathertop
they found a sheltered hollow$ at the
,otto) of whi1h there
was a ,owl#shaped dell with grassy
sides. There they left %a) and Pippin
with the pony and their
pa1ks and luggage. The other three
went on. 4fter half an hour?s plodding
1li), %trider rea1hed the
1rown of the hillI Frodo and (erry
followed$ tired and ,reathless. The
last slope had ,een steep and
ro1ky.
*n the top they found$ as %trider had
said$ a wide ring of an1ient
stonework$ now 1ru),ling or
1o"ered with age#long grass. But in
the 1entre a 1airn of ,roken stones had
,een piled. They were
,la1kened as if with fire. 4,out the)
the turf was ,urned to the roots and
all within the ring the
grass was s1or1hed and shri"elled$ as
if fla)es had swept the hill#topI ,ut
there was no sign of any
li"ing thing.
%tanding upon the ri) of the ruined
1ir1le$ they saw all round ,elow the)
a wide prospe1t$ for
the )ost pan of lands e)pty and
featureless$ e51ept for pat1hes of
woodland away to the south$
,eyond whi1h they 1aught here and
there the glint of distant water.
Beneath the) on this southern
side there ran like a ri,,on the *ld
Road$ 1o)ing out of the .est and
winding up and down$ until it
faded ,ehind a ridge of dark land to
the east. 'othing was )o"ing on it.
Following its line eastward
with their eyes they saw the
(ountains: the nearer foothills were
,rown and so),reI
,ehind the) stood taller shapes of
grey$ and ,ehind those again were
high white peaks
gli))ering a)ong the 1louds.
?.ell$ here we areN? said (erry. ?4nd
"ery 1heerless and unin"iting it looksN
There is no water
and no shelter. 4nd no sign of
/andalf. But + don?t ,la)e hi) for not
waiting O if he e"er 1a)e
here.?
?+ wonder$? said %trider$ looking round
thoughtfully. ?!"en if he was a day or
two ,ehind us at
Bree$ he 1ould ha"e arri"ed here first.
2e 1an ride "ery swiftly when need
presses.? %uddenly he
stooped and looked at the stone on the
top of the 1airnI it was flatter than the
others$ and whiter$ as
if it had es1aped the fire. 2e pi1ked it
up and e5a)ined it$ turning it in his
fingers. LThis has ,een
handled re1ently$? he said. ?.hat do
you think of these )arksM?
*n the flat under#side Frodo saw
so)e s1rat1hes: ?There see)s to he a
stroke$ a dot$ and three
)ore strokes$? he said.
?The stroke on the left )ight ,e a /#
rune with thin ,ran1hes$? said %trider.
?+t )ight ,e a sign left
,y /andalf$ though one 1annot ,e
sure. The s1rat1hes are fine$ and they
1ertainly look fresh. But
the )arks )ight )ean so)ething
Juite different$ and ha"e nothing to do
with us. Rangers use
runes$ and they 1o)e here so)eti)es.?
?.hat 1ould they )ean$ e"en if
/andalf )ade the)M? asked (erry
?+ should say$? answered %trider$ ?that
they stood for /3$ and were a sign
that /andalf was here
on *1to,er the third: that is three days
ago now. +t would also show that he
was in a hurry and
danger was at hand$ so that he had no
ti)e or did not dare to write anything
longer or plainer. +f
that is so$ we )ust ,e wary.?
?+ wish we 1ould feel sure that he
)ade the )arks$ whate"er they )ay
)ean$? said Frodo ?+t
would ,e a great 1o)fort to know that
he was on the way$ in front of us or
,ehind us.?
?Perhaps$? said %trider. ?For )yself$ +
,elie"e that he was here$ and was in
danger. There ha"e
,een s1or1hing fla)es hereI and now
the light that we saw three nights ago
in the eastern sky
1o)es ,a1k to )y )ind. + guess that
he was atta1ked on this hill#top$ ,ut
with what result + 1annot
tell. 2e is here no longer$ and we
)ust now look after oursel"es and
)ake our own way to
Ri"endell$ as ,est we 1an ?
?2ow far is Ri"endellM? asked (erry$
ga<ing round wearily. The world
looked wild and wide
fro) .eathertop.
?+ don?t know if the Road has e"er
,een )easured in )iles ,eyond the
AForsaken +nn$A a day?s
Kourney east of Bree$? answered
%trider. ?%o)e say it is so far$ and
so)e say otherwise. +t is a
strange road$ and folk are glad to
rea1h their Kourney?s end$ whether the
ti)e is long or short. But +
know how long it would take )e on
)y own feet$ with fair weather and no
ill fortune twel"e days
fro) here to the Ford of Bruinen$
where the Road 1rosses the
Loudwater that runs out of Ri"endell.
.e ha"e at least a fortnight?s Kourney
,efore us$ for + do not think we shall
,e a,le to use the Road.?
?4 fortnightN? said Frodo. ?4 lot )ay
happen in that ti)e.?
?+t )ay$? said %trider.
They stood for a while silent on the
hill#top$ near its southward edge. +n
that lonely pla1e Frodo
for the first ti)e fully reali<ed his
ho)elessness and danger. 2e wished
,itterly that his fortune had
left hi) in the Juiet and ,elo"ed
%hire. 2e stared down at the hateful
Road$ leading ,a1k westward
O to his ho)e. %uddenly he was aware
that two ,la1k spe1ks were )o"ing
slowly along it$ going
westwardI and looking again he saw
that three others were 1reeping
eastward to )eet the). 2e
ga"e a 1ry and 1lut1hed %trider?s ar).
?Look$? he said$ pointing downwards.
4t on1e %trider flung hi)self on the
ground ,ehind the ruined 1ir1le$
pulling Frodo down ,eside
hi). (erry threw hi)self alongside.
?.hat is itM? he whispered.
?+ do not know$ ,ut + fear the worst$?
answered %trider.
%lowly they 1rawled up to the edge of
the ring again$ and peered through a
1left ,etween two
Kagged stones. The light was no longer
,right$ for the 1lear )orning had
faded$ and 1louds 1reeping
out of the !ast had now o"ertaken the
sun$ as it ,egan to go down. They
1ould all see the ,la1k
spe1ks$ ,ut neither Frodo nor (erry
1ould )ake out their shapes for
1ertainI yet so)ething told
the) that there$ far ,elow$ were Bla1k
Riders asse),ling on the Road
,eyond the foot of the hill.
?Ges$? said %trider$ whose keener sight
left hi) in no dou,t. ?The ene)y is
hereN?
2astily they 1rept away and slipped
down the north side of the hill to find
their 1o)panions.
%a) and Peregrin had not ,een idle.
They had e5plored the s)all dell and
the surrounding
slopes. 'ot far away they found a
spring of 1lear water in the hillside$
and near it footprints not
)ore than a day or two old. +n the dell
itself they found re1ent tra1es of a
fire$ and other signs of a
hasty 1a)p. There were so)e fallen
ro1ks on the edge of the dell nearest
to the hill. Behind the)
%a) 1a)e upon a s)all store of
firewood neatly sta1ked.
?+ wonder if old /andalf has ,een
here$? he said to Pippin. ?.hoe"er it
was put this stuff here
)eant to 1o)e ,a1k it see)s.?
%trider was greatly interested in these
dis1o"eries. ?+ wish + had waited and
e5plored the ground
down here )yself$? he said$ hurrying
off to the spring to e5a)ine the
footprints.
?+t is Kust as + feared$? he said$ when he
1a)e ,a1k. ?%a) and Pippin ha"e
tra)pled the soft
ground$ and the )arks are spoilt or
1onfused. Rangers ha"e ,een here
lately. +t is they who left the
firewood ,ehind. But there are also
se"eral newer tra1ks that were not
)ade ,y Rangers. 4t least
one set was )ade$ only a day or two
ago$ ,y hea"y ,oots. 4t least one. +
1annot now ,e 1ertain$ ,ut
+ think there were )any ,ooted feet.?
2e paused and stood in an5ious
thought.
!a1h of the ho,,its saw in his )ind a
"ision of the 1loaked and ,ooted
Riders. +f the horse)en
had already found the dell$ the sooner
%trider led the) so)ewhere else the
,etter. %a) "iewed the
hollow with great dislike$ now that he
had heard news of their ene)ies on
the Road$ only a few
)iles away.
?2adn?t we ,etter 1lear out Jui1k$ (r.
%triderM? he asked i)patiently. ?+t is
getting late$ and + don?t
like this hole: it )akes )y heart sink
so)ehow.?
?Ges$ we 1ertainly )ust de1ide what to
do at on1e$? answered %trider$ looking
up and 1onsidering
the ti)e and the weather. ?.ell$ %a)$?
he said at last$ ?+ do not like this pla1e
eitherI ,ut + 1annot
think of anywhere ,etter that we
1ould rea1h ,efore nightfall. 4t least
we are out of sight for the
)o)ent$ and if we )o"ed we should
,e )u1h )ore likely to ,e seen ,y
spies. 4ll we 1ould do
would ,e to go right out of our way
,a1k north on this side of the line of
hills$ where the land is all
)u1h the sa)e as it is here. The Road
is wat1hed$ ,ut we should ha"e to
1ross it$ if we tried to take
1o"er in the thi1kets away to the
south. *n the north side of the Road
,eyond the hills the 1ountry
is ,are and flat for )iles.?
?-an the Riders AseeM?A asked (erry.
?+ )ean$ they see) usually to ha"e
used their noses rather
than their eyes$ s)elling for us$ if
s)elling is the right word$ at least in
the daylight. But you )ade
us lie down flat when you saw the)
down ,elowI and now you talk of
,eing seen$ if we )o"e.?
?+ was too 1areless on the hill#top$?
answered %trider. ?+ was "ery an5ious
to find so)e sign of
/andalfI ,ut it was a )istake for three
of us to go up and stand there so long.
For the ,la1k horses
1an see$ and the Riders 1an use )en
and other 1reatures as spies$ as we
found at Bree. They
the)sel"es do not see the world of
light as we do$ ,ut our shapes 1ast
shadows in their )inds$
whi1h only the noon sun destroysI and
in the dark they per1ei"e )any signs
and for)s that are
hidden fro) us: then they are )ost to
,e feared. 4nd at all ti)es they s)ell
the ,lood of li"ing
things$ desiring and hating it. %enses$
too$ there are other than sight or
s)ell. .e 1an feel their
presen1e O it trou,led our hearts$ as
soon as we 1a)e here$ and ,efore we
saw the)I they feel ours
)ore keenly. 4lso$? he added$ and his
"oi1e sank to a whisper$ ?the Ring
draws the).?
?+s there no es1ape thenM? said Frodo$
looking round wildly. ?+f + )o"e +
shall ,e seen and huntedN
+f + stay$ + shall draw the) to )eN?
%trider laid his hand on his shoulder.
?There is still hope$? he said. ?Gou are
not alone. Let us take
this wood that is set ready for the fire
as a sign. There is little shelter or
defen1e here$ ,ut fire shall
ser"e for ,oth. %auron 1an put fire to
his e"il uses$ as he 1an all things$ ,ut
these Riders do not lo"e
it$ and fear those who wield it. Fire is
our friend in the wilderness.?
?(ay,e$? )uttered %a). ?+t is also as
good a way of saying Lhere we areL as
+ 1an think of$ ,ar
shouting.?
&own in the lowest and )ost
sheltered 1orner of the dell they lit a
fire$ and prepared a )eal. The
shades of e"ening ,egan to fall$ and it
grew 1old. They were suddenly aware
of great hunger$ for
they had not eaten anything sin1e
,reakfastI ,ut they dared not )ake
)ore than a frugal supper.
The lands ahead were e)pty of all
sa"e ,irds and ,easts$ unfriendly
pla1es deserted ,y all the ra1es
of the world. Rangers passed at ti)es
,eyond the hills$ ,ut they were few
and did not stay. *ther
wanderers were rare$ and of e"il sort:
trolls )ight stray down at ti)es out of
the northern "alleys of
the (isty (ountains. *nly on the
Road would tra"ellers ,e found$ )ost
often dwar"es$ hurrying
along on ,usiness of their own$ and
with no help and few words to spare
for strangers.
?+ don?t see how our food 1an ,e )ade
to last$? said Frodo. ?.e ha"e ,een
1areful enough in the
last few days$ and this supper is no
feastI ,ut we ha"e used )ore than we
ought$ if we ha"e two
weeks still to go$ and perhaps )ore.?
?There is food in the wild$? said
%triderI ?,erry$ root$ and her,I and +
ha"e so)e skill as a hunter
at need. Gou need not ,e afraid of
star"ing ,efore winter 1o)es. But
gathering and 1at1hing food is
long and weary work$ and we need
haste. %o tighten your ,elts$ and think
with hope of the ta,les of
!lrond?s houseN?
The 1old in1reased as darkness 1a)e
on. Peering out fro) the edge of the
dell they 1ould see
nothing ,ut a grey land now "anishing
Jui1kly into shadow. The sky a,o"e
had 1leared again and
was slowly filled with twinkling stars.
Frodo and his 1o)panions huddled
round the fire$ wrapped
in e"ery gar)ent and ,lanket they
possessedI ,ut %trider was 1ontent
with a single 1loak$ and sat a
little apart$ drawing thoughtfully at
his pipe.
4s night fell and the light of the fire
,egan to shine out ,rightly he ,egan
to tell the) tales to
keep their )inds fro) fear. 2e knew
)any histories and legends of long
ago$ of !l"es and (en and
the good and e"il deeds of the !lder
&ays. They wondered how old he
was$ and where he had
learned all this lore.
?Tell us of /il#galad$? said (erry
suddenly$ when he paused at the end
of a story of the !lf#
ingdo)s. ?&o you know any )ore of
that old lay that you spoke ofM?
?+ do indeed$? answered %trider. ?%o
also does Frodo$ for it 1on1erns us
1losely.? (erry and Pippin
looked at Frodo$ who was staring into
the fire.
?+ know only the little that /andalf has
told )e$? said Frodo slowly. ?/il#galad
was the last of the
great !lf#kings of (iddle#earth. /il#
galad is A%tarlightA in their tongue.
.ith !lendil$ the !lffriend$
he went to the land ofOOO?
?'oN? said %trider interrupting$ ?+ do
not think that tale should ,e told now
with the ser"ants of the
!ne)y at hand. +f we win through to
the house of !lrond$ you )ay hear it
there$ told in full.?
?Then tell us so)e other tale of the old
days$? ,egged %a)I ?a tale a,out the
!l"es ,efore the
fading ti)e. + would dearly like to
hear )ore a,out !l"esI the dark
see)s to press round so 1lose.?
?+ will tell you the tale of TinC"iel$?
said %trider$ ?in ,rief O for it is a long
tale of whi1h the end is
not knownI and there are none now$
e51ept !lrond$ that re)e),er it aright
as it was told of old. +t
is a fair tale$ though it is sad$ as are all
the tales of (iddle#earth$ and yet it
)ay lift up your hearts.?
2e was silent for so)e ti)e$ and then
he ,egan not to speak ,ut to 1hant
softly:
The lea"es were long$ the grass was
green$
The he)lo1k#u),els tall and fair$
4nd in the glade a light was seen
*f stars in shadow shi))ering.
TinC"iel was dan1ing there
To )usi1 of a pipe unseen$
4nd light of stars was in her hair$
4nd in her rai)ent gli))ering.
There Beren 1a)e fro) )ountains
1old$
4nd lost he wandered under lea"es$
4nd where the !l"en#ri"er rolled
2e walked alone and sorrowing.
2e peered ,etween the he)lo1k#
lea"es
4nd saw in wander flowers of gold
0pon her )antle and her slee"es$
4nd her hair like shadow following.
!n1hant)ent healed his weary feet
That o"er hills were doo)ed to roa)I
4nd forth he hastened$ strong and
fleet$
4nd grasped at )oon,ea)s
glistening.
Through wo"en woods in !l"enho)e
%he tightly fled on dan1ing feet$
4nd left hi) lonely still to roa)
+n the silent forest listening.
2e heard there oft the flying sound
*f feet as light as linden#lea"es$
*r )usi1 welling underground$
+n hidden hollows Jua"ering.
'ow withered lay the he)lo1k#
shea"es$
4nd one ,y one with sighing sound
.hispering fell the ,ee1hen lea"es
+n the wintry woodland wa"ering.
2e sought her e"er$ wandering far
.here lea"es of years were thi1kly
strewn$
By light of )oon and ray of star
+n frosty hea"ens shi"ering.
2er )antle glinted in the )oon$
4s on a hill#top high and far
%he dan1ed$ and at her feet was
strewn
4 )ist of sil"er Jui"ering.
.hen winter passed$ she 1a)e again$
4nd her song released the sudden
spring$
Like rising lark$ and falling rain$
4nd )elting water ,u,,ling.
2e saw the el"en#flowers spring
4,out her feet$ and healed again
2e longed ,y her to dan1e and sing
0pon the grass untrou,ling.
4gain she fled$ ,ut swift he 1a)e.
TinC"ielN TinC"ielN
2e 1alled her ,y her el"ish na)eI
4nd there she halted listening.
*ne )o)ent stood she$ and a spell
2is "oi1e laid on her: Beren 1a)e$
4nd doo) fell on TinC"iel
That in his ar)s lay glistening.
4s Beren looked into her eyes
.ithin the shadows of her hair$
The tre),ling starlight of the skies
2e saw there )irrored shi))ering.
TinC"iel the el"en#fair$
+))ortal )aiden el"en#wise$
4,out hi) 1ast her shadowy hair
4nd ar)s like sil"er gli))ering.
Long was the way that fate the) ,ore$
*?er stony )ountains 1old and grey$
Through halls of iron and darkling
door$
4nd woods of nightshade )orrowless.
The %undering %eas ,etween the)
lay$
4nd yet at last they )et on1e )ore$
4nd long ago they passed away
+n the forest singing sorrowless.
%trider sighed and paused ,efore he
spoke again. ?That is a song$? he said$
?in the )ode that is
1alled Aann#thennathA a)ong the
!l"es$ ,ut is hard to render in our
-o))on %pee1h$ and this is
,ut a rough e1ho of it. +t tells of the
)eeting of Beren son of Barahir and
LCthien TinC"iel. Beren
was a )ortal )an$ ,ut LCthien was
the daughter of Thingol$ a ing of
!l"es upon (iddle#earth
when the world was youngI and she
was the fairest )aiden that has e"er
,een a)ong all the
1hildren of this world. 4s the stars
a,o"e the )ists of the 'orthern lands
was her lo"eliness$ and in
her fa1e was a shining light. +n those
days the /reat !ne)y$ of who)
%auron of (ordor was ,ut a
ser"ant$ dwelt in 4ng,and in the
'orth$ and the !l"es of the .est
1o)ing ,a1k to (iddle#earth
)ade war upon hi) to regain the
%il)arils whi1h he had stolenI and the
fathers of (en aided the
!l"es. But the !ne)y was "i1torious
and Barahir was slain$ and Beren
es1aping through great peril
1a)e o"er the (ountains of Terror
into the hidden ingdo) of Thingol
in the forest of 'eldoreth.
There he ,eheld LCthien singing and
dan1ing in a glade ,eside the
en1hanted ri"er !sgalduinI and
he na)ed her TinC"iel$ that is
'ightingale in the language of old.
(any sorrows ,efell the)
afterwards$ and they were parted long.
TinC"iel res1ued Beren fro) the
dungeons of %auron$ and
together they passed through great
dangers$ and 1ast down e"en the /reat
!ne)y fro) his throne$
and took fro) his iron 1rown one of
the three %il)arils$ ,rightest of all
Kewels$ to ,e the ,ride#pri1e
of LCthien to Thingol her father. Get
at the last Beren was slain ,y the
.olf that 1a)e fro) the
gates of 4ng,and$ and he died in the
ar)s of TinC"iel. But she 1hose
)ortality$ and to die fro) the
world$ so that she )ight follow hi)I
and it is sung that they )et again
,eyond the %undering %eas$
and after a ,rief ti)e walking ali"e
on1e )ore in the green woods$
together they passed$ long ago$
,eyond the 1onfines of this world. %o
it is that LCthien TinC"iel alone of the
!lf#kindred has died
indeed and left the world$ and they
ha"e lost her who) they )ost lo"ed.
But fro) her the lineage
of the !lf#lords of old des1ended
a)ong (en. There li"e still those of
who) LCthien was the
fore)other$ and it is said that her line
shall ne"er fail. !lrond of Ri"endell is
of that in. For of
Beren and LCthien was ,orn &ior
Thingol?s heirI and of hi) !lwing the
.hite who) !Rrendil
wedded$ he that sailed his ship out of
the )ists of the world into the seas of
hea"en with the
%il)aril upon his ,row. 4nd of
!Rrendil 1a)e the ings of 'C)enor$
that is .esternesse.?
4s %trider was speaking they wat1hed
his strange eager fa1e$ di)ly lit in the
red glow of the
wood#fire. 2is eyes shone$ and his
"oi1e was ri1h and deep. 4,o"e hi)
was a ,la1k starry sky.
%uddenly a pale light appeared o"er
the 1rown of .eathertop ,ehind hi).
The wa5ing )oon was
1li),ing slowly a,o"e the hill that
o"ershadowed the)$ and the stars
a,o"e the hill#top faded.
The story ended. The ho,,its )o"ed
and stret1hed. ?LookN? said (erry.
?The (oon is rising: it
)ust ,e getting late.?
The others looked up. !"en as they
did so$ they saw on the top of the hill
so)ething s)all and
dark against the gli))er of the
)oonrise. +t was perhaps only a large
stone or Kutting ro1k shown
up ,y the pale light.
%a) and (erry got up and walked
away fro) the fire. Frodo and Pippin
re)ained seated in
silen1e. %trider was wat1hing the
)oonlight on the hill intently. 4ll
see)ed Juiet and still$ ,ut
Frodo felt a 1old dread 1reeping o"er
his heart$ now that %trider was no
longer speaking. 2e
huddled 1loser to the fire. 4t that
)o)ent %a) 1a)e running ,a1k fro)
the edge of the dell.
?+ don?t know what it is$? he said$ ?,ut +
suddenly felt afraid. + durstn?t go
outside this dell for any
)oneyI + felt that so)ething was
1reeping up the slope.?
?&id you AseeA anythingM? asked
Frodo$ springing to his feet.
?'o$ sir. + saw nothing$ ,ut + didn?t
stop to look.?
?+ saw so)ething$? said (erryI ?or +
thought + did O away westwards
where the )oonlight was
falling on the flats ,eyond the shadow
of the hill#tops$ + AthoughtA there
were two or three ,la1k
shapes. They see)ed to ,e )o"ing
this way.?
?eep 1lose to the fire$ with your fa1es
outwardN? 1ried %trider. ?/et so)e of
the longer sti1ks
ready in your handsN?
For a ,reathless ti)e they sat there$
silent and alert$ with their ,a1ks
turned to the wood#fire$
ea1h ga<ing into the shadows that
en1ir1led the). 'othing happened.
There was no sound or
)o"e)ent in the night. Frodo stirred$
feeling that he )ust ,reak the silen1e:
he longed to shout out
aloud.
?2ushN? whispered %trider. ?.hat?s
thatM? gasped Pippin at the sa)e
)o)ent.
*"er the lip of the little dell$ on the
side away fro) the hill$ they felt$
rather than saw$ a shadow
rise$ one shadow or )ore than one.
They strained their eyes$ and the
shadows see)ed to grow.
%oon there 1ould ,e no dou,t:
three or four tall ,la1k figures were
standing there on the slope$ looking
down on the). %o ,la1k
were they that they see)ed like ,la1k
holes in the deep shade ,ehind the).
Frodo thought that he
heard a faint hiss as of "eno)ous
,reath and felt a thin pier1ing 1hill.
Then the shapes slowly
ad"an1ed.
Terror o"er1a)e Pippin and (erry$
and they threw the)sel"es flat on the
ground. %a) shrank to
Frodo?s side. Frodo was hardly less
terrified than his 1o)panionsI he was
Juaking as if he was
,itter 1old$ ,ut his terror was
swallowed up in a sudden te)ptation
to put on the Ring. The desire to
do this laid hold of hi)$ and he 1ould
think of nothing else. 2e did not
forget the Barrow$ nor the
)essage of /andalfI ,ut so)ething
see)ed to ,e 1o)pelling hi) to
disregard all warnings$ and he
longed to yield. 'ot with the hope of
es1ape$ or of doing anything$ either
good or ,ad: he si)ply
felt that he )ust take the Ring and put
it on his finger. 2e 1ould not speak.
2e felt %a) looking at
hi)$ as if he knew that his )aster was
in so)e great trou,le$ ,ut he 1ould
not turn towards hi). 2e
shut his eyes and struggled for a
whileI ,ut resistan1e ,e1a)e
un,eara,le$ and at last he slowly
drew out the 1hain$ and slipped the
Ring on the forefinger of his left
hand.
+))ediately$ though e"erything else
re)ained as ,efore$ di) and dark$ the
shapes ,e1a)e
terri,ly 1lear. 2e was a,le to see
,eneath their ,la1k wrappings. There
were fi"e tall figures: two
standing on the lip of the dell$ three
ad"an1ing. +n their white fa1es ,urned
keen and )er1iless eyesI
under their )antles were long grey
ro,esI upon their grey hairs were
hel)s of sil"erI in their
haggard hands were swords of steel.
Their eyes fell on hi) and pier1ed
hi)$ as they rushed towards
hi). &esperate$ he drew his own
sword$ and it see)ed to hi) that it
fli1kered red$ as if it was a
fire,rand. Two of the figures halted.
The third was taller than the others:
his hair was long and
glea)ing and on his hel) was a
1rown. +n one hand he held a long
sword$ and in the other a knifeI
,oth the knife and the hand that held
it glowed with a pale light. 2e sprang
forward and ,ore down
on Frodo.
4t that )o)ent Frodo threw hi)self
forward on the ground$ and he heard
hi)self 1rying aloud:
* A!l,erethN /ilthonielNA 4t the sa)e
ti)e he stru1k at the feet of his
ene)y. 4 shrill 1ry rang out
in the nightI and he felt a pain like a
dart of poisoned i1e pier1e his left
shoulder. !"en as he
swooned he 1aught$ as through a
swirling )ist$ a gli)pse of %trider
leaping out of the darkness
with a fla)ing ,rand of wood in
either hand. .ith a last effort Frodo$
dropping his sword$ slipped
the Ring fro) his finger and 1losed
his right hand tight upon it.
A-hapter 12A
Flight to the Ford
.hen Frodo 1a)e to hi)self he was
still 1lut1hing the Ring desperately.
2e was lying ,y the
fire$ whi1h was now piled high and
,urning ,rightly. 2is three
1o)panions were ,ending o"er hi).
?.hat has happenedM .here is the
pale kingM? he asked wildly. They
were too o"erKoyed to hear
hi) speak to answer for a whileI nor
did they understand his Juestion. 4t
length he gathered fro)
%a) that they had seen nothing ,ut
the "ague shadowy shapes 1o)ing
towards the). %uddenly to
his horror %a) found that his )aster
had "anishedI and at that )o)ent a
,la1k shadow rushed past
hi)$ and he fell. 2e heard Frodo?s
"oi1e$ ,ut it see)ed to 1o)e fro) a
great distan1e$ or fro)
under the earth$ 1rying out strange
words. They saw nothing )ore$ until
they stu),led o"er the
,ody of Frodo$ lying as if dead$ fa1e
downwards on the grass with his
sword ,eneath hi). %trider
ordered the) to pi1k hi) up and lay
hi) near the fire$ and then he
disappeared. That was now a
good while ago.
%a) plainly was ,eginning to ha"e
dou,ts again a,out %triderI ,ut while
they were talking he
returned$ appearing suddenly out of
the shadows. They started$ and %a)
drew his sword and stood
o"er FrodoI ,ut %trider knelt down
swiftly at his side.
?+ a) not a Bla1k Rider$ %a)$? he said
gently$ ?nor in league with the). +
ha"e ,een trying to
dis1o"er so)ething of their
)o"e)entsI ,ut + ha"e found nothing.
+ 1annot think why they ha"e
gone and do not atta1k again. But
there is no feeling of their presen1e
anywhere at hand.?
.hen he heard what Frodo had to tell$
he ,e1a)e full of 1on1ern$ and shook
his head and
sighed. Then he ordered Pippin and
(erry to heat as )u1h water as they
1ould in their s)all
kettles$ and to ,athe the wound with
it. ?eep the fire going well$ and keep
Frodo war)N? he said.
Then he got up and walked away$ and
1alled %a) to hi). ?+ think +
understand things ,etter now$?
he said in a low "oi1e. ?There see)
only to ha"e ,een fi"e of the ene)y.
.hy they were not all
here$ + don?t knowI ,ut + don?t think
they e5pe1ted to ,e resisted. They
ha"e drawn off for the ti)e
,eing. But not far$ + fear. They will
1o)e again another night$ if we
1annot es1ape. They are only
waiting$ ,e1ause they think that their
purpose is al)ost a11o)plished$ and
that the Ring 1annot fly
)u1h further. + fear$ %a)$ that they
,elie"e your )aster has a deadly
wound that will su,due hi) to
their will. .e shall seeN? %a) 1hoked
with tears. ?&on?t despairN? said
%trider. ?Gou )ust trust )e
now. Gour Frodo is )ade of sterner
stuff than + had guessed$ though
/andalf hinted that it )ight
pro"e so. 2e is not slain$ and + think
he will resist the e"il power of the
wound longer than his
ene)ies e5pe1t. + will do all + 1an to
help and heal hi). /uard hi) well$
while + a) awayN? 2e
hurried off and disappeared again into
the darkness.
Frodo do<ed$ though the pain of his
wound was slowly growing$ and a
deadly 1hill was
spreading fro) his shoulder to his
ar) and side. 2is friends wat1hed
o"er hi)$ war)ing hi)$ and
,athing his wound. The night passed
slowly and wearily. &awn was
growing in the sky$ and the
dell was filling with grey light$ when
%trider at last returned.
?LookN? he 1riedI and stooping he
lifted fro) the ground a ,la1k 1loak
that had lain there hidden
,y the darkness. 4 foot a,o"e the
lower he) there was a slash. ?This
was the stroke of Frodo?s
sword$? he said. ?The only hurt that it
did to his ene)y$ + fearI for it is
unhar)ed$ ,ut all ,lades
perish that pier1e that dreadful ing.
(ore deadly to hi) was the na)e of
!l,ereth.?
?4nd )ore deadly to Frodo was thisN?
2e stooped again and lifted up a long
thin knife. There
was a 1old glea) in it. 4s %trider
raised it they saw that near the end its
edge was not1hed and the
point was ,roken off. But e"en as he
held it up in the growing light$ they
ga<ed in astonish)ent$ for
the ,lade see)ed to )elt$ and
"anished like a s)oke in the air$
lea"ing only the hilt in %trider?s
hand. ?4lasN? he 1ried. ?+t was this
a11ursed knife that ga"e the wound.
Few now ha"e the skill in
healing to )at1h su1h e"il weapons.
But + will do what + 1an.?
2e sat down on the ground$ and
taking the dagger#hilt laid it on his
knees$ and he sang o"er it a
slow song in a strange tongue. Then
setting it aside$ he turned to Frodo and
in a soft tone spoke
words the others 1ould not 1at1h.
Fro) the pou1h at his ,elt he drew
out the long lea"es of a plant.
?These lea"es$? he said$ ?+ ha"e walked
far to findI for this plant does not
grow in the ,are hillsI
,ut in the thi1kets away south of the
Road + found it in the dark ,y the
s1ent of its lea"es.? 2e
1rushed a leaf in his fingers$ and it
ga"e out a sweet and pungent
fragran1e. ?+t is fortunate that +
1ould find it$ for it is a healing plant
that the (en of the .est ,rought to
(iddle#earth. A4thelasA
they na)ed it$ and it grows now
sparsely and only near pla1es where
they dwelt or 1a)ped of oldI
and it is not known in the 'orth$
e51ept to so)e of those who wander
in the .ild. +t has great
"irtues$ ,ut o"er su1h a wound as this
its healing powers )ay ,e s)all.?
2e threw the lea"es into ,oiling water
and ,athed Frodo?s shoulder. The
fragran1e of the stea)
was refreshing$ and those that were
unhurt felt their )inds 1al)ed and
1leared. The her, had also
so)e power o"er the wound$ for
Frodo felt the pain and also the sense
of fro<en 1old lessen in his
sideI ,ut the life did not return to his
ar)$ and he 1ould not raise or use his
hand. 2e ,itterly
regretted his foolishness$ and
reproa1hed hi)self for weakness of
willI for he now per1ei"ed that in
putting on the Ring he o,eyed not his
own desire ,ut the 1o))anding wish
of his ene)ies. 2e
wondered if he would re)ain )ai)ed
for life$ and how they would now
)anage to 1ontinue their
Kourney. 2e fell too weak to stand.
The others were dis1ussing this "ery
Juestion. They Jui1kly de1ided to
lea"e .eathertop as
soon as possi,le. ?+ think now$? said
%trider$ ?that the ene)y has ,een
wat1hing this pla1e for so)e
days. +f /andalf e"er 1a)e here$ then
he )ust ha"e ,een for1ed to ride
away$ and he will not
return. +n any 1ase we are in great
peril here after dark$ sin1e the atta1k
of last night$ and we 1an
hardly )eet greater danger where"er
we go.?
4s soon as the daylight was full$ they
had so)e hurried food and pa1ked. +t
was i)possi,le for
Frodo to walk$ so they di"ided the
greater part of their ,aggage a)ong
the four of the)$ and put
Frodo on the pony. +n the last few
days the poor ,east had i)pro"ed
wonderfullyI it already see)ed
fatter and stronger$ and had ,egun to
show an affe1tion for its new )asters$
espe1ially for %a). Bill
Ferny?s treat)ent )ust ha"e ,een "ery
hard for the Kourney in the wild to
see) so )u1h ,etter than
its for)er life.
They started off in a southerly
dire1tion. This would )ean 1rossing
the Road$ ,ut. it was the
Jui1kest way to )ore wooded
1ountry. 4nd they needed fuelI for
%trider said that Frodo )ust ,e
kept war)$ espe1ially at night$ while
fire would ,e so)e prote1tion for
the) all. +t was also his
plan to shorten their Kourney ,y
1utting a1ross another great loop of
the Road: east ,eyond
.eathertop it 1hanged its 1ourse and
took a wide ,end northwards.
They )ade their way slowly and
1autiously round the south#western
slopes of the hill$ and 1a)e
in a little while to the edge of the
Road. There was no sign of the
Riders. But e"en as they were
hurrying a1ross they heard far away
two 1ries: a 1old "oi1e 1alling and a
1old "oi1e answering.
Tre),ling they sprang forward$ and
)ade for the thi1kets that lay ahead.
The land ,efore the)
sloped away southwards$ ,ut it was
wild and pathlessI ,ushes and stunted
trees grew in dense
pat1hes with wide ,arren spa1es in
,etween. The grass was s1anty$
1oarse$ and greyI and the lea"es
in the thi1kets were faded and falling.
+t was a 1heerless land$ and their
Kourney was slow and
gloo)y. They spoke little as they
trudged along. Frodo?s heart was
grie"ed as he wat1hed the)
walking ,eside hi) with their heads
down$ and their ,a1ks ,owed under
their ,urdens. !"en %trider
see)ed tired and hea"y#hearted.
Before the first day?s )ar1h was o"er
Frodo?s pain ,egan to grow again$ ,ut
he did not speak of
it for a long ti)e. Four days passed$
without the ground or the s1ene
1hanging )u1h$ e51ept that
,ehind the) .eathertop slowly sank$
and ,efore the) the distant )ountains
loo)ed a little nearer.
Get sin1e that far 1ry they had seen
and heard no sign that the ene)y had
)arked their flight or
followed the). They dreaded the dark
hours$ and kept wat1h in pairs ,y
night$ e5pe1ting at any
ti)e to see ,la1k shapes stalking in
the grey night$ di)ly lit ,y the 1loud#
"eiled )oonI ,ut they saw
nothing$ and heard no sound ,ut the
sigh of withered lea"es and grass. 'ot
on1e did they feel the
sense of present e"il that had assailed
the) ,efore the atta1k in the dell. +t
see)ed too )u1h to hope
that the Riders had already lost their
trail again. Perhaps they were waiting
to )ake so)e a),ush
in a narrow pla1eM
4t the end of the fifth day the ground
,egan on1e )ore to rise slowly out of
the wide shallow
"alley into whi1h they had des1ended.
%trider now turned their 1ourse again
north#eastwards$ and
on the si5th day they rea1hed the top
of a long slow#1li),ing slope$ and
saw far ahead a huddle of
wooded hills. 4way ,elow the) they
1ould see the Road sweeping round
the feet of the hillsI and
to their right a grey ri"er glea)ed pale
in the thin sunshine. +n the distan1e
they gli)psed yet
another ri"er in a stony "alley half#
"eiled in )ist.
L+ a) afraid we )ust go ,a1k to the
Road here for a while$? said %trider.
?.e ha"e now 1o)e to
the Ri"er 2oarwell$ that the !l"es 1all
(itheithel. +t flows down out of the
!tten)oors$ the trollfells
north of Ri"endell$ and Koins the
Loudwater away in the %outh. %o)e
1all it the /reyflood
after that. +t is a great water ,efore it
finds the %ea. There is no way o"er it
,elow its sour1es in the
!tten)oors$ e51ept ,y the Last Bridge
on whi1h the Road 1rosses.?
?.hat is that other ri"er we 1an see far
away thereM? asked (erry.
?That is Loudwater$ the Bruinen of
Ri"endell$? answered %trider. ?The
Road runs along the edge
of the hills for )any )iles fro) the
Bridge to the Ford of Bruinen. But +
ha"e not yet thought how
we shall 1ross that water. *ne ri"er at
a ti)eN .e shall ,e fortunate indeed if
we do not find the
Last Bridge held against us.?
'e5t day$ early in the )orning$ they
1a)e down again to the ,orders of the
Road. %a) and
%trider went forward$ ,ut they found
no sign of any tra"ellers or riders.
2ere under the shadow of
the hills there had ,een so)e rain.
%trider Kudged that it had fallen two
days ,efore$ and had washed
away all footprints. 'o horse)an had
passed sin1e then$ as far as he 1ould
see.
They hurried along with all the speed
they 1ould )ake$ and after a )ile or
two they saw the Last
Bridge ahead$ at the ,otto) of a short
steep slope. They dreaded to see ,la1k
figures waiting there$
,ut they saw none. %trider )ade the)
take 1o"er in a thi1ket at the side of
the Road$ while he went
forward to e5plore.
Before long he 1a)e hurrying ,a1k. ?+
1an see no sign of the ene)y$? he said$
?and + wonder "ery
)u1h what that )eans. But + ha"e
found so)ething "ery strange.?
2e held out his hand$ and showed a
single pale#green Kewel. ?+ found it in
the )ud in the )iddle
of the Bridge$? he said. ?+t is a ,eryl$ an
elf#stone. .hether it was set there$ or
let fall ,y 1han1e$ +
1annot sayI ,ut it ,rings hope to )e. +
will take it as a sign that we )ay pass
the BridgeI ,ut ,eyond
that + dare not keep to the Road$
without so)e 1learer token.?
4t on1e they went on again. They
1rossed the Bridge in safety$ hearing
no sound ,ut the water
swirling against its three great ar1hes.
4 )ile further on they 1a)e to a
narrow ra"ine that led away
northwards through the steep lands on
the left of the Road. 2ere %trider
turned aside$ and soon they
were lost in a so),re 1ountry of dark
trees winding a)ong the feet of sullen
hills.
The ho,,its were glad to lea"e the
1heerless lands and the perilous Road
,ehind the)I ,ut this
new 1ountry see)ed threatening and
unfriendly. 4s they went forward the
hills a,out the) steadily
rose. 2ere and there upon heights and
ridges they 1aught gli)pses of an1ient
walls of stone$ and the
ruins of towers: they had an o)inous
look. Frodo$ who was not walking$
had ti)e to ga<e ahead
and to think. 2e re1alled Bil,o?s
a11ount of his Kourney and the
threatening towers on the hills north
of the Road$ in the 1ountry near the
Troll?s wood where his first serious
ad"enture had happened.
Frodo guessed that they were now in
the sa)e region$ and wondered if ,y
1han1e they would pass
near the spot.
?.ho li"es in this landM? he asked.
?4nd who ,uilt these towersM +s this
troll#1ountryM?
?'oN? said %trider. ?Trolls do not ,uild.
'o one li"es in this land. (en on1e
dwelt here$ ages agoI
,ut none re)ain now. They ,e1a)e
an e"il people$ as legends tell$ for they
fell under the shadow of
4ng)ar. But all were destroyed in the
war that ,rought the 'orth ingdo)
to its end. But that is
now so long ago that the hills ha"e
forgotten the)$ though a shadow still
lies on the land.?
?.here did you learn su1h tales$ if all
the land is e)pty and forgetfulM?
asked Peregrin. ?The ,irds
and ,easts do not tell tales of that son.?
?The heirs of !lendil do not forget all
things past$? said %triderI ?and )any
)ore things than + 1an
tell are re)e),ered in Ri"endell.?
?2a"e you often ,een to Ri"endellM?
said Frodo. ?+ ha"e$? said
%trider. ?+ dwelt there on1e$ and still +
return when + )ay.
There )y heart isI ,ut it is not )y fate
to sit in pea1e$ e"en in the fair house
of !lrond.?
The hills now ,egan to shut the) in.
The Road ,ehind held on its way to
the Ri"er Bruinen$ ,ut
,oth were now hidden fro) "iew. The
tra"ellers 1a)e into a long "alleyI
narrow$ deeply 1lo"en$
dark and silent. Trees with old and
twisted roots hung o"er 1liffs$ and
piled up ,ehind into
)ounting slopes of pine#wood.
The ho,,its grew "ery weary. They
ad"an1ed slowly$ for they had to pi1k
their way through a
pathless 1ountry$ en1u),ered ,y
fallen trees and tu),led ro1ks. 4s
long as they 1ould they
a"oided 1li),ing for Frodo?s sake$
and ,e1ause it was in fa1t diffi1ult to
find any way up out of the
narrow dales. They had ,een two days
in this 1ountry when the weather
turned wet. The wind
,egan to ,low steadily out of the .est
and pour the water of the distant seas
on the dark heads of
the hills in fine dren1hing rain. By
nightfall they were all soaked$ and
their 1a)p was 1heerless$ for
they 1ould not get any fire to ,urn.
The ne5t day the hills rose still higher
and steeper ,efore the)$
and they were for1ed to turn away
northwards out of their 1ourse. %trider
see)ed to ,e getting
an5ious: they were nearly ten days out
fro) .eathertop$ and their sto1k of
pro"isions was
,eginning to run low. +t went on
raining.
That night they 1a)ped on a stony
shelf with a ro1k#wall ,ehind the)$ in
whi1h there was a
shallow 1a"e$ a )ere s1oop in the
1liff. Frodo was restless. The 1old and
wet had )ade his wound
)ore painful than e"er$ and the a1he
and sense of deadly 1hill took away
all sleep. 2e lay tossing
and turning and listening fearfully to
the stealthy night#noises: wind in
1hinks of ro1k$ water
dripping$ a 1ra1k$ the sudden rattling
fall of a loosened stone. 2e felt that
,la1k shapes were
ad"an1ing to s)other hi)I ,ut when
he sat up he saw nothing ,ut the ,a1k
of %trider sitting
hun1hed up$ s)oking his pipe$ and
wat1hing. 2e lay down again and
passed into an uneasy drea)$
in whi1h he walked on the grass in his
garden in the %hire$ ,ut it see)ed
faint and di)$ less 1lear
than the tall ,la1k shadows that stood
looking o"er the hedge.
+n the )orning he woke to find that
the rain had stopped. The 1louds were
still thi1k$ ,ut they
were ,reaking$ and pale strips of ,lue
appeared ,etween the). The wind
was shifting again. They
did not start early. +))ediately after
their 1old and 1o)fortless ,reakfast
%trider went off alone$
telling the others to re)ain under the
shelter of the 1liff$ until he 1a)e ,a1k.
2e was going to 1li),
up$ if he 1ould$ and get a look at the
lie of the land.
.hen he returned he was not
reassuring. ?.e ha"e 1o)e too far to
the north$? he said$ ?and we
)ust find so)e way to turn ,a1k
southwards again. +f we keep on as
we are going we shall get up
into the !ttendales far north of
Ri"endell. That is troll#1ountry$ and
little known to )e. .e 1ould
perhaps find our way through and
1o)e round to Ri"endell fro) the
northI ,ut it would take too
long$ for + do not know the way$ and
our food would not last. %o so)ehow
or other we )ust find
the Ford of Bruinen.?
The rest of that day they spent
s1ra),ling o"er ro1ky ground. They
found a passage ,etween
two hills that led the) into a "alley
running south#east$ the dire1tion that
they wished to takeI ,ut
towards the end of the day they found
their road again ,arred ,y a ridge of
high landI its dark edge
against the sky was ,roken into )any
,are points like teeth of a ,lunted
saw. They had a 1hoi1e
,etween going ,a1k or 1li),ing o"er
it.
They de1ided to atte)pt the 1li),$
,ut it pro"ed "ery diffi1ult. Before
long Frodo was o,liged
to dis)ount and struggle along on
foot. !"en so they often despaired of
getting their pony up$ or
indeed of finding a path for
the)sel"es$ ,urdened as they were.
The light was nearly gone$ and they
were all e5hausted$ when at last they
rea1hed the top. They had 1li),ed on
to a narrow saddle
,etween two higher points$ and the
land fell steeply away again$ only a
short distan1e ahead. Frodo
threw hi)self down$ and lay on the
ground shi"ering. 2is left ar) was
lifeless$ and his side and
shoulder felt as if i1y 1laws were laid
upon the). The trees and ro1ks a,out
hi) see)ed shadowy
and di).
?.e 1annot go any further$? said
(erry to %trider. ?+ a) afraid this has
,een too )u1h for Frodo.
+ a) dreadfully an5ious a,out hi).
.hat are we to doM &o you think they
will ,e a,le to 1ure hi)
in Ri"endell$ if we e"er get thereM?
?.e shall see$? answered %trider.
?There is nothing )ore that + 1an do in
the wildernessI and it is
1hiefly ,e1ause of his wound that +
a) so an5ious to press on. But + agree
that we 1an go no further
tonight.?
?.hat is the )atter with )y )asterM?
asked %a) in a low "oi1e$ looking
appealingly at %trider.
?2is wound was s)all$ and it is
already 1losed. There?s nothing to ,e
seen ,ut a 1old white )ark on
his shoulder.?
?Frodo has ,een tou1hed ,y the
weapons of the !ne)y$? said %trider$
?and there is so)e poison or
e"il at work that is ,eyond )y skill to
dri"e out. But do not gi"e up hope$
%a)N?
'ight was 1old up on the high ridge.
They lit a s)all fire down under the
gnarled roots of an old
pine$ that hung o"er a shallow pit: it
looked as if stone had on1e ,een
Juarried there. They sat
huddled together. The wind ,lew 1hill
through the pass$ and they heard the
tree#tops lower down
)oaning and sighing. Frodo lay half
in a drea)$ i)agining that endless
dark wings were sweeping
,y a,o"e hi)$ and that on the wings
rode pursuers that sought hi) in all
the hollows of the hills.
The )orning dawned ,right and fairI
the air was 1lean$ and the light pale
and 1lear in a rainwashed
sky. Their hearts were en1ouraged$
,ut Dhey longed for the sun to war)
their 1old stiff
li),s. 4s soon as it was light$ %trider
took (erry with hi) and went to
sur"ey the 1ountry fro) the
height to the east of the pass. The sun
had risen and was shining ,rightly
when he returned with
)ore 1o)forting news. They were
now going )ore or less in the right
dire1tion. +f they went on$
down the further side of the ridge$
they would ha"e the (ountains on
their left. %o)e way ahead
%trider had 1aught a gli)pse of the
Loudwater again$ and he knew that$
though it was hidden fro)
"iew$ the Road to the Ford was not far
fro) the Ri"er and lay on the side
nearest to the).
?.e )ust )ake for the Road again$?
he said. ?.e 1annot hope to find a
path through these hills.
.hate"er danger )ay ,eset it$ the
Road is our only way to the Ford.?
4s soon as they had eaten they set out
again. They 1li),ed slowly down the
southern side of the
ridgeI ,ut the way was )u1h easier
than they had e5pe1ted$ for the slope
was far less steep on this
side$ and ,efore long Frodo was a,le
to ride again. Bill Ferny?s poor old
pony was de"eloping an
une5pe1ted talent for pi1king out a
path$ and for sparing its rider as )any
Kolts as possi,le. The
spirits of the party rose again. !"en
Frodo felt ,etter in the )orning light$
,ut e"ery now and again
a )ist see)ed to o,s1ure his sight$
and he passed his hands o"er his eyes.
Pippin was a little ahead of the others.
%uddenly he turned round and 1alled
to the). ?There is a
path hereN? he 1ried.
.hen they 1a)e up with hi)$ they
saw that he had )ade no )istake:
there were 1learly the ,eginnings of a
path$ that 1li),ed with )any
windings out of the woods
,elow and faded away on the hill#top
,ehind. +n pla1es it was now faint and
o"ergrown$ or 1hoked
with fallen stones and treesI ,ut at one
ti)e it see)ed to ha"e ,een )u1h
used. +t was a path )ade
,y strong ar)s and hea"y feet. 2ere
and there old trees had ,een 1ut or
,roken down$ and large
ro1ks 1lo"en or hea"ed aside to )ake
a way.
They followed the tra1k for so)e
while$ for it offered )u1h the easiest
way down$ ,ut they went
1autiously$ and their an5iety in1reased
as they 1a)e into the dark woods$ and
the path grew plainer
and ,roader. %uddenly 1o)ing out of
a ,elt of fir#trees it ran steeply down a
slope$ and turned
sharply to the left round the 1o)er of
a ro1ky shoulder of the hill. .hen
they 1a)e to the 1o)er
they looked round and saw that the
path ran on o"er a le"el strip under
the fa1e of a low 1liff
o"erhung with trees. +n the stony wall
there was a door hanging 1rookedly
aKar upon one great
hinge.
*utside the door they all halted. There
was a 1a"e or ro1k#1ha),er ,ehind$
,ut in the gloo)
inside nothing 1ould ,e seen. %trider$
%a)$ and (erry pushing with all their
strength )anaged to
open the door a little wider$ and then
%trider and (erry went in. They did
not go far$ for on the
floor lay )any old ,ones$ and nothing
else was to ,e seen near the entran1e
e51ept so)e great
e)pty Kars and ,roken pots.
?%urely this is a troll#hole$ if e"er there
was oneN? said Pippin. ?-o)e out$ you
two$ and let us get
away. 'ow we know who )ade the
path #and we had ,etter get off it
Jui1k.?
?There is no need$ + think$? said
%trider$ 1oining out. ?+t is 1ertainly a
troll#hole$ ,ut it see)s to
ha"e ,een long forsaken. + don?t think
we need ,e afraid. But let us go on
down warily$ and we
shall see.?
The path went on again fro) the door$
and turning to the right again a1ross
the le"el spa1e
plunged down a thi1k wooded slope.
Pippin$ not liking to show %trider that
he was still afraid$ went
on ahead with (erry. %a) and %trider
1a)e ,ehind$ one on ea1h side of
Frodo?s pony$ for the path
was now ,road enough for four or
fi"e ho,,its to walk a,reast. But they
had not gone "ery far
,efore Pippin 1a)e running ,a1k$
followed ,y (erry. They ,oth looked
terrified.
?There AareA trollsN? Pippin panted.
?&own in a 1learing in the woods not
far ,elow. .e got a
sight of the) through the tree#trunks.
They are "ery largeN?
?.e will 1o)e and look at the)$? said
%trider$ pi1king up a sti1k. Frodo said
nothing$ ,ut %a)
looked s1ared.
The sun was now high$ and it shone
down through the half#stripped
,ran1hes of the trees$ and lit
the 1learing with ,right pat1hes of
light. They halted suddenly on the
edge$ and peered through the
tree#trunks$ holding their ,reath.
There stood the trolls: three large
trolls. *ne was stooping$ and the
other two stood staring at hi).
%trider walked forward
un1on1ernedly. ?/et up$ old stoneN? he
said$ and ,roke his sti1k upon the
stooping troll.
'othing happened. There was a gasp
of astonish)ent fro) the ho,,its$ and
then e"en Frodo
laughed. ?.ellN? he said. ?.e are
forgetting our fa)ily historyN These
)ust ,e the "ery three that
were 1aught ,y /andalf$ Juarrelling
o"er the right way to 1ook thirteen
dwar"es and one ho,,it.?
?+ had no idea we were anywhere near
the pla1eN? said Pippin. 2e knew the
story well. Bil,o and
Frodo had told it oftenI ,ut as a )atter
of fa1t he had ne"er )ore than half
,elie"ed it. !"en now he
looked at the stone trolls with
suspi1ion$ wondering if so)e )agi1
)ight not suddenly ,ring the)
to life again.
?Gou are forgetting not only your
fa)ily history$ ,ut all you e"er knew
a,out trolls$? said %trider.
?+t is ,road daylight with a ,right sun$
and yet you 1o)e ,a1k trying to s1are
)e with a tale of li"e
trolls waiting for us in this gladeN +n
any 1ase you )ight ha"e noti1ed that
one of the) has an old
,ird?s nest ,ehind his ear. That would
,e a )ost unusual orna)ent for a li"e
trollN?
They all laughed. Frodo felt his spirits
re"i"ing: the re)inder of Bil,o?s first
su11essful
ad"enture was heartening. The sun$
too$ was war) and 1o)forting$ and
the )ist ,efore his eyes
see)ed to ,e lifting a little. They
rested for so)e ti)e in the glade$ and
took their )id#day )eal
right under the shadow of the trolls?
large legs.
?.on?t so)e,ody gi"e us a ,it of a
song$ while the sun is highM? said
(erry$ when they had
finished. ?.e ha"en?t had a song or a
tale for days.?
?'ot sin1e .eathertop$? said Frodo.
The others looked at hi). ?&on?t
worry a,out )eN? he added.
?+ feel )u1h ,etter$ ,ut + don?t think +
1ould sing. Perhaps %a) 1ould dig
so)ething out of his
)e)ory.?
?-o)e on$ %a)N? said (erry. ?There?s
)ore stored in your head than you let
on a,out.?
?+ don?t know a,out that$? said %a).
?But how would this suitM +t ain?t what
+ 1all proper poetry$ if
you understand )e: Kust a ,it of
nonsense. But these old i)ages here
,rought it to )y )ind.?
%tanding up$ with his hands ,ehind
his ,a1k$ as if he was at s1hool$ he
,egan to sing to an old tune.
Troll sat alone on his seat of stone$
4nd )un1hed and )u),led a ,are
old ,oneI
For )any a year he had gnawed it
near$
For )eat was hard to 1o)e ,y.
&one ,yN /u) ,yN
+n a 1ase in the hills he dwelt alone$
4nd )eat was hard to 1o)e ,y.
0p 1a)e To) with his ,ig ,oots on.
%aid he to Troll: ?Pray$ what is yonM
For it looks like the shin o? )y nun1le
Ti)$
4s should ,e a#lyin? in gra"eyard.
-a"eyardN Pa"eyardN
This )any a year has Ti) ,een gone$
4nd + thought he were lyin? in
gra"eyard.?
?(y lad$? said Troll$ ?this ,one + stole.
But what ,e ,ones that lie in a holeM
Thy nun1le was dead as a lu)p o?
lead$
4fore + found his shin,one.
Tin,oneN Thin,oneN
2e 1an spare a share for a poor old
troll$
For he don?t need his shin,one.?
%aid To): ?+ don?t see why the likes o?
thee
.ithout a5in? lea"e should go )akin?
free
.ith the shank or the shin o? )y
father?s kinI
%o hand the old ,one o"erN
Ro"erN Tro"erN
Though dead he ,e$ it ,elongs to heI
%o hand the old ,one o"erN?
?For a 1ouple o? pins$? says Troll$ and
grins$
?+?ll eat thee too$ and gnaw thy shins.
4 ,it o? fresh )eal will go down
sweetN
+?ll try )y teeth on thee now.
2ee nowN %ee nowN
+?) tired o? gnawing old ,ones and
skinsI
+?"e a )ind to dine on thee now.?
But Kust as he thought his dinner was
1aught$
2e found his hands had hold of
naught.
Before he 1ould )ind$ To) slipped
,ehind
4nd ga"e hi) the ,oot to larn hi).
.arn hi)N &arn hi)N
4 ,u)p o? the ,oot on the seat$ To)
thought$
.ould ,e the way to larn hi).
But harder than stone is the flesh and
,one
*f a troll that sits in the hills alone.
4s well set your ,oot to the
)ountain?s root$
For the seat of a troll don?t feel it.
Peel itN 2eal itN
*ld Troll laughed$ when he heard
To) groan$
4nd he knew his toes 1ould feel it.
To)?s leg is ga)e$ sin1e ho)e he
1a)e$
4nd his ,ootless foot is lasting la)eI
But Troll don?t 1are$ and he?s still
there
.ith the ,one he ,oned fro) its
owner.
&onerN BonerN
Troll?s old seat is still the sa)e$
4nd the ,one he ,oned fro) its
ownerN
?.ell$ that?s a warning to us allN?
laughed (erry. ?+t is as well you used
a sti1k$ and not your
hand$ %triderN?
?.here did you 1o)e ,y that$ %a)M?
asked Pippin. ?+?"e ne"er heard those
words ,efore.?
%a) )uttered so)ething inaudi,le.
?+t?s out of his own head$ of 1ourse$?
said Frodo. ?+ a)
learning a lot a,out %a) /a)gee on
this Kourney. First he was a
1onspirator$ now he?s a Kester. 2e?ll
end up ,y ,e1o)ing a wi<ard O or a
warriorN?
?+ hope not$? said %a). ?+ don?t want to
,e neitherN?
+n the afternoon they went on down
the woods. They were pro,a,ly
following the "ery tra1k
that /andalf$ Bil,o$ and the dwar"es
had used )any years ,efore. 4fter a
few )iles they 1a)e out
on the top of a high ,ank a,o"e the
Road. 4t this point the Road had left
the 2oarwell far ,ehind in
its narrow "alley$ and now 1lung 1lose
to the feet of the hills$ rolling and
winding eastward a)ong
woods and heather#1o"ered slopes
towards the Ford and the (ountains.
'ot far down the ,ank
%trider pointed out a stone in the
grass. *n it roughly 1ut and now
)u1h weathered 1ould still ,e
seen dwarf#runes and se1ret )arks.
?ThereN? said (erry. ?That )ust ,e the
stone that )arked the pla1e where the
trolls? gold was
hidden. 2ow )u1h is left of Bil,o?s
share$ + wonder$ FrodoM?
Frodo looked at the stone$ and wished
that Bil,o had ,rought ho)e no
treasure )ore perilous$
nor less easy to pan with. ?'one at all$?
he said. ?Bil,o ga"e it all away. 2e
told )e he did not feel it
was really his$ as it 1a)e fro)
ro,,ers.?
The Road lay Juiet under the long
shadows of early e"ening. There was
no sign of any other
tra"ellers to ,e seen. 4s there was
now no other possi,le 1ourse for the)
to take$ they 1li),ed
down the ,ank$ and turning left went
off as fast as they 1ould. %oon a
shoulder of the hills 1ut off
the light of the fast westering sun. 4
1old wind flowed down to )eet the)
fro) the )ountains
ahead.
They were ,eginning to look out for a
pla1e off the Road$ where they 1ould
1a)p for the night$
when they heard a sound that ,rought
sudden fear ,a1k into their hearts: the
noise of hoofs ,ehind
the). They looked ,a1k$ ,ut they
1ould not see far ,e1ause of the )any
windings and rollings of
the Road. 4s Jui1kly as they 1ould
they s1ra),led off the ,eaten way
and up into the deep heather
and ,il,erry ,rushwood on the slopes
a,o"e$ until they 1a)e to a s)all
pat1h of thi1k#growing
ha<els. 4s they peered out fro)
a)ong the ,ushes$ they 1ould see the
Road$ faint and grey in the
failing light$ so)e thirty feel ,elow
the). The sound of hoofs drew
nearer. They were going fast$
with a light A1lippety#1lippely#1lip.A
Then faintly$ as if it was ,lown away
fro) the) ,y the
,ree<e$ they see)ed to 1at1h a di)
ringing$ as of s)all ,ells tinkling.
?That does not sound like a Bla1k
Rider?s horseN? said Frodo$ listening
intently. The other ho,,its
agreed hopefully that it did not$ ,ut
they all re)ained full of suspi1ion.
They had ,een in fear of
pursuit for so long that any sound
fro) ,ehind see)ed o)inous and
unfriendly. But %trider was
now leaning forward$ stooped to the
ground$ with a hand to his ear$ and a
look of Koy on his fa1e.
The light faded$ and the lea"es on the
,ushes rustled softly. -learer and
nearer now the ,ells
Kingled$ and A1lippety#1lipA 1a)e the
Jui1k trotting feet. %uddenly into
"iew ,elow 1a)e a white
horse$ glea)ing in the shadows$
running swiftly. +n the dusk its
headstall fli1kered and flashed$ as if
it were studded with ge)s like li"ing
stars. The rider?s 1loak strea)ed
,ehind hi)$ and his hood
was thrown ,a1kI his golden hair
flowed shi))ering in the wind of his
speed. To Frodo it appeared
that a white light was shining through
the for) and rai)ent of the rider$ as if
through a thin "eil.
%trider sprang fro) hiding and dashed
down towards the Road$ leaping with
a 1ry through the
heatherI ,ut e"en ,efore he had
)o"ed or 1alled$ the rider had reined
in his horse and halted$
looking up towards the thi1ket where
they stood. .hen he saw %trider$ he
dis)ounted and ran to
)eet hi) 1alling out: A4i na "edui
&CnadanN (ae go"annenNA 2is
spee1h and 1lear ringing "oi1e
left no dou,t in their hearts: the rider
was of the !l"en#folk. 'o others that
dwelt in the wide world
had "oi1es so fair to hear. But there
see)ed to ,e a note of haste or fear in
his 1all$ and they saw
that he was now speaking Jui1kly and
urgently to %trider.
%oon %trider ,e1koned to the)$ and
the ho,,its left the ,ushes and hurried
down to the Road.
?This is /lorfindel$ who dwells in the
house of !lrond$? said %trider.
?2ail$ and well )et at lastN? said the
!lf#lord to Frodo. ?+ was sent fro)
Ri"endell to look for you.
.e feared that you were in danger
upon the road.?
?Then /andalf has rea1hed Ri"endellM?
1ried Frodo Koyfully.
?'o. 2e had not when + departedI ,ut
that was nine days ago$? answered
/lorfindel. ?!lrond
re1ei"ed news that trou,led hi).
%o)e of )y kindred$ Kourneying in
your land ,eyond the
Baranduin$ learned that things were
a)iss$ and sent )essages as swiftly as
they 1ould. They said
that the 'ine were a,road$ and that
you were astray ,earing a great
,urden without guidan1e$ for
/andalf had not returned. There are
few e"en in Ri"endell that 1an ride
openly against the 'ineI
,ut su1h as there were$ !lrond sent
out north$ west$ and south. +t was
thought that you )ight turn
far aside to a"oid pursuit$ and ,e1o)e
lost in the .ilderness.
?+t was )y lot to take the Road$ and +
1a)e to the Bridge of (itheithel$ and
left a token there$
nigh on se"en days ago. Three of the
ser"ants of %auron were upon the
Bridge$ ,ut they withdrew
and + pursued the) westward. + 1a)e
also upon two others$ ,ut they turned
away southward. %in1e
then + ha"e sear1hed for your trail.
Two days ago + found it$ and followed
it o"er the BridgeI and
today + )arked where you des1ended
fro) the hills again. But 1o)eN There
is no ti)e for further
news. %in1e you are here we )ust risk
the peril of the Road and go. There
are fi"e ,ehind us$ and
when they find your trail upon the
Road they will ride after us like the
wind. 4nd they are not all.
.here the other four )ay ,e$ + do not
know. + fear that we )ay find the
Ford is already held
against us.?
.hile /lorfindel was speaking the
shades of e"ening deepened. Frodo
felt a great weariness
1o)e o"er hi). !"er sin1e the sun
,egan to sink the )ist ,efore his eyes
had darkened$ and he felt
that a shadow was 1o)ing ,etween
hi) and the fa1es of his friends. 'ow
pain assailed hi)$ and he
felt 1old. 2e swayed$ 1lut1hing at
%a)?s ar).
?(y )aster is si1k and wounded$? said
%a) angrily. ?2e 1an?t go on riding
after nightfall. 2e
needs rest.?
/lorfindel 1aught Frodo as he sank to
the ground$ and taking hi) gently in
his ar)s he looked in
his fa1e with gra"e an5iety.
Briefly %trider told of the atta1k on
their 1a)p under .eathertop$ and of
the deadly knife. 2e
drew out the hilt$ whi1h he had kept$
and handed it to the !lf. /lorfindel
shuddered as he took it$
,ut he looked intently at it.
?There are e"il things written on this
hilt$? he saidI ?though )ay,e your eyes
1annot see the).
eep it$ 4ragorn$ till we rea1h the
house of !lrondN But ,e wary$ and
handle it as little as you )ayN
4lasN the wounds of this weapon are
,eyond )y skill to heal. + will do
what + 1an O ,ut all the )ore
do + urge you now to go on without
rest.?
2e sear1hed the wound on Frodo?s
shoulder with his fingers$ and his fa1e
grew gra"er$ as if what
he learned disJuieted hi). But Frodo
felt the 1hill lessen in his side and
ar)I a little war)th 1rept
down fro) his shoulder to his hand$
and the pain grew easier. The dusk of
e"ening see)ed to grow
lighter a,out hi)$ as if a 1loud had
,een withdrawn. 2e saw his friends?
fa1es )ore 1learly again$
and a )easure of new hope and
strength returned.
?Gou shall ride )y horse$? said
/lorfindel. ?+ will shorten the stirrups
up to the saddle#skins$ and
you )ust sit as tight as you 1an. But
you need not fear: )y horse will not
let any rider fall that +
1o))and hi) to ,ear. 2is pa1e is
light and s)oothI and if danger
presses too near$ he will ,ear
you away with a speed that e"en the
,la1k steeds of the ene)y 1annot
ri"al.?
?'o$ he will notN? said Frodo. ?+ shall
not ride hi)$ if + a) to ,e 1arried off
to Ri"endell or
anywhere else$ lea"ing )y friends
,ehind in danger.?
/lorfindel s)iled. ?+ dou,t "ery
)u1h$? he said$ ?if your friends would
,e in danger if you were
not with the)N The pursuit would
follow you and lea"e us in pea1e$ +
think. +t is you$ Frodo$ and
that whi1h you ,ear that ,rings us all
in peril.?
To that Frodo had no answer$ and he
was persuaded to )ount /lorfindel?s
white horse. The
pony was laden instead with a great
part of the others? ,urdens$ so that
they now )ar1hed lighter$
and for a ti)e )ade good speedI ,ut
the ho,,its ,egan to find it hard to
keep up with the swift
tireless feet of the !lf. *n he led
the)$ into the )outh of darkness$ and
still on under the deep
1louded night. There was neither star
nor )oon. 'ot until the grey of dawn
did he allow the) to
halt. Pippin$ (erry$ and %a) were ,y
that ti)e nearly asleep on their
stu),ling legsI and e"en
%trider see)ed ,y the sag of his
shoulders to ,e weary. Frodo sat upon
the horse in a dark drea).
They 1ast the)sel"es down in the
heather a few yards fro) the road#
side$ and fell asleep
i))ediately. They see)ed hardly to
ha"e 1losed their eyes when
/lorfindel$ who had set hi)self
to wat1h while they slept$ awoke the)
again. The sun had now 1li),ed far
into the )orning$ and
the 1louds and )ists of the night were
gone.
?&rink thisN? said /lorfindel to the)$
pouring for ea1h in turn a little liJuor
fro) his sil"erstudded
flask of leather. +t was 1lear as spring
water and had no taste$ and it did not
feel either 1ool
or war) in the )outhI ,ut strength
and "igour see)ed to flow into all
their li),s as they drank it.
!aten after that draught the stale
,read and dried fruit Dwhi1h was now
all that they had leftE
see)ed to satisfy their hunger ,etter
than )any a good ,reakfast in the
%hire had done.
They had rested rather less than fi"e
hours when they took to the Road
again. /lorfindel still
urged the) on$ and only allowed two
,rief halts during the day?s )ar1h. +n
this way they 1o"ered
al)ost twenty )iles ,efore nightfall$
and 1a)e to a point where the Road
,ent right and ran down
towards the ,otto) of the "alley$ now
)aking straight for the Bruinen. %o
far there had ,een no
sign or sound of pursuit that the
ho,,its 1ould see or hearI ,ut often
/lorfindel would halt and
listen for a )o)ent$ if they lagged
,ehind$ and a look of an5iety 1louded
his fa1e. *n1e or twi1e he
spoke to %trider in the elf#tongue.
But howe"er an5ious their guides
)ight ,e$ it was plain that the ho,,its
1ould go no further that
night. They were stu),ling along
di<<y with weariness$ and una,le to
think of anything ,ut their
feet and legs. Frodo?s pain had
redou,led$ and during the day things
a,out hi) faded to shadows of
ghostly grey. 2e al)ost wel1o)ed the
1o)ing of night$ for then the world
see)ed less pale and
e)pty.
The ho,,its were still weary$ when
they set out again early ne5t )orning.
There were )any
)iles yet to go ,etween the) and the
Ford$ and they ho,,led forward at the
,est pa1e they 1ould
)anage.
?*ur peril will ,e greatest Kust ere we
rea1h the ri"er$? said /lorfindelI ?for
)y heart warns )e
that the pursuit is now swift ,ehind
us$ and other danger )ay ,e waiting
,y the Ford.?
The Road was still running steadily
downhill$ and there was now in pla1es
)u1h grass at either
side$ in whi1h the ho,,its walked
when they 1ould$ to ease their tired
feet. +n the late afternoon they
1a)e to a pla1e where the Road went
suddenly under the dark shadow of
tall pine#trees$ and then
plunged into a deep 1utting with steep
)oist walls of red stone. !1hoes ran
along as they hurried
forwardI and there see)ed to ,e a
sound of )any footfalls following
their own. 4ll at on1e$ as if
through a gate of light$ the Road ran
out again fro) the end of the tunnel
into the open. There at the
,otto) of a sharp in1line they saw
,efore the) a long flat )ile$ and
,eyond that the Ford of
Ri"endell. *n the further side was a
steep ,rown ,ank$ threaded ,y a
winding pathI and ,ehind that
the tall )ountains 1li),ed$ shoulder
a,o"e shoulder$ and peak ,eyond
peak$ into the fading sky.
There was still an e1ho as of
following feet in the 1utting ,ehind
the)I a rushing noise as if a
wind were rising and pouring through
the ,ran1hes of the pines. *ne
)o)ent /lorfindel turned and
listened$ then he sprang forward with
a loud 1ry.
?FlyN? he 1alled. ?FlyN The ene)y is
upon usN?
The white horse leaped forward. The
ho,,its ran down the slope.
/lorfindel and %trider
followed as rear#guard. They were
only half way a1ross the flat$ when
suddenly there was a noise
of horses galloping. *ut of the gate in
the trees that they had Kust left rode a
Bla1k Rider. 2e reined
his horse in$ and halted$ swaying in
his saddle. 4nother followed hi)$ and
then anotherI then again
two )ore.
?Ride forwardN RideN? 1ried /lorfindel
to Frodo.
2e did not o,ey at on1e$ for a strange
relu1tan1e sei<ed hi). -he1king the
horse to a walk$ he
turned and looked ,a1k. The Riders
see)ed to sit upon their great steeds
like threatening statues
upon a hill$ dark and solid$ while all
the woods and land a,out the)
re1eded as if into a )ist.
%uddenly he knew in his heart that
they were silently 1o))anding hi) to
wait. Then at on1e fear
and hatred awoke in hi). 2is hand
left the ,ridle and gripped the hilt of
his sword$ and with a red
flash he drew it.
?Ride onN Ride onN? 1ried /lorfindel$
and then loud and 1lear he 1alled to
the horse in the elftongue:
Anoro li)$ noro li)$ 4sfalothNA
4t on1e the white horse sprang away
and sped like the wind along the last
lap of the Road. 4t
the sa)e )o)ent the ,la1k horses
leaped down the hill in pursuit$ and
fro) the Riders 1a)e a
terri,le 1ry$ su1h as Frodo had heard
filling the woods with horror in the
!astfarthing far away. +t
was answeredI and to the dis)ay of
Frodo and his friends out fro) the
trees and ro1ks away on the
left four other Riders 1a)e flying.
Two rode towards Frodo: two
galloped )adly towards the Ford
to 1ut off his es1ape. They see)ed to
hi) to run like the wind and to grow
swiftly larger and
darker$ as their 1ourses 1on"erged
with his.
Frodo looked ,a1k for a )o)ent o"er
his shoulder. 2e 1ould no longer see
his friends. The
Riders ,ehind were falling ,a1k: e"en
their great steeds were no )at1h in
speed for the white elfhorse
of /lorfindel. 2e looked forward
again$ and hope faded. There see)ed
no 1han1e of rea1hing
the Ford ,efore he was 1ut off ,y the
others that had lain in a),ush. 2e
1ould see the) 1learly
now: they appeared to ha"e 1ast aside
their hoods and ,la1k 1loaks$ and they
were ro,ed in white
and grey. %words were naked in their
pale handsI hel)s were on their
heads. Their 1old eyes
glittered$ and they 1alled to hi) with
fell "oi1es.
Fear now filled all Frodo?s )ind. 2e
thought no longer of his sword. 'o
1ry 1a)e fro) hi). 2e
shut his eyes and 1lung to the horse?s
)ane. The wind whistled in his ears$
and the ,ells upon the
harness rang wild and shrill. 4 ,reath
of deadly 1old pier1ed hi) like a
spear$ as with a last spurt$
like a flash of white fire$ the elf#horse
speeding as if on wings$ passed right
,efore the fa1e of the
fore)ost Rider.
Frodo heard the splash of water. +t
foa)ed a,out his feet. 2e felt the
Jui1k hea"e and surge as
the horse left the ri"er and struggled
up the stony path. 2e was 1li),ing
the steep ,ank. 2e was
a1ross the Ford.
But the pursuers were 1lose ,ehind.
4t the top of the ,ank the horse halted
and turned a,out
neighing fier1ely. There were 'ine
Riders at the water?s edge ,elow$ and
Frodo?s spirit Juailed
,efore the threat of their uplifted
fa1es. 2e knew of nothing that would
pre"ent the) fro) 1rossing
as easily as he had doneI and he felt
that it was useless to try to es1ape
o"er the long un1ertain path
fro) the Ford to the edge of
Ri"endell$ if on1e the Riders 1rossed.
+n any 1ase he felt that he was
1o))anded urgently to halt. 2atred
again stirred in hi)$ ,ut he had no
longer the strength to
refuse.
%uddenly the fore)ost Rider spurred
his horse forward. +t 1he1ked at the
water and reared up.
.ith a great effort Frodo sat upright
and ,randished his sword.
?/o ,a1kN? he 1ried. ?/o ,a1k to the
Land of (ordor$ and follow )e no
)oreN ? 2is "oi1e
sounded thin and shrill in his own
ears. The Riders halted$ ,ut Frodo had
not the power of
Bo),adil. 2is ene)ies laughed at
hi) with a harsh and 1hilling
laughter. ?-o)e ,a1kN -o)e
,a1kN? they 1alled. ?To (ordor we will
take youN?
?/o ,a1kN? he whispered.
?The RingN The RingN? they 1ried with
deadly "oi1esI and i))ediately their
leader urged his
horse forward into the water$ followed
1losely ,y two others.
?By !l,ereth and LCthien the Fair$?
said Frodo with a last effort$ lifting up
his sword$ ?you shall
ha"e neither the Ring nor )eN?
Then the leader$ who was now half
a1ross the Ford$ stood up )ena1ing in
his stirrups$ and raised
up his hand. Frodo was stri1ken
du),. 2e felt his tongue 1lea"e to his
)outh$ and his heart
la,ouring. 2is sword ,roke and fell
out of his shaking hand. The elf#horse
reared and snorted. The
fore)ost of the ,la1k horses had
al)ost set foot upon the shore.
4t that )o)ent there 1a)e a roaring
and a rushing: a noise of loud waters
rolling )any stones.
&i)ly Frodo saw the ri"er ,elow hi)
rise$ and down along its 1ourse there
1a)e a plu)ed 1a"alry
of wa"es. .hite fla)es see)ed to
Frodo to fli1ker on their 1rests and he
half fan1ied that he saw
a)id the water white riders upon
white horses with frothing )anes. The
three Riders that were still
in the )idst of the Ford were
o"erwhel)ed: they disappeared$
,uried suddenly under angry foa).
Those that were ,ehind drew ,a1k in
dis)ay.
.ith his last failing senses Frodo
heard 1ries$ and it see)ed to hi) that
he saw$ ,eyond the
Riders that hesitated on the shore$ a
shining figure of white lightI and
,ehind it ran s)all shadowy
for)s wa"ing fla)es$ that flared red
in the grey )ist that was falling o"er
the world.
The ,la1k horses were filled with
)adness$ and leaping forward in
terror they ,ore their riders
into the rushing flood. Their pier1ing
1ries were drowned in the roaring of
the ri"er as it 1arried
the) away. Then Frodo felt hi)self
falling$ and the roaring and 1onfusion
see)ed to rise and
engulf hi) together with his ene)ies.
2e heard and saw no )ore.
A-hapter 1A
(any (eetings
Frodo woke and found hi)self lying
in ,ed. 4t first he thought that he had
slept late$ after a long
unpleasant drea) that still ho"ered on
the edge of )e)ory. *r perhaps he
had ,een illM But the
1eiling looked strangeI it was flat$ and
it had dark ,ea)s ri1hly 1ar"ed. 2e
lay a little while longer
looking at pat1hes of sunlight on the
wall$ and listening to the sound of a
waterfall.
S.here a) +$ and what is the ti)eM? he
said aloud to the 1eiling. ?+n the 2ouse
of !lrond$ and it is
ten o?1lo1k in the )orning.? said a
"oi1e. S+t is the )orning of *1to,er
the twenty#fourth$ if you
want to know.?
S/andalfN? 1ried Frodo$ sitting up.
There was the old wi<ard$ sitting in a
1hair ,y the open
window.
SGes$? he said$ S+ a) here. 4nd you are
lu1ky to ,e here$ too$ after all the
a,surd things you ha"e
done sin1e you left ho)e.? Frodo lay
down again. 2e felt too 1o)forta,le
and pea1eful to argue$
and in any 1ase he did not think he
would get the ,etter of an argu)ent.
2e was fully awake now$
and the )e)ory of his Kourney was
returning: the disastrous Sshort 1ut?
through the *ld Forest the
Sa11ident? at AThe Pran1ing PonyAI
and his )adness in putting on the
Ring in the dell under
.eathertop. .hile he was thinking of
all these things and trying in "ain to
,ring his )e)ory down
to his arri"ing in Ri"endell$ there was
a long silen1e$ ,roken only ,y the soft
puffs of /andalf?s
pipe$ as he ,lew white s)oke#rings
out of the window.
?.here?s %a)M? Frodo asked at length.
?4nd are the others all rightM?
?Ges$ they are all safe and sound$?
answered /andalf. S%a) was here
until + sent hi) off to get
so)e rest$ a,out half an hour ago.?
S.hat happened at the FordM? said
Frodo. S+t all see)ed so di)
so)ehowI and it still does.?
?Ges$ it would. Gou were ,eginning to
fade$? answered /andalf. ?The wound
was o"er1o)ing
you at last. 4 few )ore hours and you
would ha"e ,een ,eyond our aid. But
you ha"e so)e
strength in you$ )y dear ho,,itN 4s
you showed in the Barrow. That was
tou1h and go: perhaps the
)ost dangerous )o)ent of all. + wish
you 1ould ha"e held out at
.eathertop.?
?Gou see) to know a great deal
already$? said Frodo. S+ ha"e not
spoken to the others a,out the
Barrow. 4t first it was too horri,leI
and afterwards there were other things
to think a,out. 2ow do
you know a,out itM?
?Gou ha"e talked long in your sleep$
Frodo$? said /andalf gently$ ?and it has
not ,een hard for )e
to read your )ind and )e)ory. &o
not worryN Though + said La,surdL
Kust now$ + did not )ean it. +
think well of you#and of the others. +t
is no s)all feat to ha"e 1o)e so far$
and through su1h
dangers$ still ,earing the Ring.?
?.e should ne"er ha"e done it without
%trider$? said Frodo. SBut we needed
you. + did not know
what to do without you.?
?+ was delayed$? said /andalf$ Sand
that nearly pro"ed our ruin. 4nd yet +
a) not sureI it )ay
ha"e ,een ,etter so.?
?+ wish you would tell )e what
happenedN?
?4ll in good ti)eN Gou are not
supposed to talk or worry a,out
anything today$ ,y !lrond?s
orders.?
SBut talking would stop )e thinking
and wondering$ whi1h are Juite as
tiring$? said Frodo. ?+ a)
wide awake now$ and + re)e),er so
)any things that want e5plaining.
.hy were you delayedM
Gou ought to tell )e that at least.?
?Gou will soon hear all you wish to
know$? said /andalf. ?.e shall ha"e a
-oun1il$ as soon as
you are well enough. 4t the )o)ent +
will only say that + was held 1apti"e.?
?GouM? 1ried Frodo.
?Ges$ +$ /andalf the /rey$? said the
wi<ard sole)nly. ?There are )any
powers in the world$ for
good or for e"il. %o)e are greater
than + a). 4gainst so)e + ha"e not
yet ,een )easured. But )y
ti)e is 1o)ing. The (orgul#lord and
his Bla1k Riders ha"e 1o)e forth.
.ar is preparingN?
SThen you knew of the Riders
already#,efore + )et the)M?
?Ges$ + knew of the). +ndeed + spoke
of the) on1e to youI for the Bla1k
Riders are the
Ringwraiths$ the 'ine %er"ants of the
Lord of the Rings. But + did not know
that they had arisen
again or + should ha"e fled with you
at on1e. + heard news of the) only
after + left you in JuneI ,ut
that story )ust wait. For the )o)ent
we ha"e ,een sa"ed fro) disaster$ ,y
4ragorn.?
?Ges$? said Frodo$ Sit was %trider that
sa"ed us. Get + was afraid of hi) at
first. %a) ne"er Juite
trusted hi). + think$ not at any rate
until we )et /lorfindel.?
/andalf s)iled. S+ ha"e heard all
a,out %a)$? he said. ?2e has no )ore
dou,ts now.?
?+ a) glad$? said Frodo. ?For + ha"e
,e1o)e "ery fond of %trider. .ell$
AfondA is not the right
word. + )ean he is dear to )eI though
he is strange$ and gri) at ti)es. +n
fa1t$ he re)inds )e often
of you. + didn?t know that any of the
Big People were like that. + thought$
well$ that they were Kust
,ig$ and rather stupid: kind and stupid
like Butter,urI or stupid and wi1ked
like Bill Ferny. But then
we don?t know )u1h a,out (en in the
%hire$ e51ept perhaps the
Breelanders.?
SGou don?t know )u1h e"en a,out
the)$ if you think old Barli)an is
stupid$? said /andalf. ?2e
is wise enough on his own ground. 2e
thinks less than he talks$ and slowerI
yet he 1an see through
a ,ri1k wall in ti)e Das they say in
BreeE. But there are few left in
(iddle#earth like 4ragorn son of
4rathorn. The ra1e of the ings fro)
o"er the %ea is nearly at an end. +t
)ay ,e that this .ar of the
Ring will ,e their last ad"enture.?
?&o you really )ean that %trider is one
of the people of the old ingsM? said
Frodo in wonder. S+
thought they had all "anished long
ago. + thought he was only a Ranger.?
?*nly a RangerN? 1ried /andalf. S(y
dear Frodo$ that is Kust what the
Rangers are: the last
re)nant in the 'orth of the great
people$ the (en of the .est. They
ha"e helped )e ,eforeI and +
shall need their help in the days to
1o)eI for we ha"e rea1hed Ri"endell$
,ut the Ring is not yet at
rest.?
?+ suppose not$? said Frodo. ?But so far
)y only thought has ,een to get hereI
and + hope + shan?t
ha"e to go any further. +t is "ery
pleasant Kust to rest. + ha"e had a
)onth of e5ile and ad"enture$
and + find that has ,een as )u1h as +
want.?
2e fell silent and shut his eyes. 4fter
a while he spoke again. ?+ ha"e ,een
re1koning$? he said$
Sand + 1an?t ,ring the total up to
*1to,er the twenty#fourth. +t ought to
,e the twenty#first. .e )ust
ha"e rea1hed the Ford ,y the
twentieth.?
?Gou ha"e talked and re1koned )ore
than is good for you$? said /andalf.
S2ow do the side and
shoulder feel nowM?
?+ don?t know.? Frodo answered. ?They
don?t feel at all: whi1h is an
i)pro"e)ent$ ,ut?#he )ade an
effort#?+ 1an )o"e )y ar) again a
little. Ges$ it is 1o)ing ,a1k to life. +t
is not 1old$? he added$
tou1hing his left hand with his right.
S/oodN? said /andalf. S+t is )ending
fast. Gou will soon ,e sound again.
!lrond has 1ured you:
he has tended you for days$ e"er sin1e
you were ,rought in.?
?&aysM? said Frodo.
S.ell$ four nights and three days$ to
,e e5a1t. The !l"es ,rought you fro)
this where you lost
1ount. .e ha"e ,een terri,ly an5ious$
and %a) has hardly left your side$ day
or night$ e51ept to run
)essages. !lrond is a )aster of
healing$ ,ut the weapons of our
!ne)y are deadly. To tell you the
truth$ + had "ery little hopeI for +
suspe1ted that there was so)e
frag)ent of the ,lade still in the
1losed wound. But it 1ould not ,e
found until last night. Then !lrond
re)o"ed a splinter. +t was
deeply ,uried. and it was working
inwards.?
Frodo shuddered$ re)e),ering the
1ruel knife with not1hed ,lade that
had "anished in %trider?s
hands. S&on?t ,e alar)edN? said
/andalf. S+t is gone now. +t has ,een
)elted. 4nd it see)s that
2o,,its fade "ery relu1tantly. + ha"e
known strong warriors of the Big
People who would Jui1kly
ha"e ,een o"er1o)e ,y that splinter$
whi1h you ,ore for se"enteen days.?
S.hat would they ha"e done to )eM?
asked Frodo. S.hat were the Riders
trying to doM?
?They tried to pier1e your heart with a
(orgul#knife whi1h re)ains in the
wound. +f they had
su11eeded$ you would ha"e ,e1o)e
like they are$ only weaker and under
their 1o))and. Gou
would ha"e ,e1a)e a wraith under
the do)inion of the &ark LordI and
he would ha"e tor)ented
you for trying to keep his Ring$ if any
greater tor)ent were possi,le than
,eing ro,,ed of it and
seeing it on his hand.?
?Thank goodness + did not reali<e the
horri,le dangerN? said Frodo faintly. +
was )ortally afraid$
of 1ourseI ,ut if + had known )ore$ +
should not ha"e dared e"en to )o"e.
+t is a )ar"el that +
es1apedN?
?Ges$ fortune or fate ha"e helped you$?
said /andalf$ Snot to )ention 1ourage.
For your heart was
not tou1hed$ and only your shoulder
was pier1edI and that was ,e1ause
you resisted to the last. But
it was a terri,ly narrow sha"e$ so to
speak. Gou were in gra"est peril while
you wore the Ring$ for
then you were half in the wraith#
world yourself$ and they )ight ha"e
sei<ed you. Gou 1ould see
the)$ and they 1ould see you.?
S+ know$? said Frodo. SThey were
terri,le to ,eholdN But why 1ould we
all see their horsesM?
SBe1ause they are real horsesI Kust as
the ,la1k ro,es are real ro,es that they
wear to gi"e shape
to their nothingness when they ha"e
dealings with the li"ing.?
SThen why do these ,la1k horses
endure su1h ridersM 4ll other ani)als
are terrified when they
draw near$ e"en the elf#horse of
/lorfindel. The dogs howl and the
geese s1rea) at the).?
SBe1ause these horses are ,orn and
,red to the ser"i1e of the &ark Lord in
(ordor. 'ot all his
ser"ants and 1hattels are wraithsN
There are or1s and trolls$ there are
wargs and werewol"esI and
there ha"e ,een and still are )any
(en$ warriors and kings$ that walk
ali"e under the %un$ and yet
are under his sway. 4nd their nu),er
is growing daily.?
S.hat a,out Ri"endell and the !l"esM
+s Ri"endell safeM?
SGes$ at present$ until all else is
1onJuered. The !l"es )ay fear the
&ark Lord$ and they )ay fly
,efore hi)$ ,ut ne"er again will they
listen to hi) or ser"e hi). 4nd here
in Ri"endell there li"e
still so)e of his 1hief foes: the !l"en#
wise$ lords of the !ldar fro) ,eyond
the furthest seas. They
do not fear the Ringwraiths$ for those
who ha"e dwelt in the Blessed Real)
li"e at on1e in ,oth
worlds$ and against ,oth the %een and
the 0nseen they ha"e great power.?
?+ thought that + saw a white figure
that shone and did not grow di) like
the others. .as that
/lorfindel thenM?
?Ges$ you saw hi) for a )o)ent as he
is upon the other side: one of the
)ighty of the First,orn.
2e is an !lf#lord of a house of
prin1es. +ndeed there is a power in
Ri"endell to withstand the )ight
of (ordor$ for a while: and elsewhere
other powers still dwell. There is
power$ too$ of another kind
in the %hire. But all su1h pla1es will
soon ,e1o)e islands under siege$ if
things go on as they are
going. The &ark Lord is putting forth
all his strength.
S%till$? he said$ standing suddenly up
and sti1king out his 1hin. while his
,eard went stiff and
straight like ,ristling wire$ Swe )ust
keep up our 1ourage. Gou will soon
,e well$ if + do not talk
you to death. Gou are in Ri"endell$
and you need not worry a,out
anything for the present.?
?+ ha"en?t any 1ourage to keep up$? said
Frodo$ S,ut + a) not worried at the
)o)ent. Just gi"e )e
news of )y friends$ and tell )e the
end of the affair at the Ford$ as + keep
on asking$ and + shall ,e
1ontent for the present. 4fter that +
shall ha"e another sleep$ + thinkI ,ut +
shan?t ,e a,le to 1lose )y
eyes until you ha"e finished the story
for )e.?
/andalf )o"ed his 1hair to the
,edside$ and took a good look at
Frodo. The 1olour had 1o)e
,a1k to his fa1e$ and his eyes were
1lear$ and fully awake and aware. 2e
was s)iling$ and there
see)ed to ,e little wrong with hi).
But to the wi<ard?s eye there was a
faint 1hange Kust a hint as it
were of transparen1y$ a,out hi)$ and
espe1ially a,out the left hand that lay
outside upon the
1o"erlet.
S%till that )ust ,e e5pe1ted$? said
/andalf to hi)self. S2e is not half
through yet$ and to what he
will 1o)e in the end not e"en !lrond
1an foretell. 'ot to e"il$ + think. 2e
)ay ,e1o)e like a glass
filled with a 1lear light for eyes to see
that 1an.?
SGou look splendid$? he said aloud. S+
will risk a ,rief tale without
1onsulting !lrond. But Juite
,rief$ )ind you$ and then you )ust
sleep again. This is what happened$ as
far as + 1an gather. The
Riders )ade straight for you$ as soon
as you fled. They did not need the
guidan1e of their horses
any longer: you had ,e1o)e "isi,le to
the)$ ,eing already on the threshold
of their world. 4nd also
the Ring drew the). Gour friends
sprang aside$ off the road$ or they
would ha"e ,een ridden down.
They knew that nothing 1ould sa"e
you$ if the white horse 1ould not. The
Riders were too swift to
o"ertake$ and too )any to oppose. *n
foot e"en /lorfindel and 4ragorn
together 1ould not with
stand all the 'ine at on1e.
S.hen the Ringwraiths swept ,y$
your friends ran up ,ehind. -lose to
the Ford there is a s)all
hollow ,eside the road )asked ,y a
few stunted trees. There they hastily
kindled fireI for
/lorfindel knew that a flood would
1o)e down$ if the Riders tried to
1ross$ and then he would ha"e
to deal with any that were left on his
side of the ri"er. The )o)ent the
flood appeared$ he rushed
out$ followed ,y 4ragorn and the.
others with fla)ing ,rands. -aught
,etween fire and water$ and
seeing an !lf#lord re"ealed in his
wrath$ they were dis)ayed$ and their
horses were stri1ken with
)adness. Three were 1arried away ,y
the first assault of the floodI the others
were now hurled into
the water ,y their horses and
o"erwhel)ed.?
?4nd is that the end of the Bla1k
RidersM? asked Frodo.
?'o$? said /andalf. ?Their horses )ust
ha"e perished$ and without the) they
are 1rippled. But the
Ringwraiths the)sel"es 1annot ,e so
easily destroyed. 2owe"er$ there is
nothing )ore to fear fro)
the) at present. Gour friends 1rossed
after the flood had passedI and they
found you lying on your
fa1e at the top of the ,ank$ with a
,roken sword under you. The horse
was standing guard ,eside
you. Gou were pale and 1old$ and they
feared that you were dead$ or worse.
!lrond?s folk )et the)$
1arrying you slowly towards
Ri"endell.?
S.ho )ade the floodM? asked Frodo.
?!lrond 1o))anded it$? answered
/andalf. SThe ri"er of this "alley is
under his power$ and it
will rise in anger when he has great
need to ,ar the Ford. 4s soon as the
1aptain of the Ringwraiths
rode into the water the flood was
released. +f + )ay say so$ + added a
few tou1hes of )y own: you
)ay not ha"e noti1ed$ ,ut so)e of the
wa"es took the for) of great white
horses with shining
white ridersI and there were )any
rolling and grinding ,oulders. For a
)o)ent + was afraid that we
had let loose too fier1e a wrath$ and
the flood would get out of hand and
wash you all away. There
is great "igour in the waters that 1o)e
down fro) the snows of the (isty
(ountains.?
SGes$ it all 1o)es ,a1k to )e now$?
said Frodo: ?the tre)endous roaring. +
thought + was
drowning$ with )y friends and
ene)ies and all. But now we are safeN?
/andalf looked Jui1kly at Frodo$ ,ut
he had shut his eyes. ?Ges$ you are all
safe for the present.
%oon there will ,e feasting and
)erry)aking to 1ele,rate the "i1tory
at the Ford of Bruinen$ and
you will all ,e there in pla1es of
honour.?
?%plendidN? said Frodo. S+t is
wonderful that !lrond$ and /lorfindel
and su1h great lords$ not to
)ention %trider$ should take so )u1h
trou,le and show )e so )u1h
kindness.?
S.ell$ there are )any reasons why
they should$? said /andalf$ s)iling. S+
a) one good reason.
The Ring is another: you are the Ring#
,earer. 4nd you are the heir of Bil,o$
the Ring#finder.?
S&ear Bil,oN? said Frodo sleepily. S+
wonder where he is. + wish he was
here and 1ould hear all
a,out it. +t would ha"e )ade hi)
laugh$ The 1ow Ku)ped o"er the
(oonN 4nd the poor old trollN?
.ith that he fell fast asleep.
Frodo was now safe in the Last
2o)ely 2ouse east of the %ea. That
house was$ as Bil,o had
long ago reported$ Sa perfe1t house$
whether you like food or sleep$ or
story#telling or singing$ or
Kust sitting and thinking ,est$ or a
pleasant )i5ture of the) all?. (erely
to ,e there was a 1ure for
weariness$ fear$ and sadness.
4s the e"ening drew on$ Frodo woke
up again$ and he found that he no
longer felt in need of rest
or sleep$ ,ut had a )ind for food and
drink$ and pro,a,ly for singing and
story#telling afterwards.
2e got out of ,ed and dis1o"ered that
his ar) was already nearly as useful
again as it e"er had
,een. 2e found laid ready 1lean
gar)ents of green 1loth that fitted hi)
e51ellently. Looking in a
)irror he was startled to see a )u1h
thinner refle1tion of hi)self than he
re)e),ered: it looked
re)arka,ly like the young nephew of
Bil,o who used to go tra)ping with
his un1le in the %hireI
,ut the eyes looked out at hi)
thoughtfully.
SGes$ you ha"e seen a thing or two
sin1e you last peeped out of a
looking#glass$? he said to his
refle1tion. ?But now for a )erry
)eetingN?
2e stret1hed out his ar)s and
whistled a tune.
4t that )o)ent there was a kno1k on
the door$ and %a) 1a)e in. 2e ran to
Frodo and took his
left hand$ awkwardly and shyly. 2e
stroked it gently and then he ,lushed
and turned hastily away.
S2ullo$ %a)N? said Frodo.
S+t?s war)N? said %a). S(eaning your
hand$ (r. Frodo. +t has felt so 1old
through the long
nights. But glory and tru)petsN? he
1ried$ turning round again with
shining eyes and dan1ing on the
floor. ?+t?s fine to see you up and
yourself again$ sirN /andalf asked )e
to 1o)e and see if you were
ready to 1o)e down$ and + thought he
was Koking.?
?+ a) ready$? said Frodo. ?Let?s go and
look for the rest of the partyN?
S+ 1an take you to the)$ sir$? said %a).
S+t?s a ,ig house this$ and "ery
pe1uliar. 4lways a ,it
)ore to dis1o"er$ and no knowing
what you?ll find round a 1orner. 4nd
!l"es$ sirN !l"es here$ and
!l"es thereN %o)e like kings$ terri,le
and splendidI and so)e as )erry as
1hildren. 4nd the )usi1
and the singing#not that + ha"e had the
ti)e or the heart for )u1h listening
sin1e we got here. But
+?) getting to know so)e of the ways
of the pla1e.?
?+ know what you ha"e ,een doing$
%a)$? said Frodo$ taking his ar). ?But
you shall ,e )erry
tonight$ and listen to your heart?s
1ontent. -o)e on$ guide )e round the
1ornersN?
%a) led hi) along se"eral passages
and down )any steps and out into a
high garden a,o"e the
steep ,ank of the ri"er. 2e found his
friends sitting in a por1h on the side
of the house looking east.
%hadows had fallen in the "alley
,elow$ ,ut there was still a light on
the fa1es of the )ountains far
a,o"e. The air was war). The sound
of running and falling water was loud$
and the e"ening was
filled with a faint s1ent of trees and
flowers$ as if su))er still lingered in
!lrond?s gardens.
S2urrayN? 1ried Pippin$ springing up.
S2ere is our no,le 1ousinN (ake way
for Frodo$ Lord of the
RingN?
?2ushN? said /andalf fro) the
shadows at the ,a1k of the por1h.
S!"il things do not 1o)e into
this "alleyI ,ut all the sa)e we should
not na)e the). The Lord of the Ring
is not Frodo$ ,ut the
)aster of the &ark Tower of (ordor$
whose power is again stret1hing out
o"er the worldN .e are
sitting in a fortress. *utside it is
getting dark.?
S/andalf has ,een saying )any
1heerful things like that$? said Pippin.
S2e thinks + need keeping
in order. But it see)s i)possi,le$
so)ehow$ to feel gloo)y or
depressed in this pla1e. + feel + 1ould
sing$ if + knew the right song for the
o11asion.?
S+ feel like singing )yself$? laughed
Frodo. SThough at the )o)ent + feel
)ore like eating and
drinkingN?
SThat will soon ,e 1ured$? said Pippin.
SGou ha"e shown your usual 1unning
in getting up Kust in
ti)e for a )eal.?
S(ore than )ealN 4 feastN? said
(erry. S4s soon as /andalf reported
that you were re1o"ered$
the preparations ,egan.? 2e had hardly
finished speaking when they were
su))oned to the hall ,y
the ringing of )any ,ells.
The hall of !lrond?s house was filled
with folk: !l"es for the )ost part$
though there were a few
guests of other sorts. !lrond$ as was
his 1usto)$ sat in a great 1hair at the
end of the long ta,le upon
the daisI and ne5t to hi) on the one
side sat /lorfindel$ on the other side
sat /andalf.
Frodo looked at the) in wonder$ for
he had ne"er ,efore seen !lrond$ of
who) so )any tales
spokeI and as they sat upon his right
hand and his left$ /lorfindel$ and e"en
/andalf$ who) he
thought he knew so well$ were
re"ealed as lords of dignity and
power. /andalf was shorter in
stature than the other twoI ,ut his long
white hair$ his sweeping sil"er ,eard$
and his ,road
shoulders$ )ade hi) look like so)e
wise king of an1ient legend. +n his
aged fa1e under great
snowy ,rows his dark eyes were set
like 1oals that 1ould leap suddenly
into fire.
/lorfindel was tall and straightI his
hair was of shining gold$ his fa1e fair
and young and fearless
and full of KoyI his eyes were ,right
and keen$ and his "oi1e like )usi1I on
his ,row sat wisdo)$
and in his hand was strength.
The fa1e of !lrond was ageless$
neither old nor young$ though in it
was written the )e)ory of
)any things ,oth glad and sorrowful.
2is hair was dark as the shadows of
twilight$ and upon it was
set a 1ir1let of sil"erI his eyes were
grey as a 1lear e"ening$ and in the)
was a light like the light of
stars. @enera,le he see)ed as a king
1rowned with )any winters$ and yet
hale as a tried warrior in
the fulness of his strength. 2e was the
Lord of Ri"endell and )ighty a)ong
,oth !l"es and (en.
+n the )iddle of the ta,le$ against the
wo"en 1loths upon the wall$ there was
a 1hair under a
1anopy$ and there sat a lady fair to
look upon$ and so like was she in
for) of wo)anhood to !lrond
that Frodo guessed that she was one
of his 1lose kindred. Goung she was
and yet not so. The ,raids
of her dark hair were tou1hed ,y no
frost$ her white ar)s and 1lear fa1e
were flawless and s)ooth$
and the light of stars was in her ,right
eyes$ grey as a 1loudless nightI yet
Jueenly she looked$ and
thought and knowledge were in her
glan1e$ as of one who has known
)any things that the years
,ring. 4,o"e her ,row her head was
1o"ered with a 1ap of sil"er la1e
netted with s)all ge)s$
glittering whiteI ,ut her soft grey
rai)ent had no orna)ent sa"e a girdle
of lea"es wrought in sil"er.
%o it was that Frodo saw her who)
few )ortals had yet seenI 4rwen$
daughter of !lrond$ in
who) it was said that the likeness of
LCthien had 1o)e on earth againI and
she was 1alled
0nd>)iel$ for she was the !"enstar of
her people. Long she had ,een in the
land of her )other?s
kin$ in L>rien ,eyond the )ountains$
and was ,ut lately returned to
Ri"endell to her father?s house.
But her ,rothers$ !lladan and !lrohir$
were out upon errantry: for they rode
often far afield with the
Rangers of the 'orth$ forgetting ne"er
their )other?s tor)ent in the dens of
the or1s.
%u1h lo"eliness in li"ing thing Frodo
had ne"er seen ,efore nor i)agined in
his )indI and he
was ,oth surprised and a,ashed to
find that he had a seat at !lrond?s
ta,le a)ong all these folk so
high and fair. Though he had a
suita,le 1hair$ and was raised upon
se"eral 1ushions$ he felt "ery
s)all$ and rather out of pla1eI ,ut that
feeling Jui1kly passed. The feast was
)erry and the food all
that his hunger 1ould desire. +t was
so)e ti)e ,efore he looked a,out hi)
again or e"en turned to
his neigh,ours.
2e looked first for his friends. %a)
had ,egged to ,e allowed to wait on
his )aster$ ,ut had
,een told that for this ti)e he was a
guest of honour. Frodo 1ould see hi)
now$ sitting with Pippin
and (erry at the upper end of one of
the side#ta,les 1lose to the dais. 2e
1ould see no sign of
%trider.
'e5t to Frodo on his right sat a dwarf
of i)portant appearan1e$ ri1hly
dressed. 2is ,eard$ "ery
long and forked$ was white$ nearly as
white as the snow#white 1loth of his
gar)ents. 2e wore a
sil"er ,elt$ and round his ne1k hung a
1hain of sil"er and dia)onds. Frodo
stopped eating to look at
hi).
?.el1o)e and well )etN? said the
dwarf$ turning towards hi). Then he
a1tually rose fro) his
seat and ,owed. S/l>in at your
ser"i1e$? he said$ and ,owed still
lower.
?Frodo Baggins at your ser"i1e and
your fa)ily?s$? said Frodo 1orre1tly$
rising in surprise and
s1attering his 1ushions. ?4) + right in
guessing that you are AtheA /l>in$ one
of the twel"e
1o)panions of the great Thorin
*akenshieldM?
SPuite right$? answered the dwarf$
gathering up the 1ushions and
1ourteously assisting Frodo
,a1k into his seat. ?4nd + do not ask$
for + ha"e already ,een told that you
are the kins)an and
adopted heir of our friend Bil,o the
renowned. 4llow )e to 1ongratulate
you on your re1o"ery.?
SThank you "ery )u1h$? said Frodo.
?Gou ha"e had so)e "ery strange
ad"entures$ + hear$? said /l>in. ?+
wonder greatly what ,rings
AfourA ho,,its on so long a Kourney.
'othing like it has happened sin1e
Bil,o 1a)e with us. But
perhaps + should not inJuire too
1losely$ sin1e !lrond and /andalf do
not see) disposed to talk of
thisM?
?+ think we will not speak of it$ at least
not yet$? said Frodo politely.
2e guessed that e"en in !lrond?s
house the )atter of the Ring was not
one for 1asual talkI and in
any 1ase he wished to forget his
trou,les for a ti)e. ?But + a) eJually
1urious$? he added$ Sto learn
what ,rings so i)portant a dwarf so
far fro) the Lonely (ountain.?
/l>in looked at hi). ?+f you ha"e not
heard$ + think we will not speak yet of
that either. (aster
!lrond will su))on us all ere long$ +
,elie"e$ and then we shall all hear
)any things. But there is
)u1h else that )ay ,e told.?
Throughout the rest of the )eal they
talked together$ ,ut Frodo listened
)ore than he spokeI for
the news of the %hire$ apart fro) the
Ring$ see)ed s)all and far#away and
uni)portant$ while
/l>in had )u1h to tell of e"ents in the
northern regions of .ilderland. Frodo
learned that
/ri),eorn the *ld$ son of Beorn$ was
now the lord of )any sturdy )en$ and
to their land ,etween
the (ountains and (irkwood neither
or1 nor wolf dared to go.
?lndeed$? said /l>in$ Sif it were not for
the Beornings$ the passage fro) &ale
to Ri"endell would
long ago ha"e ,e1o)e i)possi,le.
They are "aliant )en and keep open
the 2igh Pass and the Ford
of -arro1k. But their tolls are high$? he
added with a shake of his headI Sand
like Beorn of old they
are not o"er fond of dwar"es. %till$
they are trusty$ and that is )u1h in
these days. 'owhere are
there any )en so friendly to us as the
(en of &ale. They are good folk$ the
Bardings. The grandson
of Bard the Bow)an rules the)$
Brand son of Bain son of Bard. 2e is
a strong king$ and his real)
now rea1hes far south and east of
!sgaroth.?
?4nd what of your own peopleM? asked
Frodo.
SThere is )u1h to tell$ good and ,ad$?
said /l>inI ?yet it is )ostly good: we
ha"e so far ,een
fortunate$ though we do not es1ape
the shadow of these ti)es. +f you
really wish to hear of us$ +
will tell you tidings gladly. But stop
)e when you are wearyN &war"es?
tongues run on when
speaking of their handiwork$ they
say.?
4nd with that /l>in e),arked on a
long a11ount of the doings of the
&warf#kingdo). 2e was
delighted to ha"e found so polite a
listenerI for Frodo showed no sign of
weariness and )ade no
atte)pt to 1hange the su,Ke1t$ though
a1tually he soon got rather lost a)ong
the strange na)es of
people and pla1es that he had ne"er
heard of ,efore. 2e was interested$
howe"er$ to hear that &Tin
was still ing under the (ountain$
and was now old Dha"ing passed his
two hundred and fiftieth
yearE$ "enera,le$ and fa,ulously ri1h.
*f the ten 1o)panions who had
sur"i"ed the Battle of Fi"e
4r)ies se"en were still with hi):
&walin$ /l>in$ &ori$ 'ori$ Bifur$
Bofur$ and Bo),ur. Bo),ur
was now so fat that he 1ould not )o"e
hi)self fro) his 1ou1h to his 1hair at
ta,le$ and it took si5
young dwar"es to lift hi).
?4nd what has ,e1o)e of Balin and
*ri and UinM? asked Frodo.
4 shadow passed o"er /l>in?s fa1e.
S.e do not know$? he answered. ?+t is
largely on a11ount of
Balin that + ha"e 1o)e to ask the
ad"i1e of those that dwell in
Ri"endell. But tonight let us speak of
)errier thingsN?
/l>in ,egan then to talk of the works
of his people$ telling Frodo a,out their
great la,ours in
&ale and under the (ountain. ?.e
ha"e done well$? he said. SBut in
)etalwork we 1annot ri"al our
fathers$ )any of whose. se1rets are
lost. .e )ake good ar)our and keen
swords$ ,ut we 1annot
again )ake )ail or ,lade to )at1h
those that were )ade ,efore the
dragon 1a)e. *nly in )ining
and ,uilding ha"e we surpassed the
old days. Gou should see the
waterways of &ale$ Frodo$ and the
fountains$ and the poolsN Gou should
see the stone#pa"ed roads of )any
1oloursN 4nd the halls and
1a"ernous streets under the earth with
ar1hes 1ar"ed like treesI and the
terra1es and towers upon the
(ountain?s sidesN Then you would see
that we ha"e not ,een idle.?
?+ will 1o)e and see the)$ if e"er +
1an$? said Frodo. ?2ow surprised Bil,o
would ha"e ,een to
see all the 1hanges in the &esolation
of %)augN?
/l>in looked at Frodo and s)iled.
?Gou were "ery fond of Bil,o were
you notM? he asked.
SGes$? answered Frodo. ?+ would rather
see hi) than all the towers and
pala1es in the world.?
4t length the feast 1a)e to an end.
!lrond and 4rwen rose and went
down the hall$ and the
1o)pany followed the) in due order.
The doors were thrown open$ and they
went a1ross a wide
passage and through other doors$ and
1a)e into a further hall. +n it were no
ta,les$ ,ut a ,right fire
was ,urning in a great hearth ,etween
the 1ar"en pillars upon either side.
Frodo found hi)self walking with
/andalf. SThis is the 2all of Fire? said
the wi<ard. S2ere you
will hear )any songs and tales#if you
1an keep awake. But e51ept on high
days it usually stands
e)pty and Juiet$ and people 1o)e
here who wish for pea1e$ and thought.
There is always a fire
here$ all the year round$ ,ut there is
little other light.?
4s !lrond entered and went towards
the seat prepared for hi)$ el"ish
)instrels ,egan to )ake
sweet )usi1. %lowly the hall filled$
and Frodo looked with delight upon
the )any fair fa1es that
were gathered togetherI the golden
firelight played upon the) and
shi))ered in their hair.
%uddenly he noti1ed$ not far fro) the
further end of the fire$ a s)all dark
figure seated on a stool
with his ,a1k propped against a pillar.
Beside hi) on the ground was a
drinking#1up and so)e
,read. Frodo wondered whether he
was ill Dif people were e"er ill in
Ri"endellE$ and had ,een
una,le to 1o)e to the feast. 2is head
see)ed sunk in sleep on his ,reast$
and a fold of his dark
1loak was drawn o"er his fa1e.
!lrond went forward and stood ,eside
the silent figure. ?4wake little )aster.
he said$ with a
s)ile. Then$ turning to Frodo$ he
,e1koned to hi). ?'ow at last the
hour has 1o)e that you ha"e
wished for$ Frodo$? he said. S2ere is a
friend that you ha"e long )issed.?
The dark figure raised its head and
un1o"ered its fa1e.
SBil,oN? 1ried Frodo with sudden
re1ognition$ and he sprang forward.
S2ullo$ Frodo )y ladN? said Bil,o. S%o
you ha"e got here at last. + hoped you
would )anage it.
.ell$ wellN %o all this feasting is in
your honour$ + hear. + hope you
enKoyed yourselfM?
?.hy weren?t you thereM? 1ried Frodo.
S4nd why ha"en?t + ,een allowed to
see you ,eforeM?
SBe1ause you were asleep. + ha"e seen
a good deal of you. + ha"e sat ,y your
side with %a) ea1h
day. But as for the feastS + don?t go in
for su1h things )u1h now. 4nd + had
so)ething else to do.?
S.hat were you doingM?
S.hy$ sitting and thinking. + do a lot
of that nowadays$ and this is the ,est
pla1e to do it in$ as a
rule. .ake up$ indeedN? he said$
1o1king an eye at !lrond. There was a
,right twinkle in it and no
sign of sleepiness that Frodo 1ould
see. S.ake upN + was not asleep.
(aster !lrond. +f you want to
know$ you ha"e all 1o)e out fro)
your feast too soon$ and you ha"e
distur,ed )e#in the )iddle of
)aking up a song. + was stu1k o"er a
line or two$ and was thinking a,out
the)I ,ut now + don?t
suppose + shall e"er get the) right.
There will ,e su1h a deal of singing
that the ideas will ,e dri"en
1lean out of )y head. + shall ha"e to
get )y friend the &Cnadan to help
)e. .here is heM?
!lrond laughed. S2e shall ,e found$?
he said. SThen you two shall go into a
1orner and finish
your task$ and we will hear it and
Kudge it ,efore we end our
)erry)aking.? (essengers were sent
to find Bil,o?s friend$ though none
knew where he was$ or why he had
not ,een present at the feast.
+n the )eanwhile Frodo and Bil,o sat
side ,y side$ and %a) 1a)e Jui1kly
and pla1ed hi)self
near the). They talked together in
soft "oi1es$ o,li"ious of the )irth and
)usi1 in the hall a,out
the). Bil,o had not )u1h to say of
hi)self. .hen he had left 2o,,iton
he had wandered off
ai)lessly$ along the Road or in the
1ountry on either sideI ,ut so)ehow
he had steered all the ti)e
towards Ri"endell. S+ got here without
)u1h ad"enture$? he said$ Sand after a
rest + went on with the
dwar"es to &ale: )y last Kourney. +
shan?t tra"el again. *ld Balin had
gone away. Then + 1a)e ,a1k
here$ and here + ha"e ,een. + ha"e
done this and that. + ha"e written
so)e )ore of )y ,ook. 4nd$ of
1ourse$ + )ake up a few songs. They
sing the) o11asionally: Kust to please
)e$ + thinkI for$ of
1ourse$ they aren?t really good enough
for Ri"endell. 4nd + listen and + think.
Ti)e doesn?t see) to
pass here: it Kust is. 4 re)arka,le
pla1e altogether.
S+ hear all kinds of news$ fro) o"er
the (ountains$ and out of the %outh$
,ut hardly anything
fro) the %hire. + heard a,out the
Ring$ of 1ourse. /andalf has ,een
here often. 'ot that he has told
)e a great deal$ he has ,e1o)e 1loser
than e"er these last few years. The
&Cnadan has told )e
)ore. Fan1y that ring of )ine 1ausing
su1h a distur,an1eN +t is a pity that
/andalf did not find out
)ore sooner. + 1ould ha"e ,rought the
thing here )yself long ago without so
)u1h trou,le. + ha"e
thought se"eral ti)es of going ,a1k to
2o,,iton for itI ,ut + a) getting old$
and they would not let
)e: /andalf and !lrond$ + )ean.
They see)ed to think that the !ne)y
was looking high and low
for )e$ and would )ake )in1e)eat
of )e$ if he 1aught )e tottering a,out
in the .ild.
?4nd /andalf said: LThe Ring has
passed on$ Bil,o. +t would do no good
to you or to others$ if
you tried to )eddle with it again.L
*dd sort of re)ark$ Kust like /andalf.
But he said he was
looking after you$ so + let things ,e. +
a) frightfully glad to see you safe and
sound.? 2e paused and
looked at Frodo dou,tfully.
S2a"e you got it hereM? he asked in a
whisper. S+ 1an?t help feeling 1urious$
you know$ after all
+?"e heard. + should "ery )u1h like
Kust to peep at it again.?
SGes$ +?"e got it$? answered Frodo$
feeling a strange relu1tan1e. S+t looks
Kust the sa)e as e"er it
did.?
S.ell$ + should Kust like to see it for a
)o)ent$? said Bil,o.
.hen he had dressed$ Frodo found
that while he slept the Ring had ,een
hung a,out his ne1k on
a new 1hain$ light ,ut strong. %lowly
he drew it out. Bil,o put out his hand.
But Frodo Jui1kly drew
,a1k the Ring. To his distress and
a)a<e)ent he found that he was no
longer looking at Bil,oI a
shadow see)ed to ha"e fallen
,etween the)$ and through it he
found hi)self eyeing a little
wrinkled 1reature with a hungry fa1e
and ,ony groping hands. 2e felt a
desire to strike hi).
The )usi1 and singing round the)
see)ed to falter and a silen1e fell.
Bil,o looked Jui1kly at
Frodo?s fa1e and passed his hand
a1ross his eyes. S+ understand now$? he
said. SPut it awayN + a)
sorry: sorry you ha"e 1o)e in for this
,urden: sorry a,out e"erything. &on?t
ad"entures e"er ha"e
an endM + suppose not. %o)eone else
always has to 1arry on the story. .ell$
it 1an?t ,e helped. +
wonder if it?s any good trying to finish
)y ,ookM But don?t let?s worry a,out
it now#let?s ha"e so)e
real 'ewsN Tell )e all a,out the
%hireN?
Frodo hid the Ring away$ and the
shadow passed lea"ing hardly a shred
of )e)ory. The light
and )usi1 of Ri"endell was a,out hi)
again. Bil,o s)iled and laughed
happily. !"ery ite) of
news fro) the %hire that Frodo 1ould
tell#aided and 1orre1ted now and
again ,y %a)#was of the
greatest interest to hi)$ fro) the
felling of the least tree to the pranks
of the s)allest 1hild in
2o,,iton. They were so deep in the
doings of the Four Farthings that they
did not noti1e the arri"al
of a )an 1lad in dark green 1loth. For
)any )inutes he stood looking down
at the) with a s)ile.
%uddenly Bil,o looked up. ?4h$ there
you are at last$ &CnadanN? he 1ried.
S%triderN? said Frodo. SGou see) to
ha"e a lot of na)es.?
S.ell$ A%triderA is one that + ha"en?t
heard ,efore$ anyway$? said Bil,o.
S.hat do you 1all hi)
that forM?
SThey 1all )e that in Bree$? said
%trider laughing$ ?and that is how +
was introdu1ed to hi).?
S4nd why do you 1all hi) &CnadanM?
asked Frodo.
SATheA &Cnadan$? said Bil,o. S2e is
often 1alled that here. But + thought
you knew enough
!l"ish at least to know AdCn#udanA:
(an of the .est$ 'C)enorean. But
this is not the ti)e for
lessonsN? 2e turned to %trider.
S.here ha"e you ,een$ )y friendM
.hy weren?t you at the feastM The
Lady 4rwen was there.?
%trider looked down at Bil,o gra"ely.
S+ know$? he said. ?But often + )ust put
)irth aside.
!lladan and !lrohir ha"e returned out
of the .ild unlooked#for$ and they
had tidings that + wished
to hear at on1e.?
S.ell$ )y dear fellow$? said Bil,o$
Snow you?"e heard the news$ 1an?t you
spare )e a )o)entM +
want your help in so)ething urgent.
!lrond says this song of )ine is to ,e
finished ,efore the end
of the e"ening$ and + a) stu1k. Let?s
go off into a 1orner and polish it upN?
%trider s)iled. S-o)e thenN? he said.
SLet )e hear itN?
Frodo was left to hi)self for a while.
for %a) had fallen asleep. 2e was
alone and felt rather
forlornS although all a,out hi) the
folk of Ri"endell were gathered. But
those near hi) were silent$
intent upon the )usi1 of the "oi1es
and the instru)ents. and they ga"e no
heed to anything else.
Frodo ,egan to listen.
4t first the ,eauty of the )elodies and
of the interwo"en words in el"en#
tongues$ e"en though
he understood the) littleS held hi) in
a spell$ as soon as he ,egan to attend
to the). 4l)ost it
see)ed that the words took shape$ and
"isions of far lands and ,right things
that he had ne"er yet
i)agined opened out ,efore hi)I and
the firelit hall ,e1a)e like a golden
)ist a,o"e seas of foa)
that sighed upon the )argins of the
world. Then the en1hant)ent ,e1a)e
)ore and )ore
drea)like$ until he felt that an endless
ri"er of swelling gold and sil"er was
flowing o"er hi)$ too
)ultitudinous for its pattern to ,e
1o)prehendedI it ,e1a)e part of the
thro,,ing air a,out hi)$ and
it dren1hed and drowned hi). %wiftly
he sank under its shining weight into a
deep real) of sleep.
There he wandered long in a drea) of
)usi1 that turned into running water$
and then suddenly
into a "oi1e. +t see)ed to ,e the "oi1e
of Bil,o 1hanting "erses. Faint at first
and then 1learer ran
the words.
!Rrendil was a )ariner
that tarried in 4r"ernienI
he ,uilt a ,oat of ti),er felled
in 'i),rethil to Kourney inI
her sails he wo"e of sil"er fair$
of sil"er were her lanterns )ade$
her prow was fashioned like a swan$
and light upon her ,anners laid.
+n panoply of an1ient kings$
in 1hainBd rings he ar)oured hi)I
his shining shield was s1ored with
runes
to ward all wounds and har) fro)
hi)I
his ,ow was )ade of dragon#horn$
his arrows shorn of e,ony$
of sil"er was his ha,ergeon$
his s1a,,ard of 1hal1edonyI
his sword of steel was "aliant$
of ada)ant his hel)et tall$
an eagle#plu)e upon his 1rest$
upon his ,reast an e)erald.
Beneath the (oon and under star
he wandered far fro) northern
strands$
,ewildered on en1hanted ways
,eyond the days of )ortal lands.
Fro) gnashing of the 'arrow +1e
where shadow lies on fro<en hills$
fro) nether heats and ,urning waste
he turned in haste$ and ro"ing still
on starless waters far astray
at last he 1a)e to 'ight of 'aught$
and passed$ and ne"er sight he saw
of shining shore nor light he sought.
The winds of wrath 1a)e dri"ing hi)$
and ,lindly in the foa) he fled
fro) west to east and errandless$
unheralded he ho)eward sped.
There flying !lwing 1a)e to hi)$
and fla)e was in the darkness litI
)ore ,right than light of dia)ond
the fire upon her 1ar1anet.
The %il)aril she ,ound on hi)
and 1rowned hi) with the li"ing light
and dauntless then with ,urning ,row
he turned his prowI and in the night
fro) *therworld ,eyond the %ea
there strong and free a stor) arose$
a wind of power in Tar)enelI
,y paths that seldo) )ortal goes
his ,oat it ,ore with ,iting ,reath
as )ight of death a1ross the grey
and long#forsaken seas distressed:
fro) east to west he passed away.
Through !"ernight he ,a1k was ,orne
on ,la1k and roaring wa"es that ran
o?er leagues unlit and foundered
shores
that drowned ,efore the &ays ,egan$
until he heard on strands of pearl
when ends the world the )usi1 long$
where e"er foa)ing ,illows roll
the yellow gold and Kewels wan.
2e saw the (ountain silent rise
where twilight lies upon the knees
of @alinor$ and !lda)ar
,eheld afar ,eyond the seas.
4 wanderer es1aped fro) night
to ha"en white he 1a)e at last$
to !l"enho)e the green and fair
where keen the air$ where pale as
glass
,eneath the 2ill of +l)arin
a#gli))er in a "alley sheer
the la)plit towers of Tirion
are )irrored on the %hadow)ere.
2e tarried there fro) errantry$
and )elodies they taught to hi)$
and sages old hi) )ar"els told$
and harps of gold they ,rought to hi).
They 1lothed hi) then in el"en#white$
and se"en lights ,efore hi) sent$
as through the -ala1irian
to hidden land forlorn he went.
2e 1a)e unto the ti)eless halls
where shining fall the 1ountless years$
and endless reigns the!lder ing
in +l)arin on (ountain sheerI
and words unheard were spoken then
of folk of (en and !l"en#kin$
,eyond the world were "isions
showed
for,id to those that dwell therein.
4 ship then new they ,uilt for hi)
of )ithril and of el"en#glass
with shining prowI no sha"en oar
nor sail she ,ore on sil"er )ast:
the %il)aril as lantern light
and ,anner ,right with li"ing fla)e
to glea) thereon ,y !l,ereth
herself was set$ who thither 1a)e
and wings i))ortal )ade for hi)$
and laid on hi) undying doo)$
to sail the shoreless skies and 1o)e
,ehind the %un and light of (oon.
Fro) !"ere"en?s lofty hills
where softly sil"er fountains fall
his wings hi) ,ore$ a wandering light$
,eyond the )ighty (ountain .all.
Fro) .orld?s !nd then he turned
away
and yearned again to find afar
his ho)e through shadows
Kourneying$
and ,urning as an island star
on high a,o"e the )ists he 1a)e$
a distant fla)e ,efore the %un$
a wonder ere the waking dawn
where grey the 'orland waters run.
4nd o"er (iddle#earth he passed
and heard at last the weeping sore
of wo)en and of el"en#)aids
in !lder &ays$ in years of yore.
gut on hi) )ighty doo) was laid$
till (oon should fade$ an or,Bd star
to pass$ and tarry ne"er )ore
on 2ither %hores where )ortals areI
for e"er still a herald on
an errand that should ne"er rest
to ,ear his shining la)p afar$
the Fla))ifer of .esternesse.
The 1hanting 1eased. Frodo opened
his eyes and saw that Bil,o was
seated on his stool in a
1ir1le of listeners$ who were s)iling
and applauding.
S'ow we had ,etter ha"e it again$?
said an !lf.
Bil,o got up and ,owed. S+ a)
flattered$ Lindir$? he said. ?But it
would ,e too tiring to repeat it
all.?
?'ot too tiring for you$? the !l"es
answered laughing. ?Gou know you
are ne"er tired of re1iting
your own "erses. But really we 1annot
answer your Juestion at one hearingN?
S.hatN? 1ried Bil,o. ?Gou 1an?t tell
whi1h parts were )ine$ and whi1h
were the &Cnadan?sM?
?+t is not easy for us to tell the
differen1e ,etween two )ortals? said
the !lf.
?'onsense$ Lindir$? snorted Bil,o. ?+f
you 1an?t distinguish ,etween a (an
and a 2o,,it$ your
Kudge)ent is poorer than + i)agined.
They?re as different as peas and
apples.?
?(ay,e. To sheep other sheep no
dou,t appear different$? laughed
Lindir. S*r to shepherds. But
(ortals ha"e not ,een our study. .e
ha"e other ,usiness.?
?+ won?t argue with you$? said Bil,o. ?+
a) sleepy after so )u1h )usi1 and
singing. +?ll lea"e you
to guess$ if you want to.?
2e got up and 1a)e towards Frodo.
?.ell$ that?s o"er$? he said in a low
"oi1e. S+t went off ,etter
than + e5pe1ted. + don?t often get
asked for a se1ond hearing. .hat did
you think of itM?
S+ a) not going to try and guess$? said
Frodo s)iling.
SGou needn?t$? said Bil,o. S4s a )atter
of fa1t it was all )ine. !51ept that
4ragorn insisted on
)y putting in a green stone. 2e
see)ed to think it i)portant. + don?t
know why. *therwise he
o,"iously thought the whole thing
rather a,o"e )y head$ and he said that
if + had the 1heek to )ake
"erses a,out !Rrendil in the house of
!lrond$ it was )y affair. + suppose he
was right.?
?+ don?t know$? said Frodo. S+t see)ed
to )e to fit so)ehow$ though + 1an?t
e5plain. + was half
asleep when you ,egan$ and it see)ed
to follow on fro) so)ething that +
was drea)ing a,out. +
didn?t understand that it was really
you speaking until near the end.?
S+t AisA diffi1ult to keep awake here$
until you get used to itI? said Bil,o.
?'ot that ho,,its would
e"er a1Juire Juite the el"ish appetite
for )usi1 and poetry and tales. They
see) to like the) as
)u1h as food$ or )ore. They will ,e
going on for a long ti)e yet. .hat do
you say to slipping off
for so)e )ore Juiet talkM?
S-an weM? said Frodo.
S*f 1ourse. This is )erry)aking not
,usiness. -o)e and go as you like$ as
long as you don?t
)ake a noise.?
They got up and withdrew Juietly into
the shadows$ and )ade for the doors.
%a) they left
,ehind$ fast asleep still with a s)ile
on his fa1e. +n spite of his delight in
Bil,o?s 1o)pany Frodo
felt a tug of regret as they passed out
of the 2all of Fire. !"en as they
stepped o"er the threshold a
single 1lear "oi1e rose in song.
4 !l,ereth /ilthoniel$
sili"ren penna )Qriel
o )enel aglar elenathN
'a#1haered palan#dQriel
o galadhre))in ennorath$
Fanuilos$ le linnathon
nef aear$ sQ nef aearonN
Frodo halted for a )o)ent$ looking
,a1k. !lrond was in his 1hair and the
fire was on his fa1e
like su))er#light upon the trees.
'ear hi) sat the Lady 4rwen. To his
surprise Frodo saw that
4ragorn stood ,eside herI his dark
1loak was thrown ,a1k$ and he
see)ed to ,e 1lad in el"en#)ail$
and a star shone on his ,reast. They
spoke together$ and then suddenly it
see)ed to Frodo that
4rwen turned towards hi)$ and the
light of her eyes fell on hi) fro) afar
and pier1ed his heart.
2e stood still en1hanted$ while the
sweet sylla,les of the el"ish song fell
like 1lear Kewels of
,lended word and )elody. S+t is a
song to !l,ereth$? said Bil,o. SThey
will sing that$ and other
songs of the Blessed Real)$ )any
ti)es tonight. -o)e onN?
2e led Frodo ,a1k to his own little
roo). +t opened on to the gar dens and
looked south a1ross
the ra"ine of the Bruinen. There they
sat for so)e while$ looking through
the window at the ,right
stars a,o"e the steep#1li),ing woods$
and talking softly. They spoke no
)ore of the s)all news of
the %hire far away$ nor of the dark
shadows and perils that en1o)passed
the)$ ,ut of the fair things
they had seen in the world together$ of
the !l"es$ of the stars$ of trees$ and
the gentle fall of the
,right year in the woods.
4t last there 1a)e a kno1k on the
door. SBegging your pardon$? said
%a)$ putting in his head$
S,ut + was Kust wondering if you
would ,e wanting anything.?
S4nd ,egging yours$ %a) /a)gee$?
replied Bil,o. S+ guess you )ean that
it is ti)e your )aster
went to ,ed.?
S.ell$ sir$ there is a -oun1il early
to)orrow$ + hear and he only got up
today for the first ti)e.?
SPuite right$ %a)$? laughed Bil,o.
SGou 1an trot off and tell /andalf that
he has gone to ,ed.
/ood night$ FrodoN Bless )e$ ,ut it
has ,een good to see you againN There
are no folk like ho,,its
after all for a real good talk. + a)
getting "ery old$ and + ,egan to
wonder if + should e"er li"e to see
your 1hapters of our story. /ood
nightN +?ll take a walk$ + think$ and
look at the stars of !l,ereth in
the garden. %leep wellN?
A-hapter 2A
The -oun1il of !lrond
'e5t day Frodo woke early$ feeling
refreshed and well. 2e walked along
the terra1es a,o"e the
loud#flowing Bruinen and wat1hed
the pale$ 1ool sun rise a,o"e the far
)ountains$ and shine down.
%lanting through the thin sil"er )istI
the dew upon the yellow lea"es was
gli))ering$ and the
wo"en nets of gossa)er twinkled on
e"ery ,ush. %a) walked ,eside hi)$
saying nothing. ,ut
sniffing the air$ and looking e"ery
now and again with wonder in his
eyes at the great heights in the
!ast. The snow was white upon their
peaks.
*n a seat 1ut in the stone ,eside a turn
in the path they 1a)e upon /andalf
and Bil,o deep in
talk. S2ulloN /ood )orningN? said
Bil,o. SFeel ready for the great
1oun1ilM?
S+ feel ready for anything$? answered
Frodo. SBut )ost of all + should like
to go walking today
and e5plore the "alley. + should like to
get into those pine#woods up there.?
2e pointed away far up
the side of Ri"endell to the north.
?Gou )ay ha"e a 1han1e later$? said
/andalf. SBut we 1annot )ake any
plans yet. There is )u1h
to hear and de1ide today.?
%uddenly as they were talking a single
1lear ,ell rang out. SThat is the
warning ,ell for the
-oun1il of !lrond$? 1ried /andalf.
S-o)e along nowN Both you and
Bil,o are wanted.?
Frodo and Bil,o followed the wi<ard
Jui1kly along the winding path ,a1k
to the houseI ,ehind
the)$ unin"ited and for the )o)ent
forgotten$ trotted %a).
/andalf led the) to the por1h where
Frodo had found his friends the
e"ening ,efore. The light
of the 1lear autu)n )orning was now
glowing in the "alley. The noise of
,u,,ling waters 1a)e up
fro) the foa)ing ri"er#,ed. Birds
were singing$ and a wholeso)e pea1e
lay on the land. To Frodo
his dangerous flight$ and the ru)ours
of the darkness growing in the world
outside$ already see)ed
only the )e)ories of a trou,led
drea)I ,ut the fa1es that were turned
to )eet the) as they entered
were gra"e.
!lrond was there$ and se"eral others
were seated in silen1e a,out hi).
Frodo saw /lorfindel and
/l>inI and in a 1orner alone %trider
was sitting$ 1lad in his old tra"el#worn
1lothes again. !lrond
drew Frodo to a seat ,y his side$ and
presented hi) to the 1o)pany$
saying:
?2ere$ )y friends is the ho,,it$ Frodo
son of &rogo. Few ha"e e"er 1o)e
hither through greater
peril or on an errand )ore urgent.?
2e then pointed out and na)ed those
who) Frodo had not )et ,efore.
There was a younger
dwarf at /l>in?s side: his son /i)li.
Beside /lorfindel there were se"eral
other 1ounsellors of
!lrond?s household$ of who) !restor
was the 1hiefI and with hi) was
/aldor$ an !lf fro) the /rey
2a"ens who had 1o)e on an errand
fro) -Qrdan the %hipwright. There
was also a strange !lf 1lad
in green and ,rown$ Legolas$ a
)essenger fro) his father$ Thranduil$
the ing of the !l"es of
'orthern (irkwood. 4nd seated a
little apart was a tall )an with a fair
and no,le fa1e$ dark#haired
and grey#eyed$ proud and stern of
glan1e.
2e was 1loaked and ,ooted as if for a
Kourney on horse,a1kI and indeed
though his gar)ents
were ri1h$ and his 1loak was lined
with fur$ they were stained with long
tra"el. 2e had a 1ollar of
sil"er in whi1h a single white stone
was setI his lo1ks were shorn a,out
his shoulders. *n a ,aldri1
he wore a great horn tipped with
sil"er that now was laid upon his
knees. 2e ga<ed at Frodo and
Bil,o with sudden wonder.
S2ere$? said !lrond$ turning to
/andalf$ Sis Boro)ir$ a )an fro) the
%outh. 2e arri"ed in the
grey )orning$ and seeks for 1ounsel. +
ha"e ,idden hi) to ,e present$ for
here his Juestions will ,e
answered.?
'ot all that was spoken and de,ated
in the -oun1il need now ,e told.
(u1h was said of e"ents
in the world outside$ espe1ially in the
%outh$ and in the wide lands east of
the (ountains. *f these
things Frodo had already heard )any
ru)oursI ,ut the tale of /l>in was
new to hi)$ and when the
dwarf spoke he listened attenti"ely. +t
appeared that a)id the splendour of
their works of hand the
hearts of the &war"es of the Lonely
(ountain were trou,led.
S+t is now )any years ago$? said /l>in$
Sthat a shadow of disJuiet fell upon
our people. .hen1e
it 1a)e we did not at first per1ei"e.
.ords ,egan to ,e whispered in
se1ret: it was said that we were
he))ed in a narrow pla1e$ and that
greater wealth and splendour would
,e found in a wider world.
%o)e spoke of (oria: the )ighty
works of our fathers that are 1alled in
our own tongue ha<add=)I
and they de1lared that now at last we
had the power and nu),ers to return.?
/l>in sighed. S(oriaN (oriaN .onder
of the 'orthern worldN Too deep we
del"ed there$ and
woke the na)eless fear. Long ha"e its
"ast )ansions lain e)pty sin1e the
1hildren of &urin fled.
But now we spoke of it again with
longing$ and yet with dreadI for no
dwarf has dared to pass the
doors of ha<ad#d=) for )any li"es
of kings$ sa"e Thr>r only$ and he
perished. 4t last$ howe"er$
Balin listened to the whispers$ and
resol"ed to goI and though &Tin did
not gi"e lea"e willingly$ he
took with hi) *ri and Uin and )any
of our folk$ and they went away south.
LThat was nigh on thirty years ago.
For a while we had news and it
see)ed good: )essages
reported that (oria had ,een entered
and a great work ,egun there. Then
there was silen1e$ and no
word has e"er 1o)e fro) (oria
sin1e.
LThen a,out a year ago a )essenger
1a)e to &Tin$ ,ut not fro) (oria O
fro) (ordor: a
horse)an in the night$ who 1alled
&Tin to his gate. The Lord %auron the
/reat$ so he said$ wished
for our friendship. Rings he would
gi"e for it$ su1h as he ga"e of old.
4nd he asked urgently
1on1erning Aho,,itsA$ of what kind
they were$ and where they dwelt. LFor
%auron knows$L said he$
Lthat one of these was known to you
on a ti)e.L
?4t this we were greatly trou,led$ and
we ga"e no answer. 4nd then his fell
"oi1e was lowered$
and he would ha"e sweetened it if he
1ould. L4s a s)all token only of your
friendship %auron asks
this$L he said: Lthat you should find
this thief$L su1h was his word$ Land
get fro) hi)$ willing or no$
a little ring$ the least of rings$ that
on1e he stole. +t is ,ut a trifle that
%auron fan1ies$ and an earnest
of your good will. Find it$ and three
rings that the &warf sires possessed of
old shall ,e returned to
you$ and the real) of (oria shall ,e
yours for e"er. Find only news of the
thief$ whether he still
li"es and where$ and you shall ha"e
great reward and lasting friendship
fro) the Lord. Refuse$ and
things will not see) so well. &o you
refuseML
?4t that his ,reath 1a)e like the hiss
of snakes$ and all who stood ,y
shuddered$ ,ut &Tin said:
L+ say neither yea nor nay. + )ust
1onsider this )essage and what it
)eans under its fair 1loak.L
? L-onsider well$ ,ut not too long$L
said he.
? LThe ti)e of )y thought is )y own
to spend$L answered &Tin.
? LFor the present$L said he$ and rode
into the darkness.
?2ea"y ha"e the hearts of our
1hieftains ,een sin1e that night. .e
needed not the fell "oi1e of
the )essenger to warn us that his
words held ,oth )ena1e and de1eitI
for we knew already that the
power that has re#entered (ordor has
not 1hanged$ and e"er it ,etrayed us
of old. Twi1e the
)essenger has returned$ and has gone
unanswered. The third and last ti)e$
so he says$ is soon to
1o)e$ ,efore the ending of the year.
?4nd so + ha"e ,een sent at last ,y
&Tin to warn Bil,o that he is sought
,y the !ne)y$ and to
learn$ if )ay ,e$ why he desires this
ring$ this least of rings. 4lso we 1ra"e
the ad"i1e of !lrond.
For the %hadow grows and draws
nearer. .e dis1o"er that )essengers
ha"e 1o)e also to ing
Brand in &ale$ and that he is afraid.
.e fear that he )ay yield. 4lready
war is gathering on his
eastern ,orders. +f we )ake no
answer$ the !ne)y )ay )o"e (en of
his rule to assail ing Brand$
and &Tin also.?
SGou ha"e done well to 1o)e$? said
!lrond. SGou will hear today all that
you need in order to
understand the purposes of the
!ne)y. There is naught that you 1an
do$ other than to resist$ with
hope or without it. But you do not
stand alone. Gou will learn that your
trou,le is ,ut part of the
trou,le of all the western world. The
RingN .hat shall we do with the
Ring$ the least of rings$ the
trifle that %auron fan1iesM That is the
doo) that we )ust dee).
SThat is the purpose for whi1h you are
1alled hither. -alled$ + say. though +
ha"e not 1alled you
to )e$ strangers fro) distant lands.
Gou ha"e 1o)e and are here )et$ in
this "ery ni1k of ti)e$ ,y
1han1e as it )ay see). Get it is not
so. Belie"e rather that it is so ordered
that we$ who sit here$ and
none others$ )ust now find 1ounsel
for the peril of the world.
S'ow$ therefore$ things shall ,e
openly spoken that ha"e ,een hidden
fro) all ,ut a few until
this day. 4nd first$ so that all )ay
understand what is the peril$ the Tale
of the Ring shall ,e told
fro) the ,eginning e"en to this
present. 4nd + will ,egin that tale$
though others shall end it.?
Then all listened while !lrond in his
1lear "oi1e spoke of %auron and the
Rings of Power$ and
their forging in the %e1ond 4ge of the
world long ago. 4 part of his tale was
known to so)e there$
,ut the full tale to none$ and )any
eyes were turned tV !lrond in fear and
wonder as he told of the
!l"en#s)iths of !region and their
friendship with (oria$ and their
eagerness for knowledge$ ,y
whi1h %auron ensnared the). For in
that ti)e he was not yet e"il to
,ehold$ and they re1ei"ed his
aid and grew )ighty in 1raft$ whereas
he learned all their se1rets$ and
,etrayed the)$ and forged
se1retly in the (ountain of Fire the
*ne Ring to ,e their )aster. But
-ele,ri),or was aware of
hi)$ and hid the Three whi1h he had
)adeI and there was war$ and the land
was laid waste$ and the
gate of (oria was shut.
Then through all the years that
followed he tra1ed the RingI ,ut sin1e
that history is elsewhere
re1ounted$ e"en as !lrond hi)self set
it down in his ,ooks of lore$ it is not
here re1alled. For it is a
long tale$ full of deeds great and
terri,le$ and ,riefly though !lrond
spoke$ the sun rode up the sky$
and the )orning was passing ere he
1eased.
*f 'C)enor he spoke$ its glory and
its fall$ and the return of the ings of
(en to (iddle#earth
out of the deeps of the %ea$ ,orne
upon the wings of stor). Then !lendil
the Tall and his )ighty
sons$ +sildur and 4nTrion$ ,e1a)e
great lordsI and the 'orth#real) they
)ade in 4rnor$ and the
%outh#real) in /ondor a,o"e the
)ouths of 4nduin. But %auron of
(ordor assailed the)$ and they
)ade the Last 4llian1e of !l"es and
(en$ and the hosts of /il#galad and
!lendil were )ustered in
4rnor.
Thereupon !lrond paused a while and
sighed. S+ re)e),er well the
splendour of their ,anners$?
he said. S+t re1alled to )e the glory of
the !lder &ays and the hosts of
Beleriand$ so )any great
prin1es and 1aptains were asse),led.
4nd yet not so )any$ nor so fair$ as
when Thangorodri) was
,roken$ and the !l"es dee)ed that
e"il was ended for e"er$ and it was not
so.?
SGou re)e),erM? said Frodo$
speaking his thought aloud in his
astonish)ent. SBut + thought$? he
sta))ered as !lrond turned towards
hi)$ ?+ thought that the fall of /il#
galad was a long age ago.?
?%o it was indeed$? answered !lrond
gra"ely. SBut )y )e)ory rea1hes
,a1k e"en to the !lder
&ays. !Rrendil was )y sire$ who was
,orn in /ondolin ,efore its fallI and
)y )other was !lwing$
daughter of &ior$ son of LCthien of
&oriath. + ha"e seen three ages in the
.est of the world$ and
)any defeats$ and )any fruitless
"i1tories.
S+ was the herald of /il#galad and
)ar1hed with his host. + was at the
Battle of &agorlad ,efore
the Bla1k /ate of (ordor$ where we
had the )astery: for the %pear of /il#
galad and the %word of
!lendil$ 4iglos and 'arsil$ none 1ould
withstand. + ,eheld the last 1o),at on
the slopes of
*rodruin$ where /il#galad died$ and
!lendil fell$ and 'arsil ,roke ,eneath
hi)I ,ut %auron hi)self
was o"erthrown$ and +sildur 1ut the
Ring fro) his hand with the hilt#shard
of his father?s sword$
and took it for his own.?
4t this the stranger$ Boro)ir$ ,roke
in. S%o that is what ,e1a)e of the
RingN? he 1ried. S+f e"er
su1h a tale was told in the %outh$ it
has long ,een forgotten. + ha"e heard
of the /reat Ring of hi)
that we do not na)eI ,ut we ,elie"ed
that it perished fro) the world in the
ruin of his first real).
+sildur took itN That is tidings indeed.?
S4lasN yes$? said !lrond. S+sildur took
it$ as should not ha"e ,een. +t should
ha"e ,een 1ast then
into *rodruin?s fire nigh at hand
where it was )ade. But few )arked
what +sildur did. 2e alone
stood ,y his father in that last )ortal
1ontestI and ,y /il#galad only -Qrdan
stood$ and +. But +sildur
would not listen to our 1ounsel.
? LThis + will ha"e as weregild for )y
father$ and )y ,rother$L he saidI and
therefore whether we
would or no$ he took it to treasure it.
But soon he was ,etrayed ,y it to his
deathI and so it is na)ed
in the 'orth +sildur?s Bane. Get death
)ay,e was ,etter than what else
)ight ha"e ,efallen hi).
?*nly to the 'orth did these tidings
1o)e$ and only to a few. %)all
wonder it is that you ha"e
not heard the)$ Boro)ir. Fro) the
ruin of the /ladden Fields$ where
+sildur perished$ three )en
only 1a)e e"er ,a1k o"er the
)ountains after long wandering. *ne
of these was *htar$ the esJuire
of +sildur$ who ,ore the shards of the
sword of !lendilI and he ,rought
the) to @alandil$ the heir of
+sildur$ who ,eing ,ut a 1hild had
re)ained here in Ri"endell. But
'arsil was ,roken and its light
e5tinguished$ and it has not yet ,een
forged again.
SFruitless did + 1all the "i1tory of the
Last 4llian1eM 'ot wholly so$ yet it
did not a1hie"e its end.
%auron was di)inished$ ,ut not
destroyed. 2is Ring was lost ,ut not
un)ade. The &ark Tower was
,roken$ ,ut its foundations were not
re)o"edI for they were )ade with the
power of the Ring$ and
while it re)ains they will endure.
(any !l"es and )any )ighty (en$
and )any of their friends.
had perished in the war. 4nTrion was
slain$ and +sildur was slainI and /il#
galad and !lendil were
no )ore. 'e"er again shall there ,e
any su1h league of !l"es and (enI for
(en )ultiply and the
First,orn de1rease$ and the two
kindreds are estranged. 4nd e"er
sin1e that day the ra1e of
'C)enor has de1ayed$ and the span
of their years has lessened.
?+n the 'orth after the war and the
slaughter of the /ladden Fields the
(en of .esternesse were
di)inished$ and their 1ity of
4nnC)inas ,eside Lake !"endi) fell
into ruinI and the heirs of
@alandil re)o"ed and dwelt at
Fornost on the high 'orth &owns$ and
that now too is desolate.
(en 1all it &ead)en?s &ike$ and they
fear to tread there. For the folk of
4rnor dwindled$ and their
foes de"oured the)$ and their
lordship passed$ lea"ing only green
)ounds in the grassy hills.
?+n the %outh the real) of /ondor
long enduredI and for a while its
splendour grew$ re1alling
so)ewhat of the )ight of 'C)enor$
ere it fell. 2igh towers that people
,uilt$ and strong pla1es. and
ha"ens of )any shipsI and the winged
1rown of the ings of (en was held
in awe ,y folk of )any
tongues. Their 1hief 1ity was
*sgiliath$ -itadel of the %tars.
through the )idst of whi1h the Ri"er
flowed. 4nd (inas +thil they ,uilt$
Tower of the Rising (oon$ eastward
upon a shoulder of the
(ountains of %hadowI and westward
at the feet of the .hite (ountains
(inas 4nor they )ade$
Tower of the %etting %un. There in the
1ourts of the ing grew a white tree$
fro) the seed of that
tree whi1h +sildur ,rought o"er the
deep waters$ and the seed of that tree
,efore 1a)e fro) !ressWa$
and ,efore that out of the 0tter)ost
.est in the &ay ,efore days when the
world was young.
SBut in the wearing of the swift years
of (iddle#earth the line of (eneldil
son of 4nTrion failed$
and the Tree withered$ and the ,lood
of the 'C)enoreans ,e1a)e )ingled
with that of lesser )en.
Then the wat1h upon the walls of
(ordor slept$ and dark things 1rept
,a1k to /orgoroth. 4nd on a
ti)e e"il things 1a)e forth$ and they
took (inas +thil and a,ode in it$ and
they )ade it into a pla1e
of dreadI and it is 1alled (inas
(orgul$ the Tower of %or1ery. Then
(inas 4nor was na)ed anew
(inas Tirith$ the Tower of /uardI and
these two 1ities were e"er at war$ ,ut
*sgiliath whi1h lay
,etween was deserted and in its ruins
shadows walked.
?%o it has ,een for )any li"es of )en.
But the Lords of (inas Tirith still
fight on$ defying our
ene)ies$ keeping the passage of the
Ri"er fro) 4rgonath to the %ea. 4nd
now that part of the tale
that + shall tell is drawn to its 1lose.
For in the days of +sildur the Ruling
Ring passed out of all
knowledge$ and the Three were
released fro) its do)inion. But now
in this latter day they are in
peril on1e )ore$ for to our sorrow the
*ne has ,een found. *thers shall
speak of its finding$ for in
that + played s)all part.?
2e 1eased$ ,ut at on1e Boro)ir stood
up$ tall and proud$ ,efore the). /i"e
)e lea"e$ (aster
!lrond$ said he$ first to say )ore of
/ondorI for "erily fro) the land of
/ondor + a) 1o)e. 4nd it
would ,e well for all to know what
passes there. For few$ + dee)$ know
of our deeds$ and therefore
guess little of their peril$ if we should
fail at last.
SBelie"e not that in the land of
/ondor the ,lood of 'C)enor is
spent$ nor all its pride and
dignity forgotten. By our "alour the
wild folk of the !ast are still
restrained$ and the terror of
(orgul kept at ,ayI and thus alone are
pea1e and freedo) )aintained in the
lands ,ehind us$
,ulwark of the .est. But if the
passages of the Ri"er should ,e won$
what thenM
SGet that hour$ )ay,e$ is not now far
away. The 'a)eless !ne)y has
arisen again. %)oke rises
on1e )ore fro) *rodruin that we 1all
(ount &oo). The power of the Bla1k
Land grows and we
are hard ,eset. .hen the !ne)y
returned our folk were dri"en fro)
+thilien$ our fair do)ain east of
the Ri"er$ though we kept a foothold
there and strength of ar)s. But this
"ery year$ in the days of
June$ sudden war 1a)e upon us out of
(ordor$ and we were swept away.
.e were outnu),ered$
for (ordor has allied itself with the
!asterlings and the 1ruel 2aradri)I
,ut it was not ,y nu),ers
that we were defeated. 4 power was
there that we ha"e not felt ,efore.
S%o)e said that it 1ould ,e seen$ like a
great ,la1k horse)an$ a dark shadow
under the )oon.
.here"er he 1a)e a )adness filled
our foes$ ,ut fear fell on our ,oldest$
so that horse and )an
ga"e way and fled. *nly a re)nant of
our eastern for1e 1a)e ,a1k$
destroying the last ,ridge that
still stood a)id the ruins of *sgiliath.
?+ was in the 1o)pany that held the
,ridge$ until it was 1ast down ,ehind
us. Four only were
sa"ed ,y swi))ing: )y ,rother and
)yself and two others. But still we
fight on$ holding all the
west shores of 4nduinI and those who
shelter ,ehind us gi"e us praise$ if
e"er they hear our na)e:
)u1h praise ,ut little help. *nly fro)
Rohan now will any )en ride to us
when we 1all.
S+n this e"il hour + ha"e 1o)e on an
errand o"er )any dangerous leagues
to !lrond: a hundred
and ten days + ha"e Kourneyed all
alone. But + do not seek allies in war.
The )ight of !lrond is in
wisdo) not in weapons$ it is said. +
1o)e to ask for 1ounsel and the
unra"elling of hard words. For
on the e"e of the sudden assault a
drea) 1a)e to )y ,rother in a
trou,led sleepI and afterwards a
like drea) 1a)e oft to hi) again$ and
on1e to )e.
?+n that drea) + thought the eastern
sky grew dark and there was a
growing thunder$ ,ut in the
.est a pale light lingered$ and out of
it + heard a "oi1e$ re)ote ,ut 1lear$
1rying:
%eek for the %word that was ,roken:
+n +)ladris it dwellsI
There shall ,e 1ounsels taken
%tronger than (orgul#spells.
There shall ,e shown a token
That &oo) is near at hand$
For +sildur?s Bane shall waken$
4nd the 2alfling forth shall stand.
*f these words we 1ould understand
little$ and we spoke to our father$
&enethor$ Lord of (inas
Tirith$ wise in the lore of /ondor.
This only would he say$ that +)ladris
was of old the na)e a)ong
the !l"es of a far northern dale$ where
!lrond the 2alfel"en dwelt$ greatest
of lore#)asters.
Therefore )y ,rother$ seeing how
desperate was our need$ was eager to
heed the drea) and seek
for +)ladrisI ,ut sin1e the way was
full of dou,t and danger$ + took the
Kourney upon )yself. Loth
was )y father to gi"e )e lea"e$ and
long ha"e + wandered ,y roads
forgotten$ seeking the house of
!lrond$ of whi1h )any had heard$ ,ut
few knew where it lay.?
?4nd here in the house of !lrond )ore
shall ,e )ade 1lear to you? said
4ragorn$ standing up. 2e
1ast his sword upon the ta,le that
stood ,efore !lrond$ and the ,lade
was in two pie1es. S2ere is the
%word that was BrokenN? he said.
S4nd who are you$ and what ha"e you
to do with (inas TirithM? asked
Boro)ir$ looking in
wonder at the lean fa1e of the Ranger
and his weather#stained 1loak.
S2e is 4ragorn son of 4rathorn$? said
!lrondI Sand he is des1ended through
)any fathers fro)
+sildur !lendil?s son of (inas +thil. 2e
is the -hief of the &Cnedain in the
'orth$ and few are now
left of that folk.?
SThen it ,elongs to you$ and not to )e
at allN? 1ried Frodo in a)a<e)ent$
springing to his feet$ as
if he e5pe1ted the Ring to ,e
de)anded at on1e.
?+t does not ,elong to either of us$?
said 4ragornI S,ut it has ,een
ordained that you should hold it
for a while.?
?Bring out the Ring$ FrodoN? said
/andalf sole)nly. SThe ti)e has
1o)e. 2old it up$ and then
Boro)ir will understand the
re)ainder of his riddle.?
There was a hush$ and all turned their
eyes on Frodo. 2e was shaken ,y a
sudden sha)e and
fearI and he felt a great relu1tan1e to
re"eal the Ring$ and a loathing of its
tou1h. 2e wished he was
far away. The Ring glea)ed and
fli1kered as he held it up ,efore the)
in his tre),ling hand.
?Behold +sildur?s BaneN? said !lrond.
Boro)ir?s eyes glinted as he ga<ed at
the golden thing. SThe 2alflingN? he
)uttered. S+s then the
doo) of (inas Tirith 1o)e at lastM
But why then should we seek a
,roken swordM?
?The words were not Athe doo) of
(inas TirithA$? said 4ragorn. SBut
doo) and great deeds are
indeed at hand. For the %word that
was Broken is the %word of !lendil
that ,roke ,eneath hi)
when he fell. +t has ,een treasured ,y
his heirs when all other heirloo)s
were lostI for it was
spoken of old a)ong us that it should
,e )ade again when the Ring$
+sildur?s Bane$ was found.
'ow you ha"e seen the sword that
you ha"e sought$ what would you
askM &o you wish for the
2ouse of !lendil to return to the Land
of /ondorM?
S+ was not sent to ,eg any ,oon$ ,ut to
seek only the )eaning of a riddle$?
answered Boro)ir
proudly. SGet we are hard pressed$
and the %word of !lendil would ,e a
help ,eyond our hope#if
su1h a thing 1ould indeed return out
of the shadows of the past.? 2e looked
again at 4ragorn$ and
dou,t was in his eyes.
Frodo felt Bil,o stir i)patiently at his
side. !"idently he was annoyed on his
friend?s ,ehalf.
%tanding suddenly up he ,urst out:
4ll that is gold does not glitter$
'ot all those who wander are lostI
The old that is strong does not wither$
&eep roots are not rea1hed ,y the
frost.
Fro) the ashes a fire shall ,e woken$
4 light fro) the shadows shall springI
Renewed shall ,e ,lade that was
,roken:
The 1rownless again shall ,e king.A
S'ot "ery good perhaps$ ,ut to the
point O if you need )ore ,eyond the
word of !lrond. +f that
was worth a Kourney of a hundred and
ten days to hear$ you had ,est listen to
it.? 2e sat down with a
snort.
S+ )ade that up )yself$? he whispered
to Frodo$ Sfor the &Cnadan$ a long
ti)e ago when he first
told )e a,out hi)self. + al)ost wish
that )y ad"entures were not o"er$ and
that + 1ould go with
hi) when his day 1o)es.?
4ragorn s)iled at hi)I then he turned
to Boro)ir again. SFor )y part +
forgi"e your dou,t$? he
said. ?Little do + rese),le the figures
of !lendil and +sildur as they stand
1ar"en in their )aKesty in
the halls of &enethor. + a) ,ut the
heir of +sildur$ not +sildur hi)self. +
ha"e had a hard life and a
longI and the leagues that lie ,etween
here and /ondor are a s)all part in
the 1ount of )y Kourneys.
+ ha"e 1rossed )any )ountains and
)any ri"ers$ and trodden )any plains$
e"en into the far
1ountries of Rh=n and 2arad where
the stars are strange.
?But )y ho)e$ su1h as + ha"e$ is in the
'orth. For here the heirs of @alandil
ha"e e"er dwelt in
long line un,roken fro) father unto
son for )any generations. *ur days
ha"e darkened$ and we
ha"e dwindledI ,ut e"er the %word
has passed to a new keeper. 4nd this +
will say to you$ Boro)ir$
ere + end. Lonely )en are we$
Rangers of the wild$ hunters O ,ut
hunters e"er of the ser"ants of the
!ne)yI for they are found in )any
pla1es$ not in (ordor only.
S+f /ondor$ Boro)ir$ has ,een a
stalwart tower$ we ha"e played
another part. (any e"il things
there are that your strong walls and
,right swords do not stay. Gou know
little of the lands ,eyond
your ,ounds. Pea1e and freedo)$ do
you sayM The 'orth would ha"e
known the) little ,ut for us.
Fear would ha"e destroyed the). But
when dark things 1o)e fro) the
houseless hills$ or 1reep
fro) sunless woods$ they fly fro) us.
.hat roads would any dare to tread$
what safety would there
,e in Juiet lands$ or in the ho)es of
si)ple )en at night$ if the &Cnedain
were asleep$ or were all
gone into the gra"eM
S4nd yet less thanks ha"e we than
you. Tra"ellers s1owl at us$ and
1ountry)en gi"e us s1ornful
na)es. L%triderL + a) to one fat )an
who li"es within a day?s )ar1h of foes
that would free<e his
heart or lay his little town in ruin$ if
he were not guarded 1easelessly. Get
we would not ha"e it
otherwise. +f si)ple folk are free fro)
1are and fear$ si)ple they will ,e$ and
we )ust ,e se1ret to
keep the) so. That has ,een the task
of )y kindred$ while the years ha"e
lengthened and the grass
has grown.
SBut now the world is 1hanging on1e
again. 4 new hour 1o)es. +sildur?s
Bane is found. Battle is
at hand. The %word shall ,e reforged.
+ will 1o)e to (inas Tirith.?
S+sildur?s Bane is found$ you say$? said
Boro)ir. S+ ha"e seen a ,right ring in
the 2alfling?s handI
,ut +sildur perished ere this age of the
world ,egan$ they say. 2ow do the
.ise know that this ring
is hisM 4nd how has it passed down
the years$ until it is ,rought hither ,y
so strange a )essengerM?
SThat shall ,e told$? said !lrond.
SBut not yet$ + ,eg$ (asterN? said
Bil,o. S4lready the %un is 1li),ing to
noon$ and + feel the need
of so)ething to strengthen )e.?
S+ had not na)ed you$? said !lrond
s)iling. SBut + do so now. -o)eN Tell
us your tale. 4nd if
you ha"e not yet 1ast your story into
"erse$ you )ay tell it in plain words.
The ,riefer$ the sooner
shall you ,e refreshed.?
S@ery well$? said Bil,o. S+ will do as
you ,id. But + will now tell the true
story$ and if so)e here
ha"e heard )e tell it otherwise? O he
looked sidelong at /l>in O S+ ask the)
to forget it and forgi"e
)e. + only wished to 1lai) the
treasure as )y "ery own in those
days$ and to ,e rid of the na)e of
thief that was put on )e. But perhaps
+ understand things a little ,etter now.
4nyway$ this is what
happened.?
To so)e there Bil,o?s tale was wholly
new$ and they listened with
a)a<e)ent while the old
ho,,it$ a1tually not at all displeased$
re1ounted his ad"enture with /ollu)$
at full length. 2e did
not o)it a single riddle. 2e would
ha"e gi"en also an a11ount of his
party and disappearan1e fro)
the %hire$ if he had ,een allowedI ,ut
!lrond raised his hand.
?.ell told$ )y friend$? he said$ S,ut
that is enough at this ti)e. For the
)o)ent it suffi1es to
know that the Ring passed to Frodo$
your heir. Let hi) now speakN?
Then$ less willingly than Bil,o$ Frodo
told of all his dealings with the Ring
fro) the day that it
passed into his keeping. !"ery step of
his Kourney fro) 2o,,iton to the Ford
of Bruinen was
Juestioned and 1onsidered$ and
e"erything that he 1ould re1all
1on1erning the Bla1k Riders was
e5a)ined. 4t last he sat down again.
S'ot ,ad$? Bil,o said to hi). SGou
would ha"e )ade a good story of it$ if
they hadn?t kept on
interrupting. + tried to )ake a few
notes$ ,ut we shall ha"e to go o"er it
all again together so)e
ti)e$ if + a) to write it up. There are
whole 1hapters of stuff ,efore you
e"er got hereN?
SGes$ it )ade Juite a long tale$?
answered Frodo. ?But the story still
does not see) 1o)plete to
)e. + still want to know a good deal$
espe1ially a,out /andalf.?
/aldor of the 2a"ens$ who sat near
,y$ o"erheard hi). SGou speak for )e
also$? he 1ried$ and
turning to !lrond he said: SThe .ise
)ay ha"e good reason to ,elie"e that
the halfling?s tro"e is
indeed the /reat Ring of long de,ate$
unlikely though that )ay see) to
those who know less. But
)ay we not hear the proofsM 4nd +
would ask this also. .hat of
%aru)anM 2e is learned in the lore
of the Rings$ yet he is not a)ong us.
.hat is his 1ounsel#if he knows the
things that we ha"e
heardM?
SThe Juestions that you ask$ /aldor$
are ,ound together$? said !lrond. S+
had not o"erlooked
the)$ and they shall ,e answered. But
these things it is the part of /andalf to
)ake 1learI and + 1all
upon hi) last$ for it is the pla1e of
honour$ and in all this )atter he has
,een the 1hief.?
S%o)e$ /aldor$? said /andalf$ Swould
think the tidings of /l>in$ and the
pursuit of Frodo$ proof
enough that the halfling?s tro"e is a
thing of great worth to the !ne)y.
Get it is a ring. .hat thenM
The 'ine the 'a<g=l keep. The %e"en
are taken or destroyed.? 4t this /l>in
stirred$ ,ut did not
speak. SThe Three we know of. .hat
then is this one that he desires so
)u1hM
?There is indeed a wide waste of ti)e
,etween the Ri"er and the (ountain$
,etween the loss and
the finding. But the gap in the
knowledge of the .ise has ,een filled
at last. Get too slowly. For the
!ne)y has ,een 1lose ,ehind$ 1loser
e"en than + feared. 4nd well is it that
not until this year$ this
"ery su))er$ as it see)s$ did he learn
the full truth.
?%o)e here will re)e),er that )any
years ago + )yself dared to pass the
doors of the
'e1ro)an1er in &ol /uldur$ and
se1retly e5plored his ways$ and found
thus that our fears were
true: he was none other than %auron$
our !ne)y of old$ at length taking
shape and power again.
%o)e$ too$ will re)e),er also that
%aru)an dissuaded us fro) open
deeds against hi)$ and for
long we wat1hed hi) only. Get at last$
as his shadow grew$ %aru)an yielded$
and the -oun1il put
forth its strength and dro"e the e"il
out of (irkwood and that was in the
"ery year of the finding of
this Ring: a strange 1han1e$ if 1han1e
it was.
SBut we were too late$ as !lrond
foresaw. %auron also had wat1hed us$
and had long prepared
against our stroke$ go"erning (ordor
fro) afar through (inas (orgul$
where his 'ine ser"ants
dwelt$ until all was ready. Then he
ga"e way ,efore us$ ,ut only feigned
to flee$ and soon after
1a)e to the &ark Tower and openly
de1lared hi)self. Then for the last
ti)e the -oun1il )etI for
now we learned that he was seeking
e"er )ore eagerly for the *ne. .e
feared then that he had
so)e news of it that we knew nothing
of. But %aru)an said nay$ and
repeated what he had said to
us ,efore: that the *ne would ne"er
again ,e found in (iddle#earth.
S L4t the worst$L said he$ Lour !ne)y
knows that we ha"e it not and that it
still is lost. But what
was lost )ay yet ,e found$ he thinks.
Fear notN 2is hope will 1heat hi).
2a"e + not earnestly
studied this )atterM +nto 4nduin the
/reat it fellI and long ago$ while
%auron slept$ it was rolled
down the Ri"er to the %ea. There let it
lie until the !nd.L?
/andalf fell silent$ ga<ing eastward
fro) the por1h to the far peaks of the
(isty (ountains$ at
whose great roots the peril of the
world had so long lain hidden. 2e
sighed.
SThere + was at fault$? he said. S+ was
lulled ,y the words of %aru)an the
.iseI ,ut + should ha"e
sought for the truth sooner$ and our
peril would now ,e less.?
S.e were all at fault$? said !lrond$
Sand ,ut for your "igilan1e the
&arkness$ )ay,e$ would
already ,e upon us. But say onN?
SFro) the first )y heart )isga"e )e$
against all reason that + knew$? said
/andalf$ Sand + desired
to know how this thing 1a)e to
/ollu)$ and how long he had
possessed it. %o + set a wat1h for
hi)$ guessing that he would ere long
1o)e forth fro) his darkness to seek
for his treasure. 2e
1a)e$ ,ut he es1aped and was not
found. 4nd then alasN + let the )atter
rest$ wat1hing and waiting
only$ as we ha"e too often done.
STi)e passed with )any 1ares$ until
)y dou,ts were awakened again to
sudden fear. .hen1e
1a)e the ho,,it?s ringM .hat$ if )y
fear was true$ should ,e done with itM
Those things + )ust
de1ide. But + spoke yet of )y dread to
none$ knowing the peril of an
unti)ely whisper$ if it went
astray. +n all the long wars with the
&ark Tower treason has e"er ,een our
greatest foe.
?That was se"enteen years ago. %oon +
,e1a)e aware that spies of )any
sorts$ e"en ,easts and
,irds$ were gathered round the %hire$
and )y fear grew. + 1alled for the help
of the &Cnedain$ and
their wat1h was dou,ledI and +
opened )y heart to 4ragorn$ the heir
of +sildur.?
S4nd +$? said 4ragorn$ S1ounselled that
we should hunt for /ollu). too late
though it )ay see).
4nd sin1e it see)ed fit that +sildur?s
heir should la,our to repair +sildur?s
fault$ + went with /andalf
on the long and hopeless sear1h.?
Then /andalf told how they had
e5plored the whole length of
.ilderland$ down e"en to the
(ountains of %hadow and the fen1es
of (ordor. SThere we had ru)our of
hi)$ and we guess that
he dwelt there long in the dark hillsI
,ut we ne"er found hi)$ and at last +
despaired. 4nd then in
)y despair + thought again of a test
that )ight )ake the finding of
/ollu) unneeded. The ring
itself )ight tell if it were the *ne. The
)e)ory of words at the -oun1il 1a)e
,a1k to )e: words of
%aru)an$ half#heeded at the ti)e. +
heard the) now 1learly in )y heart.
S LThe 'ine$ the %e"en$ and the
Three$L he said$ Lhad ea1h their proper
ge). 'ot so the *ne. +t
was round and unadorned$ as it were
one of the lesser ringsI ,ut its )aker
set )arks upon it that the
skilled$ )ay,e$ 1ould still see and
read.L
S.hat those )arks were he had not
said. .ho now would knowM The
)aker. 4nd %aru)anM
But great though his lore )ay ,e$ it
)ust ha"e a sour1e. .hat hand sa"e
%auron?s e"er held this
thing$ ere it was lostM The hand of
+sildur alone.
S.ith that thought$ + forsook the
1hase$ and passed swiftly to /ondor.
+n for)er days the
)e),ers of )y order had ,een well
re1ei"ed there$ ,ut %aru)an )ost of
all. *ften he had ,een for
long the guest of the Lords of the
-ity. Less wel1o)e did the Lord
&enethor show )e then than of
old$ and grudgingly he per)itted )e
to sear1h a)ong his hoarded s1rolls
and ,ooks.
? L+f indeed you look only$ as you say$
for re1ords of an1ient days$ and the
,eginnings of the
-ity$ read onN L he said. LFor to )e
what was is less dark than what is to
1o)e$ and that is )y 1are.
But unless you ha"e )ore skill e"en
than %aru)an$ who has studied here
long$ you will find naught
that is not well known to )e$ who a)
)aster of the lore of this -ity.L
S%o said &enethor. 4nd yet there lie
in his hoards )any re1ords that few
now 1an read$ e"en of
the lore#)asters$ for their s1ripts and
tongues ha"e ,e1o)e dark to later
)en. 4nd Boro)ir$ there
lies in (inas Tirith still$ unread$ +
guess$ ,y any sa"e %aru)an and
)yself sin1e the kings failed$ a
s1roll that +sildur )ade hi)self. For
+sildur did not )ar1h away straight
fro) the war in (ordor$ as
so)e ha"e told the tale.?
?%o)e in the 'orth$ )ay,e$? Boro)ir
,roke in. ?4ll know in /ondor that he
went first to (inas
4nor and dwelt a while with his
nephew (eneldil$ instru1ting hi)$
,efore he 1o))itted to hi) the
rule of the %outh ingdo). +n that
ti)e he planted there the last sapling
of the .hite Tree in
)e)ory of his ,rother.?
SBut in that ti)e also he )ade this
s1roll$? said /andalfI Sand that is not
re)e),ered in /ondor$
it would see). For this s1roll
1on1erns the Ring$ and thus wrote
+sildur therein:
AThe /reat Ring shall go now to ,e
an heirloo) of the 'orth ingdo)I
,ut re1ords of it shall ,e
left in /ondor$ where also dwell the
heirs of !lendil$ lest a ti)e 1o)e
when the )e)ory of these
great )atters shall grow di).A
S4nd after these words +sildur
des1ri,ed the Ring$ su1h as he found
it.
A+t was hot when + first took it$ hot as
a glede$ and )y hand was s1or1hed$
so that + dou,t if e"er
again + shall ,e free of the pain of it.
Get e"en as + write it is 1ooled$ and it
see)eth to shrink$
though it loseth neither its ,eauty nor
its shape. 4lready the writing upon it$
whi1h at first was as
1lear as red fla)e$ fadeth and is now
only ,arely to ,e read. +t is fashioned
in an el"en#s1ript of
!region$ for they ha"e no letters in
(ordor for su1h su,tle workI ,ut the
language is unknown to
)e. + dee) it to ,e a tongue of the
Bla1k Land$ sin1e it is foul and
un1outh. .hat e"il it saith + do
not knowI ,ut + tra1e here a 1opy of it$
lest it fade ,eyond re1all. The Ring
)isseth$ )ay,e$ the heat
of %auron?s hand$ whi1h was ,la1k
and yet ,urned like fire$ and so /il#
galad was destroyedI and
)ay,e were the gold )ade hot again$
the writing would ,e refreshed. But
for )y part + will risk no
hurt to this thing: of all the works of
%auron the only fair. +t is pre1ious to
)e$ though + ,uy it with
great pain.A
?.hen + read these words$ )y Juest
was ended. For the tra1ed writing was
indeed as +sildur
guessed$ in the tongue of (ordor and
the ser"ants of the Tower. 4nd what
was said therein was
already known. For in the day that
%auron first put on the *ne$
-ele,ri),or$ )aker of the Three$
was aware of hi)$ and fro) afar he
heard hi) speak these words$ and so
his e"il purposes were
re"ealed.
S4t on1e + took )y lea"e of &enethor$
,ut e"en as + went northwards$
)essages 1a)e to )e out
of L>rien that 4ragorn had passed
that way$ and that he had found the
1reature 1alled /ollu).
Therefore + went first to )eet hi) and
hear his tale. +nto what deadly perils
he had gone alone +
dared not guess.?
SThere is little need to tell of the)$?
said 4ragorn. S+f a )an )ust needs
walk in sight of the
Bla1k /ate$ or tread the deadly
flowers of (orgul @ale$ then perils he
will ha"e. +$ too$ despaired at
last$ and + ,egan )y ho)eward
Kourney. 4nd then$ ,y fortune$ + 1a)e
suddenly on what + sought:
the )arks of soft feet ,eside a )uddy
pool. But now the trail was fresh and
swift$ and it led not to
(ordor ,ut away. 4long the skirts of
the &ead (arshes + followed it$ and
then + had hi). Lurking
,y a stagnant )ere$ peering in the
water as the dark e"e fell$ + 1aught
hi)$ /ollu). 2e was 1o"ered
with green sli)e. 2e will ne"er lo"e
)e$ + fearI for he ,it )e$ and + was not
gentle. 'othing )ore
did + e"er get fro) his )outh than the
)arks of his teeth. + dee)ed it the
worst part of all )y
Kourney$ the road ,a1k$ wat1hing hi)
day and night$ )aking hi) walk
,efore )e with a halter on
his ne1k$ gagged$ until he was ta)ed
,y la1k of drink and food$ dri"ing hi)
e"er towards
(irkwood. + ,rought hi) there at last
and ga"e hi) to the !l"es$ for we had
agreed that this should
,e doneI and + was glad to ,e rid of
his 1o)pany$ for he stank. For )y
part + hope ne"er to look
upon hi) againI ,ut /andalf 1a)e
and endured long spee1h with hi).?
SGes$ long and weary$? said /andalf$
S,ut not without profit. For one thing$
the tale he told of his
loss agreed with that whi1h Bil,o has
now told openly for the first ti)eI ,ut
that )attered little$
sin1e + had already guessed it. But +
learned then first that /ollu)?s ring
1a)e out of the /reat
Ri"er nigh to the /ladden Fields. 4nd
+ learned also that he had possessed it
long. (any li"es of
his s)all kind. The power of the ring
had lengthened his years far ,eyond
their spanI ,ut that power
only the /reat Rings wield.
S4nd if that is not proof enough$
/aldor$ there is the other test that +
spoke of. 0pon this "ery
ring whi1h you ha"e here seen held
aloft$ round and unadorned$ the letters
that +sildur reported )ay
still ,e read$ if one has the strength of
will to set the golden thing in the fire
a while. That + ha"e
done$ and this + ha"e read:
A4sh na<g dur,atul=k$ ash na<g
gi),atul$ ash na<g thrakatul=k agh
,ur<u)#ishi
kri)patul.?A
The 1hange in the wi<ard?s "oi1e was
astounding. %uddenly it ,e1a)e
)ena1ing$ powerful$
harsh as stone. 4 shadow see)ed to
pass o"er the high sun$ and the por1h
for a )o)ent grew dark.
4ll tre),led$ and the !l"es stopped
their ears.
S'e"er ,efore has any "oi1e dared to
utter the words of that tongue in
+)ladris$ /andalf the
/rey$? said !lrond$ as the shadow
passed and the 1o)pany ,reathed
on1e )ore.
S4nd let us hope that none will e"er
speak it here again$? answered
/andalf. S'onetheless + do
not ask your pardon$ (aster !lrond.
For if that tongue is not soon to ,e
heard in e"ery 1orner of the
.est$ then let all put dou,t aside that
this thing is indeed what the .ise
ha"e de1lared: the treasure
of the !ne)y$ fraught with all his
)ali1eI and in it lies a great part of his
strength of old. *ut of the
Bla1k Gears 1o)e the words that the
%)iths of !region heard$ and knew
that they had ,een
,etrayed:
A*ne Ring to rule the) all$ *ne Ring
to find the)$ *ne Ring to ,ring the)
all and in the
&arkness ,ind the).A
Snow also$ )y friends$ that + learned
)ore yet fro) /ollu). 2e was loth to
speak and his tale
was un1lear$ ,ut it is ,eyond all dou,t
that he went to (ordor$ and there all
that he knew was
for1ed fro) hi). Thus the !ne)y
knows now that the *ne is found$ that
it was long in the %hireI
and sin1e his ser"ants ha"e pursued it
al)ost to our door$ he soon will
know$ already he )ay know$
e"en as + speak$ that we ha"e it here.?
4ll sat silent for a while$ until at
length Boro)ir spoke. S2e is a s)all
thing$ you say$ this
/ollu)M %)all$ ,ut great in )is1hief.
.hat ,e1a)e of hi)M To what doo)
did you put hi)M?
?2e is in prison$ ,ut no worse$? said
4ragorn. S2e had suffered )u1h.
There is no dou,t that he
was tor)ented$ and the fear of %auron
lies ,la1k on his heart. %till + for one
a) glad that he is
safely kept ,y the wat1hful !l"es of
(irkwood. 2is )ali1e is great and
gi"es hi) a strength hardly
to ,e ,elie"ed in one so lean and
withered. 2e 1ould work )u1h
)is1hief still$ if he were free. 4nd
+ do not dou,t that he was allowed to
lea"e (ordor on so)e e"il errand.?
S4lasN alasN? 1ried Legolas$ and in his
fair el"ish fa1e there was great
distress. SThe tidings that +
was sent to ,ring )ust now ,e told.
They are not good$ ,ut only here ha"e
+ learned how e"il they
)ay see) to this 1o)pany. %)Bagol$
who is now 1alled /ollu)$ has
es1aped.?
?!s1apedM? 1ried 4ragorn. ?That is ill
news indeed. .e shall all rue it
,itterly$ + fear. 2ow 1a)e
the folk of Thranduil to fail in their
trustM?
S'ot through la1k of wat1hfulness$?
said LegolasI S,ut perhaps through
o"er#kindliness. 4nd we
fear that the prisoner had aid fro)
others$ and that )ore is known of our
doings than we 1ould
wish. .e guarded this 1reature day
and night$ at /andalf?s ,idding$ )u1h
though we wearied of the
task. But /andalf ,ade us hope still
for his 1ure$ and we had not the heart
to keep hi) e"er in
dungeons under the earth$ where he
would fall ,a1k into his old ,la1k
thoughts.?
?Gou were less tender to )e$? said
/l>in with a flash of his eyes as old
)e)ories were stirred of
his i)prison)ent in the deep pla1es
of the !l"en#king?s halls.
?'ow 1o)eN? said /andalf. SPray do
not interrupt$ )y good /l>in. That
was a regretta,le
)isunderstanding$ long set right. +f all
the grie"an1es that stand ,etween
!l"es and &war"es are to
,e ,rought up here$ we )ay as well
a,andon this -oun1il.?
/l>in rose and ,owed$ and Legolas
1ontinued. ?+n the days of fair weather
we led /ollu)
through the woodsI and there was a
high tree standing alone far fro) the
others whi1h he liked to
1li),. *ften we let hi) )ount up to
the highest ,ran1hes$ until he felt the
free windI ,ut we set a
guard at the tree?s foot. *ne day he
refused to 1o)e down$ and the guards
had no )ind to 1li),
after hi): he had learned the tri1k of
1linging to ,oughs with his feet as
well as with his handsI so
they sat ,y the tree far into the night.
?+t was that "ery night of su))er$ yet
)oonless and starless$ that *r1s 1a)e
on us at unawares.
.e dro"e the) off after so)e ti)eI
they were )any and fier1e$ ,ut they
1a)e fro) o"er the
)ountains$ and were unused to the
woods. .hen the ,attle was o"er$ we
found that /ollu) was
gone$ and his guards were slain or
taken. +t then see)ed plain to us that
the atta1k had ,een )ade
for his res1ue$ and that he knew of it
,eforehand. 2ow that was 1ontri"ed
we 1annot guessI ,ut
/ollu) is 1unning$ and the spies of
the !ne)y are )any. The dark things
that were dri"en out in
the year of the &ragon?s fall ha"e
returned in greater nu),ers$ and
(irkwood is again an e"il pla1e$
sa"e where our real) is )aintained.
S.e ha"e failed to re1apture /ollu).
.e 1a)e on his trail a)ong those of
)any *r1s$ and it
plunged deep into the Forest$ going
south. But ere long it es1aped our
skill$ and we dared not
1ontinue the huntI for we were
drawing nigh to &ol /uldur$ and that
is still a "ery e"il pla1eI we do
not go that way.?
S.ell$ well$ he is gone$? said /andalf.
?.e ha"e no ti)e to seek for hi)
again. 2e )ust do what
he will. But he )ay play a part yet
that neither he nor %auron ha"e
foreseen.
?4nd now + will answer /aldor?s other
Juestions. .hat of %aru)anM .hat
are his 1ounsels to us
in this needM This tale + )ust tell in
full$ for only !lrond has heard it yet$
and that in ,rief$ ,ut it will
,ear on all that we )ust resol"e. +t is
the last 1hapter in the Tale of the
Ring$ so far as it has yet
gone.
?4t the end of June + was in the %hire$
,ut a 1loud of an5iety was on )y
)ind$ and + rode to the
southern ,orders of the little landI for
+ had a fore,oding of so)e danger$
still hidden fro) )e ,ut
drawing near. There )essages
rea1hed )e telling )e of war and
defeat in /ondor$ and when +
heard of the Bla1k %hadow a 1hill
s)ote )y heart. But + found nothing
sa"e a few fugiti"es fro)
the %outhI yet it see)ed to )e that on
the) sat a fear of whi1h they would
not speak. + turned then
east and north and Kourneyed along
the /reenwayI and not far fro) Bree +
1a)e upon a tra"eller
sitting on a ,ank ,eside the road with
his gra<ing horse ,eside hi). +t was
Radagast the Brown$
who at one ti)e dwelt at Rhosgo,el$
near the ,orders of (irkwood. 2e is
one of )y order$ ,ut +
had not seen hi) for )any a year.
S L/andalfN L he 1ried. L+ was seeking
you. But + a) a stranger in these
parts. 4ll + knew was
that you )ight ,e found in a wild
region with the un1outh na)e of
%hire.L
? LGour infor)ation was 1orre1t$L +
said. LBut do not put it that way$ if
you )eet any of the
inha,itants. Gou are near the ,orders
of the %hire now. 4nd what do you
want with )eM +t )ust ,e
pressing. Gou were ne"er a tra"eller$
unless dri"en ,y great need.L
? L+ ha"e an urgent errand$L he said.
L(y news is e"il.L Then he looked
a,out hi)$ as if the
hedges )ight ha"e ears. L'a<g=l$L he
whispered. LThe 'ine are a,road
again. They ha"e 1rossed
the Ri"er se1retly and are )o"ing
westward. They ha"e taken the guise
of riders in ,la1k.L
?+ knew then what + had dreaded
without knowing it.
S LThe ene)y )ust ha"e so)e great
need or purpose$L said RadagastI L,ut
what it is that )akes
hi) look to these distant and desolate
parts$ + 1annot guess.L
S L.hat do you )eanM L said +.
S L+ ha"e ,een told that where"er they
go the Riders ask for news of a land
1alled %hire.L
? LATheA %hire$L + saidI ,ut )y heart
sank. For e"en the .ise )ight fear to
withstand the 'ine$
when they are gathered together under
their fell 1hieftain. 4 great king and
sor1erer he was of old$
and now he wields a deadly fear.
L.ho told you$ and who sent youM L +
asked.
? L%aru)an the .hite$L answered
Radagast. L4nd he told )e to say that
if you feel the need$ he
will helpI ,ut you )ust seek his aid at
on1e$ or it will ,e too late.L
?4nd that )essage ,rought )e hope.
For %aru)an the .hite is the greatest
of )y order.
Radagast is$ of 1ourse$ a worthy
.i<ard$ a )aster of shapes and
1hanges of hueI and he has )u1h
lore of her,s and ,easts$ and ,irds are
espe1ially his friends. But %aru)an
has long studied the arts
of the !ne)y hi)self$ and thus we
ha"e often ,een a,le to forestall hi).
+t was ,y the de"i1es of
%aru)an that we dro"e hi) fro) &ol
/uldur. +t )ight ,e that he had found
so)e weapons that
would dri"e ,a1k the 'ine.
? L+ will go to %aru)an$L + said.
? LThen you )ust go AnowA$L said
RadagastI Lfor + ha"e wasted ti)e in
looking for you$ and the
days are running short. + was told to
find you ,efore (idsu))er$ and that
is now here. !"en if you
set out fro) this spot$ you will hardly
rea1h hi) ,efore the 'ine dis1o"er
the land that they seek. +
)yself shall turn ,a1k at on1e.L 4nd
with that he )ounted and would ha"e
ridden straight off.
S L%tay a )o)entN L + said. L.e shall
need your help$ and the help of all
things that will gi"e it.
%end out )essages to all the ,easts
and ,irds that are your friends. Tell
the) to ,ring news of
anything that ,ears on this )atter to
%aru)an and /andalf. Let )essages
,e sent to *rthan1.L
S L+ will do that$L he said$ and rode off
as if the 'ine were after hi).
S+ 1ould not follow hi) then and
there. + had ridden "ery far already
that day$ and + was as weary
as )y horseI and + needed to 1onsider
)atters. + stayed the night in Bree$
and de1ided that + had no
ti)e to return to the %hire. 'e"er did +
)ake a greater )istakeN
S2owe"er$ + wrote a )essage to
Frodo$ and trusted to )y friend the
innkeeper to send it to hi). +
rode away at dawnI and + 1a)e at
long last to the dwelling of %aru)an.
That is far south in
+sengard$ in the end of the (isty
(ountains$ not far fro) the /ap of
Rohan. 4nd Boro)ir will tell
you that that is a great open "ale that
lies ,etween the (isty (ountains and
the north)ost foothills
of !red 'i)rais$ the .hite (ountains
of his ho)e. But +sengard is a 1ir1le
of sheer ro1ks that
en1lose a "alley as with a wall$ and in
the )idst of that "alley is a tower of
stone 1alled *rthan1. +t
was not )ade ,y %aru)an$ ,ut ,y the
(en of 'C)enor long agoI and it is
"ery tall and has )any
se1retsI yet it looks not to ,e a work
of 1raft. +t 1annot ,e rea1hed sa"e ,y
passing the 1ir1le of
+sengardI and in that 1ir1le there is
only one gate.
?Late one e"ening + 1a)e to the gate$
like a great ar1h in the wall of ro1kI
and it was strongly
guarded. But the keepers of the gate
were on the wat1h for )e and told )e
that %aru)an awaited
)e. + rode under the ar1h$ and the gate
1losed silently ,ehind )e$ and
suddenly + was afraid$ though
+ knew no reason for it.
?But + rode to the foot of *rthan1$ and
1a)e to the stair of %aru)an and there
he )et )e and led
)e up to his high 1ha),er. 2e wore a
ring on his finger.
S L%o you ha"e 1o)e$ /andalf$L he
said to )e gra"elyI ,ut in his eyes
there see)ed to ,e a white
light$ as if a 1old laughter was in his
heart.
S LGes$ + ha"e 1o)e$L + said. L+ ha"e
1o)e for your aid$ %aru)an the
.hite.L 4nd that title
see)ed to anger hi).
? L2a"e you indeed$ /andalf the
A/reyAN L he s1offed. LFor aidM +t has
seldo) ,een heard of that
/andalf the /rey sought for aid$ one
so 1unning and so wise$ wandering
a,out the lands$ and
1on1erning hi)self in e"ery ,usiness$
whether it ,elongs to hi) or not.L
?+ looked at hi) and wondered. LBut if
+ a) not de1ei"ed$L said +$ Lthings are
now )o"ing whi1h
will reJuire the union of all our
strength.L
? LThat )ay ,e so$L he said$ L,ut the
thought is late in 1o)ing to you. 2ow
long. + wonder$ ha"e
you 1on1ealed fro) )e$ the head of
the -oun1il$ a )atter of greatest
i)portM .hat ,rings you now
fro) your lurking#pla1e in the %hireM
L
? LThe 'ine ha"e 1o)e forth again$L +
answered. LThey ha"e 1rossed the
Ri"er. %o Radagast said
to )e.L
S LRadagast the BrownN L laughed
%aru)an$ and he no longer 1on1ealed
his s1orn. LRadagast the
Bird#ta)erN Radagast the %i)pleN
Radagast the FoolN Get he had Kust the
wit to play the part that +
set hi). For you ha"e 1o)e$ and that
was all the purpose of )y )essage.
4nd here you will stay$
/andalf the /rey$ and rest fro)
Kourneys. For + a) %aru)an the .ise$
%aru)an Ring#)aker$
%aru)an of (any -oloursN L
?+ looked then and saw that his ro,es$
whi1h had see)ed white$ were not so$
,ut were wo"en of
all 1olours. and if he )o"ed they
shi))ered and 1hanged hue so that
the eye was ,ewildered.
? L+ liked white ,etter$L + said.
? L.hiteN L he sneered. L+t ser"es as a
,eginning. .hite 1loth )ay ,e dyed.
The white page 1an
,e o"erwrittenI and the white light
1an ,e ,roken.L
? L+n whi1h 1ase it is no longer white$L
said +. L4nd he that ,reaks a thing to
find out what it is
has left the path of wisdo).L
? LGou need not speak to )e as to one
of the fools that you take for friends$L
said he. L+ ha"e not
,rought you hither to ,e instru1ted ,y
you$ ,ut to gi"e you a 1hoi1e.L
?2e drew hi)self up then and ,egan to
de1lai)$ as if he were )aking a
spee1h long rehearsed.
LThe !lder &ays are gone. The
(iddle &ays are passing. The
Gounger &ays are ,eginning. The
ti)e of the !l"es is o"er$ ,ut our ti)e
is at hand: the world of (en$ whi1h
we )ust rule. But we
)ust ha"e power$ power to order all
things as we will$ for that good whi1h
only the .ise 1an see.
? L4nd listen$ /andalf$ )y old friend
and helperN L he said$ 1o)ing near and
speaking now in a
softer "oi1e. L+ said we$ for we it )ay
,e$ if you will Koin with )e. 4 new
Power is rising. 4gainst
it the old allies and poli1ies will not
a"ail us at all. There is no hope left in
!l"es or dying
'C)enor. This then is one 1hoi1e
,efore you. ,efore us. .e )ay Koin
with that Power. +t would ,e
wise$ /andalf. There is hope that way.
+ts "i1tory is at handI and there will ,e
ri1h reward for those
that aided it. 4s the Power grows$ its
pro"ed friends will also growI and the
.ise$ su1h as you and
+$ )ay with patien1e 1o)e at last to
dire1t its 1ourses$ to 1ontrol it. .e 1an
,ide our ti)e$ we 1an
keep our thoughts in our hearts$
deploring )ay,e e"ils done ,y the
way$ ,ut appro"ing the high and
ulti)ate purpose: nowledge$ Rule$
*rderI all the things that we ha"e so
far stri"en in "ain to
a11o)plish$ hindered rather than
helped ,y our weak or idle friends.
There need not ,e$ there
would not ,e$ any real 1hange in our
designs$ only in our )eans.L
? L%aru)an$L + said$ L+ ha"e heard
spee1hes of this kind ,efore$ ,ut only
in the )ouths of
e)issaries sent fro) (ordor to
de1ei"e the ignorant. + 1annot think
that you ,rought )e so far only
to weary )y ears.L
?2e looked at )e sidelong$ and paused
a while 1onsidering. L.ell$ + see that
this wise 1ourse
does not 1o))end itself to you$L he
said. L'ot yetM 'ot if so)e ,etter way
1an ,e 1ontri"edM L
S2e 1a)e and laid his long hand on
)y ar). L4nd why not$ /andalfM L he
whispered. L.hy
notM The Ruling RingM +f we 1ould
1o))and that$ then the Power would
pass to us. That is in truth
why + ,rought you here. For + ha"e
)any eyes in )y ser"i1e$ and +
,elie"e that you know where
this pre1ious thing now lies. +s it not
soM *r why do the 'ine ask for the
%hire$ and what is your
,usiness thereM L 4s he said this a lust
whi1h he 1ould not 1on1eal shone
suddenly in his eyes.
? L%aru)an$L + said$ standing away
fro) hi)$ Lonly one hand at a ti)e
1an wield the *ne$ and
you know that well$ so do not trou,le
to say weN But + would not gi"e it$
nay$ + would not gi"e e"en
news of it to you$ now that + learn
your )ind. Gou were head of the
-oun1il$ ,ut you ha"e
un)asked yourself at last. .ell$ the
1hoi1es are$ it see)s$ to su,)it to
%auron$ or to yourself. + will
take neither. 2a"e you others to offerM
L
?2e was 1old now and perilous. LGes$L
he said. L+ did not e5pe1t you to show
wisdo)$ e"en in
your own ,ehalfI ,ut + ga"e you the
1han1e of aiding )e willingly. and so
sa"ing yourself )u1h
trou,le and pain. The third 1hoi1e is
to stay here$ until the end.L
? L0ntil what endM L
? L0ntil you re"eal to )e where the
*ne )ay ,e found. + )ay find )eans
to persuade you. *r
until it is found in your despite$ and
the Ruler has ti)e to turn to lighter
)atters: to de"ise$ say$ a
fitting reward for the hindran1e and
insolen1e of /andalf the /rey.L
? LThat )ay not pro"e to ,e one of the
lighter )atters$L said +. 2e laughed at
)e$ for )y words
were e)pty$ and he knew it.
SThey took )e and they set )e alone
on the pinna1le of *rthan1$ in the
pla1e where %aru)an
was a11usto)ed to wat1h the stars.
There is no des1ent sa"e ,y a narrow
stair of )any thousand
steps$ and the "alley ,elow see)s far
away. + looked on it and saw that$
whereas it had on1e ,een
green and fair$ it was now filled with
pits and forges. .ol"es and or1s were
housed in +sengard$ for
%aru)an was )ustering a great for1e
on his own a11ount$ in ri"alry of
%auron and not in his ser"i1e
yet. *"er all his works a dark s)oke
hung and wrapped itself a,out the
sides of *rthan1. + stood
alone on an island in the 1loudsI and +
had no 1han1e of es1ape$ and )y days
were ,itter. + was
pier1ed with 1old$ and + had ,ut little
roo) in whi1h to pa1e to and fro$
,rooding on the 1o)ing of
the Riders to the 'orth.
SThat the 'ine had indeed arisen + felt
assured$ apart fro) the words of
%aru)an whi1h )ight ,e
lies. Long ere + 1a)e to +sengard + had
heard tidings ,y the way that 1ould
not ,e )istaken. Fear
was e"er in )y heart for )y friends in
the %hireI ,ut still + had so)e hope. +
hoped that Frodo had
set forth at on1e$ as )y letter had
urged$ and that he had rea1hed
Ri"endell ,efore the deadly
pursuit ,egan. 4nd ,oth )y fear and
)y hope pro"ed ill#founded. For )y
hope was founded on a
fat )an in BreeI and )y fear was
founded on the 1unning of %auron.
But fat )en who sell ale ha"e
)any 1alls to answerI and the power
of %auron is still less than fear )akes
it. But in the 1ir1le of
+sengard$ trapped and alone$ it was
not easy to think that the hunters
,efore who) all ha"e fled or
fallen would falter in the %hire far
away.?
S+ saw youN? 1ried Frodo. SGou were
walking ,a1kwards and forwards. The
)oon shone in your
hair.?
/andalf paused astonished and looked
at hi). ?+t was only a drea)? said
Frodo$ S,ut it suddenly
1a)e ,a1k to )e. + had Juite
forgotten it. +t 1a)e so)e ti)e agoI
after + left the %hire$ + think.?
SThen it was late in 1o)ing$? said
/andalf$ ?as you will see. + was in an
e"il plight. 4nd those
who know )e will agree that + ha"e
seldo) ,een in su1h need$ and do not
,ear su1h )isfortune
well. /andalf the /rey 1aught like a
fly in a spider?s trea1herous we,N Get
e"en the )ost su,tle
spiders )ay lea"e a weak thread.
S4t first + feared$ as %aru)an no
dou,t intended$ that Radagast had
also fallen. Get + had 1aught
no hint of anything wrong in his "oi1e
or in his eye at our )eeting. +f + had$ +
should ne"er ha"e
gone to +sengard$ or + should ha"e
gone )ore warily. %o %aru)an
guessed$ and he had 1on1ealed
his )ind and de1ei"ed his )essenger.
+t would ha"e ,een useless in any 1ase
to try and win o"er
the honest Radagast to trea1hery. 2e
sought )e in good faith$ and so
persuaded )e.
SThat was the undoing of %aru)an?s
plot. For Radagast knew no reason
why he should not do as
+ askedI and he rode away towards
(irkwood where he had )any friends
of old. 4nd the !agles of
the (ountains went far and wide$ and
they saw )any things: the gathering
of wol"es and the
)ustering of *r1sI and the 'ine
Riders going hither and thither in the
landsI and they heard news
of the es1ape of /ollu). 4nd they
sent a )essenger to ,ring these
tidings to )e.
S%o it was that when su))er waned$
there 1a)e a night of )oon$ and
/waihir the .indlord$
swiftest of the /reat !agles$ 1a)e
unlooked#for to *rthan1I and he
found )e standing on the
pinna1le. Then + spoke to hi) and he
,ore )e away$ ,efore %aru)an was
aware. + was far fro)
+sengard$ ere the wol"es and or1s
issued fro) the gate to pursue )e.
S L2ow far 1an you ,ear )eM L + said
to /waihir.
S L(any leagues$L said he$ L,ut not to
the ends of the earth. + was sent to
,ear tidings not
,urdens.L
S LThen + )ust ha"e a steed on land$L +
said$ Land a steed surpassingly swift$
for + ha"e ne"er had
su1h need of haste ,efore.L
S LThen + will ,ear you to !doras$
where the Lord of Rohan sits in his
halls$L he saidI Lfor that is
not "ery far off.L 4nd + was glad$ for
in the Ridder)ark of Rohan the
Rohirri)$ the 2orse#lords$
dwell$ and there are no horses like
those that are ,red in that great "ale
,etween the (isty
(ountains and the .hite.
S L4re the (en of Rohan still to ,e
trusted$ do you thinkM L + said to
/waihir$ for the treason of
%aru)an had shaken )y faith.
S LThey pay a tri,ute of horses$L he
answered$ Land send )any yearly to
(ordor$ or so it is saidI
,ut they are not yet under the yoke.
But if %aru)an has ,e1o)e e"il$ as
you say$ then their doo)
1annot ,e long delayed.L
S2e set )e down in the land of Rohan
ere dawnI and now + ha"e lengthened
)y tale o"er long.
The rest )ust ,e )ore ,rief. +n Rohan
+ found e"il already at work: the lies
of %aru)anI and the
king of the land would not listen to
)y warnings. 2e ,ade )e take a
horse and ,e goneI and + 1hose
one )u1h to )y liking. ,ut little to
his. + took the ,est horse in his land$
and + ha"e ne"er seen the
like of hi).?
?Then he )ust ,e a no,le ,east
indeed$? said 4ragornI ?and it grie"es
)e )ore than )any tidings
that )ight see) worse to learn that
%auron le"ies su1h tri,ute. +t was not
so when last + was in that
land.?
S'or is it now$ + will swear$? said
Boro)ir. S+t is a lie that 1o)es fro)
the !ne)y. + know the
(en of RohanI true and "aliant$ our
allies$ dwelling still in the lands that
we ga"e the) long ago.?
SThe shadow of (ordor lies on distant
lands$? answered 4ragorn. ?%aru)an
has fallen under it.
Rohan is ,eset. .ho knows what you
will find there$ if e"er you returnM?
S'ot this at least.? said Boro)ir$ ?that
they will ,uy their li"es with horses.
They lo"e their horses
ne5t to their kin. 4nd not without
reason$ for the horses of the
Ridder)ark 1o)e fro) the fields of
the 'orth$ far fro) the %hadow. and
their ra1e$ as that of their )asters$ is
des1ended fro) the free
days of old.?
?True indeedN? said /andalf. S4nd
there is one a)ong the) that )ight
ha"e ,een foaled in the
)orning of the world. The horses of
the 'ine 1annot "ie with hi)I tireless$
swift as the flowing
wind. %hadowfa5 they 1alled hi). By
day his 1oat glistens like sil"erI and
,y night it is like a
shade$ and he passes unseen. Light is
his footfallN 'e"er ,efore had any
)an )ounted hi)$ ,ut +
took hi) and + ta)ed hi)$ and so
speedily he ,ore )e that + rea1hed the
%hire when Frodo was on
the Barrow#downs$ though + set out
fro) Rohan only when he set out
fro) 2o,,iton.
?But fear grew in )e as + rode. !"er as
+ 1a)e north + heard tidings of the
Riders$ and though +
gained on the) day ,y day$ they were
e"er ,efore )e. They had di"ided
their for1es$ + learned:
so)e re)ained on the eastern ,orders$
not far fro) the /reenway. and so)e
in"aded the %hire
fro) the south. + 1a)e to 2o,,iton
and Frodo had goneI ,ut + had words
with old /a)gee. (any
words and few to the point. 2e had
)u1h to say a,out the short1o)ings
of the new owners of Bag
!nd.
S L+ 1an?t a,ide 1hanges$L said he$ Lnot
at )y ti)e of life$ and least of all
1hanges for the worst.L
L-hanges for the worst$L he repeated
)any ti)es.
? L.orst is a ,ad word$L + said to hi)$
Land + hope you do not li"e to see it.L
But a)idst his talk +
gathered at last that Frodo had left
2o,,iton less than a week ,efore$ and
that a ,la1k horse)an had
1o)e to the 2ill the sa)e e"ening.
Then + rode on in fear. + 1a)e to
Bu1kland and found it in
uproar$ as ,usy as a hi"e of ants that
has ,een stirred with a sti1k. + 1a)e to
the house at
-ri1khollow$ and it was ,roken open
and e)ptyI ,ut on the threshold there
lay a 1loak that had
,een Frodo?s. Then for a while hope
left )e$ and + did not wait to gather
news$ or + )ight ha"e ,een
1o)fortedI ,ut + rode on the trail of
the Riders. +t was hard to follow$ for it
went )any ways$ and +
was at a loss. But it see)ed to )e that
one or two had ridden towards BreeI
and that way + went$ for
+ thought of words that )ight ,e said
to the innkeeper.
? LButter,ur they 1all hi)$L thought +.
L+f this delay was his fault$ + will )elt
all the ,utter in hi).
+ will roast the old fool o"er a slow
fire.L 2e e5pe1ted no less$ and when
he saw )y fa1e he fell
down flat and ,egan to )elt on the
spot.?
S.hat did you do to hi)M? 1ried Frodo
in alar). ?2e was really "ery kind to
us and did all that he
1ould.?
/andalf laughed. ?&on?t ,e afraidN? he
said. S+ did not ,ite$ and + ,arked "ery
little. %o o"erKoyed
was + ,y the news that + got out of
hi)$ when he stopped Juaking$ that +
e),ra1ed the old fellow.
2ow it happened + 1ould not then
guess$ ,ut + learned that you had ,een
in Bree the night ,efore$
and had gone off that )orning with
%trider.
S L%triderN L + 1ried$ shouting for Koy.
S LGes$ sir$ + a) afraid so$ sir$L said
Butter,ur$ )istaking )e. L2e got at
the)$ in spite of all that
+ 1ould do$ and they took up with hi).
They ,eha"ed "ery Jueer all the ti)e
they were here: wilful$
you )ight say.L
S L4ssN FoolN Thri1e worthy and
,elo"ed Barli)anN L said +. L+t?s the
,est news + ha"e had sin1e
)idsu))er: it?s worth a gold pie1e at
the least. (ay your ,eer ,e laid under
an en1hant)ent of
surpassing e51ellen1e for se"en yearsN
L said +. L'ow + 1an take a night?s rest$
the first sin1e + ha"e
forgotten when.L
S%o + stayed there that night$
wondering )u1h what had ,e1o)e of
the RidersI for only of two
had there yet ,een any news in Bree$
it see)ed. But in the night we heard
)ore. Fi"e at least 1a)e
fro) the west$ and they threw down
the gates and passed through Bree like
a howling windI and the
Bree#folk are still shi"ering and
e5pe1ting the end of the world. + got
up ,efore dawn and went after
the).
?+ do not know$ ,ut it see)s 1lear to
)e that this is what happened. Their
-aptain re)ained in
se1ret away south of Bree$ while two
rode ahead through the "illage$ and
four )ore in"aded the
%hire. But when these were foiled in
Bree and at -ri1khollow$ they
returned to their -aptain with
tidings$ and so left the Road
unguarded for a while$ e51ept ,y their
spies. The -aptain then sent
so)e eastward straight a1ross
1ountry$ and he hi)self with the rest
rode along the Road in great
wrath.
?+ galloped to .eathertop like a gale$
and + rea1hed it ,efore sundown on
)y se1ond day fro)
Bree#and they were there ,efore )e.
They drew away fro) )e$ for they
felt the 1o)ing of )y
anger and they dared not fa1e it while
the %un was in the sky. But they
1losed round at night$ and +
was ,esieged on the hill#top$ in the
old ring of 4)on %=l. + was hard put
to it indeed: su1h light and
fla)e 1annot ha"e ,een seen on
.eathertop sin1e the war#,ea1ons of
old.
S4t sunrise + es1aped and fled towards
the north. + 1ould not hope to do
)ore. +t was i)possi,le
to find you$ Frodo$ in the wilderness$
and it would ha"e ,een folly to try
with all the 'ine at )y
heels. %o + had to trust to 4ragorn.
But + hoped to draw so)e of the) off$
and yet rea1h Ri"endell
ahead of you and send out help. Four
Riders did indeed follow )e$ ,ut they
turned ,a1k after a
while and )ade for the Ford$ it see)s.
That helped a little$ for there were
only fi"e$ not nine$ when
your 1a)p was atta1ked.
?+ rea1hed here at last ,y a long hard
road$ up the 2oarwell and through the
!tten)oors$ and
down fro) the north. +t took )e
nearly fourteen days fro)
.eathertop$ for + 1ould not ride
a)ong
the ro1ks of the troll#fells$ and
%hadowfa5 departed. + sent hi) ,a1k
to his )asterI ,ut a great
friendship has grown ,etween us$ and
if + ha"e need he will 1o)e at )y 1all.
But so it was that +
1a)e to Ri"endell only three days
,efore the Ring$ and news of its peril
had already ,een ,rought
here#whi1h pro"ed well indeed.
S4nd that$ Frodo$ is the end of )y
a11ount. (ay !lrond and the others
forgi"e the length of it.
But su1h a thing has not happened
,efore$ that /andalf ,roke tryst and
did not 1o)e when he
pro)ised. 4n a11ount to the Ring#
,earer of so strange an e"ent was
reJuired$ + think.
?.ell$ the Tale is now told$ fro) first
to last. 2ere we all are$ and here is the
Ring. But we ha"e
not yet 1o)e any nearer to our
purpose. .hat shall we do with itM?
There was silen1e. 4t last !lrond
spoke again.
SThis is grie"ous news 1on1erning
%aru)an$? he saidI Sfor we trusted hi)
and he is deep in all
our 1ounsels. +t is perilous to study
too deeply the arts of the !ne)y$ for
good or for ill. But su1h
falls and ,etrayals$ alas$ ha"e
happened ,efore. *f the tales that we
ha"e heard this day the tale of
Frodo was )ost strange to )e. + ha"e
known few ho,,its$ sa"e Bil,o hereI
and it see)s to )e that
he is perhaps not so alone and
singular as + had thought hi). The
world has 1hanged )u1h sin1e +
last was on the westward roads.
SThe Barrow#wights we know ,y
)any na)esI and of the *ld Forest
)any tales ha"e ,een told:
all that now re)ains is ,ut an outlier
of its northern )ar1h. Ti)e was when
a sJuirrel 1ould go
fro) tree to tree fro) what is now the
%hire to &unland west of +sengard. +n
those lands +
Kourneyed on1e$ and )any things wild
and strange + knew. But + had
forgotten Bo),adil$ if indeed
this is still the sa)e that walked the
woods and hills long ago$ and e"en
then was older than the old.
That was not then his na)e. +arwain
Ben#adar we 1alled hi)$ oldest and
fatherless. But )any
another na)e he has sin1e ,een gi"en
,y other folk: Forn ,y the &war"es$
*rald ,y 'orthern (en$
and other na)es ,eside. 2e is a
strange 1reature$ ,ut )ay,e + should
ha"e su))oned hi) to our
-oun1il.?
S2e would not ha"e 1o)e$? said
/andalf.
S-ould we not still send )essages to
hi) and o,tain his helpM? asked
!restor. S+t see)s that he
has a power e"en o"er the Ring.?
S'o$ + should not put it so$? said
/andalf. S%ay rather that the Ring has
no power o"er hi). 2e is
his own )aster. But he 1annot alter
the Ring itself$ nor ,reak its power
o"er others. 4nd now he is
withdrawn into a little land$ within
,ounds that he has set$ though none
1an see the)$ waiting
perhaps for a 1hange of days$ and he
will not step ,eyond the).?
SBut within those ,ounds nothing
see)s to dis)ay hi)$? said !restor.
S.ould he not take the
Ring and keep it there$ for e"er
har)lessM?
S'o$? said /andalf$ Snot willingly. 2e
)ight do so$ if all the free folk of the
world ,egged hi)$
,ut he would not understand the need.
4nd if he were gi"en the Ring$ he
would soon forget it$ or
)ost likely throw it away. %u1h things
ha"e no hold on his )ind. 2e would
,e a )ost unsafe
guardianI and that alone is answer
enough.?
SBut in any 1ase$? said /lorfindel$ Sto
send the Ring to hi) would only
postpone the day of e"il.
2e is far away. .e 1ould not now
take it ,a1k to hi)$ unguessed$
un)arked ,y any spy. 4nd e"en
if we 1ould$ soon or late the Lord of
the Rings would learn of its hiding
pla1e and would ,end all
his power towards it. -ould that
power ,e defied ,y Bo),adil aloneM +
think not. + think that in the
end$ if all else is 1onJuered$ Bo),adil
will fall$ Last as he was FirstI and
then 'ight will 1o)e.?
S+ know little of +arwain sa"e the
na)e$? said /aldorI S,ut /lorfindel$ +
think$ is right. Power to
defy our !ne)y is not in hi)$ unless
su1h power is in the earth itself. 4nd
yet we see that %auron
1an torture and destroy the "ery hills.
.hat power still re)ains lies with us$
here in +)ladris$ or
with -irdan at the 2a"ens$ or in
L>rien. But ha"e they the strength$
ha"e we here the strength to
withstand the !ne)y$ the 1o)ing of
%auron at the last$ when all else is
o"erthrownM?
S+ ha"e not the strength$? said !lrondI
Sneither ha"e they.?
SThen if the Ring 1annot ,e kept fro)
hi) for e"er ,y strength? said
/lorfindel$ Stwo things only
re)ain for us to atte)pt: to send it
o"er the %ea$ or to destroy it.?
SBut /andalf has re"ealed to us that
we 1annot destroy it ,y any 1raft that
we here possess$? said
!lrond. S4nd they who dwell ,eyond
the %ea would not re1ei"e it: for good
or ill it ,elongs to
(iddle#earthI it is for us who still
dwell here to deal with it.?
?Then$ said /lorfindel$ ?let us 1ast it
into the deeps$ and so )ake the lies of
%aru)an 1o)e true.
For it is 1lear now that e"en at the
-oun1il his feet were already on a
1rooked path. 2e knew that
the Ring was not lost for e"er$ ,ut
wished us to think soI for he ,egan to
lust for it for hi)self. Get
oft in lies truth is hidden: in the %ea it
would ,e safe.?
S'ot safe for e"er$? said /andalf.
SThere are )any things in the deep
watersI and seas and lands
)ay 1hange. 4nd it is not our part
here to take thought only for a season$
or for a few li"es of (en$
or for a passing age of the world. .e
should seek a final end of this
)ena1e$ e"en if we do not hope
to )ake one.?
?4nd that we shall not find on the
roads to the %ea$? said /aldor. ?+f the
return to +arwain ,e
thought too dangerous$ then flight to
the %Ba is now fraught with gra"est
peril. (y heart tells )e
that %auron will e5pe1t us to take the
western way$ when he learns what has
,efallen. 2e soon will.
The 'ine ha"e ,een unhorsed indeed
,ut that is ,ut a respite$ ere they find
new steeds and swifter.
*nly the waning )ight of /ondor
stands now ,etween hi) and a )ar1h
in power along the 1oasts
into the 'orthI and if he 1o)es$
assailing the .hite Towers and the
2a"ens$ hereafter the !l"es
)ay ha"e no es1ape fro) the
lengthening shadows of (iddle#earth.?
?Long yet will that )ar1h ,e delayed$?
said Boro)ir. ?/ondor wanes$ you
say. But /ondor
stands$ and e"en the end of its
strength is still "ery strong.?
?4nd yet its "igilan1e 1an no longer
keep ,a1k the 'ine$? said /aldor. ?4nd
other roads he )ay
find that /ondor does not guard.?
?Then$? said !restor$ Sthere are ,ut two
1ourses$ as /lorfindel already has
de1lared: to hide the
Ring for e"erI or to un)ake it. But
,oth are ,eyond our power. .ho will
read this riddle for usM?
?'one here 1an do so$? said !lrond
gra"ely. S4t least none 1an foretell
what will 1o)e to pass$ if
we take this road or that. But it see)s
to )e now 1lear whi1h is the road that
we )ust take. The
westward road see)s easiest.
Therefore it )ust ,e shunned. +t will
,e wat1hed. Too often the !l"es
ha"e fled that way. 'ow at this last
we )ust take a hard road$ a road
unforeseen. There lies our
hope$ if hope it ,e. To walk into peril#
to (ordor. .e )ust send the Ring to
the Fire.?
%ilen1e fell again. Frodo$ e"en in that
fair house$ looking out upon a sunlit
"alley filled with the
noise of 1lear waters$ felt a dead
darkness in his heart. Boro)ir stirred$
and Frodo looked at hi).
2e was fingering his great horn and
frowning. 4t length he spoke.
?+ do not understand all this$? he said.
S%aru)an is a traitor$ ,ut did he not
ha"e a gli)pse of
wisdo)M .hy do you speak e"er of
hiding and destroyingM .hy should
we not think that the /reat
Ring has 1o)e into our hands to ser"e
us in the "ery hour of needM .ielding
it the Free Lords of
the Free )ay surely defeat the !ne)y.
That is what he )ost fears$ + dee).
?The (en of /ondor are "aliant$ and
they will ne"er su,)itI ,ut they )ay
,e ,eaten down.
@alour needs first strength$ and then a
weapon. Let the Ring ,e your
weapon$ if it has su1h power
as you say. Take it and go forth to
"i1toryN?
?4las$ no$? said !lrond. ?.e 1annot use
the Ruling Ring. That we now know
too well. +t ,elongs
to %auron and was )ade ,y hi)
alone$ and is altogether e"il. +ts
strength$ Boro)ir$ is too great for
anyone to wield at will$ sa"e only
those who ha"e already a great power
of their own. But for the)
it holds an e"en deadlier peril. The
"ery desire of it 1orrupts the heart.
-onsider %aru)an. +f any of
the .ise should with this Ring
o"erthrow the Lord of (ordor$ using
his own arts$ he would then
set hi)self on %auron?s throne$ and
yet another &ark Lord would appear.
4nd that is another reason
why the Ring should ,e destroyed: as
long as it is in the world it will ,e a
danger e"en to the .ise.
For nothing is e"il in the ,eginning.
!"en %auron was not so. + fear to take
the Ring to hide it. + will
not take the Ring to wield it.?
S'or +$? said /andalf.
Boro)ir looked at the) dou,tfully$
,ut he ,owed his head. S%o ,e it$? he
said. SThen in /ondor
we )ust trust to su1h weapons as we
ha"e. 4nd at the least$ while the .ise
ones guard this Ring$
we will fight on. (ayhap the %word#
that#was#Broken )ay still ste) the
tide O if the hand that
wields it has inherited not an heirloo)
only$ ,ut the sinews of the ings of
(en.?
S.ho 1an tellM? said 4ragorn. SBut we
will put it to the test one day.?
S(ay the day not ,e too long delayed$?
said Boro)ir. ?For though + do not ask
for aid$ we need it.
+t would 1o)fort us to know that
others fought also with all the )eans
that they ha"e.?
SThen ,e 1o)forted$? said !lrond. SFor
there are other powers and real)s that
you know not$ and
they are hidden fro) you. 4nduin the
/reat flows past )any shores$ ere it
1o)es to 4rgonath and
the /ates of /ondor.?
?%till it )ight ,e well for all$? said
/l>in the &warf$ ?if all these strengths
were Koined$ and the
powers of ea1h were used in league.
*ther rings there )ay ,e$ less
trea1herous$ that )ight ,e used
in our need. The %e"en are lost to us O
if Balin has not found the ring of
Thr>r whi1h was the lastI
naught has ,een heard of it sin1e
Thr>r perished in (oria. +ndeed + )ay
now re"eal that it was
partly in hope to find that ring that
Balin went away.?
SBalin will find no ring in (oria$? said
/andalf. SThr>r ga"e it to ThrTin his
son$ ,ut not ThrTin
to Thorin. +t was taken with tor)ent
fro) ThrTin in the dungeons of &ol
/uldur. + 1a)e too late.?
?4h$ alasN? 1ried /l>in. ?.hen will the
day 1o)e of our re"engeM But still
there are the Three.
.hat of the Three Rings of the !l"esM
@ery )ighty Rings$ it is said. &o not
the !lf#lords keep
the)M Get they too were )ade ,y the
&ark Lord long ago. 4re they idleM +
see !lf#lords here. .ill
they not sayM?
The !l"es returned no answer. S&id
you not hear )e$ /l>inM? said !lrond.
SThe Three were not
)ade ,y %auron$ nor did he e"er
tou1h the). But of the) it is not
per)itted to speak. %o )u1h only
in this hour of dou,t + )ay now say.
They are not idle. But they were not
)ade as weapons of war
or 1onJuest: that is not their power.
Those who )ade the) did not desire
strength or do)ination or
hoarded wealth$ ,ut understanding$
)aking$ and healing$ to preser"e all
things unstained. These
things the !l"es of (iddle#earth ha"e
in so)e )easure gained$ though with
sorrow. But all that has
,een wrought ,y those who wield the
Three will turn to their undoing$ and
their )inds and hearts
will ,e1o)e re"ealed to %auron$ if he
regains the *ne. +t would ,e ,etter if
the Three had ne"er
,een. That is his purpose.?
SBut what then would happen$ if the
Ruling Ring were destroyed as you
1ounselM? asked /l>in.
?.e know not for 1ertain$? answered
!lrond sadly. S%o)e hope that the
Three Rings$ whi1h
%auron has ne"er tou1hed$ would then
,e1o)e free$ and their rulers )ight
heal the hurts of the
world that he has wrought. But )ay,e
when the *ne has gone$ the Three
will fail$ and )any fair
things will fade and ,e forgotten. That
is )y ,elief.?
SGet all the !l"es are willing to
endure this 1han1e$? said /lorfindel ?if
,y it the power of %auron
)ay ,e ,roken$ and the fear of his
do)inion ,e taken away for e"er.?
?Thus we return on1e )ore to the
destroying of the Ring$? said !restor$
Sand yet we 1o)e no
nearer. .hat strength ha"e we for the
finding of the Fire in whi1h it was
)adeM That is the path of
despair. *f folly + would say$ if the
long wisdo) of !lrond did not for,id
)e.?
?&espair$ or follyM? said /andalf. S+t is
not despair$ for despair is only for
those who see the end
,eyond all dou,t. .e do not. +t is
wisdo) to re1ogni<e ne1essity$ when
all other 1ourses ha"e ,een
weighed$ though as folly it )ay
appear to those who 1ling to false
hope. .ell$ let folly ,e our
1loak$ a "eil ,efore the eyes of the
!ne)yN For he is "ery wise$ and
weighs all things to a ni1ety in
the s1ales of his )ali1e. But the only
)easure that he knows is desire$
desire for powerI and so he
Kudges all hearts. +nto his heart the
thought will not enter that any will
refuse it$ that ha"ing the
Ring we )ay seek to destroy it. +f we
seek this$ we shall put hi) out of
re1koning.?
?4t least for a while$? said !lrond.
SThe road )ust ,e trod$ ,ut it will ,e
"ery hard. 4nd neither
strength nor wisdo) will 1arry us far
upon it. This Juest )ay ,e atte)pted
,y the weak with as
)u1h hope as the strong. Get su1h is
oft the 1ourse of deeds that )o"e the
wheels of the world:
s)all hands do the) ,e1ause they
)ust$ while the eyes of the great are
elsewhere.?
?@ery well$ "ery well$ (aster !lrondN?
said Bil,o suddenly. ?%ay no )oreN +t
is plain enough
what you are pointing at. Bil,o the
silly ho,,it started this affair$ and
Bil,o had ,etter finish it$ or
hi)self. + was "ery 1o)forta,le here$
and getting on with )y ,ook. +f you
want to know$ + a) Kust
writing an ending for it. + had thought
of putting: Aand he li"ed happily e"er
afterwards to the end
of his daysA. +t is a good ending$ and
none the worse for ha"ing ,een used
,efore. 'ow + shall ha"e
to alter that: it does not look like
1o)ing trueI and anyway there will
e"idently ha"e to ,e se"eral
)ore 1hapters$ if + li"e to write the).
+t is a frightful nuisan1e. .hen ought
+ to startM
? Boro)ir looked in surprise at Bil,o$
,ut the laughter died on his lips when
he saw that all the
others regarded the old ho,,it with
gra"e respe1t. *nly /l>in s)iled$ ,ut
his s)ile 1a)e fro) old
)e)ories.
S*f 1ourse$ )y dear Bil,o$? said
/andalf. S+f you had really started this
affair$ you )ight ,e
e5pe1ted to finish it. But you know
well enough now that AstartingA is too
great a 1lai) for any$
and that only a s)all part is played in
great deeds ,y any hero. Gou need not
,owN Though the
word was )eant$ and we do not dou,t
that under Kest you are )aking a
"aliant offer. But one
,eyond your strength$ Bil,o. Gou
1annot take this thing ,a1k. +t has
passed on. +f you need )y
ad"i1e any longer$ + should say that
your part is ended$ unless as a
re1order. Finish your ,ook$ and
lea"e the ending unalteredN There is
still hope for it. But get ready to write
a seJuel$ when they
1o)e ,a1k.?
Bil,o laughed. S+ ha"e ne"er known
you gi"e )e pleasant ad"i1e ,efore.?
he said. S4s all your
unpleasant ad"i1e has ,een good$ +
wonder if this ad"i1e is not ,ad. %till$
+ don?t suppose + ha"e the
strength or lu1k left to deal with the
Ring. +t has grown$ and + ha"e not.
But tell )e: what do you
)ean ,y AtheyAM?
SThe )essengers who are sent with
the Ring.?
S!5a1tlyN 4nd who are they to ,eM
That see)s to )e what this -oun1il
has to de1ide$ and all
that it has to de1ide. !l"es )ay thri"e
on spee1h alone$ and &war"es endure
great wearinessI ,ut +
a) only an old ho,,it$ and + )iss )y
)eal at noon. -an?t you think of so)e
na)es nowM *r put it
off till after dinnerM?
'o one answered. The noon#,ell rang.
%till no one spoke. Frodo glan1ed at
all the fa1es$ ,ut
they were not turned to hi). 4ll the
-oun1il sat with down1ast eyes$ as if
in deep thought. 4 great
dread fell on hi)$ as if he was
awaiting the pronoun1e)ent of so)e
doo) that he had long foreseen
and "ainly hoped )ight after all ne"er
,e spoken. 4n o"erwhel)ing longing
to rest and re)ain at
pea1e ,y Bil,o?s side in Ri"endell
filled all his heart. 4t last with an
effort he spoke$ and wondered
to hear his own words$ as if so)e
other will was using his s)all "oi1e.
S+ will take the Ring$? he said$ Sthough
+ do not know the way.?
!lrond raised his eyes and looked at
hi)$ and Frodo felt his heart pier1ed
,y the sudden
keenness of the glan1e. S+f +
understand aright all that + ha"e
heard$? he said$ S+ think that this task is
appointed for you$ FrodoI and that if
you do not find a way$ no one will.
This is the hour of the
%hire#folk$ when they arise fro) their
Juiet fields to shake the towers and
1ounsels of the /reat.
.ho of all the .ise 1ould ha"e
foreseen itM *r$ if they are wise$ why
should they e5pe1t to know
it$ until the hour has stru1kM
SBut it is a hea"y ,urden. %o hea"y
that none 1ould lay it on another. + do
not lay it on you. But
if you take it freely$ + will say that
your 1hoi1e is rightI and though all
the )ighty elf#friends of old$
2ador$ and 2Crin$ and TCrin$ and
Beren hi)self were asse),led
together your seat should ,e
a)ong the).?
SBut you won?t send hi) off alone
surely$ (asterM? 1ried %a)$ una,le to
1ontain hi)self any
longer$ and Ku)ping up fro) the
1orner where he had ,een Juietly
sitting on the floor.
S'o indeedN? said !lrond$ turning
towards hi) with a s)ile. SGou at
least shall go with hi). +t is
hardly possi,le to separate you fro)
hi)$ e"en when he is su))oned to a
se1ret 1oun1il and you
are not.?
%a) sat down$ ,lushing and
)uttering. S4 ni1e pi1kle we ha"e
landed oursel"es in$ (r. FrodoN?
he said$ shaking his head.
A-hapter 3A
The Ring /oes %outh
Later that day the ho,,its held a
)eeting of their own in Bil,o?s roo).
(erry and Pippin were
indignant when they heard that %a)
had 1rept into the -oun1il$ and had
,een 1hosen as Frodo?s
1o)panion.
S+t?s )ost unfair$? said Pippin. S+nstead
of throwing hi) out$ and 1lapping
hi) in 1hains$ !lrond
goes and rewards hi) for his 1heekN?
SRewardsN? said Frodo. ?+ 1an?t i)agine
a )ore se"ere punish)ent. Gou are
not thinking what
you are saying: 1onde)ned to go on
this hopeless Kourney$ a rewardM
Gesterday + drea)ed that )y
task was done$ and + 1ould rest here$ a
long while$ perhaps for good.?
?+ don?t wonder$? said (erry$ ?and +
wish you 1ould. But we are en"ying
%a)$ not you. +f you
ha"e to go$ then it will ,e a
punish)ent for any of us to ,e left
,ehind$ e"en in Ri"endell. .e ha"e
1o)e a long way with you and ,een
through so)e stiff ti)es. .e want to
go on.?
SThat?s what + )eant$? said Pippin.
S.e ho,,its ought to sti1k together$
and we will. + shall go$
unless they 1hain )e up. There )ust
,e so)eone with intelligen1e in the
party.?
?Then you 1ertainly will not ,e
1hosen$ Peregrin TookN? said /andalf$
looking in through the
window$ whi1h was near the ground.
SBut you are all worrying yoursel"es
unne1essarily. 'othing
is de1ided yet.?
S'othing de1idedN? 1ried Pippin. ?Then
what were you all doingM Gou were
shut up for hours.?
LTalking$? said Bil,o. SThere was a
deal of talk$ and e"eryone had an eye#
opener. !"en old
/andalf. + think Legolas?s ,it of news
a,out /ollu) 1aught e"en hi) on the
hop$ though he passed
it off.?
SGou were wrong$? said /andalf. ?Gou
were inattenti"e. + had already heard
of it fro) /waihir.
+f you want to know$ the only real
eye#openers$ as you put it$ were you
and FrodoI and + was the
only one that was not surprised.?
S.ell$ anyway$? said Bil,o$ ?nothing
was de1ided ,eyond 1hoosing poor
Frodo and %a). + was
afraid all the ti)e that it )ight 1o)e
to that$ if + was let off. But if you ask
)e$ !lrond will send out
a fair nu),er$ when the reports 1o)e
in. 2a"e they started yet$ /andalfM?
?Ges$? said the wi<ard. S%o)e of the
s1outs ha"e ,een sent out already.
(ore will go to)orrow.
!lrond is sending !l"es$ and they will
get in tou1h with the Rangers$ and
)ay,e with Thranduil?s
folk in (irkwood. 4nd 4ragorn has
gone with !lrond?s sons. .e shall
ha"e to s1our the lands all
round for )any long leagues ,efore
any )o"e is )ade. %o 1heer up$
FrodoN Gou will pro,a,ly
)ake Juite a long stay here.?
?4hN? said %a) gloo)ily. ?.e?ll Kust
wait long enough for winter to 1o)e.?
?That 1an?t ,e helped$? said Bil,o. ?+t?s
your fault partly$ Frodo )y lad:
insisting on waiting for
)y ,irthday. 4 funny way of
honouring it$ + 1an?t help thinking. 'ot
the day + should ha"e 1hosen
for letting the %.#B.s into Bag !nd.
But there it is: you 1an?t wait now fill
springI and you 1an?t go
till the reports 1o)e ,a1k.
.hen winter first ,egins to ,ite
and stones 1ra1k in the frosty night$
when pools are ,la1k and trees are
,are$
?tis e"il in the .ild to fare.
But that + a) afraid will ,e Kust your
lu1k.?
?+ a) afraid it will$? said /andalf. ?.e
1an?t start until we ha"e found out
a,out the Riders.?
S+ thought they were all destroyed in
the flood$? said (erry.
?Gou 1annot destroy Ringwraiths like
that$? said /andalf. SThe power of
their )aster is in the)$
and they stand or fall ,y hi). .e
hope that they were all unhorsed and
un)asked$ and so )ade for
a while less dangerousI ,ut we )ust
find out for 1ertain. +n the )eanti)e
you should try and forget
your trou,les$ Frodo. + do not know if
+ 1an do anything to help youI ,ut +
will whisper this in your
ears. %o)eone said that intelligen1e
would ,e needed in the party. 2e was
right. + think + shall
1o)e with you.?
%o great was Frodo?s delight at this
announ1e)ent that /andalf left the
window#sill$ where he
had ,een sitting$ and took off his hat
and ,owed. ?+ only said A+ think + shall
1o)eA. &o not 1ount
on anything yet. +n this )atter !lrond
will ha"e )u1h to say$ and your
friend the %trider. .hi1h
re)inds )e$ + want to see !lrond. +
)ust ,e off.?
S2ow long do you think + shall ha"e
hereM? said Frodo to Bil,o when
/andalf had gone.
S*h$ + don?t know. + 1an?t 1ount days
in Ri"endell$? said Bil,o. ?But Juite
long$ + should think.
.e 1an ha"e )any a good talk. .hat
a,out helping )e with )y ,ook$ and
)aking a start on the
ne5tM 2a"e you thought of an
endingM?
?Ges$ se"eral$ and all are dark and
unpleasant$? said Frodo.
?*h$ that won?t doN? said Bil,o. SBooks
ought to ha"e good endings. 2ow
would this do: Aand
they all settled down and li"ed
together happily e"er afterAM?
S+t will do well$ if it e"er 1o)es to
that$? said Frodo.
?4hN? said %a). ?4nd where will they
li"eM That?s what + often wonder.?
For a while the ho,,its 1ontinued to
talk and think of the past Kourney and
of the perils that lay
aheadI ,ut su1h was the "irtue of the
land of Ri"endell that soon all fear
and an5iety was lifted
fro) their )inds. The future$ good or
ill$ was not forgotten$ ,ut 1eased to
ha"e any power o"er the
present. 2ealth and hope grew strong
in the)$ and they were 1ontent with
ea1h good day as it
1a)e$ taking pleasure in e"ery )eal$
and in e"ery word and song.
%o the days slipped away$ as ea1h
)orning dawned ,right and fair$ and
ea1h e"ening followed
1ool and 1lear. But autu)n was
waning fastI slowly the golden light
faded to pale sil"er$ and the
lingering lea"es fell fro) the naked
trees. 4 wind ,egan to ,low 1hill
fro) the (isty (ountains to
the east. The 2unter?s (oon wa5ed
round in the night sky$ and put to
flight all the lesser stars. But
low in the %outh one star shone red.
!"ery night$ as the (oon waned
again$ it shone ,righter and
,righter. Frodo 1ould see it fro) his
window$ deep in the hea"ens ,urning
like a wat1hful eye that
glared a,o"e the trees on the ,rink of
the "alley.
The ho,,its had ,een nearly two
)onths in the 2ouse of !lrond$ and
'o"e),er had gone ,y
with the last shreds of autu)n$ and
&e1e),er was passing$ when the
s1outs ,egan to return. %o)e
had gone north ,eyond the springs of
the 2oarwell into the !tten)oorsI and
others had gone west$
and with the help of 4ragorn and the
Rangers had sear1hed the lands far
down the /reyflood$ as far
as Thar,ad$ where the old 'orth Road
1rossed the ri"er ,y a ruined town.
(any had gone east and
southI and so)e of these had 1rossed
the (ountains and entered (irkwood$
while others had
1li),ed the pass at the sour1e of the
/ladden Ri"er$ and had 1o)e down
into .ilderland and o"er
the /ladden Fields and so at length
had rea1hed the old ho)e of Radagast
at Rhosgo,el. Radagast
was not thereI and they had returned
o"er the high pass that was 1alled the
&i)rill %tair. The sons
of !lrond$ !lladan and !lrohir$ were
the last to returnI they had )ade a
great Kourney$ passing down
the %il"erlode into a strange 1ountry$
,ut of their errand they would not
speak to any sa"e to
!lrond.
+n no region had the )essengers
dis1o"ered any signs or tidings of the
Riders or other ser"ants
of the !ne)y. !"en fro) the !agles
of the (isty (ountains they had
learned no fresh news.
'othing had ,een seen or heard of
/ollu)I ,ut the wild wol"es were still
gathering$ and were
hunting again far up the /reat Ri"er.
Three of the ,la1k horses had ,een
found at on1e drowned in
the flooded Ford. *n the ro1ks of the
rapids ,elow it sear1hers dis1o"ered
the ,odies of fi"e )ore$
and also a long ,la1k 1loak$ slashed
and tattered. *f the Bla1k Riders no
other tra1e was to ,e seen$
and nowhere was their presen1e to ,e
felt. +t see)ed that they had "anished
fro) the 'orth.
?!ight out of the 'ine are a11ounted
for at least$? said /andalf. ?+t is rash to
,e too sure$ yet +
think that we )ay hope now that the
Ringwraiths were s1attered$ and ha"e
,een o,liged to return as
,est they 1ould to their (aster in
(ordor$ e)pty and shapeless.
S+f that is so$ it will ,e so)e ti)e
,efore they 1an ,egin the hunt again.
*f 1ourse the !ne)y has
other ser"ants$ ,ut they will ha"e to
Kourney all the way to the ,orders of
Ri"endell ,efore they 1an
pi1k up our trail. 4nd if we are 1areful
that will ,e hard to find. But we )ust
delay no longer.?
!lrond su))oned the ho,,its to hi).
2e looked gra"ely at Frodo. ?The ti)e
has 1o)e$? he said.
S+f the Ring is to set out$ it )ust go
soon. But those who go with it )ust
not 1ount on their errand
,eing aided ,y war or for1e. They
)ust pass into the do)ain of the
!ne)y far fro) aid. &o you
still hold to your word$ Frodo$ that
you will ,e the Ring#,earerM?
?+ do$? said Frodo. S+ will go with %a).?
SThen + 1annot help you )u1h$ not
e"en with 1ounsel$? said !lrond. S+ 1an
foresee "ery little of
your roadI and how your task is to ,e
a1hie"ed + do not know. The %hadow
has 1rept now to the
feet of the (ountains$ and draws nigh
e"en to the ,orders of /reyfloodI and
under the %hadow all
is dark to )e. Gou will )eet )any
foes$ so)e open$ and so)e disguisedI
and you )ay find friends
upon your way when you least look
for it. + will send out )essages$ su1h
as + 1an 1ontri"e$ to those
who) + know in the wide worldI ,ut
so perilous are the lands now ,e1o)e
that so)e )ay well
)is1arry$ or 1o)e no Jui1ker than
you yourself.
S4nd + will 1hoose you 1o)panions to
go with you$ as far as they will or
fortune allows. The
nu),er )ust ,e few$ sin1e your hope
is in speed and se1re1y. 2ad + a host
of !l"es in ar)our of
the !lder &ays$ it would a"ail little$
sa"e to arouse the power of (ordor.
SThe -o)pany of the Ring shall ,e
'ineI and the 'ine .alkers shall ,e
set against the 'ine
Riders that are e"il. .ith you and
your faithful ser"ant$ /andalf will goI
for this shall ,e his great
task$ and )ay,e the end of his
la,ours.
SFor the rest$ they shall represent the
other Free Peoples of the .orld:
!l"es$ &war"es$ and
(en. Legolas shall ,e for the !l"esI
and /i)li son of /l>in for the
&war"es. They are willing to
go at least to the passes of the
(ountains$ and )ay,e ,eyond. For
)en you shall ha"e 4ragorn son
of 4rathorn$ for the Ring of +sildur
1on1erns hi) 1losely.?
S%triderN? said Frodo.
?Ges$? he said with a s)ile. S+ ask
lea"e on1e again to ,e your
1o)panion$ Frodo.?
S+ would ha"e ,egged you to 1o)e$?
said Frodo$ ?only + thought you were
going to (inas Tirith
with Boro)ir.?
S+ a)$? said 4ragorn. S4nd the %word#
that#was#Broken shall ,e reforged ere
+ set out to war. But
your road and our road lie together for
)any hundreds of )iles. Therefore
Boro)ir will also ,e in
the -o)pany. 2e is a "aliant )an.?
?There re)ain two )ore to ,e found$?
said !lrond. LThese + will 1onsider.
*f )y household +
)ay find so)e that it see)s good to
)e to send.?
SBut that will lea"e no pla1e for usN?
1ried Pippin in dis)ay. S.e don?t
want to ,e left ,ehind.
.e want to go with Frodo.?
SThat is ,e1ause you do not
understand and 1annot i)agine what
lies ahead$? said !lrond.
S'either does Frodo$? said /andalf$
une5pe1tedly supporting Pippin. ?'or
do any of us see
1learly. +t is true that if these ho,,its
understood the danger$ they would not
dare to go. But they
would still wish to go$ or wish that
they dared$ and ,e sha)ed and
unhappy. + think$ !lrond$ that in
this )atter it would ,e well to trust
rather to their friendship than to great
wisdo). !"en if you
1hose for us an elf#lord$ su1h as
/lorfindel$ he 1ould not stor) the
&ark Tower$ nor open the road
to the Fire ,y the power that is in
hi).?
SGou speak gra"ely$? said !lrond$ S,ut
+ a) in dou,t. The %hire$ + fore,ode$
is not free now fro)
perilI and these two + had thought to
send ,a1k there as )essengers$ to do
what they 1ould$
a11ording to the fashion of their
1ountry$ to warn the people of their
danger. +n any 1ase$ + Kudge
that the younger of these two$
Peregrin Took$ should re)ain. (y
heart is against his going.?
SThen$ (aster !lrond$ you will ha"e
to lo1k )e in prison$ or send )e ho)e
tied in a sa1k$? said
Pippin. SFor otherwise + shall follow
the -o)pany.?
SLet it ,e so then. Gou shall go$? said
!lrond$ and he sighed. ?'ow the tale
of 'ine is filled. +n
se"en days the -o)pany )ust depart.?
The %word of !lendil was forged
anew ,y !l"ish s)iths$ and on its
,lade was tra1ed a de"i1e of
se"en stars set ,etween the 1res1ent
(oon and the rayed %un$ and a,out
the) was written )any
runesI for 4ragorn son of 4rathorn
was going to war upon the )ar1hes of
(ordor. @ery ,right was
that sword when it was )ade whole
againI the light of the sun shone redly
in it$ and the light of the
)oon shone 1old$ and its edge was
hard and keen. 4nd 4ragorn ga"e it a
new na)e and 1alled it
4ndCril$ Fla)e of the .est.
4ragorn and /andalf walked together
or sat speaking of their road and the
perils they would
)eetI and they pondered the storied
and figured )aps and ,ooks of lore
that were in the house of
!lrond. %o)eti)es Frodo was with
the)I ,ut he was 1ontent to lean on
their guidan1e$ and he
spent as )u1h ti)e as he 1ould with
Bil,o.
+n those last days the ho,,its sat
together in the e"ening in the 2all of
Fire$ and there a)ong
)any tales they heard told in full the
lay of Beren and LCthien and the
winning of the /reat JewelI
,ut in the day$ while (erry and
Pippin were out and a,out$ Frodo and
%a) were to ,e found with
Bil,o in his own s)all roo). Then
Bil,o would read passages fro) his
,ook Dwhi1h still see)ed
"ery in1o)pleteE. or s1raps of his
"erses$ or would take notes of Frodo?s
ad"entures.
*n the )orning of the last day Frodo
was alone with Bil,o$ and the old
ho,,it pulled out fro)
under his ,ed a wooden ,o5. 2e lifted
the lid and fu),led inside.
?2ere is your sword$? he said. ?But it
was ,roken$ you know. + took it to
keep it safe ,ut +?"e
forgotten to ask if the s)iths 1ould
)end it. 'o ti)e now.. %o + thought$
perhaps$ you would 1are to
ha"e this$ don?t you knowM?
2e took fro) the ,o5 a s)all sword
in an old sha,,y leathern s1a,,ard.
Then he drew it$ and its
polished and well#tended ,lade
glittered suddenly$ 1old and ,right.
?This is %ting$? he said$ and
thrust it with little effort deep into a
wooden ,ea). STake it$ if you like. +
shan?t want it again$ +
e5pe1t.?
Frodo a11epted it gratefully.
?4lso there is thisN? said Bil,o$
,ringing out a par1el whi1h see)ed to
,e rather hea"y for its si<e.
2e unwound se"eral folds of old
1loth$ and held up a s)all shirt of
)ail. +t was 1lose#wo"en of
)any rings$ as supple al)ost as linen$
1old as i1e$ and harder than steel. +t
shone like )oonlit sil"er$
and was studded with white ge)s.
.ith it was a ,elt of pearl and 1rystal.
?+t?s a pretty thing$ isn?t itM? said Bil,o$
)o"ing it in the light. S4nd useful. +t
is )y dwarf#)ail
that Thorin ga"e )e. + got it ,a1k
fro) (i1hel &el"ing ,efore + started$
and pa1ked it with )y
luggage: + ,rought all the )e)entoes
of )y Journey away with )e$ e51ept
the Ring. But + did not
e5pe1t to use this$ and + don?t need it
now$ e51ept to look at so)eti)es.
Gou hardly feel any weight
when you put it on.?
S+ should look O well$ + don?t think +
should look right in it$? said Frodo.
SJust what + said )yself$? said Bil,o.
?But ne"er )ind a,out looks. Gou 1an
wear it under your
outer 1lothes. -o)e onN Gou )ust
share this se1ret with )e. &on?t tell
any,ody elseN But + should
feel happier if + knew you were
wearing it. + ha"e a fan1y it would
turn e"en the kni"es of the Bla1k
Riders$? he ended in a low "oi1e.
S@ery well$ + will take it$? said Frodo.
Bil,o put it on hi)$ and fastened
%ting upon the glittering
,eltI and then Frodo put o"er the top
his old weather#stained ,ree1hes$
tuni1$ and Ka1ket.
?Just a plain ho,,it you look$? said
Bil,o. ?But there is )ore a,out you
now than appears on the
surfa1e. /ood lu1k to youN? 2e turned
away and looked out of the window$
trying to hu) a tune.
?+ 1annot thank you as + should$ Bil,o$
for this$ and for all our past
kindnesses$? said Frodo.
?&on?t tryN? said the old ho,,it$ turning
round and slapping hi) on the ,a1k.
S*wN? he 1ried. SGou
are too hard now to slapN But there
you are: 2o,,its )ust sti1k together$
and espe1ially Bagginses.
4ll + ask in return is: take as )u1h
1are of yourself as you 1an. and ,ring
,a1k all the news you 1an$
and any old songs and tales you 1an
1o)e ,y. +?ll do )y ,est to finish )y
,ook ,efore you return. +
should like to write the se1ond ,ook$
if + a) spared.? 2e ,roke off and
turned to the window again$
singing softly.
+ sit ,eside the fire and think
of all that + ha"e seen$
of )eadow#flowers and ,utterflies
in su))ers that ha"e ,eenI
*f yellow lea"es and gossa)er
in autu)ns that there were$
with )orning )ist and sil"er sun
and wind upon )y hair.
+ sit ,eside the fire and think
of how the world will ,e
when winter 1o)es without a spring
that + shall e"er see.
For still there are so )any things
that + ha"e ne"er seen:
in e"ery wood in e"ery spring
there is a different green.
+ sit ,eside the fire and think
of people long ago$
and people who will see a world
that + shall ne"er know.
But all the while + sit and think
of ti)es there were ,efore$
+ listen for returning feet
and "oi1es at the door.
+t was a 1old grey day near the end of
&e1e),er. The !ast .ind was
strea)ing through the ,are
,ran1hes of the trees$ and seething in
the dark pines on the hills. Ragged
1louds were hurrying
o"erhead$ dark and low. 4s the
1heerless shadows of the early
e"ening ,egan to fall the -o)pany
)ade ready to set out. They were to
start at dusk$ for !lrond 1ounselled
the) to Kourney under
1o"er of night as often as they 1ould$
until they were far fro) Ri"endell.
SGou should fear the )any eyes of the
ser"ants of %auron$? he said. ?+ do not
dou,t that news of
the dis1o)fiture of the Riders has
already rea1hed hi)$ and he will ,e
filled with wrath. %oon now
his spies on foot and wing will ,e
a,road in the northern lands. !"en of
the sky a,o"e you )ust
,eware as you go on your way.?
The -o)pany took little gear of war$
for their hope was in se1re1y not in
,attle. 4ragorn had
4ndCril ,ut no other weapon$ and he
went forth 1lad only in rusty green
and ,rown. as a Ranger of
the wilderness. Boro)ir had a long
sword$ in fashion like 4ndCril ,ut of
less lineage and he ,ore
also a shield and his war#horn.
?Loud and 1lear it sounds in the
"alleys of the hills$? he said$ Sand then
let all the foes of /ondor
fleeN? Putting it to his lips he ,lew a
,last$ and the e1hoes leapt fro) ro1k
to ro1k$ and all that heard
that "oi1e in Ri"endell sprang to their
feet.
%low should you ,e to wind that horn
again$ Boro)ir$ said !lrond. ?until you
stand on1e )ore on
the ,orders of your land$ and dire
need is on you.?
S(ay,e$? said Boro)ir. ?But always +
ha"e let )y horn 1ry at setting forth$
and though thereafter
we )ay walk in the shadows$ + will
not go forth as a thief in the night.?
/i)li the dwarf alone wore openly a
short shirt of steel#rings$ for dwar"es
)ake light of
,urdensI and in his ,elt was a ,road#
,laded a5e. Legolas had a ,ow and a
Jui"er$ and at his ,elt a
long white knife. The younger ho,,its
wore the swords that they had taken
fro) the ,arrowI ,ut
Frodo took only %tingI and his )ail#
1oat$ as Bil,o wished$ re)ained
hidden. /andalf ,ore his staff$
,ut girt at his side was the el"en#
sword /la)dring$ the )ate of *r1rist
that lay now upon the ,reast
of Thorin under the Lonely (ountain.
4ll were well furnished ,y !lrond
with thi1k war) 1lothes$ and they had
Ka1kets and 1loaks
lined with fur. %pare food and 1lothes
and ,lankets and other needs were
laden on a pony$ none
other than the poor ,east that they had
,rought fro) Bree.
Mhe stay in Ri"endell had worked a
great wonder of 1hange on hi): he
was glossy and see)ed
to ha"e the "igour of youth. +t was
%a) who had insisted on 1hoosing
hi)$ de1laring that Bill Das
he 1alled hi)E would pine$ if he did
not 1o)e.
SThat ani)al 1an nearly talk$? he said$
Sand would talk$ if he stayed here
)u1h longer. 2e ga"e
)e a look as plain as (r. Pippin 1ould
speak it: if you don?t let )e go with
you$ %a)$ +?ll follow on
)y own.? %o Bill was going as the
,east of ,urden$ yet he was the only
)e),er of the -o)pany
that did not see) depressed.
Their farewells had ,een said in the
great hall ,y the fire$ and they were
only waiting now for
/andalf$ who had not yet 1o)e out of
the house. 4 glea) of firelight 1a)e
fro) the open doors$
and soft lights were glowing in )any
windows. Bil,o huddled in a 1loak
stood silent on the
doorstep ,eside Frodo. 4ragorn sat
with his head ,owed to his kneesI
only !lrond knew fully what
this hour )eant to hi). The others
1ould ,e seen as grey shapes in the
darkness.
%a) was standing ,y the pony$
su1king his teeth$ and staring )oodily
into the gloo) where the
ri"er roared stonily ,elowI his desire
for ad"enture was at its lowest e,,.
SBill$ )y lad$? he said$ Syou oughtn?t to
ha"e took up with us. Gou 1ould ha"e
stayed here and et
the ,est hay till the new grass 1o)es.?
Bill swished his tail and said nothing.
%a) eased the pa1k on his shoulders$
and went o"er an5iously in his )ind
all the things that he
had stowed in it$ wondering if he had
forgotten anything: his 1hief treasure$
his 1ooking gearI and
the little ,o5 of salt that he always
1arried and refilled when he 1ouldI a
good supply of pipe#weed
D,ut not near enough$ +?ll warrantEI
flint and tinderI woollen hose: linenI
"arious s)all ,elongings of
his )aster?s that Frodo had forgotten
and %a) had stowed to ,ring the) out
in triu)ph when they
were 1alled for. 2e went through
the) all.
?RopeN? he )uttered. S'o ropeN 4nd
only last night you said to yourself:
L%a)$ what a,out a ,it
of ropeM Gou?ll want it$ if you ha"en?t
got it:L .ell$ +?ll want it. + 1an?t get it
now.?
4t that )o)ent !lrond 1a)e out with
/andalf$ and he 1alled the -o)pany
to hi). ?This is )y
last word$? he said in a low "oi1e. ?The
Ring#,earer is setting out on the
Puest of (ount &oo). *n
hi) alone is any 1harge laid: neither
to 1ast away the Ring$ nor to deli"er it
to any ser"ant of the
!ne)y nor indeed to let any handle it$
sa"e )e),ers of the -o)pany and
the -oun1il$ and only
then in gra"est need. The others go
with hi) as free 1o)panions$ to help
hi) on his way. Gou )ay
tarry$ or 1o)e ,a1k$ or turn aside into
other paths$ as 1han1e allows. The
further you go$ the less
easy will it ,e to withdrawI yet no
oath or ,ond is laid on you to go
further than you will. For you
do not yet know the strength of your
hearts$ and you 1annot foresee what
ea1h )ay )eet upon the
road.?
SFaithless is he that says farewell
when the road darkens$? said /i)li.
?(ay,e$? said !lrond$ S,ut let hi) not
"ow to walk in the dark$ who has not
seen the nightfall.?
?Get sworn word )ay strengthen
Juaking heart$? said /i)li.
S*r ,reak it$? said !lrond. SLook not
too far aheadN But go now with good
heartsN Farewell$ and
)ay the ,lessing of !l"es and (en
and all Free Folk go with you. (ay
the stars shine upon your
fa1esN?
?/ood . . . good lu1kN? 1ried Bil,o$
stuttering with the 1old. ?+ don?t
suppose you will ,e a,le to
keep a diary$ Frodo )y lad$ ,ut + shall
e5pe1t a full a11ount when you get
,a1k. 4nd don?t ,e too
longN FarewellN?
(any others of !lrond?s household
stood in the shadows and wat1hed
the) go$ ,idding the)
farewell with soft "oi1es. There was
no laughter$ and no song or )usi1. 4t
last they turned away
and faded silently into the dusk.
They 1rossed the ,ridge and wound
slowly up the long steep paths that led
out of the 1lo"en "ale
of Ri"endellI and they 1a)e at length
to the high )oor where the wind
hissed through the heather.
Then with one glan1e at the Last
2o)ely 2ouse twinkling ,elow the)
they strode away far into
the night.
4t the Ford of Bruinen they left the
Road and turning southwards went on
,y narrow paths
a)ong the folded lands. Their
purpose was to hold this 1ourse west
of the (ountains for )any
)iles and days. The 1ountry was
)u1h rougher and )ore ,arren than in
the green "ale of the /reat
Ri"er in .ilderland on the other side
of the range$ and their going would ,e
slowI ,ut they hoped
in this way to es1ape the noti1e of
unfriendly eyes. The spies of %auron
had hitherto seldo) ,een
seen in this e)pty 1ountry$ and the
paths were little known e51ept to the
people of Ri"endell.
/andalf walked in front$ and with hi)
went 4ragorn$ who knew this land
e"en in the dark. The
others were in file ,ehind$ and
Legolas whose eyes were keen was
the rearguard. The first part of
their Kourney was hard and dreary$ and
Frodo re)e),ered little of it$ sa"e the
wind. For )any
sunless days an i1y ,last 1a)e fro)
the (ountains in the east$ and no
gar)ent see)ed a,le to keep
out its sear1hing fingers. Though the
-o)pany was well 1lad$ they seldo)
felt war)$ either
)o"ing or at rest. They slept uneasily
during the )iddle of the day$ in so)e
hollow of the land$ or
hidden under the tangled thorn#,ushes
that grew in thi1kets in )any pla1es.
+n the late afternoon
they were roused ,y the wat1h$ and
took their 1hief )eal: 1old and
1heerless as a rule$ for they
1ould seldo) risk the lighting of a
fire. +n the e"ening they went on
again$ always as nearly
southward as they 1ould find a way.
4t first it see)ed to the ho,,its that
although they walked and stu),led
until they were weary$
they were 1reeping forward like
snails$ and getting nowhere. !a1h day
the land looked )u1h the
sa)e as it had the day ,efore. Get
steadily the )ountains were drawing
nearer. %outh of Ri"endell
they rose e"er higher$ and ,ent
westwardsI and a,out the feet of the
)ain range there was tu),led
an e"er wider land of ,leak hills$ and
deep "alleys filled with tur,ulent
waters. Paths were few and
winding$ and led the) often only to
the edge of so)e sheer fall$ or down
into trea1herous swa)ps.
They had ,een a fortnight on the way
when the weather 1hanged. The wind
suddenly fell and
then "eered round to the south. The
swift#flowing 1louds lifted and )elted
away$ and the sun 1a)e
out$ pale and ,right. There 1a)e a
1old 1lear dawn at the end of a long
stu),ling night#)ar1h. The
tra"ellers rea1hed a low ridge
1rowned with an1ient holly#trees
whose grey#green trunks see)ed to
ha"e ,een ,uilt out of the "ery stone
of the hills. Their dark lea"es shone
and their ,erries glowed
red in the light of the rising sun.
4way in the south Frodo 1ould see the
di) shapes of lofty )ountains that
see)ed now to stand
a1ross the path that the -o)pany was
taking. 4t the left of this high range
rose three peaksI the
tallest and nearest stood up like a
tooth tipped with snowI its great$ ,are$
northern pre1ipi1e was
still largely in the shadow$ ,ut where
the sunlight slanted upon it$ it glowed
red.
/andalf stood at Frodo?s side and
looked out under his hand. S.e ha"e
done well$? he said. S.e
ha"e rea1hed the ,orders of the
1ountry that (en 1all 2ollinI )any
!l"es li"ed here in happier
days$ when !region was its na)e.
Fi"e#and#forty leagues as the 1row
flies we ha"e 1o)e$ though
)any long )iles further our feet ha"e
walked. The land and the weather will
,e )ilder now$ ,ut
perhaps all the )ore dangerous.?
S&angerous or not$ a real sunrise is
)ighty wel1o)e$? said Frodo$
throwing ,a1k his hood and
letting the )orning light fall on his
fa1e.
?But the )ountains are ahead of us$?
said Pippin. S.e )ust ha"e turned
eastwards in the night.?
?'o$? said /andalf. ?But you see
further ahead in the 1lear light.
Beyond those peaks the range
,ends round south#west. There are
)any )aps in !lrond?s house$ ,ut +
suppose you ne"er thought
to look at the)M?
SGes + did$ so)eti)es$? said Pippin$
S,ut + don?t re)e),er the). Frodo has
a ,etter head for that
sort of thing.?
S+ need no )ap$? said /i)li$ who had
1o)e up with Legolas$ and was
ga<ing out ,efore hi) with
a strange light in his deep eyes.
SThere is the land where our fathers
worked of old$ and we ha"e
wrought the i)age of those )ountains
into )any works of )etal and of
stone$ and into )any songs
and tales. They stand tall in our
drea)s: Bara<$ Xirak$ %hath=r.
S*nly on1e ,efore ha"e + seen the)
fro) afar in waking life$ ,ut + know
the) and their na)es$
for under the) lies ha<ad#d=)$ the
&warrowdelf$ that is now 1alled the
Bla1k Pit$ (oria in the
!l"ish tongue. Gonder stands
Bara<in,ar$ the Redhorn$ 1ruel
-aradhrasI and ,eyond hi) are
%il"ertine and -loudyhead: -ele,dil
the .hite$ and Fanuidhol the /rey$
that we 1all Xirak#<igil
and Bundushath=r.
SThere the (isty (ountains di"ide$
and ,etween their ar)s lies the deep#
shadowed "alley
whi1h we 1annot forget: 4<anul,i<ar$
the &i)rill &ale$ whi1h the !l"es 1all
'anduhirion.?
S+t is for the &i)rill &ale that we are
)aking$? said /andalf. S+f we 1li),
the pass that is 1alled
the Redhorn /ate$ under the far side
of -aradhras$ we shall 1o)e down ,y
the &i)rill %tair into the
deep "ale of the &war"es. There lies
the (irror)ere$ and there the Ri"er
%il"erlode rises in its i1y
springs.?
S&ark is the water of heled#<Yra)$?
said /i)li$ Sand 1old are the springs
of i,il#nYla. (y
heart tre),les at the thought that +
)ay see the) soon.?
S(ay you ha"e Koy of the sight$ )y
good dwarf l? said /andalf. ?But
whate"er you )ay do$ we at
least 1annot stay in that "alley. .e
)ust go down the %il"erlode into the
se1ret woods$ and so to
the /reat Ri"er$ and then #?
2e paused.
?Ges$ and where thenM? asked (erry.
?To the end of the Kourney O in the
end$? said /andalf. ?.e 1annot look
too far ahead. Let us ,e
glad that the first stage is safely o"er.
+ think we will rest here$ not only
today ,ut tonight as well.
There is a wholeso)e air a,out
2ollin. (u1h e"il )ust ,efall a
1ountry ,efore it wholly forgets the
!l"es$ if on1e they dwelt there.?
?That is true$? said Legolas. SBut the
!l"es of this land were of a ra1e
strange to us of the sil"an
folk$ and the trees and the grass do not
now re)e),er the): *nly + hear the
stones la)ent the):
Adeep they del"ed us$ fair they
wrought us$ high they ,uilded usI ,ut
they are goneA. They are
gone. They sought the 2a"ens long
ago.?
That )orning they lit a fire in a deep
hollow shrouded ,y great ,ushes of
holly$ and their
supper#,reakfast was )errier than it
had ,een sin1e they set out. They did
not hurry to ,ed
afterwards$ for they e5pe1ted to ha"e
all the night to sleep in$ and they did
not )ean to go on again
until the e"ening of the ne5t day.
*nly 4ragorn was silent and restless.
4fter a while he left the
-o)pany and wandered on to the
ridgeI there he stood in the shadow of
a tree$ looking out
southwards and westwards$ with his
head posed as if he was listening.
Then he returned to the ,rink
of the dell and looked down at the
others laughing and talking.
S.hat is the )atter$ %triderM? (erry
1alled up. ?.hat are you looking forM
&o you )iss the !ast
.indM?
?'o indeed$? he answered. SBut + )iss
so)ething. + ha"e ,een in the 1ountry
of 2ollin in )any
seasons. 'o folk dwell here now$ ,ut
)any other 1reatures li"e here at all
ti)es$ espe1ially ,irds.
Get now all things ,ut you are silent. +
1an feel it. There is no sound for )iles
a,out us$ and your
"oi1es see) to )ake the ground e1ho.
+ do not understand it.?
/andalf looked up with sudden
interest. SBut what do you guess is the
reasonM? he asked. S+s
there )ore in it than surprise at seeing
four ho,,its$ not to )ention the rest
of us$ where people are
so seldo) seen or heardM?
S+ hope that is it$? answered 4ragorn.
SBut + ha"e a sense of wat1hfulness$
and of fear$ that + ha"e
ne"er had here ,efore.?
LThen we )ust ,e )ore 1areful$? said
/andalf. ?+f you ,ring a Ranger with
you$ it is well to pay
attention to hi)$ espe1ially if the
Ranger is 4ragorn. .e )ust stop
talking aloud$ rest Juietly$ and
set the wat1h.?
+t was %a)?s turn that day to take the
first wat1h$ ,ut 4ragorn Koined hi).
The others fell asleep.
Then the silen1e grew until e"en %a)
felt it. The ,reathing of the sleepers
1ould ,e plainly heard.
The swish of the pony?s tail and the
o11asional )o"e)ents of his feet
,e1a)e loud noises. %a)
1ould hear his own Koints 1reaking$ if
he stirred. &ead silen1e was around
hi)$ and o"er all hung a
1lear ,lue sky$ as the %un rode up
fro) the !ast. 4way in the %outh a
dark pat1h appeared$ and
grew$ and dro"e north like flying
s)oke in the wind.
S.hat?s that$ %triderM +t don?t look like
a 1loud$? said %a) in a whisper to
4ragorn. 2e )ade no
answer$ he was ga<ing intently at the
skyI ,ut ,efore long %a) 1ould see
for hi)self what was
approa1hing. Flo1ks of ,irds$ flying at
great speed$ were wheeling and
1ir1ling$ and tra"ersing all
the land as if they were sear1hing for
so)ethingI and they were steadily
drawing nearer.
SLie flat and stillN? hissed 4ragorn$
pulling %a) down into the shade of a
holly#,ushI for a whole
regi)ent of ,irds had ,roken away
suddenly fro) the )ain host$ and
1a)e$ flying low$ straight
towards the ridge. %a) thought they
were a kind of 1row of large si<e. 4s
they passed o"erhead$ in
so dense a throng that their shadow
followed the) darkly o"er the ground
,elow$ one harsh 1roak
was heard.
'ot until they had dwindled into the
distan1e$ north and west$ and the sky
was again 1lear would
4ragorn rise. Then he sprang up and
went and wakened /andalf.
SRegi)ents of ,la1k 1rows are flying
o"er all the land ,etween the
(ountains and the
/reyflood$? he said$ Sand they ha"e
passed o"er 2ollin. They are not
nati"es hereI they are
A1re,ainA out of Fangorn and
&unland. + do not know what they are
a,out: possi,ly there is so)e
trou,le away south fro) whi1h they
are fleeingI ,ut + think they are spying
out the land. + ha"e also
gli)psed )any hawks flying high up
in the sky. + think we ought to )o"e
again this e"ening.
2ollin is no longer wholeso)e for us:
it is ,eing wat1hed.?
S4nd in that 1ase so is the Redhorn
/ate$? said /andalfI Sand how we 1an
get o"er that without
,eing seen$ + 1annot i)agine. But we
will think of that when we )ust. 4s
for )o"ing as soon as it
is dark$ + a) afraid that you are right.?
SLu1kily our fire )ade little s)oke$
and had ,urned low ,efore the
A1re,ainA 1a)e$? said
4ragorn. S+t )ust ,e put out and not
lit again.?
S.ell if that isn?t a plague and a
nuisan1eN? said Pippin. The news: no
fire$ and a )o"e again ,y
night$ had ,een ,roken to hi)$ as
soon as he woke in the late afternoon.
?4ll ,e1ause of a pa1k of
1rowsN + had looked forward to a real
good )eal tonight: so)ething hot.?
S.ell$ you 1an go on looking
forward$? said /andalf. SThere )ay ,e
)any une5pe1ted feasts
ahead for you. For )yself + should
like a pipe to s)oke in 1o)fort$ and
war)er feet. 2owe"er$ we
are 1ertain of one thing at any rate: it
will get war)er as we get south.?
?Too war)$ + shouldn?t wonder$?
)uttered %a) to Frodo. ?But +?)
,eginning to think it?s ti)e we
got a sight of that Fiery (ountain and
saw the end of the Road$ so to speak. +
thought at first that
this here Redhorn$ or whate"er its
na)e is$ )ight ,e it$ till /i)li spoke
his pie1e. 4 fair Kaw1ra1ker
dwarf#language )ust ,eN? (aps
1on"eyed nothing to %a)?s )ind$ and
all distan1es in these
strange lands see)ed so "ast that he
was Juite out of his re1koning.
4ll that day the -o)pany re)ained in
hiding. The dark ,irds passed o"er
now and againI ,ut as
the westering %un grew red they
disappeared southwards. 4t dusk the
-o)pany set out$ and turning
now half east they steered their 1ourse
towards -aradhras$ whi1h far away
still glowed faintly red
in the last light of the "anished %un.
*ne ,y one white stars sprang forth as
the sky faded.
/uided ,y 4ragorn they stru1k a good
path. +t looked to Frodo like the
re)ains of an an1ient
road$ that had on1e ,een ,road and
well planned$ fro) 2ollin to the
)ountain#pass. The (oon$
now at the full$ rose o"er the
)ountains$ and 1ast a pale light in
whi1h the shadows of stones were
,la1k. (any of the) looked to ha"e
,een worked ,y hands$ though now
they lay tu),led and
ruinous in a ,leak$ ,arren land.
+t was the 1old 1hill hour ,efore the
first stir of dawn$ and the )oon was
low. Frodo looked up at
the sky. %uddenly he saw or felt a
shadow pass o"er the high stars$ as if
for a )o)ent they faded
and then flashed out again. 2e
shi"ered.
S&id you see anything pass o"erM? he
whispered to /andalf$ who was Kust
ahead.
S'o$ ,ut + felt it$ whate"er it was$? he
answered. S+t )ay ,e nothing$ only a
wisp of thin 1loud.?
S+t was )o"ing fast then$? )uttered
4ragorn$ Sand not with the wind.?
'othing further happened that night.
The ne5t )orning dawned e"en
,righter than ,efore. But
the air was 1hill againI already the
wind was turning ,a1k towards the
east. For two )ore nights
they )ar1hed on$ 1li),ing steadily
,ut e"er )ore slowly as their road
wound up into the hills$ and
the )ountains towered up$ nearer and
nearer. *n the third )orning
-aradhras rose ,efore the)$ a
)ighty peak$ tipped with snow like
sil"er$ ,ut with sheer naked sides$ dull
red as if stained with
,lood.
There was a ,la1k look in the sky$ and
the sun was wan. The wind had gone
now round to the
north#east. /andalf snuffed the air
and looked ,a1k.
S.inter deepens ,ehind us$? he said
Juietly to 4ragorn. ?The heights away
north are whiter than
they wereI snow is lying far down
their shoulders. Tonight we shall ,e
on our way high up towards
the Redhorn /ate. .e )ay well ,e
seen ,y wat1hers on that narrow path$
and waylaid ,y so)e
e"ilI ,ut the weather )ay pro"e a
)ore deadly ene)y than any. .hat
do you think of your 1ourse
now$ 4ragornM?
Frodo o"erheard these words$ and
understood that /andalf and 4ragorn
were 1ontinuing so)e
de,ate that had ,egun long ,efore. 2e
listened an5iously.
?+ think no good of our 1ourse fro)
,eginning to end$ as you know well$
/andalf$? answered
4ragorn. S4nd perils known and
unknown will grow as we go on. But
we )ust go onI and it is no
good our delaying the passage of the
)ountains. Further south there are no
passes$ till one 1o)es to
the /ap of Rohan. + do not trust that
way sin1e your news of %aru)an.
.ho knows whi1h side now
the )arshals of the 2orse#lords
ser"eM?
?.ho knows indeedN? said /andalf.
SBut there is another way$ and not ,y
the pass of -aradhras:
the dark and se1ret way that we ha"e
spoken of.?
?But let us not speak of it againN 'ot
yet. %ay nothing to the others + ,eg$
not until it is plain that
there is no other way.?
?.e )ust de1ide ,efore we go
further$? answered /andalf.
?Then let us weigh the )atter in our
)inds$ while the others rest and
sleep$? said 4ragorn.
+n the late afternoon$ while the others
were finishing their ,reakfast$
/andalf and 4ragorn went
aside together and stood looking at
-aradhras. +ts sides were now dark
and sullen$ and its head was
in grey 1loud. Frodo wat1hed the)$
wondering whi1h way the de,ate
would go. .hen they
returned to the -o)pany /andalf
spoke$ and then he knew that it had
,een de1ided to fa1e the
weather and the high pass. 2e was
relie"ed. 2e 1ould not guess what was
the other dark and se1ret
way$ ,ut the "ery )ention of it had
see)ed to fill 4ragorn with dis)ay$
and Frodo was glad that it
had ,een a,andoned.
SFro) signs that we ha"e seen lately$?
said /andalf$ ?+ fear that the Redhorn
/ate )ay ,e
wat1hedI and also + ha"e dou,ts of the
weather that is 1o)ing up ,ehind.
%now )ay 1o)e. .e
)ust go with all the speed that we
1an. !"en so it will take us )ore than
two )ar1hes ,efore we
rea1h the top of the pass. &ark will
1o)e early this e"ening. .e )ust
lea"e as soon as you 1an get
ready.?
?+ will add a word of ad"i1e$ if + )ay$?
said Boro)ir. ?+ was ,orn under the
shadow of the .hite
(ountains and know so)ething of
Kourneys in the high pla1es. .e shall
)eet ,itter 1old$ if no
worse$ ,efore we 1o)e down on the
other side. +t will not help us to keep
so se1ret that we are
fro<en to death. .hen we lea"e here$
where there are still a few trees and
,ushes$ ea1h of us should
1arry a faggot of wood$ as large as he
1an ,ear.?
?4nd Bill 1ould take a ,it )ore$
1ouldn?t you ladM? said %a). The pony
looked at hi)
)ournfully.
?@ery well$? said /andalf. SBut we
)ust not use the wood O not unless it
is a 1hoi1e ,etween fire
and death.?
The -o)pany set out again with good
speed at firstI ,ut soon their way
,e1a)e steep and
diffi1ult. The twisting and 1li),ing
road had in )any pla1es al)ost
disappeared$ and was ,lo1ked
with )any fallen stones. The night
grew deadly dark under great 1louds.
4 ,itter wind swirled
a)ong the ro1ks. By )idnight they
had 1li),ed to the knees of the great
)ountains. The narrow
path now wound under a sheer wall of
1liffs to the left$ a,o"e whi1h the gri)
flanks of -aradhras
towered up in"isi,le in the gloo)I on
the right was a gulf of darkness where
the land fell suddenly
into a deep ra"ine.
La,oriously they 1li),ed a sharp
slope and halted for a )o)ent at the
top. Frodo felt a soft
tou1h on his fa1e. 2e put out his ar)
and saw the di) white flakes of snow
settling on his slee"e.
They went on. But ,efore long the
snow was falling fast$ filling all the
air$ and swirling into
Frodo?s eyes. The dark ,ent shapes of
/andalf and 4ragorn only a pa1e or
two ahead 1ould hardly
,e seen.
?+ don?t like this at all$? panted %a)
Kust ,ehind. ?%now?s all right on a fine
)orning$ ,ut + like to
,e in ,ed while it?s falling. + wish this
lot would go off to 2o,,itonN Folk
)ight wel1o)e it there.?
!51ept on the high )oors of the
'orthfarthing a hea"y fall was rare in
the %hire$ and was regarded
as a pleasant e"ent and a 1han1e for
fun. 'o li"ing ho,,it Dsa"e Bil,oE
1ould re)e),er the Fell
.inter of 1311$ when the white
wol"es in"aded the %hire o"er the
fro<en Brandywine.
/andalf halted. %now was thi1k on his
hood and shouldersI it was already
ankle#deep a,out his
,oots.
LThis is what + feared$? he said. S.hat
do you say now$ 4ragornM?
?That + feared it too$? 4ragorn
answered$ S,ut less than other things.
+ knew the risk of snow$
though it seldo) falls hea"ily so far
south$ sa"e high up in the )ountains.
But we are not high yetI
we are still far down$ where the paths
are usually open all the winter.?
?+ wonder if this is a 1ontri"an1e of the
!ne)y$? said Boro)ir. LThey say in
)y land that he 1an
go"ern the stor)s in the (ountains of
%hadow that stand upon the ,orders of
(ordor. 2e has
strange powers and )any allies.?
?2is ar) has grown long indeed$? said
/i)li$ Sif he 1an draw snow down
fro) the 'orth to
trou,le us here three hundred leagues
away.?
?2is ar) has grown long$? said
/andalf.
.hile they were halted$ the wind died
down$ and the snow sla1kened until it
al)ost 1eased.
They tra)ped on again. But they had
not gone )ore than a furlong when
the stor) returned with
fresh fury. The wind whistled and the
snow ,e1a)e a ,linding ,li<<ard.
%oon e"en Boro)ir found
it hard to keep going. The ho,,its$
,ent nearly dou,le$ toiled along
,ehind the taller folk$ ,ut it was
plain that they 1ould not go )u1h
further$ if the snow 1ontinued. Frodo?s
feet felt like lead. Pippin
was dragging ,ehind. !"en /i)li$ as
stout as any dwarf 1ould ,e$ was
gru),ling as he trudged.
The -o)pany halted suddenly$ as if
they had 1o)e to an agree)ent
without any words ,eing
spoken. They heard eerie noises in the
darkness round the). +t )ay ha"e
,een only a tri1k of the
wind in the 1ra1ks and gullies of the
ro1ky wall$ ,ut the sounds were those
of shrill 1ries$ and wild
howls of laughter. %tones ,egan to fall
fro) the )ountain#side$ whistling
o"er their heads$ or
1rashing on the path ,eside the).
!"ery now and again they heard a dull
ru),le$ as a great ,oulder
rolled down fro) hidden heights
a,o"e.
S.e 1annot go further tonight$? said
Boro)ir. SLet those 1all it the wind
who willI there are fell
"oi1es on the airI and these stones are
ai)ed at us.?
S+ do 1all it the wind$? said 4ragorn.
SBut that does not )ake what you say
untrue. There are
)any e"il and unfriendly things in the
world that ha"e little lo"e for those
that go on two legs$ and
yet are not in league with %auron$ ,ut
ha"e purposes of their own. %o)e
ha"e ,een in this world
longer than he.?
?-aradhras was 1alled the -ruel$ and
had an ill na)e$ said /i)li$ Slong
years ago$ when ru)our
of %auron had not ,een heard in these
lands.?
S+t )atters little who is the ene)y$ if
we 1annot ,eat off his atta1kI said
/andalf.
?But what 1an we doM? 1ried Pippin
)isera,ly. 2e was leaning on (erry
and Frodo$ and he was
shi"ering.
S!ither stop where we are$ or go ,a1k$?
said /andalf. ?+t is no good going on.
*nly a little higher$
if + re)e),er rightly$ this path lea"es
the 1liff and runs into a wide shallow
trough at the ,otto) of
a long hard slope. .e should ha"e no
shelter there fro) snow$ or stones O or
anything else.?
S4nd it is no good going ,a1k while
the stor) holds$? said 4ragorn. S.e
ha"e passed no pla1e
on the way up that offered )ore
shelter than this 1liff#wall we are
under now.?
S%helterN? )uttered %a). S+f this is
shelter$ then one wall and no roof
)ake a house.?
The -o)pany now gathered together
as 1lose to the 1liff as they 1ould. +t
fa1ed southwards$ and
near the ,otto) it leaned out a little$
so that they hoped it would gi"e the)
so)e prote1tion fro)
the northerly wind and fro) the
falling stones. But eddying ,lasts
swirled round the) fro) e"ery
side$ and the snow flowed down in
e"er denser 1louds.
They huddled together with their
,a1ks to the wall. Bill the pony stood
patiently ,ut deKe1tedly
in front of the ho,,its$ and s1reened
the) a littleI ,ut ,efore long the
drifting snow was a,o"e his
ho1ks$ and it went on )ounting. +f
they had had no larger 1o)panions
the ho,,its would soon ha"e
,een entirely ,uried.
4 great sleepiness 1a)e o"er FrodoI
he felt hi)self sinking fast into a
war) and ha<y drea).
2e thought a fire was heating his toes$
and out of the shadows on the other
side of the hearth he
heard Bil,o?s "oi1e speakingA. + don?t
think )u1h of your diaryA$ he said.
A%nowstor)s on January
the twelfth: there was no need to
1o)e ,a1k to report thatNA
ABut + wanted rest and sleep$ Bil,oA$
Frodo answered with an effort$ when
he felt hi)self
shaken$ and he 1a)e ,a1k painfully to
wakefulness. Boro)ir had lifted hi)
off the ground out of a
nest of snow.
SThis will ,e the death of the
halflings$ /andalf$? said Boro)ir. S+t
is useless to sit here until the
snow goes o"er our heads. .e )ust
do so)ething to sa"e oursel"es.?
S/i"e the) this$? said /andalf$
sear1hing in his pa1k and drawing out
a leathern flask. SJust a
)outhful ea1h O for all of us. +t is
"ery pre1ious. +t is A)iru"orA$ the
1ordial of +)ladris. !lrond
ga"e it to )e at our parting. Pass it
roundN?
4s soon as Frodo had swallowed a
little of the war) and fragrant liJuor
he felt a new strength of
heart$ and the hea"y drowsiness left
his li),s. The others also re"i"ed and
found fresh hope and
"igour. But the snow did not relent. +t
whirled a,out the) thi1ker than e"er$
and the wind ,lew
louder.
?.hat do you say to fireM? asked
Boro)ir suddenly. ?The 1hoi1e see)s
near now ,etween fire
and death$ /andalf. &ou,tless we
shall ,e hidden fro) all unfriendly
eyes when the snow has
1o"ered us$ ,ut that will not help us.?
?Gou )ay )ake a fire$ if you 1an$?
answered /andalf. ?+f there are any
wat1hers that 1an endure
this stor)$ then they 1an see us$ fire
or no.? But though they had ,rought
wood and kindlings ,y the
ad"i1e of Boro)ir$ it passed the skill
of !lf or e"en &warf to strike a fla)e
that would hold a)id
the swirling wind or 1at1h in the wet
fuel. 4t last relu1tantly /andalf
hi)self took a hand. Pi1king
up a faggot he held it aloft for a
)o)ent$ and then with a word of
1o))andA$ naur an edraith
a))enNA he thrust the end of his staff
into the )idst of it. 4t on1e a great
spout of green and ,lue
fla)e sprang out$ and the wood flared
and sputtered.
S+f there are any to see$ then + at least
a) re"ealed to the)$? he said. ?+ ha"e
written A/andalf is
hereA in signs that all 1an read fro)
Ri"endell to the )ouths of 4nduin.?
But the -o)pany 1ared no longer for
wat1hers or unfriendly eyes. Their
hearts were reKoi1ed to
see the light of the fire. The wood
,urned )errilyI and though all round
it the snow hissed$ and
pools of slush 1rept under their feet$
they war)ed their hands gladly at the
,la<e. There they stood$
stooping in a 1ir1le round the little
dan1ing and ,lowing fla)es. 4 red
light was on their tired and
an5ious fa1esI ,ehind the) the night
was like a ,la1k wall.
But the wood was ,urning fast$ and
the snow still fell.
The fire ,urned low. and the last
faggot was thrown on.
The night is getting old$? said
4ragorn. LThe dawn is not far off.?
S+f any dawn 1an pier1e these 1louds$?
said /i)li.
Boro)ir stepped out of the 1ir1le and
stared up into the ,la1kness. ?The
snow is growing less$? he
said$ Sand the wind is Juieter.?
Frodo ga<ed wearily at the flakes still
falling out of the dark to ,e re"ealed
white for a )o)ent
in the light of the dying fireI ,ut for a
long ti)e he 1ould see no sign of their
sla1kening. Then
suddenly$ as sleep was ,eginning to
1reep o"er hi) again$ he was aware
that the wind had indeed
fallen$ and the flakes were ,e1o)ing
larger and fewer. @ery slowly a di)
light ,egan to grow. 4t
last the snow stopped altogether.
4s the light grew stronger it showed a
silent shrouded world. Below their
refuge were white
hu)ps and do)es and shapeless
deeps ,eneath whi1h the path that
they had trodden was altogether
lostI ,ut the heights a,o"e were
hidden in great 1louds still hea"y with
the threat of snow.
/i)li looked up and shook his head.
S-aradhras has not forgi"en us.? he
said. S2e has )ore
snow yet to fling at us$ if we go on.
The sooner we go ,a1k and down the
,etter.?
To this all agreed$ ,ut their retreat
was now diffi1ult. +t )ight well pro"e
i)possi,le. *nly a few
pa1es fro) the ashes of their fire the
snow lay )any feet deep$ higher than
the heads of the ho,,itsI
in pla1es it had ,een s1ooped and
piled ,y the wind into great drifts
against the 1liff.
S+f /andalf would go ,efore us with a
,right fla)e$ he )ight )elt a path for
you$? said Legolas.
The stor) had trou,led hi) little$ and
he alone of the -o)pany re)ained
still light of heart.
S+f !l"es 1ould fly o"er )ountains$
they )ight fet1h the %un to sa"e us$?
answered /andalf. SBut
+ )ust ha"e so)ething to work on. +
1annot ,urn snow.?
S.ell$? said Boro)ir$ Swhen heads are
at a loss ,odies )ust ser"e$ as we say
in )y 1ountry. The
strongest of us )ust seek a way. %eeN
Though all is now snow#1lad$ our
path$ as we 1a)e up$
turned a,out that shoulder of ro1k
down yonder. +t was there that the
snow first ,egan to ,urden us.
+f we 1ould rea1h that point$ )ay,e it
would pro"e easier ,eyond. +t is no
)ore than a furlong off$ +
guess.?
SThen let us for1e a path thither$ you
and +N? said 4ragorn.
4ragorn was the tallest of the
-o)pany$ ,ut Boro)ir$ little less in
height$ was ,roader and
hea"ier in ,uild. 2e led the way$ and
4ragorn followed hi). %lowly they
)o"ed off$ and were soon
toiling hea"ily. +n pla1es the snow
was ,reast#high$ and often Boro)ir
see)ed to ,1 swi))ing or
,urrowing with his great ar)s rather
than walking.
Legolas wat1hed the) for a while
with a s)ile upon his lips$ and then he
turned to the others.
SThe strongest )ust seek a way$ say
youM But + say: let a plough)an
plough$ ,ut 1hoose an otter for
swi))ing$ and for running light o"er
grass and leaf or o"er snow#an !lf.?
.ith that he sprang forth ni),ly$ and
then Frodo noti1ed as if for the first
ti)e$ though he had
long known it$ that the !lf had no
,oots$ ,ut wore only light shoes$ as he
always did$ and his feet
)ade little i)print in the snow.
?FarewellN? he said to /andalf. S+ go to
find the %unN? Then swift as a runner
o"er fir) sand he
shot away$ and Jui1kly o"ertaking the
toiling )en$ with a wa"e of his hand
he passed the)$ and
sped into the distan1e$ and "anished
round the ro1ky turn.
The others waited huddled together$
wat1hing until Boro)ir and 4ragorn
dwindled into ,la1k
spe1ks in the whiteness. 4t length
they too passed fro) sight. The ti)e
dragged on. The 1louds
lowered$ and now a few flakes of
snow 1a)e 1urling down again.
4n hour$ )ay,e$ went ,y$ though it
see)ed far longer$ and then at last
they saw Legolas 1o)ing
,a1k. 4t the sa)e ti)e Boro)ir and
4ragorn reappeared round the ,end
far ,ehind hi) and 1a)e
la,ouring up the slope.
S.ell$? 1ried Legolas as he ran up$ S+
ha"e not ,rought the %un. %he is
walking in the ,lue fields
of the %outh$ and a little wreath of
snow on this Redhorn hillo1k trou,les
her not at all. But + ha"e
,rought ,a1k a glea) of good hope
for those who are doo)ed to go on
feet. There is the greatest
wind#drift of all Kust ,eyond the turn$
and there our %trong (en were al)ost
,uried. They
despaired$ until + returned and told
the) that the drift was little wider
than a wall. 4nd on the other
side the snow suddenly grows less$
while further down it is no )ore than
a white 1o"erlet to 1ool a
ho,,it?s toes.?
S4h$ it is as + said$? growled /i)li. ?+t
was no ordinary stor). +t is the ill will
of -aradhras. 2e
does not lo"e !l"es and &war"es$ and
that drift was laid to 1ut off our
es1ape.?
?But happily your -aradhras has
forgotten that you ha"e (en with
you$? said Boro)ir$ who
1a)e up at that )o)ent. S4nd
doughty (en too$ if + )ay say itI
though lesser )en with spades
)ight ha"e ser"ed you ,etter. %till$
we ha"e thrust a lane through the
driftI and for that all here )ay
,e grateful who 1annot run as light as
!l"es.?
SBut how are we to get down there$
e"en if you ha"e 1ut through the
driftM? said Pippin$ "oi1ing
the thought of all the ho,,its.
?2a"e hopeN? said Boro)ir. ?+ a)
weary$ ,ut + still ha"e so)e strength
left$ and 4ragorn too. .e
will ,ear the little folk. The others no
dou,t will )ake shift to tread the path
,ehind us. -o)e$
(aster PeregrinN + will ,egin with
you.?
2e lifted up the ho,,it. ?-ling to )y
,a1kN + shall need )y ar)s? he said
and strode forward.
4ragorn with (erry 1a)e ,ehind.
Pippin )ar"elled at his strength$
seeing the passage that he had
already for1ed with no other tool than
his great li),s. !"en now$ ,urdened
as he was$ he was
widening the tra1k for those who
followed$ thrusting the snow aside as
he went.
They 1a)e at length to the great drift.
+t was flung a1ross the )ountain#path
like a sheer and
sudden wall$ and its 1rest$ sharp as if
shaped with kni"es$ reared up )ore
than twi1e the height of
Boro)irI ,ut through the )iddle a
passage had ,een ,eaten$ rising and
falling like a ,ridge. *n the
far side (erry and Pippin were set
down$ and there they waited with
Legolas for the rest of the
-o)pany to arri"e.
4fter a while Boro)ir returned
1arrying %a). Behind in the narrow
,ut now well#trodden tra1k
1a)e /andalf$ leading Bill with /i)li
per1hed a)ong the ,aggage. Last
1a)e 4ragorn 1arrying
Frodo. They passed through the laneI
,ut hardly had Frodo tou1hed the
ground when with a deep
ru),le there rolled down a fall of
stones and slithering snow. The spray
of it half ,linded the
-o)pany as they 1rou1hed against the
1liff$ and when the air 1leared again
they saw that the path
was ,lo1ked ,ehind the).
S!nough$ enoughN? 1ried /i)li. ?.e
are departing as Jui1kly as we )ayN?
4nd indeed with that
last stroke the )ali1e of the )ountain
see)ed to ,e e5pended$ as if
-aradhras was satisfied that the
in"aders had ,een ,eaten off and
would not dare to return. The threat of
snow liftedI the 1louds
,egan to ,reak and the light grew
,roader.
4s Legolas had reported$ they found
that the snow ,e1a)e steadily )ore
shallow as they went
down$ so that e"en the ho,,its 1ould
trudge along. %oon they all stood on1e
)ore on the flat shelf
at the head of the steep slope where
they had felt the first flakes of snow
the night ,efore.
The )orning was now far ad"an1ed.
Fro) the high pla1e they looked ,a1k
westwards o"er the
lower lands. Far away in the tu),le
of 1ountry that lay at the foot of the
)ountain was the dell
fro) whi1h they had started to 1li),
the pass.
Frodo?s legs a1hed. 2e was 1hilled to
the ,one and hungryI and his head
was di<<y as he thought
of the long and painful )ar1h
downhill. Bla1k spe1ks swa) ,efore
his eyes. 2e ru,,ed the)$ ,ut
the ,la1k spe1ks re)ained. +n the
distan1e ,elow hi)$ ,ut still high
a,o"e the lower foothills$ dark
dots were 1ir1ling in the air.
SThe ,irds againN? said 4ragorn$
pointing down.
?That 1annot ,e helped now$? said
/andalf. S.hether they are good or
e"il$ or ha"e nothing to do
with us at all$ we )ust go down at
on1e. 'ot e"en on the knees of
-aradhras will we wait for
another night#fallN?
4 1old wind flowed down ,ehind
the)$ as they turned their ,a1ks on
the Redhorn /ate$ and
stu),led wearily down the slope.
-aradhras had defeated the).
A-hapter 3A
4 Journey in the &ark
+t was e"ening$ and the grey light was
again waning fast$ when they halted
for the night. They
were "ery weary. The )ountains were
"eiled in deepening dusk$ and the
wind was 1old. /andalf
spared the) one )ore )outhful ea1h
of the )iru"or of Ri"endell. .hen
they had eaten so)e food
he 1alled a 1oun1il.
?.e 1annot$ of 1ourse$ go on again
tonight$? he said. SThe atta1k on the
Redhorn /ate has tired
us out$ and we )ust rest here for a
while.?
S4nd then where are we to goM ? asked
Frodo.
?.e still ha"e our Kourney and our
errand ,efore us$? answered /andalf.
S.e ha"e no 1hoi1e ,ut
to go on$ or to return to Ri"endell.?
Pippin?s fa1e ,rightened "isi,ly at the
)ere )ention of return to Ri"endellI
(erry and %a)
looked up hopefully. But 4ragorn and
Boro)ir )ade no sign. Frodo looked
trou,led.
S+ wish + was ,a1k there$? he said. SBut
how 1an + return without sha)e O
unless there is indeed
no other way$ and we are already
defeatedM ?
SGou are right$ Frodo$? said /andalf:
Sto go ,a1k is to ad)it defeat and fa1e
worse defeat to
1o)e. +f we go ,a1k now$ then the
Ring )ust re)ain there: we shall not
,e a,le to set out again.
Then sooner or later Ri"endell will ,e
,esieged$ and after a ,rief and ,itter
ti)e it will ,e
destroyed. The Ringwraiths are
deadly ene)ies$ ,ut they are only
shadows yet of the power and
terror they would possess if the
Ruling Ring was on their )aster?s
hand again.?
?Then we )ust go on$ if there is a
way$? said Frodo with a sigh. %a)
sank ,a1k into gloo).
SThere is a way that we )ay atte)pt$?
said /andalf. S+ thought fro) the
,eginning$ when first +
1onsidered this Kourney$ that we
should try it. But it is not a pleasant
way$ and + ha"e not spoken of
it to the -o)pany ,efore. 4ragorn
was against it$ until the pass o"er the
)ountains had at least
,een tried.?
S+f it is a worse road than the Redhorn
/ate$ then it )ust ,e e"il indeed$? said
(erry. SBut you
had ,etter tell us a,out it$ and let us
know the worst at on1e.?
?The road that + speak of leads to the
(ines of (oria$? said /andalf. *nly
/i)li lifted up his
headI a s)ouldering fire was in his
eyes. *n all the others a dread fell at
the )ention of that na)e.
!"en to the ho,,its it was a legend of
"ague fear:
SThe road )ay lead to (oria$ ,ut how
1an we hope that it will lead through
(oriaM ? said
4ragorn darkly.
S+t is a na)e of ill o)en$? said
Boro)ir. S'or do + see the need to go
there. +f we 1annot 1ross the
)ountains$ let us Kourney southwards$
until we 1o)e to the /ap of Rohan$
where )en are friendly
to )y people$ taking the road that +
followed on )y way hither. *r we
)ight pass ,y and 1ross the
+sen into Langstrand and Le,ennin$
and so 1o)e to /ondor fro) the
regions nigh to the sea.?
?Things ha"e 1hanged sin1e you 1a)e
north$ Boro)ir$? answered /andalf.
?&id you not hear
what + told you of %aru)anM .ith
hi) + )ay ha"e ,usiness of )y own
ere all is o"er. But the Ring
)ust not 1o)e near +sengard$ if that
1an ,y any )eans ,e pre"ented. The
/ap of Rohan is 1losed to
us while we go with the Bearer.
?4s for the longer road: we 1annot
afford the ti)e. .e )ight spend a
year in su1h a Kourney$ and
we should pass through )any lands
that are e)pty and har,ourless. Get
they would not ,e safe.
The wat1hful eyes ,oth of %aru)an
and of the !ne)y are on the). .hen
you 1a)e north$
Boro)ir$ you were in the !ne)y?s
eyes only one stray wanderer fro) the
%outh and a )atter of
s)all 1on1ern to hi): his )ind was
,usy with the pursuit of the Ring. But
you return now as a
)e),er of the Ring?s -o)pany$ and
you are in peril as long as you re)ain
with us. The danger will
in1rease with e"ery league that we go
south under the naked sky.
S%in1e our open atte)pt on the
)ountain#pass our plight has ,e1o)e
)ore desperate$ + fear. +
see now little hope$ if we do not soon
"anish fro) sight for a while$ and
1o"er our trail. Therefore +
ad"ise that we should go neither o"er
the )ountains$ nor round the)$ ,ut
under the). That is a
road at any rate that the !ne)y will
least e5pe1t us to take.?
S.e do not know what he e5pe1ts$?
said Boro)ir. S2e )ay wat1h all
roads$ likely and unlikely.
+n that 1ase to enter (oria would ,e
to walk into a trap$ hardly ,etter than
kno1king at the gates of
the &ark Tower itself. The na)e of
(oria is ,la1k.?
SGou speak of what you do not know$
when you liken (oria to the
stronghold of %auron$?
answered /andalf. S+ alone of you
ha"e e"er ,een in the dungeons of the
&ark Lord$ and only in his
older and lesser dwelling in &ol
/uldur. Those who pass the gates of
Barad#d=r do not return. But +
would not lead you into (oria if there
were no hope of 1o)ing out again. +f
there are *r1s there$ it
)ay pro"e ill for us$ that is true. But
)ost of the *r1s of the (isty
(ountains were s1attered or
destroyed in the Battle of Fi"e
4r)ies. The !agles report that *r1s
are gathering again fro) afarI
,ut there is a hope that (oria is still
free.
SThere is e"en a 1han1e that &war"es
are there$ and that in so)e deep hall
of his fathers$ Balin
son of Fundin )ay ,e found.
2owe"er it )ay pro"e$ one )ust tread
the path that need 1hoosesN?
?+ will tread the path with you$
/andalfN ? said /i)li. ?+ will go and
look on the halls of &urin$
whate"er )ay wait there#if you 1an
find the doors that are shut.?
?/ood$ /i)liN ? said /andalf. SGou
en1ourage )e. .e will seek the
hidden doors together. 4nd
we will 1o)e through. +n the ruins of
the &war"es$ a dwarf?s head will ,e
less easy to ,ewilder than
!l"es or (en or 2o,,its. Get it will
not ,e the first ti)e that + ha"e ,een
to (oria. + sought there
long for ThrTin son of Thr>r after he
was lost. + passed through$ and + 1a)e
out again ali"eN ?
S+ too on1e passed the &i)rill /ate$?
said 4ragorn JuietlyI ?,ut though +
also 1a)e out again$ the
)e)ory is "ery e"il. + do not wish to
enter (oria a se1ond ti)e.?
?4nd + don?t wish to enter it e"en
on1e$? said Pippin.
?'or )e$? )uttered %a).
S*f 1ourse notN ? said /andalf. ?.ho
wouldM But the Juestion is: who will
follow )e$ if + lead
you thereM ?
?+ will$? said /i)li eagerly.
?+ will$? said 4ragorn hea"ily. SGou
followed )y lead al)ost to disaster in
the snow$ and ha"e
said no word of ,la)e. + will follow
your lead now O if this last warning
does not )o"e you. +t is
not of the Ring$ nor of us others that +
a) thinking now$ ,ut of you$ /andalf.
4nd + say to you: if
you pass the doors of (oria$ ,ewareN ?
S+ will AnotA go$? said Boro)irI ?not
unless the "ote of the whole 1o)pany
is against )e. .hat
do Legolas and the little folk sayM The
Ring#,earer?s "oi1e surely should ,e
heardM ?
?+ do not wish to go to (oria$? said
Legolas.
The ho,,its said nothing. %a) looked
at Frodo. 4t last Frodo spoke. S+ do
not wish to go$? he
saidI S,ut neither do + wish to refuse
the ad"i1e of /andalf. + ,eg that there
should ,e no "ote$ until
we ha"e slept on it. /andalf will get
"otes easier in the light of the
)orning than in this 1old gloo).
2ow the wind howlsN ?
4t these words all fell into silent
thought. They heard the wind hissing
a)ong the ro1ks and
trees$ and there was a howling and
wailing round the) in the e)pty
spa1es of the night.
%uddenly 4ragorn leapt to his feet.
?2ow the wind howlsN ? he 1ried. ?+t is
howling with wolf"oi1es.
The .args ha"e 1o)e west of the
(ountainsN ?
?'eed we wait until )orning thenM ?
said /andalf. S+t is as + said. The hunt
is upN !"en if we li"e
to see the dawn$ who now will wish to
Kourney south ,y night with the wild
wol"es on his trailM ?
?2ow far is (oriaM ? asked Boro)ir.
SThere was a door south#west of
-aradhras$ so)e fifteen )iles as the
1row flies$ and )ay,e
twenty as the wolf runs$? answered
/andalf gri)ly.
?Then let us start as soon as it is light
to)orrow$ if we 1an$? said Boro)ir.
?The wolf that one
hears is worse than the or1 that one
fears.?
STrueN? said 4ragorn$ loosening his
sword in its sheath. SBut where the
warg howls$ there also
the or1 prowls.?
S+ wish + had taken !lrond?s ad"i1e$?
)uttered Pippin to %a). S+ a) no
good after all. There is
not enough of the ,reed of Bando,ras
the Bullroarer in )e: these howls
free<e )y ,lood. + don?t
e"er re)e),er feeling so wret1hed.?
?(y heart?s right down in )y toes$ (r.
Pippin$? said %a). ?But we aren?t etten
yet$ and there are
so)e stout folk here with us.
.hate"er )ay ,e in store for old
/andalf$ +?ll wager it isn?t a wolf?s
,elly.?
For their defen1e in the night the
-o)pany 1li),ed to the top of the
s)all hill under whi1h they
had ,een sheltering. it was 1rowned
with a knot of old and twisted trees$
a,out whi1h lay a ,roken
1ir1le of ,oulder stones. +n the )idst
of this they lit a fire$ for there was no
hope that darkness and
silen1e would keep their trail fro)
dis1o"ery ,y the hunting pa1ks.
Round the fire they sat$ and those that
were not on guard do<ed uneasily.
Poor Bill the pony
tre),led and sweated where he stood.
The howling of the wol"es was now
all round the)$
so)eti)es nearer and so)eti)es
further off. +n the dead of the night
)any shining eyes were seen
peering o"er the ,row of the hill.
%o)e ad"an1ed al)ost to the ring of
stones. 4t a gap in the 1ir1le
a great dark wolf#shape 1ould ,e seen
halted$ ga<ing at the). 4 shuddering
howl ,roke fro) hi)$
as if he were a 1aptain su))oning his
pa1k to the assault.
/andalf stood up and strode forward$
holding his staff aloft. ?Listen$ 2ound
of %auronN ? he
1ried. S/andalf is here. Fly$ if you
"alue your foul skinN + will shri"el
you fro) tail to snout$ if you
1o)e within this ring.?
The wolf snarled and sprang towards
the) with a great leap. 4t that
)o)ent there was a sharp
twang. Legolas had loosed his ,ow.
There was a hideous yell$ and the
leaping shape thudded to the
groundI the el"ish arrow had pier1ed
its throat. The wat1hing eyes were
suddenly e5tinguished.
/andalf and 4ragorn strode forward$
,ut the hill was desertedI the hunting
pa1ks had fled. 4ll
a,out the) the darkness grew silent$
and no 1ry 1a)e on the sighing wind.
The night was old$ and westward the
waning )oon was setting. glea)ing
fitfully through the
,reaking 1louds. %uddenly Frodo
started fro) sleep. .ithout warning a
stor) of howls ,roke out
fier1e and wild all a,out the 1a)p. 4
great host of .args had gathered
silently and was now
atta1king the) fro) e"ery side at
on1e.
SFling fuel on the fireN? 1ried /andalf
to the ho,,its. S&raw your ,lades$ and
stand ,a1k to ,a1kN?
+n the leaping light$ as the fresh wood
,la<ed up$ Frodo saw )any grey
shapes spring o"er the
ring of stones. (ore and )ore
followed. Through the throat of one
huge leader 4ragorn passed his
sword with a thrustI with a great
sweep Boro)ir hewed the head off
another. Beside the) /i)li
stood with his stout legs apart$
wielding his dwarf#a5e. The ,ow of
Legolas was singing.
+n the wa"ering firelight /andalf
see)ed suddenly to grow: he rose up$
a great )ena1ing shape
like the )onu)ent of so)e an1ient
king of stone set upon a hill. %tooping
like a 1loud$ he lifted a
,urning ,ran1h and strode to )eet the
wol"es. They ga"e ,a1k ,efore hi).
2igh in the air he tossed
the ,la<ing ,rand. +t flared with a
sudden white radian1e like lightningI
and his "oi1e rolled like
thunder.
SA'aur an edraith a))enN 'aur dan i
ngaurhothNA? he 1ried.
There was a roar and a 1ra1kle$ and
the tree a,o"e hi) ,urst into a leaf
and ,loo) of ,linding
fla)e. The fire leapt fro) tree#top to
tree#top. The whole hill was 1rowned
with da<<ling light. The
swords and kni"es of the defenders
shone and fli1kered. The last arrow of
Legolas kindled in the air
as it flew$ and plunged ,urning into
the heart of a great wolf#1hieftain. 4ll
the others fled.
%lowly the fire died till nothing was
left ,ut falling ash and sparksI a ,itter
s)oke 1urled a,o"e
the ,urned tree#stu)ps$ and ,lew
darkly fro) the hill$ as the first light
of dawn 1a)e di)ly in the
sky. Their ene)ies were routed and
did not return.
S.hat did + tell you$ (r. PippinM ?
said %a)$ sheZthing his sword.
S.ol"es won?t get hi). That
was an eye#opener$ and no )istakeN
'early singed the hair off )y headN?
.hen the full light of the )orning
1a)e no signs of the wol"es were to
,e found$ and they
looked in "ain for the ,odies of the
dead. 'o tra1e of the fight re)ained
,ut the 1harred trees and
the arrows of Legolas lying on the
hill#top. 4ll were unda)aged sa"e
one of whi1h only the point
was left.
S+t is as + feared$? said /andalf. SThese
were no ordinary wol"es hunting for
food in the
wilderness. Let us eat Jui1kly and goN?
That day the weather 1hanged again$
al)ost as if it was at the 1o))and of
so)e power that had
no longer any use for snow$ sin1e they
had retreated fro) the pass$ a power
that wished now to
ha"e a 1lear light in whi1h things that
)o"ed in the wild 1ould ,e seen fro)
far away. The wind
had ,een turning through north to
north#west during the night$ and now
it failed. The 1louds
"anished southwards and the sky was
opened$ high and ,lue. 4s they stood
upon the hill#side$
ready to depart$ a pale sunlight
glea)ed o"er the )ountain#tops.
S.e )ust rea1h the doors ,efore
sunset$? said /andalf$ ?or + fear we
shall not rea1h the) at all. +t
is not far$ ,ut our path )ay ,e
winding$ for here 4ragorn 1annot
guide usI he has seldo) walked in
this 1ountry$ and only on1e ha"e +
,een under the west wall of (oria$
and that was long ago.
SThere it lies$? he said$ pointing away
south#eastwards to where the
)ountains? sides fell sheer
into the shadows at their feet. +n the
distan1e 1ould ,e di)ly seen a line of
,are 1liffs$ and in their
)idst$ taller than the rest$ one great
grey wall. S.hen we left the pass +
led you southwards$ and not
,a1k to our starting point$ as so)e of
you )ay ha"e noti1ed. +t is well that +
did so$ for now we
ha"e se"eral )iles less to 1ross$ and
haste is needed. Let us goN ?
S+ do not know whi1h to hope$? said
Boro)ir gri)ly: Sthat /andalf will
find what he seeks$ or
that 1o)ing to the 1liff we shall find
the gates lost for e"er. 4ll 1hoi1es
see) ill$ and to ,e 1aught
,etween wol"es and the wall the
likeliest 1han1e. Lead onN?
/i)li now walked ahead ,y the
wi<ard?s side$ so eager was he to 1o)e
to (oria. Together they
led the -o)pany ,a1k towards the
)ountains. The only road of old to
(oria fro) the west had lain
along the 1ourse of a strea)$ the
%irannon$ that ran out fro) the feet of
the 1liffs near where the
doors had stood. But either /andalf
was astray$ or else the land had
1hanged in re1ent yearsI for he
did not strike the strea) where he
looked to find it$ only a few )iles
southwards fro) their start.
The )orning was passing towards
noon$ and still the -o)pany
wandered and s1ra),led in a
,arren 1ountry of red stones. 'owhere
1ould they see any glea) of water or
hear any sound of it.
4ll was ,leak and dry. Their hearts
sank. They saw no li"ing thing$ and
not a ,ird was in the skyI
,ut what the night would ,ring$ if it
1aught the) in that lost land$ none of
the) 1ared to think.
%uddenly /i)li$ who had pressed on
ahead$ 1alled ,a1k to the). 2e was
standing on a knoll and
pointing to the right. 2urrying up they
saw ,elow the) a deep and narrow
1hannel. +t was e)pty
and silent$ and hardly a tri1kle of
water flowed a)ong the ,rown and
red#stained stones of its ,edI
,ut on the near side there was a path$
)u1h ,roken and de1ayed$ that
wound its way a)ong the
ruined walls and pa"ing#stones of an
an1ient highroad.
?4hN 2ere it is at lastN ? said /andalf.
SThis is where the strea) ran:
%irannon$ the /ate#strea)$
they used to 1all it. But what has
happened to the water$ + 1annot guessI
it used to ,e swift and
noisy. -o)eN .e )ust hurry on. .e
are late.?
The -o)pany were footsore and
tiredI ,ut they trudged doggedly along
the rough and winding
tra1k for )any )iles. The sun turned
fro) the noon and ,egan to go west.
4fter a ,rief halt and a
hasty )eal they went on again. Before
the) the )ountains frowned$ ,ut their
path lay in a deep
trough of land and they 1ould see only
the higher shoulders and the far
eastward peaks.
4t length they 1a)e to a sharp ,end.
There the road$ whi1h had ,een
"eering southwards
,etween the ,rink of the 1hannel and
a steep fall of the land to the left$
turned and went due east
again. Rounding the 1orner they saw
,efore the) a low 1liff$ so)e fi"e
fatho)s high$ with a ,roken
and Kagged top. *"er it a tri1kling
water dripped$ through a wide 1left
that see)ed to ha"e ,een
1ar"ed out ,y a fall that had on1e
,een strong and full.
S+ndeed things ha"e 1hangedN ? said
/andalf. SBut there is no )istaking
the pla1e. There is all
that re)ains of the %tair Falls. +f +
re)e),er right$ there was a flight of
steps 1ut in the ro1k at their
side$ ,ut the )ain road wound away
left and 1li),ed with se"eral loops up
to the le"el ground at
the top. There used to ,e a shallow
"alley ,eyond the falls right up to the
.alls of (oria$ and the
%irannon flowed through it with the
road ,eside it. Let us go and see what
things are like nowN ?
They found the stone steps without
diffi1ulty$ and /i)li sprang swiftly
up the)$ followed ,y
/andalf and Frodo. .hen they
rea1hed the top they saw that they
1ould go no further that way$ and
the reason for the drying up of the
/ate#strea) was re"ealed. Behind
the) the sinking %un filled
the 1ool western sky with gli))ering
gold. Before the) stret1hed a dark
still lake. 'either sky nor
sunset was refle1ted on its sullen
surfa1e. The %irannon had ,een
da))ed and had filled all the
"alley. Beyond the o)inous water
were reared "ast 1liffs$ their stern
fa1es pallid in the fading light:
final and i)passa,le. 'o sign of gate
or entran1e$ not a fissure or 1ra1k
1ould Frodo see in the
frowning stone.
SThere are the .alls of (oria$? said
/andalf$ pointing a1ross the water.
S4nd there the /ate
stood on1e upon a ti)e$ the !l"en
&oor at the end of the road fro)
2ollin ,y whi1h we ha"e 1o)e.
But this way is ,lo1ked. 'one of the
-o)pany$ + guess$ will wish to swi)
this gloo)y water at the
end of the day. +t has an unwholeso)e
look.?
S.e )ust find a way round the
northern edge$? said /i)li. SThe first
thing for the -o)pany to
do is to 1li), up ,y the )ain path and
see where that will lead us. !"en if
there were no lake$ we
1ould not get our ,aggage#pony up
this stair.?
SBut in any 1ase we 1annot take the
poor ,east into the (ines$? said
/andalf. SThe road under
the )ountains is a dark road$ and
there are pla1es narrow and steep
whi1h he 1annot tread$ e"en if
we 1an.?
SPoor old BillN ? said Frodo. S+ had not
thought of that. 4nd poor %a)N +
wonder what he will
sayM ?
S+ a) sorry$? said /andalf. SPoor Bill
has ,een a useful 1o)panion and it
goes to )y heart to turn
hi) adrift now. + would ha"e tra"elled
lighter and ,rought no ani)al$ least of
all this one that %a)
is fond of$ if + had had )y way. +
feared all along that we should ,e
o,liged to take this road.?
The day was drawing to its end$ and
1old stars were glinting in the sky
high a,o"e the sunset$
when the -o)pany$ with all the speed
they 1ould$ 1li),ed up the slopes and
rea1hed the side of the
lake. +n ,readth it looked to ,e no
)ore than two or three furlongs at the
widest point. 2ow far it
stret1hed away southward they 1ould
not see in the failing lightI ,ut its
northern end was no )ore
than half a )ile fro) where they
stood$ and ,etween the stony ridges
that en1losed the "alley and
the water?s edge there was a ri) of
open ground. They hurried forward$
for they had still a )ile or
two to go ,efore they 1ould rea1h the
point on the far shore that /andalf
was )aking forI and then
he had still to find the doors.
.hen they 1a)e to the northern)ost
1orner of the lake they found a narrow
1reek that ,arred
their way. +t was green and stagnant$
thrust out like a sli)y ar) towards the
en1losing hills. /i)li
strode forward undeterred$ and found
that the water was shallow$ no )ore
than ankle#deep at the
edge. Behind hi) they walked in file$
threading their way with 1are$ for
under the weedy pools
were sliding and greasy stones$ and
footing was trea1herous. Frodo
shuddered with disgust at the
tou1h of the dark un1lean water on his
feet.
4s %a)$ the last of the -o)pany$ led
Bill up on to the dry ground on the far
side$ there 1a)e a
soft sound: a swish$ followed ,y a
plop$ as if a fish had distur,ed the still
surfa1e of the water.
Turning Jui1kly they saw ripples$
,la1k#edged with shadow in the
waning light: great rings were
widening outwards fro) a point far
out in the lake. There was a ,u,,ling
noise$ and then silen1e.
The dusk deepened$ and the last
glea)s of the sunset were "eiled in
1loud.
/andalf now pressed on at a great
pa1e$ and the others followed as
Jui1kly as they 1ould. They
rea1hed the strip of dry land ,etween
the lake and the 1liffs: it was narrow$
often hardly a do<en
yards a1ross$ and en1u),ered with
fallen ro1k and stonesI ,ut they found
a way$ hugging the 1liff$
and keeping as far fro) the dark
water as they )ight. 4 )ile
southwards along the shore they 1a)e
upon holly trees. %tu)ps and dead
,oughs were rotting in the shallows$
the re)ains it see)ed of
old thi1kets$ or of a hedge that had
on1e lined the road a1ross the
drowned "alley. But 1lose under
the 1liff there stood$ still strong and
li"ing$ . two tall trees$ larger than any
trees of holly that Frodo
had e"er seen or i)agined. Their great
roots spread fro) the wall to the
water. 0nder the loo)ing
1liffs they had looked like )ere
,ushes$ when seen far off fro) the top
of the %tairI ,ut now they
towered o"erhead$ stiff$ dark$ and
silent$ throwing deep night#shadows
a,out their feet$ standing
like sentinel pillars at the end of the
road.
S.ell$ here we are at lastN ? said
/andalf. ?2ere the !l"en#way fro)
2ollin ended. 2olly was the
token of the people of that land$ and
they planted it here to )ark the end of
their do)ainI for the
.est#door was )ade 1hiefly for their
use in their traffi1 with the Lords of
(oria. Those were
happier days$ when there was still
1lose friendship at ti)es ,etween folk
of different ra1e$ e"en
,etween &war"es and !l"es.?
?+t was not the fault of the &war"es
that the friendship waned$? said /i)li.
?+ ha"e not heard that it was the fault
of the !l"es$? said Legolas.
?+ ha"e heard ,oth$? said /andalfI ?and
+ will not gi"e Kudge)ent now. But +
,eg you two$
Legolas and /i)li$ at least to ,e
friends$ and to help )e. + need you
,oth. The doors are shut and
hidden$ and the sooner we find the)
the ,etter. 'ight is at handN ?
Turning to the others he said: ?.hile +
a) sear1hing$ will you ea1h )ake
ready to enter the
(inesM For here + fear we )ust say
farewell to our good ,east of ,urden.
Gou )ust lay aside )u1h
of the stuff that we ,rought against
,itter weather: you will not need it
inside$ nor$ + hope$ when we
1o)e through and Kourney on down
into the %outh. +nstead ea1h of us
)ust take a share of what the
pony 1arried$ espe1ially the food and
the water#skins.?
?But you 1an?t lea"e poor old Bill
,ehind in this forsaken pla1e$ (r.
/andalfN ? 1ried %a)$ angry
and distressed. S+ won?t ha"e it$ and
that?s flat. 4fter he has 1o)e so far
and allN ?
?+ a) sorry$ %a)$? said the wi<ard.
SBut when the &oor opens + do not
think you will ,e a,le to
drag your Bill inside$ into the long
dark of (oria. Gou will ha"e to
1hoose ,etween Bill and your
)aster.?
?2e?d follow (r. Frodo into a dragon?s
den$ if + led hi)$? protested %a). S+t?d
,e nothing short of
)urder to turn hi) loose with all
these wol"es a,out.?
?+t will ,e short of )urder$ + hope$?
said /andalf. 2e laid his hand on the
pony?s head$ and spoke
in a low "oi1e. S/o with words of
guard and guiding on you$? he said.
SGou are a wise ,east$ and
ha"e learned )u1h in Ri"endell.
(ake your ways to pla1es where you
1an find grass$ and so 1o)e
in ti)e to !lrond?s house$ or where"er
you wish to go.
SThere$ %a)N 2e will ha"e Juite as
)u1h 1han1e of es1aping wol"es and
getting ho)e as we
ha"e.?
%a) stood sullenly ,y the pony and
returned no answer. Bill$ see)ing to
understand well what
was going on$ nu<<led up to hi)$
putting his nose to %a)?s ear. %a)
,urst into tears$ and fu),led
with the straps$ unlading all the pony?s
pa1ks and throwing the) on the
ground. The others sorted
out the goods$ )aking a pile of all that
1ould ,e left ,ehind$ and di"iding up
the rest.
.hen this was done they turned to
wat1h /andalf. 2e appeared to ha"e
done nothing. 2e was
standing ,etween the two trees ga<ing
at the ,lank wall of the 1liff$ as if he
would ,ore a hole into
it with his eyes. /i)li was wandering
a,out$ tapping the stone here and
there with his a5e. Legolas
was pressed against the ro1k$ as if
listening.
?.ell$ here we are and all ready$? said
(erryI S,ut where are the &oorsM +
1an?t see any sign of
the).?
?&warf#doors are not )ade to ,e seen
when shut$? said /i)li. SThey are
in"isi,le$ and their own
)asters 1annot find the) or open
the)$ if their se1ret is forgotten.?
?But this &oor was not )ade to ,e a
se1ret known only to &war"es$? said
/andalf$ 1o)ing
suddenly to life and turning round.
S0nless things are altogether 1hanged$
eyes that know what to
look for )ay dis1o"er the signs.?
2e walked forward to the wall. Right
,etween the shadow of the trees there
was a s)ooth spa1e$
and o"er this he passed his hands to
and fro$ )uttering words under his
,reath. Then he stepped
,a1k.
?LookN? he said. S-an you see anything
nowM?
The (oon now shone upon the grey
fa1e of the ro1kI ,ut they 1ould see
nothing else for a while.
Then slowly on the surfa1e$ where the
wi<ard?s hands had passed$ faint lines
appeared$ like slender
"eins of sil"er running in the stone. 4t
first they were no )ore than pale
gossa)er#threads$ so fine
that they only twinkled fitfully where
the (oon 1aught the)$ ,ut steadily
they grew ,roader and
1learer$ until their design 1ould ,e
guessed.
4t the top$ as high as /andalf 1ould
rea1h$ was an ar1h of interla1ing
letters in an !l"ish
1hara1ter. Below$ though the threads
were in pla1es ,lurred or ,roken$ the
outline 1ould ,e seen of
an an"il and a ha))er sur)ounted ,y
a 1rown with se"en stars. Beneath
these again were two
trees$ ea1h ,earing 1res1ent )oons.
(ore 1learly than all else there shone
forth in the )iddle of the
door a single star with )any rays.
SThere are the e),le)s of &urinN?
1ried /i)li.
S4nd there is the Tree of the 2igh
!l"esN? said Legolas.
S4nd the %tar of the 2ouse of FWanor$?
said /andalf. SThey are wrought of
AithildinA that )irrors
only starlight and )oonlight$ and
sleeps until it is tou1hed ,y one who
speaks words now long
forgotten in (iddle#earth. +t is long
sin1e + heard the)$ and + thought
deeply ,efore + 1ould re1all
the) to )y )ind.?
?.hat does the writing sayM? asked
Frodo$ who was trying to de1ipher the
ins1ription on the ar1h.
?+ thought + knew the elf#letters ,ut +
1annot read these.?
SThe words are in the el"en#tongue of
the .est of (iddle#earth in the !lder
&ays$? answered
/andalf. ?But they do not say anything
of i)portan1e to us. They say only:
AThe &oors of &urin$
Lord of (oria. %peak$ friend$ and
enterA. 4nd underneath s)all and
faint is written: A+$ 'ar"i$
)ade the). -ele,ri),or of 2ollin
drew these signs.A?
S.hat does it )ean ,y Aspeak$ friend$
and enterAM? asked (erry.
?That is plain enough$? said /i)li. S+f
you are a friend$ speak the password$
and the doors will
open$ and you 1an enter.?
?Ges$? said /andalf$ ?these doors are
pro,a,ly go"erned ,y words. %o)e
dwarf#gates will open
only at spe1ial ti)es$ or for parti1ular
personsI and so)e ha"e lo1ks and
keys that are still needed
when all ne1essary ti)es and words
are known. These doors ha"e no key.
+n the days of &urin they
were not se1ret. They usually stood
open and doorwards sat here. But if
they were shut$ any who
knew the opening word 1ould speak it
and pass in. 4t least so it is re1orded$
is it not$ /i)liM ?
?+t is$? said the dwarf. SBut what the
word was is not re)e),ered. 'ar"i
and his 1raft and all his
kindred ha"e "anished fro) the earth.?
?But do not AyouA know the word$
/andalfM ? asked Boro)ir in surprise.
S'oN ? said the wi<ard.
The others looked dis)ayedI only
4ragorn$ who knew /andalf well$
re)ained silent and
un)o"ed.
?Then what was the use of ,ringing us
to this a11ursed spotM? 1ried Boro)ir$
glan1ing ,a1k with
a shudder at the dark water. SGou told
us that you had on1e passed through
the (ines. 2ow 1ould
that ,e$ if you did not know how to
enterM ?
SThe answer to your first Juestion$
Boro)ir$? said the wi<ard$ Sis that + do
not know the wordyet.
But we shall soon see. 4nd$? he added$
with a glint in his eyes under their
,ristling ,rows$ ?you
)ay ask what is the use of )y deeds
when they are pro"ed useless. 4s for
your other Juestion: do
you dou,t )y taleM *r ha"e you no
wits leftM + did not enter this way. +
1a)e fro) the !ast.
S+f you wish to know$ + will tell you
that these doors open outwards. Fro)
the inside you )ay
thrust the) open with your hands.
Fro) the outside nothing will )o"e
the) sa"e the spell of
1o))and. They 1annot ,e for1ed
inwards.?
S.hat are you going to do thenM ?
asked Pippin$ undaunted ,y the
wi<ard?s ,ristling ,rows.
Sno1k on the doors with your head$
Peregrin Took$? said /andalf. SBut if
that does not shatter
the)$ and + a) allowed a little pea1e
fro) foolish Juestions$ + will seek for
the opening words.
S+ on1e knew e"ery spell in all the
tongues of !l"es or (en or *r1s that
was e"er used for su1h a
purpose. + 1an still re)e),er ten
s1ore of the) without sear1hing in )y
)ind. But only a few
trials$ + think$ will ,e neededI and +
shall not ha"e to 1all on /i)li for
words of the se1ret dwarftongue
that they tea1h to none. The opening
words were !l"ish$ like the writing on
the ar1h: that
see)s 1ertain.?
2e stepped up to the ro1k again$ and
lightly tou1hed with his staff the
sil"er star in the )iddle
,eneath the sign of the an"il.
4nnon edhellen$ edro hi a))enN
Fennas nogothri)$ lasto ,eth la))enN
he said in a 1o))anding "oi1e. The
sil"er lines faded$ ,ut the ,lank grey
stone did not stir.
(any ti)es he repeated these words
in different order$ or "aried the).
Then he tried other
spells. one after another$ speaking
now faster and louder$ now soft and
slow. Then he spoke )any
single words of !l"ish spee1h.
'othing happened. The 1liff towered
into the night$ the 1ountless
stars were kindled$ the wind ,lew
1old$ and the doors stood fast.
4gain /andalf approa1hed the wall$
and lifting up his ar)s he spoke in
tones of 1o))and and
rising wrath. A!dro$ edroNA he 1ried$
and stru1k the ro1k with his staff.
A*pen$ openNA he shouted$
and followed it with the sa)e
1o))and in e"ery language that had
e"er ,een spoken in the .est of
(iddle#earth. Then he threw his staff
on the ground$ and sat down in
silen1e.
4t that )o)ent fro) far off the wind
,ore to their listening ears the
howling of wol"es. Bill the
pony started in fear$ and %a) sprang
to his side and whispered softly to
hi).
?&o not let hi) run awayN ? said
Boro)ir. ?+t see)s that we shall need
hi) still$ if the wol"es do
not find us. 2ow + hate this foul poolN
? 2e stooped and pi1king up a large
stone he 1ast it far into
the dark water.
The stone "anished with a soft slapI
,ut at the sa)e instant there was a
swish and a ,u,,le.
/reat rippling rings for)ed on the
surfa1e out ,eyond where the stone
had fallen$ and they )o"ed
slowly towards the foot of the 1liff.
?.hy did you do that$ Boro)irM ? said
Frodo. S+ hate this pla1e$ too$ and + a)
afraid. + don?t know
of what: not of wol"es$ or the dark
,ehind the doors$ ,ut of so)ething
else. + a) afraid of the pool.
&on?t distur, itN ?
?l wish we 1ould get awayN ? said
(erry.
?.hy doesn?t /andalf do so)ething
Jui1kM ? said Pippin.
/andalf took no noti1e of the). 2e
sat with his head ,owed$ either in
despair or in an5ious
thought. The )ournful howling of the
wol"es was heard again. The ripples
on the water grew and
1a)e 1loserI so)e were already
lapping on the shore.
.ith a suddenness that startled the)
all the wi<ard sprang to his feet. 2e
was laughingN S+ ha"e
itN ? he 1ried. ?*f 1ourse$ of 1ourseN
4,surdly si)ple$ like )ost riddles
when you see the answer.?
Pi1king up his staff he stood ,efore
the ro1k and said in a 1lear "oi1e:
A(ellonNA
The star shone out ,riefly and faded
again. Then silently a great doorway
was outlined$ though
not a 1ra1k or Koint had ,een "isi,le
,efore. %lowly it di"ided in the
)iddle and swung outwards
in1h ,y in1h$ until ,oth doors lay ,a1k
against the wall. Through the opening
a shadowy stair 1ould
,e seen 1li),ing steeply upI ,ut
,eyond the lower steps the darkness
was deeper than the night.
The -o)pany stared in wonder.
S+ was wrong after all$? said /andalf$
?and /i)li too. (erry$ of all people$
was on the right tra1k.
The opening word was ins1ri,ed on
the ar1hway all the ti)eN The
translation should ha"e ,een:
A%ay LFriendL and enter.A + had only
to speak the !l"ish word for AfriendA
and the doors opened.
Puite si)ple. Too si)ple for a
learned lore#)aster in these
suspi1ious days. Those were happier
ti)es. 'ow let us goN?
2e strode forward and set his foot on
the lowest step. But at that )o)ent
se"eral things
happened. Frodo felt so)ething sei<e
hi) ,y the ankle$ and he fell with a
1ry. Bill the pony ga"e a
wild neigh of fear$ and turned tail and
dashed away along the lakeside into
the darkness. %a)
leaped after hi)$ and then hearing
Frodo?s 1ry he ran ,a1k again$
weeping and 1ursing. The others
swung round and saw the waters of
the lake seething$ as if a host of
snakes were swi))ing up fro)
the southern end.
*ut fro) the water a long sinuous
tenta1le had 1rawledI it was pale#
green and lu)inous and
wet. +ts fingered end had hold of
Frodo?s foot and was dragging hi)
into the water. %a) on his
knees was now slashing at it with a
knife.
The ar) let go of Frodo$ and %a)
pulled hi) away$ 1rying out for help.
Twenty others ar)s
1a)e rippling out. The dark water
,oiled$ and there was a hideous
sten1h.
S+nto the gatewayN 0p the stairsN
Pui1kN ? shouted /andalf leaping
,a1k. Rousing the) fro) the
horror that see)ed to ha"e rooted all
,ut %a) to the ground where they
stood$ he dro"e the)
forward.
They were Kust in ti)e. %a) and
Frodo were only a few steps up$ and
/andalf had Kust ,egun to
1li),$ when the groping tenta1les
writhed a1ross the narrow shore and
fingered the 1liff#wall and
the doors. *ne 1a)e wriggling o"er
the threshold$ glistening in the
starlight. /andalf turned and
paused. +f he was 1onsidering what
word would 1lose the gate again fro)
within$ there was no
need. (any 1oiling ar)s sei<ed the
doors on either side$ and with horri,le
strength$ swung the)
round. .ith a shattering e1ho they
sla))ed$ and all light was lost. 4
noise of rending and 1rashing
1a)e dully through the ponderous
stone.
%a)$ 1linging to Frodo?s ar)$
1ollapsed on a step in the ,la1k
darkness. SPoor old BillN ? he said
in a 1hoking "oi1e. SPoor old BillN
.ol"es and snakesN But the snakes
were too )u1h for hi). + had
to 1hoose$ (r. Frodo. + had to 1o)e
with you.?
They heard /andalf go ,a1k down the
steps and thrust his staff against the
doors. There was a
Jui"er in the stone and the stairs
tre),led$ .,ut the doors did not open.
S.ell$ wellN ? said the
wi<ard. SThe passage is ,lo1ked
,ehind us now and there is only one
way outOon the other side of
the )ountains. + fear fro) the sounds
that ,oulders ha"e ,een piled up$ and
the trees uprooted and
thrown a1ross the gate. + a) sorryI for
the trees were ,eautiful$ and had stood
so long.?
S+ felt that so)ething horri,le was
near fro) the )o)ent that )y foot
first tou1hed the water$?
said Frodo. ?.hat was the thing$ or
were there )any of the)M ?
?+ do not know$? answered /andalf$
?,ut the ar)s were all guided ,y one
purpose. %o)ething has
1rept$ or has ,een dri"en out of dark
waters under the )ountains. There are
older and fouler things
than *r1s in the deep pla1es of the
world.? 2e did not speak aloud his
thought that whate"er it was
that dwelt in the lake$ it had sei<ed on
Frodo first a)ong all the -o)pany.
Boro)ir )uttered under his ,reath$
,ut the e1hoing stone )agnified the
sound to a hoarse
whisper that all 1ould hear: S+n the
deep pla1es of the worldN 4nd thither
we are going against )y
wish. .ho will lead us now in this
deadly darkM ?
?+ will$? said /andalf$ ?and /i)li shall
walk with )e. Follow )y staffN ?
4s the wi<ard passed on ahead up the
great steps$ he held his staff aloft$ and
fro) its tip there
1a)e a faint radian1e. The wide
stairway was sound and unda)aged.
Two hundred steps they
1ounted$ ,road and shallowI and at the
top they found an ar1hed passage with
a le"el floor leading
on into the dark.
SLet us sit and rest and ha"e
so)ething to eat$ here on the landing$
sin1e we 1an?t find a diningroo)N
? said Frodo. 2e had ,egun to shake
off the terror of the 1lut1hing ar)$ and
suddenly he felt
e5tre)ely hungry.
The proposal was wel1o)ed ,y allI
and they sat down on the upper steps$
di) figures in the
gloo). 4fter they had eaten$ /andalf
ga"e the) ea1h a third sip of the
)iru"or of Ri"endell.
S+t will not last )u1h longer$ + a)
afraid$? he saidI ?,ut + think we need it
after that horror at the
gate. 4nd unless we ha"e great lu1k$
we shall need all that is left ,efore we
see the other sideN /o
1arefully with the water$ tooN There
are )any strea)s and wells in the
(ines$ ,ut they should not
,e tou1hed. .e )ay not ha"e a
1han1e of filling our skins and ,ottles
till we 1o)e down into
&i)rill &ale.?
?2ow long is that going to take usM ?
asked Frodo.
?+ 1annot say$? answered /andalf. ?+t
depends on )any 1han1es. But going
straight$ without
)ishap or losing our way$ we shall
take three or four )ar1hes$ + e5pe1t. +t
1annot ,e less than forty
)iles fro) .est#door to !ast#gate in
a dire1t line$ and the road )ay wind
)u1h.?
4fter only a ,rief rest they started on
their way again. 4ll were eager to get
the Kourney o"er as
Jui1kly as possi,le$ and were willing$
tired as they were$ to go on )ar1hing
still for se"eral hours.
/andalf walked in front as ,efore. +n
his left hand he held up his
gli))ering staff$ the light of
whi1h Kust showed the ground ,efore
his feetI in his right he held his sword
/la)dring. Behind hi)
1a)e /i)li$ his eyes glinting in the
di) light as he turned his head fro)
side to side. Behind the
dwarf walked Frodo$ and he had
drawn the short sword$ %ting. 'o
glea) 1a)e fro) the ,lades of
%ting or of /la)dringI and that was
so)e 1o)fort$ for ,eing the work of
!l"ish s)iths in the !lder
&ays these swords shone with a 1old
light$ if any *r1s were near at hand.
Behind Frodo went %a)$
and after hi) Legolas$ and the young
ho,,its$ and Boro)ir. +n the dark at
the rear$ gri) and silent$
walked 4ragorn.
The passage twisted round a few
turns$ and then ,egan to des1end. +t
went steadily down for a
long while ,efore it ,e1a)e le"el
on1e again. The air grew hot and
stifling$ ,ut it was not foul$ and
at ti)es they felt 1urrents of 1ooler air
upon their fa1es$ issuing fro) half#
guessed openings in the
walls. There were )any of these. +n
the pale ray of the wi<ard?s staff$
Frodo 1aught gli)pses of
stairs and ar1hes and of other
passages and tunnels$ sloping up$ or
running steeply down$ or
opening ,lankly dark on either side. +t
was ,ewildering ,eyond hope of
re)e),ering.
/i)li aided /andalf "ery little$
e51ept ,y his stout 1ourage. 4t least
he was not$ as were )ost of
the others$ trou,led ,y the )ere
darkness in itself. *ften the wi<ard
1onsulted hi) at points where
the 1hoi1e of way was dou,tfulI ,ut it
was always /andalf who had the final
word. The (ines of
(oria were "ast and intri1ate ,eyond
the i)agination of /i)li$ /l>in?s son$
dwarf of the )ountainra1e
though he was. To /andalf the far#off
)e)ories of a Kourney long ,efore
were now of little
help$ ,ut e"en in the gloo) and
despite all windings of the road he
knew whither he wished to go$
and he did not falter$ as long as there
was a path that led towards his goal.
S&o not ,e afraidN ? said 4ragorn.
There was a pause longer than usual$
and /andalf and /i)li
were whispering togetherI the others
were 1rowded ,ehind$ waiting
an5iously. S&o not ,e afraidN +
ha"e ,een with hi) on )any a
Kourney$ if ne"er on one so darkI and
there are tales of Ri"endell of
greater deeds of his than any that +
ha"e seen. 2e will not go astray#if
there is any path to find. 2e
has led us in here against our fears$
,ut he will lead us out again$ at
whate"er 1ost to hi)self. 2e is
surer of finding the way ho)e in a
,lind night than the 1ats of Pueen
BerCthiel.?
+t was well for the -o)pany that they
had su1h a guide. They had no fuel
nor any )eans of
)aking tor1hesI in the desperate
s1ra),le at the doors )any things had
,een left ,ehind. But
without any light they would soon
ha"e 1o)e to grief. There were not
only )any roads to 1hoose
fro)$ there were also in )any pla1es
holes and pitfalls$ and dark wells
,eside the path in whi1h
their passing feet e1hoed. There were
fissures and 1has)s in the walls and
floor$ and e"ery now and
then a 1ra1k would open right ,efore
their feet. The widest was )ore than
se"en feet a1ross$ and it
was long ,efore Pippin 1ould su))on
enough 1ourage to leap o"er the
dreadful gap. The noise of
1hurning water 1a)e up fro) far
,elow$ as if so)e great )ill#wheel
was turning in the depths.
SRopeN ? )uttered %a). S+ knew +?d
want it$ if + hadn?t got itN ?
4s these dangers ,e1a)e )ore
freJuent their )ar1h ,e1a)e slower.
4lready they see)ed to
ha"e ,een tra)ping on$ on$ endlessly
to the )ountains? roots. They were
)ore than weary$ and yet
there see)ed no 1o)fort in the
thought of halting anywhere. Frodo?s
spirits had risen for a while
after his es1ape$ and after food and a
draught of the 1ordialI ,ut now a deep
uneasiness$ growing to
dread$ 1rept o"er hi) again. Though
he had ,een healed in Ri"endell of the
knife#stroke$ that gri)
wound had not ,een without effe1t.
2is senses were sharper and )ore
aware of things that 1ould
not ,e seen. *ne sign of 1hange that
he soon had noti1ed was that he 1ould
see )ore in the dark
than any of his 1o)panions$ sa"e
perhaps /andalf. 4nd he was in any
1ase the ,earer of the Ring:
it hung upon its 1hain against his
,reast$ and at whiles it see)ed a
hea"y weight. 2e felt the
1ertainty of e"il ahead and of e"il
followingI ,ut he said nothing. 2e
gripped tighter on the hilt of
his sword and went on doggedly.
The -o)pany ,ehind hi) spoke
seldo)$ and then only in hurried
whispers. There was no sound
,ut the sound of their own feetI the
dull stu)p of /i)li?s dwarf#,ootsI the
hea"y tread of Boro)irI
the light step of LegolasI the soft$
s1ar1e#heard patter of ho,,it#feetI and
in the rear the slow fir)
footfalls of 4ragorn with his long
stride. .hen they halted for a )o)ent
they heard nothing at all$
unless it were o11asionally a faint
tri1kle and drip of unseen water. Get
Frodo ,egan to hear$ or to
i)agine that he heard$ so)ething else:
like the faint fall of soft ,are feet. +t
was ne"er loud enough$
or near enough$ for hi) to feel 1ertain
that he heard itI ,ut on1e it had started
it ne"er stopped$
while the -o)pany was )o"ing. But
it was not an e1ho$ for when they
halted it pattered on for a
little all ,y itself$ and then grew still.
+t was after nightfall when they had
entered the (ines. They had ,een
going for se"eral hours
with only ,rief halts$ when /andalf
1a)e to his first serious 1he1k. Before
hi) stood a wide dark
ar1h opening into three passages: all
led in the sa)e general dire1tion$
eastwardsI ,ut the left#hand
passage plunged down$ while the
right#hand 1li),ed up$ and the )iddle
way see)ed to run on$
s)ooth and le"el ,ut "ery narrow.
?+ ha"e no )e)ory of this pla1e at allN
? said /andalf$ standing un1ertainly
under the ar1h. 2e
held up his staff in the hope of finding
so)e )arks or ins1ription that )ight
help his 1hoi1eI ,ut
nothing of the kind was to ,e seen. S+
a) too weary to de1ide$? he said$
shaking his head. S4nd +
e5pe1t that you are all as weary as +
a)$ or wearier. .e had ,etter halt
here for what is left of the
night. Gou know what + )eanN +n here
it is e"er darkI ,ut outside the late
(oon is riding westward
and the )iddle#night has passed.?
SPoor old BillN ? said %a). ?+ wonder
where he is. + hope those wol"es
ha"en?t got hi) yet.?
To the left of the great ar1h they
found a stone door: it was half 1losed$
,ut swung ,a1k easily to
a gentle thrust. Beyond there see)ed
to lie a wide 1ha),er 1ut in the ro1k.
S%teadyN %teadyN ? 1ried /andalf as
(erry and Pippin pushed forward$
glad to find a pla1e where
they 1ould rest with at least )ore
feeling of shelter than in the open
passage. S%teadyN Gou do not
know what is inside yet. + will go
first.?
2e went in 1autiously$ and the others
filed ,ehind. SThereN ? he said$
pointing with his staff to the
)iddle of the floor. Before his feet
they saw a large round hole like the
)outh of a well. Broken
and rusty 1hains lay at the edge and
trailed down into the ,la1k pit.
Frag)ents of stone lay near.
?*ne of you )ight ha"e fallen in and
still ,e wondering when you were
going to strike the
,otto)$? said 4ragorn to (erry. ?Let
the guide go first while you ha"e one.?
?This see)s to ha"e ,een a
guardroo)$ )ade for the wat1hing of
the three passages$? said /i)li.
SThat hole was plainly a well for the
guards? use$ 1o"ered with a stone lid.
But the lid is ,roken$ and
we )ust all take 1are in the dark.?
Pippin felt 1uriously attra1ted ,y the
well. .hile the others were unrolling
,lankets and )aking
,eds against the walls of the 1ha),er$
as far as possi,le fro) the hole in the
floor$ he 1rept to the
edge and peered o"er. 4 1hill air
see)ed to strike his fa1e$ rising fro)
in"isi,le depths. (o"ed ,y a
sudden i)pulse he groped for a loose
stone$ and let it drop. 2e felt his heart
,eat )any ti)es ,efore
there was any sound. Then far ,elow$
as if the stone had fallen into deep
water in so)e 1a"ernous
pla1e$ there 1a)e a AplunkA$ "ery
distant$ ,ut )agnified and repeated in
the hollow shaft.
S.hat?s thatM ? 1ried /andalf. 2e was
relie"ed when Pippin 1onfessed what
he had doneI ,ut he
was angry$ and Pippin 1ould see his
eye glinting. ?Fool of a TookN ? he
growled. ?This is a serious
Kourney$ not a ho,,it walking#party.
Throw yourself in ne5t ti)e$ and then
you will ,e no further
nuisan1e. 'ow ,e JuietN ?
'othing )ore was heard for se"eral
)inutesI ,ut then there 1a)e out of
the depths faint kno1ks:
Ato)#tap$ tap#to)A. They stopped$
and when the e1hoes had died away$
they were repeated: Atapto)$
to)#tap$ tap#tap$ to)A. They sounded
disJuietingly like signals of so)e
sortI ,ut after a while
the kno1king died away and was not
heard again.
?That was the sound of a ha))er$ or +
ha"e ne"er heard one$? said /i)li.
SGes$? said /andalf$ ?and + do not like
it. +t )ay ha"e nothing to do with
Peregrin?s foolish stoneI
,ut pro,a,ly so)ething has ,een
distur,ed that would ha"e ,een ,etter
left Juiet. Pray$ do nothing
of the kind againN Let us hope we
shall get so)e rest without further
trou,le. Gou$ Pippin$ 1an go
on the first wat1h$ as a reward$? he
growled$ as he rolled hi)self in a
,lanket.
Pippin sat )isera,ly ,y the door in
the pit1h darkI ,ut he kept on turning
round$ fearing that
so)e unknown thing would 1rawl up
out of the well. 2e wished he 1ould
1o"er the hole$ if only
with a ,lanket$ ,ut he dared not )o"e
or go near it$ e"en though /andalf
see)ed to ,e asleep.
41tually /andalf was awake$ though
lying still and silent. 2e was deep in
thought$ trying to
re1all e"ery )e)ory of his for)er
Kourney in the (ines$ and 1onsidering
an5iously the ne5t 1ourse
that he should takeI a false turn now
)ight ,e disastrous. 4fter an hour he
rose up and 1a)e o"er to
Pippin.
S/et into a 1orner and ha"e a sleep$
)y lad$? he said in a kindly tone. ?Gou
want to sleep$ +
e5pe1t. + 1annot get a wink$ so + )ay
as well do the wat1hing.?
?+ know what is the )atter with )e$?
he )uttered$ as he sat down ,y the
door. ?+ need s)okeN +
ha"e not tasted it sin1e the )orning
,efore the snowstor).?
The last thing that Pippin saw$ as
sleep took hi)$ was a dark gli)pse of
the old wi<ard huddled
on the floor$ shielding a glowing 1hip
in his gnarled hands ,etween his
knees. The fli1ker for a
)o)ent showed his sharp nose. and
the puff of s)oke.
+t was /andalf who roused the) all
fro) sleep. 2e had sat and wat1hed
all alone for a,out si5
hours$ and had let the others rest.
S4nd in the wat1hes + ha"e )ade up
)y )ind$? he said. S+ do not
like the feel of the )iddle wayI and +
do not like the s)ell of the left#hand
way: there is foul air
down there$ or + a) no guide. + shall
take the right#hand passage. +t is ti)e
we ,egan to 1li), up
again.?
For eight dark hours$ not 1ounting two
,rief halts$ they )ar1hed onI and they
)et no danger$ and
heard nothing$ and saw nothing ,ut
the faint glea) of the wi<ard?s light$
,o,,ing like a will#o?#thewisp
in front of the). The passage they had
1hosen wound steadily upwards. 4s
far as they 1ould
Kudge it went in great )ounting
1ur"es$ and as it rose it grew loftier
and wider. There were now no
openings to other galleries or tunnels
on either side$ and the floor was le"el
and sound$ without pits
or 1ra1ks. !"idently they had stru1k
what on1e had ,een an i)portant
roadI and they went forward
Jui1ker than they had done on their
first )ar1h.
+n this way they ad"an1ed so)e
fifteen )iles$ )easured in a dire1t line
east$ though they )ust
ha"e a1tually walked twenty )iles or
)ore. 4s the road 1li),ed upwardsS
Frodo?s spirits rose a
littleI ,ut he still felt oppressed$ and
still at ti)es he heard$ or thought he
heard$ away ,ehind the
-o)pany and ,eyond the fall and
patter of their feet$ a following
footstep that was not an e1ho.
They had )ar1hed as far as the
ho,,its 1ould endure without a rest$
and all were thinking of a
pla1e where they 1ould sleep$ when
suddenly the walls to right and left
"anished. They see)ed to
ha"e passed through so)e ar1hed
doorway into a ,la1k and e)pty
spa1e. There was a great draught
of war)er air ,ehind the)$ and ,efore
the) the darkness was 1old on their
fa1es. They halted and
1rowded an5iously together.
/andalf see)ed pleased. S+ 1hose the
right way$? he said. S4t last we are
1o)ing to the ha,ita,le
parts$ and + guess that we are not far
now fro) the eastern side. But we are
high up$ a good deal
higher than the &i)rill /ate$ unless +
a) )istaken. Fro) the feeling of the
air we )ust ,e in a wide
hall. + will now risk a little real light.?
2e raised his staff$ and for a ,rief
instant there was ,la<e like a flash of
lightning. /reat
shadows sprang up and fled$ and for a
se1ond they saw a "ast roof far a,o"e
their heads upheld ,y
)any )ighty pillars hewn of stone.
Before the) and on either side
stret1hed a huge e)pty hallI its
,la1k walls$ polished and s)ooth as
glass$ flashed and glittered. Three
other entran1es they saw$
dark ,la1k ar1hes: one straight ,efore
the) eastwards$ and one on either
side. Then the light went
out.
SThat is all that + shall "enture on for
the present$? said /andalf. ?There used
to ,e great windows
on the )ountain#side$ and shafts
leading out to the light in the upper
rea1hes of the (ines. + think
we ha"e rea1hed the) now$ ,ut it is
night outside again$ and we 1annot tell
until )orning. +f + a)
right$ to)orrow we )ay a1tually see
the )orning peeping in. But in the
)eanwhile we had ,etter
go no further. Let us rest$ if we 1an.
Things ha"e gone well so far$ and the
greater part of the dark
road is o"er. But we are not through
yet$ and it is a long way down to the
/ates that open on the
world.?
The -o)pany spent that night in the
great 1a"ernous hall$ huddled 1lose
together in a 1orner to
es1ape the draught: there see)ed to
,e a steady inflow of 1hill air through
the eastern ar1hway. 4ll
a,out the) as they lay hung the
darkness$ hollow and i))ense$ and
they were oppressed ,y the
loneliness and "astness of the dol"en
halls and endlessly ,ran1hing stairs
and passages. The wildest
i)aginings that dark ru)our had e"er
suggested to the ho,,its fell
altogether short of the a1tual
dread and wonder of (oria.
SThere )ust ha"e ,een a )ighty
1rowd of dwar"es here at one ti)e ?
said %a)I Sand e"ery one
of the) ,usier than ,adgers for fi"e
hundred years to )ake all this$ and
)ost in hard ro1k tooN
.hat did they do it all forM They
didn?t li"e in these darkso)e holes
surelyM ?
SThese are not holes$? said /i)li.
SThis is the great real) and 1ity of the
&warrowdelf. 4nd of
old it was not darkso)e$ ,ut full of
light and splendour$ as is still
re)e),ered in our songs.?
2e rose and standing in the dark he
,egan to 1hant in a deep "oi1e$ while
the e1hoes ran away
into the roof.
The world was young$ the )ountains
green$
'o stain yet on the (oon was seen$
'o words were laid on strea) or
stone
.hen &urin woke and walked alone.
2e na)ed the na)eless hills and
dellsI
2e drank fro) yet untasted wellsI
2e stooped and looked in (irror)ere$
4nd saw a 1rown of stars appear$
4s ge)s upon a sil"er thread$
4,o"e the shadow of his head.
The world was fair$ the )ountains
tall$
+n !lder &ays ,efore the fall
*f )ighty kings in 'argothrond
4nd /ondolin$ who now ,eyond
The .estern %eas ha"e passed away:
The world was fair in &urin?s &ay.
4 king he was on 1ar"en throne
+n )any#pillared halls of stone
.ith golden roof and sil"er floor$
4nd runes of power upon the door.
The light of sun and star and )oon
+n shining la)ps of 1rystal hewn
0ndi))ed ,y 1loud or shade of night
There shone for e"er fair and ,right.
There ha))er on the an"il s)ote$
There 1hisel 1lo"e$ and gra"er wroteI
There forged was ,lade$ and ,ound
was hiltI
The del"er )ined$ the )ason ,uilt.
There ,eryl$ pearl$ and opal pale$
4nd )etal wrought like fishes? )ail$
Bu1kler and 1orslet$ a5e and sword$
4nd shining spears were laid in hoard.
0nwearied then were &urin?s folk
Beneath the )ountains )usi1 woke:
The harpers harped$ the )instrels
sang$
4nd at the gates the tru)pets rang.
The world is grey$ the )ountains old$
The forge?s fire is ashen#1old
'o harp is wrung$ no ha))er falls:
The darkness dwells in &urin?s halls
The shadow lies upon his to),
+n (oria$ in ha<ad#d=).
But still the sunken stars appear
+n dark and windless (irror)ereI
There lies his 1rown in water deep$
Till &urin wakes again fro) sleep.
S+ like thatN ? said %a). S+ should like
to learn it. A+n (oria$ in ha<ad#d=)N
A But it )akes the
darkness see) hea"ier$ thinking of all
those la)ps. 4re there piles of Kewels
and gold lying a,out
here stillM ?
/i)li was silent. 2a"ing sung his
song he would say no )ore.
SPiles of KewelsM ? said /andalf. S'o.
The *r1s ha"e often plundered (oriaI
there is nothing left
in the upper halls. 4nd sin1e the
dwar"es fled$ no one dares to seek the
shafts and treasuries down
in the deep pla1es: they are drowned
in waterOor in a shadow of fear.?
SThen what do the dwar"es want to
1o)e ,a1k forM ? asked %a).
?For A)ithrilA$? answered /andalf.
SThe wealth of (oria was not in gold
and Kewels$ the toys of
the &war"esI nor in iron$ their
ser"ant. %u1h things they found here$
it is true$ espe1ially ironI ,ut
they did not need to del"e for the):
all things that they desired they 1ould
o,tain in traffi1. For here
alone in the world was found (oria#
sil"er$ or true#sil"er as so)e ha"e
1alled it: A)ithrilA is the
!l"ish na)e. The &war"es ha"e a
na)e whi1h they do not tell. +ts worth
was ten ti)es that of gold$
and now it is ,eyond pri1eI for little is
left a,o"e ground$ and e"en the *r1s
dare not del"e here for
it. The lodes lead away north towards
-aradhras$ and down to darkness. The
&war"es tell no taleI
,ut e"en as A)ithrilA was the
foundation of their wealth$ so also it
was their destru1tion: they
del"ed too greedily and too deep$ and
distur,ed that fro) whi1h they fled$
&urin?s Bane. *f what
they ,rought to light the *r1s ha"e
gathered nearly all$ and gi"en it in
tri,ute to %auron$ who 1o"ets
it.
SA(ithrilNA 4ll folk desired it. +t 1ould
,e ,eaten like 1opper$ and polished
like glassI and the
&war"es 1ould )ake of it a )etal$
light and yet harder than te)pered
steel. +ts ,eauty was like to
that of 1o))on sil"er$ ,ut the ,eauty
of A)ithrilA did not tarnish or grow
di). The !l"es dearly
lo"ed it$ and a)ong )any uses they
)ade of it AithildinA$ star)oon$ whi1h
you saw upon the doors.
Bil,o had a 1orslet of )ithril#rings
that Thorin ga"e hi). + wonder what
has ,e1o)e of itM
/athering dust still in (i1hel &el"ing
(atho)#house$ + suppose.?
S.hatM ? 1ried /i)li$ startled out of
his silen1e. S4 1orslet of (oria#
sil"erM That was a kingly
giftN ?
?Ges$? said /andalf. S+ ne"er told hi)$
,ut its worth was greater than the
"alue of the whole %hire
and e"erything in it.?
Frodo said nothing$ ,ut he put his
hand under his tuni1 and tou1hed the
rings of his )ail#shirt.
2e felt staggered to think that he had
,een walking a,out with the pri1e of
the %hire under his
Ka1ket. 2ad Bil,o knownM 2e felt no
dou,t that Bil,o knew Juite well. +t
was indeed a kingly gift.
But now his thoughts had ,een 1arried
away fro) the dark (ines$ to
Ri"endell$ to Bil,o$ and to
Bag !nd in the days while Bil,o was
still there. 2e wished with all his
heart that he was ,a1k there$
and in those days$ )owing the lawn$
or pottering a)ong the flowers$ and
that he had ne"er heard of
(oria$ or A)ithril #Aor the Ring.
4 deep silen1e fell. *ne ,y one the
others fell asleep. Frodo was on
guard. 4s if it were a ,reath
that 1a)e in through unseen doors out
of deep pla1es$ dread 1a)e o"er hi).
2is hands were 1old
and his ,row da)p. 2e listened. 4ll
his )ind was gi"en to listening and
nothing else for two slow
hoursI ,ut he heard no sound$ not
e"en the i)agined e1ho of a footfall.
2is wat1h was nearly o"er$ when$ far
off where he guessed that the western
ar1hway stood$ he
fan1ied that he 1ould see two pale
points of light$ al)ost like lu)inous
eyes. 2e started. 2is head
had nodded. S+ )ust ha"e nearly fallen
asleep on guard$? he thought. S+ was on
the edge of a drea).?
2e stood up and ru,,ed his eyes$ and
re)ained standing$ peering into the
dark$ until he was
relie"ed ,y Legolas.
.hen he lay down he Jui1kly went to
sleep$ ,ut it see)ed to hi) that the
drea) went on: he
heard whispers$ and saw the two pale
points of light approa1hing$ slowly.
2e woke and found that
the others were speaking softly near
hi)$ and that a di) light was falling
on his fa1e. 2igh up
a,o"e the eastern ar1hway through a
shaft near the roof 1a)e a long pale
glea)I and a1ross the hall
through the northern ar1h light also
gli))ered faint and distantly.
Frodo sat up. S/ood )orningN ? said
/andalf: SFor )orning it is again at
last. + was right$ you
see. .e are high up on the east side of
(oria. Before today is o"er we ought
to find the /reat
/ates and see the waters of
(irror)ere lying in the &i)rill &ale
,efore us.?
?+ shall ,e glad$? said /i)li. S+ ha"e
looked on (oria$ and it is "ery great$
,ut it has ,e1o)e dark
and dreadfulI and we ha"e found no
sign of )y kindred. + dou,t now that
Balin e"er 1a)e here.?
4fter they had ,reakfasted /andalf
de1ided to go on again at on1e. S.e
are tired$ ,ut we shall
rest ,etter when we are outside$? he
said. S+ think that none of us will wish
to spend another night in
(oria.?
S'o indeedN ? said Boro)ir. S.hi1h
way shall we takeM Gonder eastward
ar1hM ?
?(ay,e$? said /andalf. SBut + du not
know yet e5a1tly where we are.
0nless + a) Juite astray$ +
guess that we are a,o"e and to the
north of the /reat /atesI and it )ay
not ,e easy to find the right
road down to the). The eastern ar1h
will pro,a,ly pro"e to ,e the way that
we )ust takeI ,ut
,efore we )ake up our )inds we
ought to look a,out us. Let us go
towards that light in the north
door. +f we 1ould find a window it
would help$ ,ut + fear that the light
1o)es only down deep
shafts.?
Following his lead the -o)pany
passed under the northern ar1h. They
found the)sel"es in a
wide 1orridor. 4s they went along it
the gli))er grew stronger$ and they
saw that it 1a)e through
a doorway on their right. +t was high
and flat#topped$ and the stone door
was still upon its hinges$
standing half open. Beyond it was a
large sJuare 1ha),er. +t was di)ly lit$
,ut to their eyes$ after
so long a ti)e in the dark$ it see)ed
da<<lingly ,right$ and they ,linked as
they entered.
Their feet distur,ed a deep dust upon
the floor$ and stu),led a)ong things
lying in the doorway
whose shapes they 1ould not at first
)ake out. The 1ha),er was lit ,y a
wide shaft high in the
further eastern wallI it slanted
upwards and$ far a,o"e$ a s)all
sJuare pat1h of ,lue sky 1ould ,e
seen. The light of the shaft fell
dire1tly on a ta,le in the )iddle of the
roo): a single o,long ,lo1k$
a,out two feet high$ upon whi1h was
laid a great sla, of white stone.
S+t looks like a to),$? )uttered Frodo$
and ,ent forwards with a 1urious
sense of fore,oding$ to
look )ore 1losely at it. /andalf 1a)e
Jui1kly to his side. *n the sla, runes
were deeply gra"en:
?These are &aeron?s Runes$ su1h as
were used of old in (oria$? said
/andalf. ?2ere is written in
the tongues of (en and &war"es:
B4L+' %*' *F F0'&+'
L*R& *F (*R+4.?
?2e is dead then$? said Frodo. S+ feared
it was so.? /i)li 1ast his hood o"er
his fa1e.
A-hapter 6A
The Bridge of ha<ad#d=)
The -o)pany of the Ring stood silent
,eside the to), of Balin. Frodo
thought of Bil,o and his
long friendship with the dwarf$ and of
Balin?s "isit to the %hire long ago. +n
that dusty 1ha),er in
the )ountains it see)ed a thousand
years ago and on the other side of the
world.
4t length they stirred and looked up$
and ,egan to sear1h for anything that
would gi"e the)
tidings of Balin?s fate$ or show what
had ,e1o)e of his folk. There was
another s)aller door on the
other side of the 1ha),er$ under the
shaft. By ,oth the doors they 1ould
now see that )any ,ones
were lying$ and a)ong the) were
,roken swords and a5e#heads$ and
1lo"en shields and hel)s.
%o)e of the swords were 1rooked:
or1#s1i)itars with ,la1kened ,lades.
There were )any re1esses 1ut in the
ro1k of the walls$ and in the) were
large iron#,ound 1hests
of wood. 4ll had ,een ,roken and
plunderedI ,ut ,eside the shattered lid
of one there lay the
re)ains of a ,ook. +t had ,een slashed
and sta,,ed and partly ,urned$ and it
was so stained with
,la1k and other dark )arks like old
,lood that little of it 1ould ,e read.
/andalf lifted it 1arefully$
,ut the lea"es 1ra1kled and ,roke as
he laid it on the sla,. 2e pored o"er it
for so)e ti)e without
speaking. Frodo and /i)li standing at
his side 1ould see$ as he gingerly
turned the lea"es$ that they
were written ,y )any different hands$
in runes$ ,oth of (oria and of &ale$
and here and there in
!l"ish s1ript.
4t last /andalf looked up. ?+t see)s to
,e a re1ord of the fortunes of Balin?s
folk$? he said. S+
guess that it ,egan with their 1o)ing
to &i)rill &ale nigh on thirty years
ago: the pages see) to
ha"e nu),ers referring to the years
after their arri"al. The top page is
)arked Aone O threeA$ so at
least two are )issing fro) the
,eginning. Listen to thisN
?A.e dro"e out or1s fro) the great
gate and guardA O + thinkI the ne5t
word is ,lurred and
,urnedI pro,a,ly Aroo)A O Awe slew
)any in the ,rightA O + think O Asun in
the dale. Fl>i was
killed ,y an arrow. 2e slew the
greatA. Then there is a ,lur followed
,y AFl>i under grass near
(irror )ereA. The ne5t line or two +
1annot read. Then 1o)es A.e ha"e
taken the twentyfirst hall
of 'orth end to dwell in. There isA+
1annot read what. 4 AshaftA is
)entioned. Then ABalin has set
up his seat in the -ha),er of
(a<ar,ulA.?
?The -ha),er of Re1ords$? said /i)li.
S+ guess that is where we now stand.?
S.ell$ + 1an read no )ore for a long
way$? said /andalf$ ?e51ept the word
AgoldA$ and A&urin?s
45eA and so)ething Ahel)A. Then
ABalin is now lord of (oriaA. That
see)s to end a 1hapter.
4fter so)e stars another hand ,egins$
and + 1an see Awe found truesil"erA$
and later the word
AwellforgedA and then so)ething$ +
ha"e itN A)ithrilAI and the last two
lines AUin to seek for the
upper ar)ouries of Third &eepA$
so)ething Ago westwardsA$ a ,lur$A
to 2ollin gateA.?
/andalf paused and set a few lea"es
aside. ?There are se"eral pages of the
sa)e sort$ rather
hastily written and )u1h da)aged$ he
saidI S,ut + 1an )ake little of the) in
this light. 'ow there
)ust ,e a nu),er of lea"es )issing$
,e1ause they ,egin to ,e nu),ered
Afi"eA$ the fifth year of the
1olony$ + suppose. Let )e seeN 'o$
they are too 1ut and stainedI + 1annot
read the). .e )ight do
,etter in the sunlight. .aitN 2ere is
so)ething: a large ,old hand using an
!l"ish s1ript.?
?That would ,e *ri?s hand$? said /i)li$
looking o"er the wi<ard?s ar). S2e
1ould write well and
speedily$ and often used the !l"ish
1hara1ters.?
S+ fear he had ill tidings to re1ord in a
fair hand$? said /andalf. ?The first
1lear word is AsorrowA$
,ut the rest of the line is lost$ unless it
ends in AestreA. Ges$ it )ust ,e
AyestreA followed ,y Aday
,eing the tenth of no"e),re Balin
lord of (oria fell in &i)rill &ale. 2e
went alone to look in
(irror )ere. an or1 shot hi) fro)
,ehind a stone. we slew the or1$ hut
)any )ore ... up fro) east
up the %il"erlodeA. The re)ainder of
the page is so ,lurred that + 1an hardly
)ake anything out$ ,ut
+ think + 1an readA we ha"e ,arred the
gatesA$ and then A1an hold the) long
ifA$ and then perhaps
Ahorri,leA and AsufferA. Poor BalinN
2e see)s to ha"e kept the title that he
took for less than fi"e
years. + wonder what happened
afterwardsI ,ut there is no ti)e to
pu<<le out the last few pages.
2ere is the last page of all.? 2e paused
and sighed.
S+t is gri) reading$? he said. ?+ fear
their end was 1ruel. ListenN A.e
1annot get out. .e 1annot
get out. They ha"e taken the Bridge
and se1ond hall. FrTr and L>ni and
'Tli fell thereA. Then there
are four lines s)eared so that + 1an
only Aread went 6 days agoA. The last
lines Arun the pool is up
to the wall at .estgate. The .at1her
in the .ater took Uin. .e 1annot get
out. The end 1o)esA$
and thenA dru)s$ dru)s in the deepA.
+ wonder what that )eans. The last
thing written is in a
trailing s1rawl of elf#letters: Athey are
1o)ingA. There is nothing )ore.?
/andalf paused and stood
in silent thought.
4 sudden dread and a horror of the
1ha),er fell on the -o)pany. SA.e
1annot get outA$?
)uttered /i)li. ?+t was well for us
that the pool had sunk a little$ and that
the .at1her was sleeping
down at the southern end.?
/andalf raised his head and looked
round. SThey see) to ha"e )ade a
last stand ,y ,oth doors$?
he saidI ?,ut there were not )any left
,y that ti)e. %o ended the atte)pt to
retake (oriaN +t was
"aliant ,ut foolish. The ti)e is not
1o)e yet. 'ow$ + fear$ we )ust say
farewell to Balin son of
Fundin. 2ere he )ust lie in the halls
of his fathers. .e will take this ,ook$
the Book of (a<ar,ul$
and look at it )ore 1losely later. Gou
had ,etter keep it$ /i)li$ and take it
,a1k to &Tin$ if you get a
1han1e. +t will interest hi)$ though it
will grie"e hi) deeply. -o)e$ let us
goN The )orning is
passing.?
?.hi1h way shall we goM ? asked
Boro)ir.
?Ba1k to the hall$? answered /andalf.
?But our "isit to this roo) has not
,een in "ain. + now know
where we are. This )ust ,e$ as /i)li
says$ the -ha),er of (a<ar,ulI and
the hall )ust ,e the
twenty#first of the 'orth#end.
Therefore we should lea"e ,y the
eastern ar1h of the hall$ and ,ear
right and south$ and go downwards.
The Twenty#first 2all should ,e on
the %e"enth Le"el$ that is
si5 a,o"e the le"el of the /ates.
-o)e nowN Ba1k to the hallN ?
/andalf had hardly spoken these
words$ when there 1a)e a great noise:
a rolling ABoo)A that
see)ed to 1o)e fro) depths far
,elow$ and to tre),le in the stone at
their feet. They sprang
towards the door in alar). A&oo)$
doo)A it rolled again$ as if huge
hands were turning the "ery
1a"erns of (oria into a "ast dru).
Then there 1a)e an e1hoing ,last: a
great horn was ,lown in the
hall$ and answering horns and harsh
1ries were heard further off. There
was a hurrying sound of
)any feet.
SThey are 1o)ingN ? 1ried Legolas.
?.e 1annot get out$? said /i)li.
STrappedN ? 1ried /andalf. S.hy did +
delayM 2ere we are$ 1aught$ Kust as
they were ,efore. But +
was not here then. .e will see what
OOO#?
A&oo)$ doo)A 1a)e the dru)#,eat
and the walls shook.
?%la) the doors and wedge the)N ?
shouted 4ragorn. ?4nd keep your
pa1ks on as long as you
1an: we )ay get a 1han1e to 1ut our
way out yet.?
S'oN ? said /andalf. ?.e )ust not get
shut in. eep the east door aKarN .e
will go that way$ if
we get a 1han1e.?
4nother harsh horn#1all and shrill
1ries rang out. Feet were 1o)ing
down the 1orridor. There
was a ring and 1latter as the -o)pany
drew their swords. /la)dring shone
with a pale light$ and
%ting glinted at the edges. Boro)ir set
his shoulder against the western door.
S.ait a )o)entN &o not 1lose it yetN ?
said /andalf. 2e sprang forward to
Boro)ir?s side and
drew hi)self up to his full height.
?.ho 1o)es hither to distur, the rest
of Balin Lord of (oriaM ? he 1ried in a
loud "oi1e.
There was a rush of hoarse laughter$
like the fall of sliding stones into a
pitI a)id the 1la)our a
deep "oi1e was raised in 1o))and.
&oo)$ ,oo)$ doo) went the dru)s
in the deep.
.ith a Jui1k )o"e)ent /andalf
stepped ,efore the narrow opening of
the door and thrust
forward his staff: There was a
da<<ling flash that lit the 1ha),er and
the passage outside. For an
instant the wi<ard looked out. 4rrows
whined and whistled down the
1orridor as he sprang ,a1k.
?There are *r1s$ "ery )any of the)$?
he said. S4nd so)e are large and e"il:
,la1k 0ruks of
(ordor. For the )o)ent they are
hanging ,a1k$ ,ut there is so)ething
else there. 4 great 1a"etroll$
+ think$ or )ore than one. There is no
hope of es1ape that way.?
?4nd no hope at all$ if they 1o)e at
the other door as well$? said Boro)ir.
?There is no sound outside here yet$?
said 4ragorn$ who was standing ,y
the eastern door
listening. SThe passage on this side
plunges straight down a stair: it
plainly does not lead ,a1k
towards the hall. But it is no good
flying ,lindly this way with the
pursuit Kust ,ehind. .e 1annot
,lo1k the door. +ts key is gone and the
lo1k is ,roken$ and it opens inwards.
.e )ust do so)ething
to delay the ene)y first. .e will
)ake the) fear the -ha),er of
(a<ar,ulN? he said gri)ly feeling
the edge of his sword$ 4ndCril.
2ea"y feet were heard in the 1orridor.
Boro)ir flung hi)self against the
door and hea"ed it toI
then he wedged it with ,roken sword#
,lades and splinters of wood. The
-o)pany retreated to the
other side of the 1ha),er. But they
had no 1han1e to fly yet. There was a
,low on the door that
)ade it Jui"erI and then it ,egan to
grind slowly open$ dri"ing ,a1k the
wedges. 4 huge ar) and
shoulder$ with a dark skin of greenish
s1ales$ was thrust through the
widening gap. Then a great$
flat$ toeless foot was for1ed through
,elow. There was a dead silen1e
outside.
Boro)ir leaped forward and hewed at
the ar) with all his )ightI ,ut his
sword rang$ glan1ed
aside$ and fell fro) his shaken hand.
The ,lade was not1hed.
%uddenly$ and to his own surprise$
Frodo felt a hot wrath ,la<e up in his
heart. SThe %hireN ? he
1ried$ and springing ,eside Boro)ir$
he stooped$ and sta,,ed with %ting at
the hideous foot. There
was a ,ellow$ and the foot Kerked
,a1k$ nearly wren1hing %ting fro)
Frodo?s ar). Bla1k drops
dripped fro) the ,lade and s)oked
on the floor. Boro)ir hurled hi)self
against the door and
sla))ed it again.
S*ne for the %hireN ? 1ried 4ragorn.
SThe ho,,it?s ,ite is deepN Gou ha"e a
good ,lade$ Frodo son
of &rogoN ?
There was a 1rash on the door$
followed ,y 1rash after 1rash. Ra)s
and ha))ers were ,eating
against it. +t 1ra1ked and staggered
,a1k$ and the opening grew suddenly
wide. 4rrows 1a)e
whistling in$ ,ut stru1k the northern
wall$ and fell har)lessly to the floor.
There was a horn#,last
and a rush of feet$ and or1s one after
another leaped into the 1ha),er.
2ow )any there were the -o)pany
1ould not 1ount. The affray was sharp$
,ut the or1s were
dis)ayed ,y the fier1eness of the
defen1e. Legolas shot two through the
throat. /i)li hewed the
legs fro) under another that had
sprung up on Balin?s to),. Boro)ir
and 4ragorn slew )any.
.hen thirteen had fallen the rest fled
shrieking. lea"ing the defenders
unhar)ed$ e51ept for %a)
who had a s1rat1h along the s1alp. 4
Jui1k du1k had sa"ed hi)I and he had
felled his or1: a sturdy
thrust with his Barrow#,lade. 4 fire
was s)ouldering in his ,rown eyes
that would ha"e )ade Ted
%andy)an step ,a1kwards$ if he had
seen it.
S'ow is the ti)eN ? 1ried /andalf. SLet
us go$ ,efore the troll returnsN?
But e"en as they retreated$ and ,efore
Pippin and (erry had rea1hed the
stair outside$ a huge
or1#1hieftain$ al)ost )an#high$ 1lad
in ,la1k )ail fro) head to foot$
leaped into the 1ha),erI
,ehind hi) his followers 1lustered in
the doorway. 2is ,road flat fa1e was
swart$ his eyes were like
1oals$ and his tongue was redI he
wielded a great spear. .ith a thrust of
his huge hide shield he
turned Boro)ir?s sword and ,ore hi)
,a1kwards$ throwing hi) to the
ground. &i"ing under
4ragorn?s ,low with the speed of a
striking snake he 1harged into the
-o)pany and thrust with his
spear straight at Frodo. The ,low
1aught hi) on the right side$ and
Frodo was hurled against the
wall and pinned. %a)$ with a 1ry$
ha1ked at the spear#shaft$ and it
,roke. But e"en as the or1 flung
down the trun1heon and swept out his
s1i)itar$ 4ndCril 1a)e down upon his
hel). There was a
flash like fla)e and the hel) ,urst
asunder. The or1 fell with 1lo"en
head. 2is followers fled
howling$ as Boro)ir and 4ragorn
sprang at the).
A&oo)$ doo)A went the dru)s in the
deep. The great "oi1e rolled out again.
?'owN ? shouted /andalf. ?'ow is the
last 1han1e. Run for itN ?
4ragorn pi1ked up Frodo where he
lay ,y the wall and )ade for the stair$
pushing (erry and
Pippin in front of hi). The others
followedI ,ut /i)li had to ,e dragged
away ,y Legolas: in spite
of the peril he lingered ,y Balin?s
to), with his head ,owed. Boro)ir
hauled the eastern door to$
grinding upon its hinges: it had great
iron rings on either side$ ,ut 1ould not
,e fastened.
?+ a) all right$? gasped Frodo. S+ 1an
walk. Put )e downN ?
4ragorn nearly dropped hi) in his
a)a<e)ent. ?+ thought you were deadN
? he 1ried.
?'ot yetN ? said /andalf. ?But there is
ti)e for wonder. *ff you go$ all of
you$ down the stairsN
.ait a few )inutes for )e at the
,otto)$ ,ut if + do not 1o)e soon$ go
onN /o Jui1kly and 1hoose
paths leading right and downwards.?
?.e 1annot lea"e you to hold the door
aloneN ? said 4ragorn.
S&o as + sayN ? said /andalf fier1ely.
S%words are no )ore use here. /oN?
The passage was lit ,y no shaft and
was utterly dark. They groped their
way down a long flight
of steps$ and then looked ,a1kI ,ut
they 1ould see nothing$ e51ept high
a,o"e the) the faint
gli))er of the wi<ard?s staff. 2e
see)ed to ,e still standing on guard
,y the 1losed door. Frodo
,reathed hea"ily and leaned against
%a)$ who put his ar)s a,out hi).
They stood peering up the
stairs into the darkness. Frodo thought
he 1ould hear the "oi1e of /andalf
a,o"e$ )uttering words
that ran down the sloping roof with a
sighing e1ho. 2e 1ould not 1at1h what
was said. The walls
see)ed to ,e tre),ling. !"ery now
and again the dru)#,eats thro,,ed
and rolled: Adoo)$ doo)A.
%uddenly at the top of the stair there
was a sta, of white light. Then there
was a dull ru),le and
a hea"y thud. The dru)#,eats ,roke
out wildly: Adoo)#,oo)$ doo)#
,oo)A$ and then stopped.
/andalf 1a)e flying down the steps
and fell to the ground in the )idst of
the -o)pany.
S.ell$ wellN That?s o"erN ? said the
wi<ard struggling to his feet. S+ ha"e
done all that + 1ould. But
+ ha"e )et )y )at1h$ and ha"e nearly
,een destroyed. But don?t stand hereN
/o onN Gou will ha"e
to do without light for a while: + a)
rather shaken. /o onN /o onN .here
are you$ /i)liM -o)e
ahead with )eN eep 1lose ,ehind$ all
of youN?
They stu),led after hi) wondering
what had happened. A&oo)$ doo)A
went the dru)#,eats
again: they now sounded )uffled and
far away$ ,ut they were following.
There was no other sound
of pursuit$ neither tra)p of feet$ nor
any "oi1e. /andalf took no turns$
right or left$ for the passage
see)ed to ,e going in the dire1tion
that he desired. !"ery now and again
it des1ended a flight of
steps$ fifty or )ore$ to a lower le"el.
4t the )o)ent that was their 1hief
dangerI for in the dark they
1ould not see a des1ent$ until they
1a)e on it$ and put their feet out into
e)ptiness. /andalf felt the
ground with his staff like a ,lind )an.
4t the end of an hour they had gone a
)ile$ or )ay,e a little )ore$ and had
des1ended )any
flights of stairs. There was still no
sound of pursuit. 4l)ost they ,egan
to hope that they would
es1ape. 4t the ,otto) of the se"enth
flight /andalf halted.
S+t is getting hotN ? he gasped. S.e
ought to ,e down at least to the le"el
of the /ates now. %oon
+ think we should look for a left#hand
turn to take us east. + hope it is not far.
+ a) "ery weary. +
)ust rest here a )o)ent$ e"en if all
the or1s e"er spawned are after us.?
/i)li took his ar) and helped hi)
down to a seat on the step. S.hat
happened away up there at
the doorM ? he asked. S&id you )eet
the ,eater of the dru)sM ?
?+ do not know$? answered /andalf.
SBut + found )yself suddenly fa1ed
,y so)ething that + ha"e
not )et ,efore. + 1ould think of
nothing to do ,ut to try and put a
shutting#spell on the door. + know
)anyI ,ut to do things of that kind
rightly reJuires ti)e$ and e"en then
the door 1an ,e ,roken ,y
strength.
S4s + stood there + 1ould hear or1#
"oi1es on the other side: at any
)o)ent + thought they would
,urst it open. + 1ould not hear what
was saidI they see)ed to ,e talking in
their own hideous
language. 4ll + 1aught was AghYshIA
that is LfireL. Then so)ething 1a)e
into the 1ha),er O + felt it
through the door$ and the or1s
the)sel"es were afraid and fell silent.
+t laid hold of the iron ring$
and then it per1ei"ed )e and )y
spell.
?.hat it was + 1annot guess$ ,ut + ha"e
ne"er felt su1h a 1hallenge. The
1ounter#spell was
terri,le. +t nearly ,roke )e. For an
instant the door left )y 1ontrol and
,egan to openN + had to
speak a word of -o))and. That
pro"ed too great a strain. The door
,urst in pie1es. %o)ething
dark as a 1loud was ,lo1king out all
the light inside$ and + was thrown
,a1kwards down the stairs.
4ll the wall ga"e way$ and the roof of
the 1ha),er as well$ + think.
S+ a) afraid Balin is ,uried deep$ and
)ay,e so)ething else is ,uried there
too. + 1annot say.
But at least the passage ,ehind us was
1o)pletely ,lo1ked. 4hN + ha"e ne"er
felt so spent$ ,ut it is
passing. 4nd now what a,out you$
FrodoM There was not ti)e to say so$
,ut + ha"e ne"er ,een
)ore delighted in )y life than when
you spoke. + feared that it was a ,ra"e
,ut dead ho,,it that
4ragorn was 1arrying.?
S.hat a,out )eM ? said Frodo. ?+ a)
ali"e$ and whole + think. + a) ,ruised
and in pain$ ,ut it is
not too ,ad.?
S.ell$? said 4ragorn$ S+ 1an only say
that ho,,its are )ade of a stuff so
tough that + ha"e ne"er
)et the like of it. 2ad + known$ +
would ha"e spoken softer in the +nn at
BreeN That spear#thrust
would ha"e skewered a wild ,oarN ?
?.ell$ it did not skewer )e$ + a) glad
to say$? said FrodoI Sthough + feel as if
+ had ,een 1aught
,etween a ha))er and an an"il.? 2e
said no )ore. 2e found ,reathing
painful.
?Gou take after Bil,o$? said /andalf.
SThere is )ore a,out you than )eets
the eye$ as + said of
hi) long ago.? Frodo wondered if the
re)ark )eant )ore than it said.
They now went on again. Before long
/i)li spoke. 2e had keen eyes in the
dark. S+ think$? he
said$ Sthat there is a light ahead. But it
is not daylight. +t is red. .hat 1an it
,eM ?
SA/hYshNA? )uttered /andalf. S+
wonder if that is what they )eant: that
the lower le"els are on
fireM %till$ we 1an only go on.?
%oon the light ,e1a)e un)istaka,le$
and 1ould ,e seen ,y all. +t was
fli1kering and glowing on
the walls away down the passage
,efore the). They 1ould now see their
way: in front the road
sloped down swiftly$ and so)e way
ahead there stood a low ar1hwayI
through it the glowing light
1a)e. The air ,e1a)e "ery hot.
.hen they 1a)e to the ar1h /andalf
went through$ signing to the) to wait.
4s he stood Kust
,eyond the opening they saw his fa1e
lit ,y a red glow. Pui1kly he stepped
,a1k.
SThere is so)e new de"ilry here$? he
said$ ?de"ised for our wel1o)e no
dou,t. But + know now
where we are: we ha"e rea1hed the
First &eep$ the le"el i))ediately
,elow the /ates. This is the
%e1ond 2all of *ld (oriaI and the
/ates are near: away ,eyond the
eastern end$ on the left$ not
)ore than a Juarter of a )ile. 41ross
the Bridge$ up a ,road stair$ along a
wide road through the
First 2all$ and outN But 1o)e and
lookN ?
They peered out. Before the) was
another 1a"ernous hall. +t was loftier
and far longer than the
one in whi1h they had slept. They
were near its eastern endI westward it
ran away into darkness.
&own the 1entre stalked a dou,le line
of towering pillars. They were 1ar"ed
like ,oles of )ighty
trees whose ,oughs upheld the roof
with a ,ran1hing tra1ery of stone.
Their ste)s were s)ooth and
,la1k$ ,ut a red glow was darkly
)irrored in their sides. Right a1ross
the floor$ 1lose to the feet of
two huge pillars a great fissure had
opened. *ut of it a fier1e red light
1a)e$ and now and again
fla)es li1ked at the ,rink and 1urled
a,out the ,ases of the 1olu)ns. .isps
of dark s)oke wa"ered
in the hot air.
?+f we had 1o)e ,y the )ain road
down fro) the upper halls$ we should
ha"e ,een trapped here$?
said /andalf. SLet us hope that the
fire now lies ,etween us and pursuit.
-o)eN There is no ti)e to
lose.?
!"en as he spoke they heard again the
pursuing dru)#,eat: A&oo)$ doo)$
doo)A. 4way
,eyond the shadows at the western
end of the hall there 1a)e 1ries and
horn#1alls. A&oo)$ doo)A:
the pillars see)ed to tre),le and the
fla)es to Jui"er.
S'ow for the last ra1eN ? said /andalf.
?+f the sun is shining outside we )ay
still es1ape. 4fter
)eN ?
2e turned left and sped a1ross the
s)ooth floor of the hall. The distan1e
was greater than it had
looked. 4s they ran they heard the
,eat and e1ho of )any hurrying feet
,ehind. 4 shrill yell went
up: they had ,een seen. There was a
ring and 1lash of steel. 4n arrow
whistled o"er Frodo?s head.
Boro)ir laughed. SThey did not
e5pe1t this$? he said. SThe fire has 1ut
the) off. .e are on the
wrong sideN ?
SLook aheadN ? 1alled /andalf. SThe
Bridge is near. +t is dangerous and
narrow.?
%uddenly Frodo saw ,efore hi) a
,la1k 1has). 4t the end of the hall the
floor "anished and fell
to an unknown depth. The outer door
1ould only ,e rea1hed ,y a slender
,ridge of stone$ without
ker, or rail$ that spanned the 1has)
with one 1ur"ing spring of fifty feet.
+t was an an1ient defen1e
of the &war"es against any ene)y
that )ight 1apture the First 2all and
the outer passages. They
1ould only pass a1ross it in single file.
4t the ,rink /andalf halted and the
others 1a)e up in a pa1k
,ehind.
?Lead the way$ /i)liN ? he said.
?Pippin and (erry ne5t. %traight on
and up the stair ,eyond the
doorN ?
4rrows fell a)ong the). *ne stru1k
Frodo and sprang ,a1k. 4nother
pier1ed /andalf?s hat and
stu1k there like a ,la1k feather. Frodo
looked ,ehind. Beyond the fire he saw
swar)ing ,la1k
figures: there see)ed to ,e hundreds
of or1s. They ,randished spears and
s1i)itars whi1h shone red
as ,lood in the firelight. A&oo)$
doo)A rolled the dru)#,eats$ growing
louder and louder$ Adoo)$
doo)A.
Legolas turned and set an arrow to the
string$ though it was a long shot for
his s)all ,ow. 2e
drew$ ,ut his hand fell$ and the arrow
slipped to the ground. 2e ga"e a 1ry
of dis)ay and fear. Two
great trolls appearedI they ,ore great
sla,s of stone$ and flung the) down
to ser"e as gangways
o"er the fire. But it was not the trolls
that had filled the !lf with terror. The
ranks of the or1s had
opened$ and they 1rowded away$ as if
they the)sel"es were afraid.
%o)ething was 1o)ing up
,ehind the). .hat it was 1ould not
,e seen: it was like a great shadow$ in
the )iddle of whi1h was
a dark for)$ of )an#shape )ay,e$ yet
greaterI and a power and terror
see)ed to ,e in it and to go
,efore it.
+t 1a)e to the edge of the fire and the
light faded as if a 1loud had ,ent o"er
it. Then with a rush
it leaped a1ross the fissure. The
fla)es roared up to greet it$ and
wreathed a,out itI and a ,la1k
s)oke swirled in the air. +ts strea)ing
)ane kindled$ and ,la<ed ,ehind it. +n
its right hand was a
,lade like a sta,,ing tongue of fireI in
its left it held a whip of )any thongs.
?4iN aiN ? wailed Legolas. ?4 BalrogN 4
Balrog is 1o)eN ?
/i)li stared with wide eyes. S&urin?s
BaneN ? he 1ried$ and letting his a5e
fall he 1o"ered his
fa1e.
?4 Balrog$? )uttered /andalf. S'ow +
understand.? 2e faltered and leaned
hea"ily on his staff.
S.hat an e"il fortuneN 4nd + a)
already weary.?
The dark figure strea)ing with fire
ra1ed towards the). The or1s yelled
and poured o"er the
stone gangways. Then Boro)ir raised
his horn and ,lew. Loud the 1hallenge
rang and ,ellowed$
like the shout of )any throats under
the 1a"ernous roof. For a )o)ent the
or1s Juailed and the
fiery shadow halted. Then the e1hoes
died as suddenly as a fla)e ,lown out
,y a dark wind$ and
the ene)y ad"an1ed again.
?*"er the ,ridgeN? 1ried /andalf$
re1alling his strength. SFlyN This is a
foe ,eyond any of you. +
)ust hold the narrow way. FlyN ?
4ragorn and Boro)ir did not heed the
1o))and$ ,ut still held
their ground$ side ,y side$ ,ehind
/andalf at the far end of the ,ridge.
The others halted Kust within
the doorway at the hall?s end$ and
turned$ una,le to lea"e their leader to
fa1e the ene)y alone.
The Balrog rea1hed the ,ridge.
/andalf stood in the )iddle of the
span$ leaning on the staff in
his left hand$ ,ut in his other hand
/la)dring glea)ed$ 1old and white.
2is ene)y halted again$
fa1ing hi)$ and the shadow a,out it
rea1hed out like two "ast wings. +t
raised the whip$ and the
thongs whined and 1ra1ked. Fire 1a)e
fro) its nostrils. But /andalf stood
fir).
SGou 1annot pass$? he said. The or1s
stood still$ and a dead silen1e fell. S+
a) a ser"ant of the
%e1ret Fire$ wielder of the fla)e of
4nor. Gou 1annot pass. The dark fire
will not a"ail you$ fla)e
of 0d=n. /o ,a1k to the %hadowN
Gou 1annot pass.?
The Balrog )ade no answer. The fire
in it see)ed to die$ ,ut the darkness
grew. +t stepped
forward slowly on to the ,ridge$ and
suddenly it drew itself up to a great
height$ and its wings were
spread fro) wall to wallI ,ut still
/andalf 1ould ,e seen$ gli))ering in
the gloo)I he see)ed
s)all$ and altogether alone: grey and
,ent$ like a wi<ened tree ,efore the
onset of a stor).
Fro) out of the shadow a red sword
leaped fla)ing.
/la)dring glittered white in answer.
There was a ringing 1lash and a sta,
of white fire. The Balrog fell ,a1k and
its sword flew up in
)olten frag)ents. The wi<ard swayed
on the ,ridge$ stepped ,a1k a pa1e$
and then again stood
still.
?Gou 1annot passN ? he said.
.ith a ,ound the Balrog leaped full
upon the ,ridge. +ts whip whirled and
hissed.
?2e 1annot stand aloneN ? 1ried
4ragorn suddenly and ran ,a1k along
the ,ridge. ?A!lendilNA? he
shouted. ?+ a) with you$ /andalfN ?
S/ondorN ? 1ried Boro)ir and leaped
after hi).
4t that )o)ent /andalf lifted his
staff$ and 1rying aloud he s)ote the
,ridge ,efore hi). The
staff ,roke asunder and fell fro) his
hand. 4 ,linding sheet of white fla)e
sprang up. The ,ridge
1ra1ked. Right at the Balrog?s feet it
,roke$ and the stone upon whi1h it
stood 1rashed into the gulf$
while the rest re)ained$ poised$
Jui"ering like a tongue of ro1k thrust
out into e)ptiness.
.ith a terri,le 1ry the Balrog fell
forward$ and its shadow plunged
down and "anished. But
e"en as it fell it swung its whip$ and
the thongs lashed and 1urled a,out the
wi<ard?s knees$
dragging hi) to the ,rink. 2e
staggered and fell$ grasped "ainly at
the stone$ and slid into the
a,yss. ?Fly$ you foolsN ? he 1ried$ and
was gone.
The fires went out$ and ,lank
darkness fell. The -o)pany stood
rooted with horror staring into
the pit. !"en as 4ragorn and Boro)ir
1a)e flying ,a1k$ the rest of the
,ridge 1ra1ked and fell.
.ith a 1ry 4ragorn roused the).
?-o)eN + will lead you nowN ? he
1alled. ?.e )ust o,ey his last
1o))and. Follow )eN ?
They stu),led wildly up the great
stairs ,eyond the door. 4ragorn
leading$ Boro)ir at the rear.
4t the top was a wide e1hoing
passage. 4long this they fled. Frodo
heard %a) at his side weeping$
and then he found that he hi)self was
weeping as he ran. A&oo)$ doo)$
doo)A the dru)#,eats
rolled ,ehind$ )ournful now and
slowI Adoo)NA
They ran on. The light grew ,efore
the)I great shafts pier1ed the roof.
They ran swifter. They
passed into a hall$ ,right with daylight
fro) its high windows in the east.
They fled a1ross it.
Through its huge ,roken doors they
passed$ and suddenly ,efore the) the
/reat /ates opened$ an
ar1h of ,la<ing light.
There was a guard of or1s 1rou1hing
in the shadows ,ehind the great door
posts towering on
either side$ ,ut the gates were
shattered and 1ast down. 4ragorn
s)ote to the ground the 1aptain
that stood in his path$ and the rest fled
in terror of his wrath. The -o)pany
swept past the) and
took no heed of the). *ut of the
/ates they ran and sprang down the
huge and age#worn steps$ the
threshold of (oria.
Thus$ at last$ they 1a)e ,eyond hope
under the sky and felt the wind on
their fa1es.
They did not halt until they were out
of ,owshot fro) the walls. &i)rill
&ale lay a,out the).
The shadow of the (isty (ountains
lay upon it$ ,ut eastwards there was a
golden light on the land.
+t was ,ut one hour after noon. The
sun was shiningI the 1louds were
white and high.
They looked ,a1k. &ark yawned the
ar1hway of the /ates under the
)ountain#shadow. Faint
and far ,eneath the earth rolled the
slow dru)#,eats: Adoo)A. 4 thin
,la1k s)oke trailed out.
'othing else was to ,e seenI the dale
all around was e)pty. A&oo)A. /rief
at last wholly
o"er1a)e the)$ and they wept long:
so)e standing and silent$ so)e 1ast
upon the ground. A&oo)$
doo)A. The dru)#,eats faded.
A-hapter 7A
Lothl>rien
?4lasN + Fear we 1annot stay here
longer$? said 4ragorn. 2e looked
towards the )ountains and
held up his sword. SFarewell$
/andalfN ? he 1ried. ?&id + not say to
you: Aif you pass the doors of
(oria$ ,ewareAM 4las that + spoke
trueN .hat hope ha"e we without
youM ?
2e turned to the -o)pany. S.e )ust
do without hope$? he said. S4t least we
)ay yet ,e
a"enged. Let us gird oursel"es and
weep no )oreN -o)eN .e ha"e a
long road$ and )u1h to do.?
They rose and looked a,out the).
'orthward the dale ran up into a glen
of shadows ,etween
two great ar)s of the )ountains$
a,o"e whi1h three white peaks were
shining: -ele,dil$ Fanuidhol$
-aradhras. the (ountains of (oria.
4t the head of the glen a torrent
flowed like a white la1e o"er
an endless ladder of short falls$ and a
)ist of foa) hung in the air a,out the
)ountains? feet.
SGonder is the &i)rill %tair$? said
4ragorn$ pointing to the falls. ?&own
the deep#1lo"en way that
1li),s ,eside the torrent we should
ha"e 1o)e$ if fortune had ,een
kinder.?
S*r -aradhras less 1ruel$? said /i)li.
SThere he stands s)iling in the sunN ?
2e shook his fist at
the furthest of the snow#1apped peaks
and turned away.
To the east the outflung ar) of the
)ountains )ar1hed to a sudden end$
and far lands 1ould ,e
des1ried ,eyond the)$ wide and
"ague. To the south the (isty
(ountains re1eded endlessly as far
as sight 1ould rea1h. Less than a )ile
away$ and a little ,elow the)$ for they
still stood high up on
the west side of the dale$ there lay a
)ere. +t was long and o"al$ shaped
like a great spear#head
thrust deep into the northern glenI ,ut
its southern end was ,eyond the
shadows under the sunlit
sky. Get its waters were dark: a deep
,lue like 1lear e"ening sky seen fro)
a la)p#lit roo). +ts fa1e
was still and unruffled. 4,out it lay a
s)ooth sward$ shel"ing down on all
sides to its ,are
un,roken ri).
SThere lies the (irror)ere$ deep
heled#<Yra)N ? said /i)li sadly. S+
re)e),er that he said:
L(ay you ha"e Koy of the sightN But
we 1annot linger there.L 'ow long
shall + Kourney ere + ha"e
Koy again. +t is + that )ust hasten
away$ and he that )ust re)ain.?
The -o)pany now went down the
road fro) the /ates. +t was rough and
,roken$ fading to a
winding tra1k ,etween heather and
whin that thrust a)id the 1ra1king
stones. But still it 1ould ,e
seen that on1e long ago a great pa"ed
way had wound upwards fro) the
lowlands of the &warfkingdo).
+n pla1es there were ruined works of
stone ,eside the path$ and )ounds of
green topped
with slender ,ir1hes$ or fir#trees
sighing in the wind. 4n eastward ,end
led the) hard ,y the sward
of (irror)ere$ and there not far fro)
the roadside stood a single 1olu)n
,roken at the top.
?That is &urin?s %toneN ? 1ried /i)li. S+
1annot pass without turning aside for
a )o)ent to look at
the wonder of the daleN ?
SBe swift thenN ? said 4ragorn$ looking
,a1k towards the /ates. SThe %un
sinks early. The *r1s
will not$ )ay,e$ 1o)e out till after
dusk$ ,ut we )ust ,e far away ,efore
nightfall. The (oon is
al)ost spent$ and it will ,e dark
tonight.?
?-o)e with )e$ FrodoN ? 1ried the
dwarf$ springing fro) the road. S+
would not ha"e you go
without seeing heled#<Yra).? 2e ran
down the long green slope. Frodo
followed slowly$ drawn ,y
the still ,lue water in spite of hurt and
wearinessI %a) 1a)e up ,ehind.
Beside the standing stone /i)li
halted and looked up. +t was 1ra1ked
and weather#worn$ and the
faint runes upon its side 1ould not ,e
read. SThis pillar )arks the spot
where &urin first looked in
the (irror)ere$? said the dwarf. ?Let
us look oursel"es on1e$ ere we goN?
They stooped o"er the dark water. 4t
first they 1ould see nothing. Then
slowly they saw the
for)s of the en1ir1ling )ountains
)irrored in a profound ,lue$ and the
peaks were like plu)es of
white fla)e a,o"e the)I ,eyond there
was a spa1e of sky. There like Kewels
sunk in the deep shone
glinting stars$ though sunlight was in
the sky a,o"e. *f their own stooping
for)s no shadow 1ould
,e seen.
?* heled#<Yra) fair and wonderfulN ?
said /i)li. SThere lies the -rown of
&urin till he wakes.
FarewellN ? 2e ,owed$ and turned
away$ and hastened ,a1k up the
green#sward to the road again.
S.hat did you seeM ? said Pippin to
%a)$ ,ut %a) was too deep in thought
to answer.
The road now turned south and went
Jui1kly downwards$ running out fro)
,etween the ar)s of
the dale. %o)e way ,elow the )ere
they 1a)e on a deep well of water$
1lear as 1rystal$ fro) whi1h
a freshet fell o"er a stone lip and ran
glistening and gurgling down a steep
ro1ky 1hannel.
?2ere is the spring fro) whi1h the
%il"erlode rises.? said /i)li. S&o not
drink of itN +t is i1y 1old.?
?%oon it ,e1o)es a swift ri"er$ and it
gathers water fro) )any other
)ountain#strea)s$? said
4ragorn. S*ur road leads ,eside it for
)any )iles. For + shall take you ,y
the road that /andalf
1hose$ and first + hope to 1o)e to the
woods where the %il"erlode flows into
the /reat Ri"er#out
yonder.? They looked as he pointed$
and ,efore the) they 1ould see the
strea) leaping down to the
trough of the "alley$ and then running
on and away into the lower lands$
until it was lost in a golden
ha<e.
SThere lie the woods of Lothl>rienN ?
said Legolas. SThat is the fairest of all
the dwellings of )y
people. There are no trees like the
trees of that land. For in the autu)n
their lea"es fall not$ ,ut turn
to gold. 'ot till the spring 1o)es and
the new green opens do they fall$ and
then the ,oughs are
laden with yellow flowersI and the
floor of the wood is golden$ and
golden is the roof$ and its
pillars are of sil"er$ for the ,ark of the
trees is s)ooth and grey. %o still our
songs in (irkwood say.
(y heart would ,e glad if + were
,eneath the ea"es of that wood$ and it
were springti)eN ?
S(y heart will ,e glad$ e"en in the
winter$? said 4ragorn. ?But it lies
)any )iles away. Let us
hastenN ?
For so)e ti)e Frodo and %a)
)anaged to keep up with the othersI
,ut 4ragorn was leading
the) at a great pa1e$ and after a while
they lagged ,ehind. They had eaten
nothing sin1e the early
)orning. %a)?s 1ut was ,urning like
fire$ and his head felt light. +n spite of
the shining sun the wind
see)ed 1hill after the war) darkness
of (oria. 2e shi"ered. Frodo felt
e"ery step )ore painful and
he gasped for ,reath.
4t last Legolas turned$ and seeing
the) now far ,ehind$ he spoke to
4ragorn. The others halted$
and 4ragorn ran ,a1k$ 1alling to
Boro)ir to 1o)e with hi).
?+ a) sorry$ FrodoN ? he 1ried$ full of
1on1ern. S%o )u1h has happened this
day and we ha"e su1h
need of haste$ that + ha"e forgotten
that you were hurtI and %a) too. Gou
should ha"e spoken. .e
ha"e done nothing to ease you$ as we
ought$ though all the or1s of (oria
were after us. -o)e nowN
4 little further on there is a pla1e
where we 1an rest for a little. There +
will do what + 1an for you.
-o)e$ Boro)irN .e will 1arry the).?
%oon afterwards they 1a)e upon
another strea) that ran down fro) the
west$ and Koined its
,u,,ling water with the hurrying
%il"erlode. Together they plunged
o"er a fall of green#hued stone$
and foa)ed down into a dell. 4,out it
stood fir#trees$ short and ,ent$ and its
sides were steep and
1lothed with harts#tongue and shru,s
of whortle#,erry. 4t the ,otto) there
was a le"el spa1e
through whi1h the strea) flowed
noisily o"er shining pe,,les. 2ere
they rested. +t was now nearly
three hours after noon$ and they had
1o)e only a few )iles fro) the
/ates. 4lready the sun was
westering.
.hile /i)li and the two younger
ho,,its kindled a fire of ,rush# and
fir#wood$ and drew water$
4ragorn tended %a) and Frodo.
%a)?s wound was not deep$ ,ut it
looked ugly$ and 4ragorn?s fa1e
was gra"e as he e5a)ined it. 4fter a
)o)ent he looked up with relief.
?/ood lu1k$ %a)N ? he said. ?(any
ha"e re1ei"ed worse than this in
pay)ent for the slaying of
their first or1. The 1ut is not poisoned$
as the wounds of or1#,lades too often
are. +t should heal well
when + ha"e tended it. Bathe it when
/i)li has heated water.?
2e opened his pou1h and drew out
so)e withered lea"es. SThey are dry
and so)e of their "irtue
has one$ he said$ ,ut here + ha"e still
so)e of the lea"es of AathelasA that +
gathered near
.eathertop. -rush one in the water$
and wash the wound 1lean$ and + will
,ind it. 'ow it is your
turn. FrodoN ?
?+ a) all right$? said Frodo$ relu1tant to
ha"e his gar)ents tou1hed. S4++ +
needed was so)e food
and a little rest.?
S'oN ? said 4ragorn. S.e )ust ha"e a
look and see what the ha))er and the
an"il ha"e done to
you. + still )ar"el that you are ali"e at
all.? /ently he stripped off Frodo?s old
Ka1ket and worn tuni1$
and ga"e a gasp of wonder. Then he
laughed. The sil"er 1orslet shi))ered
,efore his eyes like the
light upon a rippling sea. -arefully he
took it off and held it up$ and the
ge)s on it glittered like
stars. and the sound of the shaken
rings was like the tinkle of rain in a
pool.
SLook$ )y friendsN? he 1alled. S2ere?s
a pretty ho,,it#skin to wrap an el"en#
prin1eling inN +f it
were known that ho,,its had su1h
hides$ all the hunters of (iddle#earth
would ,e riding to the
%hire.?
S4nd all the arrows of all the hunters
in the world would ,e in "ain$? said
/i)li$ ga<ing at the
)ail in wonder. S+t is a )ithril#1oat.
(ithrilN + ha"e ne"er seen or heard
tell of one so fair. +s this the
1oat that /andalf spoke ofM Then he
under"alued it. But it was well gi"enN
?
S+ ha"e often wondered what you and
Bil,o were doing$ so 1lose in his little
roo)$? said (erry.
?Bless the old ho,,itN + lo"e hi) )ore
than e"er. + hope we get a 1han1e of
telling hi) a,out itN ?
There was a dark and ,la1kened
,ruise on Frodo?s right side and
,reast. 0nder the )ail there
was a shirt of soft leather$ ,ut at one
point the rings had ,een dri"en
through it into the flesh.
Frodo?s left side also was s1ored and
,ruised where he had ,een hurled
against the wall. .hile the
others set the food ready. 4ragorn
,athed the hurts with water in whi1h
athelas was steeped. The
pungent fragran1e filled the dell$ and
all those who stooped o"er the
stea)ing water felt refreshed
and strengthened. %oon Frodo felt the
pain lea"e hi)$ and his ,reath grew
easy: though he was stiff
and sore to the tou1h for )any days.
4ragorn ,ound so)e soft pads of
1loth at his side.
SThe )ail is )ar"ellously light$? he
said. SPut it on again$ if you 1an ,ear
it. (y heart is glad to
know that you ha"e su1h a 1oat. &o
not lay it aside$ e"en in sleep$ unless
fortune ,rings you where
you are safe for a whileI and that will
seldo) 1han1e while your Juest lasts.?
.hen they had eaten$ the -o)pany
got ready to go on. They put out the
fire and hid all tra1es of
it. Then 1li),ing out of the dell they
took to the road again. They had not
gone far ,efore the sun
sank ,ehind the westward heights and
great shadows 1rept down the
)ountain#sides. &usk "eiled
their feet$ and )ist rose in the
hollows. 4way in the east the e"ening
light lay pale upon the di)
lands of distant plain and wood. %a)
and Frodo now feeling eased and
greatly refreshed were a,le
to go at a fair pa1e$ and with only one
,rief halt 4ragorn led the -o)pany
on for nearly three )ore
hours.
+t was dark. &eep night had fallen.
There were )any 1lear stars$ hut the
fast#waning )oon
would not ,e seen till late. /i)li and
Frodo were at the rear$ walking softly
and not speaking$
listening for any sound upon the road
,ehind. 4t length /i)li ,roke the
silen1e.
?'ot a sound ,ut the wind$? he said.
SThere are no go,lins near$ or )y ears
are )ade of wood. +t
is to ,e hoped that the *r1s will ,e
1ontent with dri"ing us fro) (oria.
4nd )ay,e that was all
their purpose$ and they had nothing
else to do with us#with the Ring.
Though *r1s will often pursue
foes for )any leagues into the plain$
if they ha"e a fallen 1aptain to
a"enge.?
Frodo did not answer. 2e looked at
%ting$ and the ,lade was dull. Get he
had heard so)ething$
or thought he had. 4s soon as the
shadows had fallen a,out the) and
the road ,ehind was di)$ he
had heard again the Jui1k patter of
feet. !"en now he heard it. 2e turned
swiftly. There were two
tiny glea)s of light ,ehind$ or for a
)o)ent he thought he saw the)$ ,ut
at on1e they slipped aside
and "anished.
S.hat is itM ? said the dwarf.
S+ don?t know.? answered Frodo. ?+
thought + heard feet$ and + thought +
saw a light#like eyes. +
ha"e thought so often$ sin1e we first
entered (oria.?
/i)li halted and stooped to the
ground. ?+ hear nothing ,ut the night#
spee1h of plant and stone$?
he said. ?-o)eN Let us hurryN The
others are out of sight.?
The night#wind ,lew 1hill up the
"alley to )eet the). Before the) a
wide grey shadow loo)ed$
and they heard an endless rustle of
lea"es like poplars in the ,ree<e.
SLothl>rienN ? 1ried Legolas.
?Lothl>rienN .e ha"e 1o)e to the
ea"es of the /olden .ood. 4las
that it is winterN ?
0nder the night the trees stood tall
,efore the)$ ar1hed o"er the road and
strea) that ran
suddenly ,eneath their spreading
,oughs. +n the di) light of the stars
their ste)s were grey$ and
their Jui"ering lea"es a hint of fallow
gold.
?Lothl>rienN ? said 4ragorn. ?/lad + a)
to hear again the wind in the treesN
.e are still little )ore
than fi"e leagues fro) the /ates$ ,ut
we 1an go no further. 2ere let us hope
that the "irtue of the
!l"es will keep us tonight fro) the
peril that 1o)es ,ehind.?
S+f !l"es indeed still dwell here in the
darkening world$? said /i)li.
?+t is long sin1e any of )y own folk
Kourneyed hither ,a1k to the land
when1e we wandered in
ages long ago$? said Legolas$ ?,ut we
hear that L>rien is not yet deserted$
for there is a se1ret power
here that holds e"il fro) the land.
'e"ertheless its folk are seldo) seen$
and )ay,e they dwell now
deep in the woods and far fro) the
northern ,order.?
?+ndeed deep in the wood they dwell$?
said 4ragorn$ and sighed as if so)e
)e)ory stirred in
hi). S.e )ust fend for oursel"es
tonight. .e will go forward a short
way$ until the trees are all
a,out us$ and then we will turn aside
fro) the path and seek a pla1e to rest
in.?
2e stepped forwardI ,ut Boro)ir
stood irresolute and did not follow. ?+s
there no other wayM ? he
said.
S.hat other fairer way would you
desireM ? said 4ragorn.
S4 plain road$ though it led through a
hedge of swords$? said Boro)ir. SBy
strange paths has this
-o)pany ,een led$ and so far to e"il
fortune. 4gainst )y will we passed
under the shades of
(oria$ to our loss. 4nd now we )ust
enter the /olden .ood$ you say. But
of that perilous land we
ha"e heard in /ondor$ and it is said
that few 1o)e out who on1e go inI
and of that few none ha"e
es1aped uns1athed.?
S%ay not Auns1athedA$ ,ut if you say
Aun1hangedA$ then )ay,e you will
speak the truth said
4ragorn. But lore wanes in /ondor$
Boro)ir$ if in the 1ity of those who
on1e were wise they now
speak e"il of Lothl>rien. Belie"e what
you will$ there is no other way for us
O unless you would go
,a1k to (oria#gate$ or s1ale the
pathless )ountains$ or swi) the /reat
Ri"er all alone.?
SThen lead onN ? said Boro)ir. SBut it
is perilous.?
SPerilous indeed$? said 4ragorn$ ?fair
and perilousI ,ut only e"il need fear
it$ or those who ,ring
so)e e"il with the). Follow )eN ?
They had gone little )ore than a )ile
into the forest when they 1a)e upon
another strea)
flowing down swiftly fro) the tree#
1lad slopes that 1li),ed ,a1k
westward towards the )ountains.
They heard it splashing o"er a fall
away a)ong the shadows on their
right. +ts dark hurrying waters
ran a1ross the path ,efore the)$ and
Koined the %il"erlode in a swirl of di)
pools a)ong the roots
of trees.
S2ere is 'i)rodelN ? said Legolas. ?*f
this strea) the %il"an !l"es )ade
)any songs long ago$
and still we sing the) in the 'orth$
re)e),ering the rain,ow on its falls$
and the golden flowers
that floated in its foa). 4ll is dark
now and the Bridge of 'i)rodel is
,roken down. + will ,athe
)y feet$ for it is said that the water is
healing to the weary.? 2e went
forward and 1li),ed down the
deep#1lo"en ,ank and stepped into the
strea).
SFollow )eN? he 1ried. ?The water is
not deep. Let us wade a1rossN *n the
further ,ank we 1an
rest. and the sound of the falling water
)ay ,ring us sleep and forgetfulness
of grief.?
*ne ,y one they 1li),ed down and
followed Legolas. For a )o)ent
Frodo stood near the ,rink
and let the water flow o"er his tired
feet. +t was 1old ,ut its tou1h was
1lean$ and as he went on and
it )ounted to his knees$ he felt that
the stain of tra"el and all weariness
was washed fro) his li),s.
.hen all the -o)pany had 1rossed$
they sat and rested and ate a little
foodI and Legolas told
the) tales of Lothl>rien that the !l"es
of (irkwood still kept in their hearts$
of sunlight and
starlight upon the )eadows ,y the
/reat Ri"er ,efore the world was
grey.
4t length a silen1e fell$ and they
heard the )usi1 of the waterfall
running sweetly in the
shadows. 4l)ost Frodo fan1ied that
he 1ould hear a "oi1e singing$
)ingled with the sound of the
water.
S&o you hear the "oi1e of 'i)rodelM ?
asked Legolas. ?+ will sing you a song
of the )aiden
'i)rodel$ who ,ore the sa)e na)e as
the strea) ,eside whi1h she li"ed
lung ago. +t is a fair song
in our woodland tongueI ,ut this is
how it runs in the .estron %pee1h$ as
so)e in Ri"endell now
sing it.? +n a soft "oi1e hardly to ,e
heard a)id the rustle of the lea"es
a,o"e the) he ,egan:
4n !l"en#)aid there was of old$
4 shining star ,y day:
2er )antle white was he))ed with
gold$
2er shoes of sil"er#grey.
4 star was ,ound upon her ,rows$
4 light was on her hair
4s sun upon the golden ,oughs
+n L>rien the fair.
2er hair was long$ her li),s were
white$
4nd fair she was and freeI
4nd in the wind she went as light
4s leaf of linden#tree.
Beside the falls of 'i)rodel$
By water 1lear and 1ool$
2er "oi1e as falling sil"er fell
+nto the shining pool.
.here now she wanders none 1an tell$
+n sunlight or in shadeI
For lost of yore was 'i)rodel
4nd in the )ountains strayed.
The el"en#ship in ha"en grey
Beneath the )ountain#lee
4waited her for )any a day
Beside the roaring sea.
4 wind ,y night in 'orthern lands
4rose$ and loud it 1ried$
4nd dro"e the ship fro) el"en#strands
41ross the strea)ing tide.
.hen dawn 1a)e di) the land was
lost$
The )ountains sinking grey
Beyond the hea"ing wa"es that tossed
Their plu)es of ,linding spray.
4)roth ,eheld the fading shore
'ow low ,eyond the swell$
4nd 1ursed the faithless ship that ,ore
2i) far fro) 'i)rodel.
*f old he was an !l"en#king$
4 lord of tree and glen$
.hen golden were the ,oughs in
spring
+n fair Lothl>rien.
Fro) hel) to sea they saw hi) leap$
4s arrow fro) the string$
4nd di"e into the water deep$
4s )ew upon the wing.
The wind was in his flowing hair$
The foa) a,out hi) shoneI
4far they saw hi) strong and fair
/o riding like a swan.
But fro) the .est has 1o)e no word$
4nd on the 2ither %hore
'o tidings !l"en#folk ha"e heard
*f 4)roth e"er)ore.
The "oi1e of Legolas faltered$ and the
song 1eased. ?+ 1annot sing any )ore$?
he said. ?That is ,ut
a part$ for + ha"e forgotten )u1h. +t is
long and sad$ for it tells how sorrow
1a)e upon Lothl>rien$
L>rien of the Blosso)$ when the
&war"es awakened e"il in the
)ountains.?
SBut the &war"es did not )ake the
e"il$? said /i)li.
S+ said not soI yet e"il 1a)e$?
answered Legolas sadly. SThen )any
of the !l"es of 'i)rodel?s
kindred left their dwellings and
departed and she was lost far in the
%outh$ in the passes of the
.hite (ountainsI and she 1a)e not
to the ship where 4)roth her lo"er
waited for her. But in the
spring when the wind is in the new
lea"es the e1ho of her "oi1e )ay still
,e heard ,y the falls that
,ear her na)e. 4nd when the wind is
in the %outh the "oi1e of 4)roth
1o)es up fro) the seaI for
'i)rodel flows into %il"erlode$ that
!l"es 1all -ele,rant$ and -ele,rant
into 4nduin the /reat. and
4nduin flows into the Bay of Belfalas
when1e the !l"es of L>rien set sail.
But neither 'i)rodel
nor 4)roth e"er 1a)e ,a1k.
?+t is told that she had a house ,uilt in
the ,ran1hes of a tree that grew near
the fallsI for that was
the 1usto) of the !l"es of L>rien$ to
dwell in the trees$ and )ay,e it is so
still. Therefore they were
1alled the /aladhri)$ the Tree#
people. &eep in their forest the trees
are "ery great. The people of
the woods did not del"e in the ground
like &war"es$ nor ,uild strong pla1es
of stone ,efore the
%hadow 1a)e.?
S4nd e"en in these latter days
dwelling in the trees )ight ,e thought
safer than sitting on the
ground$? said /i)li. 2e looked a1ross
the strea) to the road that led ,a1k to
&i)rill &ale$ and then
up into the roof of dark ,oughs a,o"e.
SGour words ,ring good 1ounsel$
/i)li$? said 4ragorn. S.e 1annot
,uild a house$ ,ut tonight we
will do as the /aladhri) and seek
refuge in the tree#tops$ if we 1an. .e
ha"e sat here ,eside the
road already longer than was wise.?
The -o)pany now turned aside fro)
the path$ and went into the shadow of
the deeper woods$
westward along the )ountain#strea)
away fro) %il"erlode. 'ot far fro)
the falls of 'i)rodel they
found a 1luster of trees$ so)e of
whi1h o"erhung the strea). Their
great grey trunks were of
)ighty girth$ ,ut their height 1ould
not ,e guessed.
S+ will 1li), up$? said Legolas. S+ a)
at ho)e a)ong trees$ ,y root or
,ough$ though these trees
are of a kind strange to )e$ sa"e as a
na)e in song. A(ellyrnA they are
1alled$ and are those that
,ear the yellow ,losso)$ ,ut + ha"e
ne"er 1li),ed in one. + will see now
what is their shape and
way of growth.?
S.hate"er it )ay ,e$? said Pippin$
Sthey will ,e )ar"ellous trees indeed
if they 1an offer any rest
at night$ e51ept to ,irds. + 1annot
sleep on a per1hN ?
?Then dig a hole in the ground$? said
Legolas$ Sif that is )ore after the
fashion of your kind. But
you )ust dig swift and deep$ if you
wish to hide fro) *r1s.? 2e sprang
lightly up fro) the ground
and 1aught a ,ran1h that grew fro)
the trunk high a,o"e his head. But
e"en as he swung there for a
)o)ent$ a "oi1e spoke suddenly fro)
the tree#shadows a,o"e hi).
SA&aroNA? it said in 1o))anding tone$
and Legolas dropped ,a1k to earth in
surprise and fear.
2e shrank against the ,ole of the tree.
?%tand stillN ? he whispered to the
others. S&o not )o"e or speakN ?
There was a sound of soft laughter
o"er their heads$ and then another
1lear "oi1e spoke in an
el"en#tongue. Frodo 1ould understand
little of what was said$ for the spee1h
that the %il"an folk
east of the )ountains used a)ong
the)sel"es was unlike that of the
.est. Legolas looked up and
answered in the sa)e language.
S.ho are they$ and what do they sayM
? asked (erry.
SThey?re !l"es$? said %a). S-an?t you
hear their "oi1esM ?
SGes$ they are !l"es$? said LegolasI
Sand they say that you ,reathe so loud
that they 1ould shoot
you in the dark.? %a) hastily put his
hand o"er his )outh. ?But they say
also that you need ha"e no
fear. They ha"e ,een aware of us for a
long while. They heard )y "oi1e
a1ross the 'i)rodel$ and
knew that + was one of their 'orthern
kindred$ and therefore they did not
hinder our 1rossingI and
afterwards they heard )y song. 'ow
they ,id )e 1li), up with FrodoI for
they see) to ha"e had
so)e tidings of hi) and of our
Kourney. The others they ask to wait a
little and to keep wat1h at the
foot of the tree$ until they ha"e
de1ided what is to ,e done.?
*ut of the shadows a ladder was let
down: it was )ade of rope$ sil"er#
grey and gli))ering in
the dark$ and though it looked slender
it pro"ed strong enough to ,ear )any
)en. Legolas ran
lightly up$ and Frodo followed
slowlyI ,ehind 1a)e %a) trying not
to ,reathe loudly. The ,ran1hes
of the )allorn#tree grew out nearly
straight fro) the trunk$ and then
swept upwardI ,ut near the top
the )ain ste) di"ided into a 1rown of
)any ,oughs$ and a)ong these they
found that there had
,een ,uilt a wooden platfor)$ or
AfletA as su1h things were 1alled in
those days: the !l"es 1alled it
a AtalanA. +t was rea1hed ,y a round
hole in the 1entre through whi1h the
ladder passed.
.hen Frodo 1a)e at last up on to the
flet he found Legolas seated with
three other !l"es. They
were 1lad in shadowy#grey$ and 1ould
not ,e seen a)ong the tree#ste)s$
unless they )o"ed
suddenly. They stood up$ and one of
the) un1o"ered a s)all la)p that
ga"e out a slender sil"er
,ea). 2e held it up$ looking at
Frodo?s fa1e$ and %a)?s. Then he shut
off the light again$ and spoke
words of wel1o)e in his el"en#
tongue. Frodo spoke haltingly in
return.
S.el1o)eN? the !lf then said again in
the -o))on Language$ speaking
slowly. ?.e seldo) use
any tongue ,ut our ownI for we dwell
now in the heart of the forest$ and do
not willingly ha"e
dealings with any other folk. !"en our
own kindred in the 'orth are
sundered fro) us. But there
are so)e of us still who go a,road for
the gathering of news and the
wat1hing of our ene)ies$ and
they speak the languages of other
lands. + a) one. 2aldir is )y na)e.
(y ,rothers$ RC)il and
*rophin$ speak little of your tongue.
SBut we ha"e heard ru)ours of your
1o)ing$ for the )essengers of !lrond
passed ,y L>rien on
their way ho)e up the &i)rill %tair.
.e had not heard of ho,,its$ or
halflings$ for )any a long
year$ and did not know that any yet
dwelt in (iddle#earth. Gou do not
look e"ilN 4nd sin1e you
1o)e with an !lf of our kindred$ we
are willing to ,efriend you$ as !lrond
askedI though it is not
our 1usto) to lead strangers through
our land. But you )ust stay here
tonight. 2ow )any are youM ?
S!ight$? said Legolas. S(yself$ four
ho,,itsI and two )en$ one of who)$
4ragorn$ is an !lffriend
of the folk of .esternesse.?
SThe na)e of 4ragorn son of
4rathorn is known in L>rien$? said
2aldir$ Sand he has the fa"our
of the Lady. 4ll then is well. But you
ha"e yet spoken only of se"en.?
SThe eighth is a dwarf$? said Legolas.
S4 dwarfN ? said 2aldir. SThat is not
well. .e ha"e not had dealings with
the &war"es sin1e the
&ark &ays. They are not per)itted in
our land. + 1annot allow hi) to pass.?
SBut he is fro) the Lonely (ountain$
one of &Tin?s trusty people$ and
friendly to !lrond$? said
Frodo. S!lrond hi)self 1hose hi) to
,e one of our 1o)panions$ and he has
,een ,ra"e and faithful.?
The !l"es spoke together in soft
"oi1es$ and Juestioned Legolas in
their own tongue. ?@ery
good$? said 2aldir at last. S.e will do
this$ though it is against our liking. +f
4ragorn and Legolas
will guard hi)$ and answer for hi)$
he shall passI ,ut he )ust go ,lindfold
through Lothl>rien.
SBut now we )ust de,ate no longer.
Gour folk )ust not re)ain on the
ground. .e ha"e ,een
keeping wat1h on the ri"ers$ e"er
sin1e we saw a great troop of *r1s
going north toward (oria$
along the skirts of the )ountains$
)any days ago. .ol"es are howling
on the wood?s ,orders. +f
you ha"e indeed 1o)e fro) (oria$
the peril 1annot ,e far ,ehind.
To)orrow early you )ust go on.
?The four ho,,its shall 1li), up here
and stay with us#we do not fear the)N
There is another
AtalanA in the ne5t tree. There the
others )ust take refuge. Gou$
Legolas$ )ust answer to us for
the). -all us$ if anything is a)issN
4nd ha"e an eye on that dwarfN?
Legolas at on1e went down the ladder
to take 2aldir?s )essageI and soon
afterwards (erry and
Pippin 1la),ered up on to the high
flet. They were out of ,reath and
see)ed rather s1ared.
SThereN? said (erry panting. S.e ha"e
lugged up your ,lankets as well as our
own. %trider has
hidden all the rest of the ,aggage in a
deep drift of lea"es.?
SGou had no need of your ,urdens$?
said 2aldir. S+t is 1old in the tree#tops
in winter$ though the
wind tonight is in the %outhI ,ut we
ha"e food and drink to gi"e you that
will dri"e away the night1hill$
and we ha"e skins and 1loaks to
spare.?
The ho,,its a11epted this se1ond Dand
far ,etterE supper "ery gladly. Then
they wrapped
the)sel"es war)ly$ not only in the
fur#1loaks of the !l"es$ ,ut in their
own ,lankets as well$ and
tried to go to sleep. But weary as they
were only %a) found that easy to do.
2o,,its do not like
heights$ and do not sleep upstairs$
e"en when they ha"e any stairs. The
flet was not at all to their
liking as a ,edroo). +t had no walls.
not e"en a railI only on one side was
there a light plaited
s1reen$ whi1h 1ould ,e )o"ed and
fi5ed in different pla1es a11ording to
the wind.
Pippin went on talking for a while. S+
hope$ if + do go to sleep in this ,ed#
loft$ that + shan?t roll
off$? he said.
S*n1e + do get to sleep$? said %a)$ ?i
shall go on sleeping$ whether + roll off
or no. 4nd the less
said$ the sooner +?ll drop off$ if you
take )y )eaning.?
Frodo lay for so)e ti)e awake$ and
looked up at the stars glinting through
the pale roof of
Jui"ering lea"es. %a) was snoring at
his side long ,efore he hi)self 1losed
his eyes. 2e 1ould
di)ly see the grey for)s of two el"es
sitting )otionless with their ar)s
a,out their knees$ speaking
in whispers. The other had gone down
to take up his wat1h on one of the
lower ,ran1hes. 4t last
lulled ,y the wind in the ,oughs
a,o"e$ and the sweet )ur)ur of the
falls of 'i)rodel ,elow$
Frodo fell asleep with the song of
Legolas running in his )ind.
Late in the night he awoke. The other
ho,,its were asleep. The !l"es were
gone. The si1kle
(oon was glea)ing di)ly a)ong the
lea"es. The wind was still. 4 little
way off he heard a harsh
laugh and the tread of )any feet on
the ground ,elow. There was a ring of
)etal. The sounds died
slowly away$ and see)ed to go
southward$ on into the wood.
4 head appeared suddenly through the
hole in the flet. Frodo sat up in alar)
and saw that it was
a grey#hooded !lf. 2e looked towards
the ho,,its.
S.hat is itM ? said Frodo.
SAGr1hNA? said the !lf in a hissing
whisper$ and 1ast on to the flet the
rope#ladder rolled up.
?*r1sN ? said Frodo. S.hat are they
doingM ? But the !lf had gone.
There were no )ore sounds. !"en the
lea"es were silent$ and the "ery falls
see)ed to ,e hushed.
Frodo sat and shi"ered in his wraps.
2e was thankful that they had not
,een 1aught on the groundI
,ut he felt that the trees offered little
prote1tion$ e51ept 1on1eal)ent. *r1s
were as keen as hounds
on a s1ent$ it was said$ ,ut they 1ould
also 1li),. 2e drew out %ting: it
flashed and glittered like a
,lue fla)e and then slowly faded
again and grew dull. +n spite of the
fading of his sword the feeling
of i))ediate danger did not lea"e
Frodo$ rather it grew stronger. 2e got
up and 1rawled to the
opening and peered down. 2e was
al)ost 1ertain that he 1ould hear
stealthy )o"e)ents at the
tree?s foot far ,elow.
'ot !l"esI for the woodland folk were
altogether noiseless in their
)o"e)ents. Then he heard
faintly a sound like sniffing: and
so)ething see)ed to ,e s1ra,,ling on
the ,ark of the tree#trunk.
2e stared down into the dark$ holding
his ,reath.
%o)ething was now 1li),ing slowly$
and its ,reath 1a)e like a soft hissing
through 1losed
teeth. Then 1o)ing up$ 1lose to the
ste)$ Frodo saw two pale eyes. They
stopped and ga<ed
upward unwinking. %uddenly they
turned away$ and a shadowy figure
slipped round the trunk of
the tree and "anished.
+))ediately afterwards 2aldir 1a)e
1li),ing swiftly up through the
,ran1hes. SThere was
so)ething in this tree that + ha"e
ne"er seen ,efore$? he said. S+t was not
an or1. +t fled as soon as +
tou1hed the tree#ste). +t see)ed to ,e
wary$ and to ha"e so)e skill in trees$
or + )ight ha"e thought
that it was one of you ho,,its.
?+ did not shoot$ for + dared not arouse
any 1ries: we 1annot risk ,attle. 4
strong 1o)pany of
*r1s has passed. They 1rossed the
'i)rodel#1urse their foul feet in its
1lean waterN#and went on
down the old road ,eside the ri"er.
They see)ed to pi1k up so)e s1ent$
and they sear1hed the
ground for a while near the pla1e
where you halted. The three of us
1ould not 1hallenge a hundred$
so we went ahead and spoke with
feigned "oi1es$ leading the) on into
the wood.
S*rophin has now gone in haste ,a1k
to our dwellings to warn our people.
'one of the *r1s will
e"er return out of L>rien. 4nd there
will ,e )any !l"es hidden on the
northern ,order ,efore
another night falls. But you )ust take
the road south as soon as it is fully
light.?
&ay 1a)e pale fro) the !ast. 4s the
light grew it filtered through the
yellow lea"es of the
)allorn$ and it see)ed to the ho,,its
that the early sun of a 1ool su))er?s
)orning was shining.
Pale#,lue sky peeped a)ong the
)o"ing ,ran1hes. Looking through an
opening on the south side
of the flet Frodo saw all the "alley of
the %il"erlode lying like a sea of
fallow gold tossing gently in
the ,ree<e.
The )orning was still young and 1old
when the -o)pany set out again$
guided now ,y 2aldir
and his ,rother RC)il. SFarewell$
sweet 'i)rodelN ? 1ried Legolas.
Frodo looked ,a1k and 1aught a
glea) of white foa) a)ong the grey
tree#ste)s. SFarewell$? he said. +t
see)ed to hi) that he would
ne"er hear again a running water so
,eautiful$ for e"er ,lending its
innu)era,le notes in an endless
1hangeful )usi1.
They went ,a1k to the path that still
went on along the west side of the
%il"erlode$ and for so)e
way they followed it southward.
There were the prints of or1#feet in
the earth. But soon 2aldir
turned aside into the trees and halted
on the ,ank of the ri"er under their
shadows.
SThere is one of )y people yonder
a1ross the strea)$? he said Sthough
you )ay not see hi).? 2e
ga"e a 1all like the low whistle of a
,ird$ and out of a thi1ket of young
trees an !lf stepped$ 1lad in
grey$ ,ut with his hood thrown ,a1kI
his hair glinted like gold in the
)orning sun. 2aldir skilfully
1ast o"er the strea) a 1oil of grey
rope$ and he 1aught it and ,ound the
end a,out a tree near the
,ank.
S-ele,rant is already a strong strea)
here$ as you see$? said 2aldir ?and it
runs ,oth swift and
deep$ and is "ery 1old. .e do not set
foot in it so far north$ unless we )ust.
But in these days of
wat1hfulness we do not )ake ,ridges.
This is how we 1rossN Follow )eN? 2e
)ade his end of the
rope fast a,out another tree$ and then
ran lightly along it$ o"er the ri"er and
,a1k again$ as if he
were on a road.
S+ 1an walk this path$? said LegolasI
S,ut the others ha"e not this skill.
(ust they swi)M?
S'oN? said 2aldir. S.e ha"e two )ore
ropes. .e will fasten the) a,o"e the
other$ one shoulderhigh$
and another half#high$ and holding
these the strangers should ,e a,le to
1ross with 1are.?
.hen this slender ,ridge had ,een
)ade$ the -o)pany passed o"er$
so)e 1autiously and
slowly$ others )ore easily. *f the
ho,,its Pippin pro"ed the ,est for he
was sure#footed$ and he
walked o"er Jui1kly$ holding only
with one handI ,ut he kept his eyes on
the ,ank ahead and did
not look down. %a) shuffled along$
1lut1hing hard$ and looking down into
the pale eddying water
as if it was a 1has) in the )ountains.
2e ,reathed with relief when he was
safely a1ross. SLi"e and learnN as )y
gaffer used to say.
Though he was thinking of gardening$
not of roosting like a ,ird$ nor of
trying to walk like a spider.
'ot e"en )y un1le 4ndy e"er did a
tri1k like thatN ?
.hen at length all the -o)pany was
gathered on the east ,ank of the
%il"erlode$ the !l"es
untied the ropes and 1oiled two of
the). RC)il$ who had re)ained on
the other side$ drew ,a1k the
last one$ slung it on his shoulder$ and
with a wa"e of his hand went away$
,a1k to 'i)rodel to keep
wat1h.
S'ow$ friends$? said 2aldir$ Syou ha"e
entered the 'aith of L>rien or the
/ore$ as you would say$
for it is the land that lies like a spear#
head ,etween the ar)s of %il"erlode
and 4nduin the /reat.
.e allow no strangers to spy out the
se1rets of the 'aith. Few indeed are
per)itted e"en to set foot
there.
S4s was agreed$ + shall here ,lindfold
the eyes of /i)li the &warf. The
other )ay walk free for
a while$ until we 1o)e nearer to our
dwellings$ down in !gladil$ in the
4ngle ,etween the waters.?
This was not at all to the liking of
/i)li. SThe agree)ent was )ade
without )y 1onsent$? he
said. S+ will not walk ,lindfold$ like a
,eggar or a prisoner. 4nd + a) no
spy. (y folk ha"e ne"er
had dealings with any of the ser"ants
of the !ne)y. 'either ha"e we done
har) to the !l"es. + a)
no )ore likely to ,etray you than
Legolas$ or any other of )y
1o)panions.?
?+ do not dou,t you$? said 2aldir. ?Get
this is our law. + a) not the )aster of
the law$ and 1annot
set it aside. + ha"e done )u1h in
letting you set foot o"er -ele,rant.?
/i)li was o,stinate. 2e planted his
feet fir)ly apart$ and laid his hand
upon the haft of his a5e.
?+ will go forward free$? he said$ ?or +
will go ,a1k and seek )y own land$
where + a) known to ,e
true of word$ though + perish alone in
the wilderness.?
SGou 1annot go ,a1k$? said 2aldir
sternly. ?'ow you ha"e 1o)e thus far$
you )ust ,e ,rought
,efore the Lord and the Lady. They
shall Kudge you$ to hold you or to gi"e
you lea"e$ as they will.
Gou 1annot 1ross the ri"ers again$ and
,ehind you there are now se1ret
sentinels that you 1annot
pass. Gou would ,e slain ,efore you
saw the).?
/i)li drew his a5e fro) his ,elt.
2aldir and his 1o)panion ,ent their
,ows. ?4 plague on
&war"es and their stiff ne1ksN ? said
Legolas.
?-o)eN? said 4ragorn. S+f + a) still to
lead this -o)pany$ you )ust do as +
,id. +t is hard upon
the &warf to ,e thus singled out. .e
will all ,e ,lindfold$ e"en Legolas.
That will ,e ,est$ though it
will )ake the Kourney slow and dull.?
/i)li laughed suddenly. S4 )erry
troop of fools we shall lookN .ill
2aldir lead us all on a
string$ like )any ,lind ,eggars with
one dogM But + will ,e 1ontent$ if only
Legolas here shares )y
,lindness.?
S+ a) an !lf and a kins)an here$? said
Legolas$ ,e1o)ing angry in his turn.
S'ow let us 1ry: La plague on the stiff
ne1ks of !l"esNL? said 4ragorn. SBut
the -o)pany shall
all fare alike. -o)e$ ,ind our eyes
2aldirN ?
S+ shall 1lai) full a)ends for e"ery
fall and stu,,ed toe$ if you do not lead
us well$? said /i)li
as they ,ound a 1loth a,out his eyes.
?Gou will ha"e no 1lai)$? said 2aldir.
S+ shall lead you well$ and the paths
are s)ooth and
straight.?
S4las for the folly of these daysN ? said
Legolas. ?2ere all are ene)ies of the
one !ne)y$ and yet
+ )ust walk ,lind$ while the sun is
)erry in the woodland under lea"es
of goldN ?
SFolly it )ay see)$? said 2aldir.
?+ndeed in nothing is the power of the
&ark Lord )ore 1learly
shown than in the estrange)ent that
di"ides all those who still oppose hi).
Get so little faith and
trust do we find now in the world
,eyond Lothl>rien$ unless )ay,e in
Ri"endell$ that we dare not
,y our own trust endanger our land.
.e li"e now upon an island a)id
)any perils$ and our hands
are )ore often upon the ,owstring
than upon the harp.
SThe ri"ers long defended us$ ,ut they
are a sure guard no )ore for the
%hadow has 1rept
northward all a,out us. %o)e speak of
departing$ yet for that it already see)s
too late. The
)ountains to the west are growing
e"ilI to the east the lands are waste$
and full of %auron?s
1reaturesI and it is ru)oured that we
1annot now safely pass southward
through Rohan$ and the
)ouths of the /reat Ri"er are
wat1hed ,y the !ne)y. !"en if we
1ould 1o)e to the shores of the
%ea$ we should find no longer any
shelter there. +t is said that there are
still ha"ens of. the 2igh
!l"es$ ,ut they are far north and west$
,eyond the land of the 2alflings. But
where that )ay ,e$
though the Lord and Lady )ay know$
+ do not.?
SGou ought at least to guess$ sin1e
you ha"e seen us$? said (erry. SThere
are !lf#ha"ens west of
)y land$ the %hire where 2o,,its
li"e.?
S2appy folk are 2o,,its to dwell near
the shores of the seaN ? said 2aldir. ?+t
is long indeed sin1e
any of )y folk ha"e looked on it$ yet
still we re)e),er it in song. Tell )e
of these ha"ens as we
walk.?
S+ 1annot$? said (erry. S+ ha"e ne"er
seen the). + ha"e ne"er ,een out of
)y own land ,efore.
4nd if + had known what the world
outside was like. + don?t think + should
ha"e had the heart to
lea"e it.?
S'ot e"en to see fair Lothl>rienM ? said
2aldir. ?The world is indeed full of
peril$ and in it there
are )any dark pla1esI ,ut still there is
)u1h that is fair$ and though in all
lands lo"e is now )ingled
with grief$ it grows perhaps the
greater.
S%o)e there are a)ong us who sing
that the %hadow will draw ,a1k and
pea1e shall 1o)e again.
Get + do not ,elie"e that the world
a,out us will e"er again ,e as it was
of old$ or the light of the
%un as it was aforeti)e. For the !l"es$
+ fear$ it will pro"e at ,est a tru1e$ in
whi1h they )ay pass to
the %ea unhindered and lea"e the
(iddle#earth for e"er. 4las for
Lothl>rien that + lo"eN +t would ,e
a poor life in a land where no )allorn
grew. But if there are )allorn#trees
,eyond the /reat %ea$
none ha"e reported it.?
4s they spoke thus$ the -o)pany
filed slowly along the paths in the
wood$ led ,y 2aldir$ while
the other !lf walked ,ehind. They felt
the ground ,eneath their feet s)ooth
and soft$ and after a
while they walked )ore freely$
without fear of hurt or fall. Being
depri"ed of sight$ Frodo found his
hearing and other senses sharpened.
2e 1ould s)ell the trees and the
trodden grass. 2e 1ould hear
)any different notes in the rustle of
the lea"es o"erhead$ the ri"er
)ur)uring away on his right$
and the thin 1lear "oi1es of ,irds in
the sky. 2e felt the sun upon his fa1e
and hands when they
passed through an open glade.
4s soon as he set foot upon the far
,ank of %il"erlode a strange feeling
had 1o)e upon hi)$ and
it deepened as he walked on into the
'aith: it see)ed to hi) that he had
stepped o"er a ,ridge of
ti)e into a 1orner of the !lder &ays$
and was #now walking in a world that
was no )ore. +n
Ri"endell there was )e)ory of
an1ient thingsI in L>rien the an1ient
things still li"ed on in the
waking world. !"il had ,een seen and
heard there$ sorrow had ,een knownI
the !l"es feared and
distrusted the world outside: wol"es
were howling on the wood?s ,orders:
,ut on the land of L>rien
no shadow lay.
4ll that day the -o)pany )ar1hed
on$ until they felt the 1ool e"ening
1o)e and heard the early
night#wind whispering a)ong )any
lea"es. Then they rested and slept
without fear upon the
groundI for their guides would not
per)it the) to un,ind their eyes$ and
they 1ould not 1li),. +n
the )orning they went on again$
walking without haste. 4t noon they
halted$ and Frodo was aware
that they had passed out under the
shining %un. %uddenly he heard the
sound of )any "oi1es all
around hi).
4 )ar1hing host of !l"es had 1o)e
up silently: they were hastening
toward the northern ,orders
to guard against any atta1k fro)
(oriaI and they ,rought news$ so)e
of whi1h 2aldir reported.
The )arauding or1s had ,een waylaid
and al)ost all destroyedI the re)nant
had fled westward
towards the )ountains$ and were
,eing pursued. 4 strange 1reature also
had ,een seen$ running
with ,ent ,a1k and with hands near
the ground$ like a ,east and yet not of
,east#shape. +t had
eluded 1apture$ and they had not shot
it$ not knowing whether it was good
or ill$ and it had "anished
down the %il"erlode southward.
S4lso$? said 2aldir$ Sthey ,ring )e a
)essage fro) the Lord and Lady of
the /aladhri). Gou are
all to walk free$ e"en the dwarf /i)li.
+t see)s that the Lady knows who and
what is ea1h )e),er
of your -o)pany. 'ew )essages
ha"e 1o)e fro) Ri"endell perhaps.?
2e re)o"ed the ,andage first fro)
/i)li?s eyes. ?Gour pardonN ? he said$
,owing low. SLook on
us now with friendly eyesN Look and
,e glad$ for you are the first dwarf to
,ehold the trees of the
'aith of L>rien sin1e &urin?s &ayN ?
.hen his eyes were in turn
un1o"ered$ Frodo looked up and
1aught his ,reath. They were
standing in an open spa1e. To the left
stood a great )ound$ 1o"ered with a
sward of grass as green
as %pring#ti)e in the !lder &ays.
0pon it$ as a dou,le 1rown$ grew two
1ir1les of trees: the outer
had ,ark of snowy white$ and were
leafless ,ut ,eautiful in their shapely
nakednessI the inner were
)allorn#trees of great height$ still
arrayed in pale gold. 2igh a)id the
,ran1hes of a towering tree
that stood in the 1entre of all there
glea)ed a white flet. 4t the feet of the
trees$ and all a,out the
green hillsides the grass was studded
with s)all golden flowers shaped like
stars. 4)ong the)$
nodding on slender stalks$ were other
flowers$ white and palest green: they
gli))ered as a )ist
a)id the ri1h hue of the grass. *"er
all the sky was ,lue$ and the sun of
afternoon glowed upon the
hill and 1ast long green shadows
,eneath the trees.
?BeholdN Gou are 1o)e to -erin
4)roth$? said 2aldir. SFor this is the
heart of the an1ient real)
as it was long ago$ and here is the
)ound of 4)roth$ where in happier
days his high house was
,uilt. 2ere e"er ,loo) the winter
flowers in the unfading grass: the
yellow AelanorA$ and the pale
AniphredilA. 2ere we will stay awhile$
and 1o)e to the 1ity of the /aladhri)
at dusk.?
The others 1ast the)sel"es down
upon the fragrant grass$ ,ut Frodo
stood awhile still lost in
wonder. +t see)ed to hi) that he had
stepped through a high window that
looked on a "anished
world. 4 light was upon it for whi1h
his language had no na)e. 4ll that he
saw was shapely$ ,ut
the shapes see)ed at on1e 1lear 1ut$
as if they had ,een first 1on1ei"ed and
drawn at the un1o"ering
of his eyes$ and an1ient as if they had
endured for e"er. 2e saw no 1olour
,ut those he knew$ gold
and white and ,lue and green$ ,ut
they were fresh and poignant$ as if he
had at that )o)ent first
per1ei"ed the) and )ade for the)
na)es new and wonderful. +n winter
here no heart 1ould )ourn
for su))er or for spring. 'o ,le)ish
or si1kness or defor)ity 1ould ,e seen
in anything that grew
upon the earth. *n the land of L>rien
there was no stain.
2e turned and saw that %a) was now
standing ,eside hi)$ looking round
with a pu<<led
e5pression$ and ru,,ing his eyes as if
he was not sure that he was awake.
S+t?s sunlight and ,right
day$ right enough$? he said. S+ thought
that !l"es were all for )oon and stars:
,ut this is )ore el"ish
than anything + e"er heard tell of. +
feel as if + was AinsideA a song. if you
take )y )eaning.?
2aldir looked at the)$ and he see)ed
indeed to take the )eaning of ,oth
thought and word. 2e
s)iled. SGou feel the power of the
Lady of the /aladhri)$? he said.
S.ould it please you to 1li),
with )e up -erin 4)rothM ?
They followed hi) as he stepped
lightly up the grass#1lad slopes.
Though he walked and
,reathed$ and a,out hi) li"ing lea"es
and flowers were stirred ,y the sa)e
1ool wind as fanned his
fa1e$ Frodo felt that he was in a
ti)eless land that did not fade or
1hange or fall into forgetfulness.
.hen he had gone and passed again
into the outer world$ still Frodo the
wanderer fro) the %hire
would walk there$ upon the grass
a)ong AelanorA and AniphredilA in
fair Lothl>rien.
They entered the 1ir1le of white trees.
4s they did so the %outh .ind ,lew
upon -erin 4)roth
and sighed a)ong the ,ran1hes.
Frodo stood still$ hearing far offA
great seas upon ,ea1hes that had
long ago ,een washed away$ and sea#
,irds 1rying whose ra1e had perished
fro) the earth.
2aldir had gone on and was now
1li),ing to the high flet. 4s Frodo
prepared to follow hi)$ he
laid his hand upon the tree ,eside the
ladder: ne"er ,efore had he ,een so
suddenly and so keenly
aware of the feel and te5ture of a
tree?s skin and of the life within it. 2e
felt a delight in wood and
the tou1h of it$ neither as forester nor
as 1arpenterI it was the delight of the
li"ing tree itself.
4s he stepped out at last upon the
lofty platfor)$ 2aldir took his hand
and turned hi) toward
the %outh. SLook this way firstN ? he
said.
Frodo looked and saw$ still at so)e
distan1e$ a hill of )any )ighty trees$
or a 1ity of green
towers: whi1h it was he 1ould not tell.
*ut of it$ it see)ed to hi) that the
power and light 1a)e that
held all the land in sway. 2e longed
suddenly to fly like a ,ird to rest in
the green 1ity. Then he
looked eastward and saw all the land
of L>rien running down to the pale
glea) of 4nduin$ the
/reat Ri"er. 2e lifted his eyes a1ross
the ri"er and all the light went out$
and he was ,a1k again in
the world he knew. Beyond the ri"er
the land appeared flat and e)pty$
for)less and "ague$ until far
away it rose again like a wall$ dark
and drear. The sun that lay on
Lothl>rien had no power to
enlighten the shadow of that distant
height.
SThere lies the fastness of %outhern
(irkwood$? said 2aldir. S+t is 1lad in a
forest of dark fir$
where the trees stri"e one against
another and their ,ran1hes rot and
wither. +n the )idst upon a
stony height stands &ol /uldur$
where long the hidden !ne)y had his
dwelling. .e fear that now
it is inha,ited again$ and with power
se"enfold. 4 ,la1k 1loud lies often
o"er it of late. +n this high
pla1e you )ay see the two powers
that are opposed one to anotherI and
e"er they stri"e now in
thought$ ,ut whereas the light
per1ei"es the "ery heart of the
darkness$ its own se1ret has not ,een
dis1o"ered. 'ot yet.? 2e turned and
1li),ed swiftly down$ and they
followed hi).
4t the hill?s foot Frodo found
4ragorn$ standing still and silent as a
treeI ,ut in his hand was a
s)all golden ,loo) of elanor$ and a
light was in his eyes. 2e was wrapped
in so)e fair )e)ory:
and as Frodo looked at hi) he knew
that he ,eheld things as they on1e had
,een in this sa)e pla1e.
For the gri) years were re)o"ed
fro) the fa1e of 4ragorn$ and he
see)ed 1lothed in white$ a
young lord tall and fairI and he spoke
words in the !l"ish tongue to one
who) Frodo 1ould not
seeA. 4rwen "ani)elda$ na)TriWNA he
said$ and then he drew a ,reath$ and
returning out of his
thought he looked at Frodo and
s)iled.
S2ere is the heart of !l"endo) on
earth$? he said$ Sand here )y heart
dwells e"er$ unless there ,e
a light ,eyond the dark roads that we
still )ust tread$ you and +. -o)e with
)eN ? 4nd taking
Frodo?s hand in his$ he left the hill of
-erin 4)roth and 1a)e there ne"er
again as li"ing )an.
A-hapter 8A
The (irror of /aladriel
The sun was sinking ,ehind the
)ountains$ and the shadows were
deepening in the woods$ when
they went on again. Their paths now
went into thi1kets where the dusk had
already gathered. 'ight
1a)e ,eneath the trees as they
walked$ and the !l"es un1o"ered their
sil"er la)ps.
%uddenly they 1a)e out into the open
again and found the)sel"es under a
pale e"ening sky
pri1ked ,y a few early stars. There
was a wide treeless spa1e ,efore
the)$ running in a great 1ir1le
and ,ending away on either hand.
Beyond it was a deep fosse lost in soft
shadow$ ,ut the grass
upon its ,rink was green$ as if it
glowed still in )e)ory of the sun that
had gone. 0pon the further
side there rose to a great height a
green wall en1ir1ling a green hill
thronged with )allorn#trees
taller than any they had yet seen in all
the land. Their height 1ould not ,e
guessed$ ,ut they stood
up in the twilight like li"ing towers.
+n their$ )any#tiered ,ran1hes and
a)id their e"er#)o"ing
lea"es 1ountless lights were glea)ing$
green and gold and sil"er. 2aldir
turned towards the
-o)pany.
S.el1o)e to -aras /aladhonN ? he
said. ?2ere is the 1ity of the
/aladhri) where dwell the Lord
-ele,orn and /aladriel the Lady of
L>rien. But we 1annot enter here$ for
the gates do not look
northward. .e )ust go round to the
southern side$ and the way is not
short$ for the 1ity is great.?
There was a road pa"ed with white
stone running on the outer ,rink of the
fosse. 4long this they
went westward$ with the 1ity e"er
1li),ing up like a green 1loud upon
their leftI and as the night
deepened )ore lights sprang forth$
until all the hill see)ed afire with
stars. They 1a)e at last to a
white ,ridge$ and 1rossing found the
great gates of the 1ity: they fa1ed
south#west$ set ,etween the
ends of the en1ir1ling wall that here
o"erlapped$ and they were tall and
strong$ and hung with )any
la)ps.
2aldir kno1ked and spoke$ and the
gates opened soundlesslyI ,ut of
guards Frodo 1ould see no
sign. The tra"ellers passed within$ and
the gates shut ,ehind the). They were
in a deep lane
,etween the ends of the wall$ and
passing Jui1kly through it they
entered the -ity of the Trees. 'o
folk 1ould they see$ nor hear any feet
upon the pathsI ,ut there were )any
"oi1es$ a,out the)$ and
in the air a,o"e. Far away up on the
hill they 1ould hear the sound of
singing falling fro) on high
like soft rain upon lea"es.
They went along )any paths and
1li),ed )any stairs$ until they 1a)e
to the high pla1es and
saw ,efore the) a)id a wide lawn a
fountain shi))ering. +t was lit ,y
sil"er la)ps that swung
fro) the ,oughs of trees$ and it fell
into a ,asin of sil"er$ fro) whi1h a
white strea) spilled. 0pon
the south side of the lawn there stood
the )ightiest of all the treesI its great
s)ooth ,ole glea)ed
like grey silk$ and up it towered$ until
its first ,ran1hes$ far a,o"e$ opened
their huge li),s under
shadowy 1louds of lea"es. Beside it a
,road white ladder stood$ and at its
foot three !l"es were
seated. They sprang up as the
tra"ellers approa1hed$ and Frodo saw
that they were tall and 1lad in
grey )ail$ and fro) their shoulders
hung long white 1loaks.
?2ere dwell -ele,orn and /aladriel$?
said 2aldir. S+t is their wish that you
should as1end and
speak with the).?
*ne of the !lf#wardens then ,lew a
1lear note on a s)all horn$ and it was
answered three ti)es
fro) far a,o"e. S+ will go first$? said
2aldir. ?Let Frodo 1o)e ne5t and with
hi) Legolas. The others
)ay follow as they wish. +t is a long
1li), for those that are not
a11usto)ed to su1h stairs$ ,ut you
)ay rest upon the way.?
4s he 1li),ed slowly up Frodo
passed )any flets: so)e on one side$
so)e on another$ and
so)e set a,out the ,ole of the tree$ so
that the ladder passed through the).
4t a great height a,o"e
the ground he 1a)e to a wide AtalanA$
like the de1k of a great ship. *n it was
,uilt a house$ so large
that al)ost it would ha"e ser"ed for a
hall of (en upon the earth. 2e
entered ,ehind 2aldir$ and
found that he was in a 1ha),er of
o"al shape$ in the )idst of whi1h
grew the trunk of the great
)allorn$ now tapering towards its
1rown$ and yet )aking still a pillar of
wide girth.
The 1ha),er was filled with a soft
lightI its walls were green and sil"er
and its roof of gold.
(any !l"es were seated there. *n
two 1hairs ,eneath the ,ole of the tree
and 1anopied ,y a li"ing
,ough there sat$ side ,y side$
-ele,orn and /aladriel. They stood
up to greet their guests$ after the
)anner of !l"es$ e"en those who
were a11ounted )ighty kings. @ery
tall they were$ and the Lady
no less tall than the LordI and they
were gra"e and ,eautiful. They were
1lad wholly in whiteI and
the hair of the Lady was of deep gold$
and the hair of the Lord -ele,orn was
of sil"er long and
,rightI ,ut no sign of age was upon
the)$ unless it were in the depths of
their eyesI for these were
keen as lan1es in the starlight$ and yet
profound$ the wells of deep )e)ory.
2aldir led Frodo ,efore the)$ and the
Lord wel1o)ed hi) in his own
tongue. The Lady
/aladriel said no word ,ut looked
long upon his fa1e.
S%it now ,eside )y 1hair$ Frodo of
the %hireN ? said -ele,orn. S.hen all
ha"e 1o)e we will
speak together.?
!a1h of the 1o)panions he greeted
1ourteously ,y na)e as they entered.
S.el1o)e 4ragorn son
of 4rathornN ? he said. S+t is eight and
thirty years of the world outside sin1e
you 1a)e to this landI
and those years lie hea"y on you. But
the end is near$ for good or ill. 2ere
lay aside your ,urden for
a whileN ?
?.el1o)e son of ThranduilN Too
seldo) do )y kindred Kourney hither
fro) the 'orth.?
S.el1o)e /i)li son of /l>inN +t is
long indeed sin1e we saw one of
&urin?s folk in -aras
/aladhon. But today we ha"e ,roken
our long law. (ay it ,e a sign that
though the world is now
dark ,etter days are at hand$ and that
friendship shall ,e renewed ,etween
our peoples.? /i)li
,owed low.
.hen all the guests were seated
,efore his 1hair the Lord looked at
the) again. ?2ere there are
eight$? he said. S'ine were to set out:
so said the )essages. But )ay,e there
has ,een so)e 1hange
of 1ounsel that we ha"e not heard.
!lrond is far away$ and darkness
gathers ,etween us$ and all this
year the shadows ha"e grown longer.?
S'ay$ there was no 1hange of
1ounsel$? said the Lady /aladriel
speaking for the first ti)e. 2er
"oi1e was 1lear and )usi1al$ ,ut
deeper than wo)an?s wont. S/andalf
the /rey set out with the
-o)pany$ ,ut he did not pass the
,orders of this land. 'ow tell us
where he isI for + )u1h desired
to speak with hi) again. But + 1annot
see hi) fro) afar$ unless he 1o)es
within the fen1es of
Lothl>rien: a grey )ist is a,out hi)$
and the ways of his feet and of his
)ind are hidden fro) )e.?
?4lasN ? said 4ragorn. S/andalf the
/rey fell into shadow. 2e re)ained in
(oria and did not
es1ape.?
4t these words all the !l"es in the
hall 1ried aloud in grief and
a)a<e)ent. SThese are e"il
tidings$? said -ele,orn$ Sthe )ost e"il
that ha"e ,een spoken here in long
years full of grie"ous
deeds.? 2e turned to 2aldir. S.hy has
nothing of this ,een told to )e
,eforeM ? he asked in the
!l"en#tongue.
?.e ha"e not spoken to 2aldir of our
deeds or our purpose$? said Legolas.
S4t first we were
weary and danger was too 1lose
,ehind and afterwards we al)ost
forgot our grief for a ti)e$ as we
walked in gladness on the fair paths of
L>rien.?
SGet our grief is great and our loss
1annot ,e )ended$? said Frodo.
?/andalf was our guide$ and
he led us through (oriaI and when
our es1ape see)ed ,eyond hope he
sa"ed us$ and he fell.?
?Tell us now the full taleN ? said
-ele,orn:
Then 4ragorn re1ounted all that had
happened upon the pass of -aradhras$
and in the days that
followedI and he spoke of Balin and
his ,ook$ and the fight in the -ha),er
of (a<ar,ul$ and the
fire$ and the narrow ,ridge$ and the
1o)ing of the Terror. ?4n e"il of the
4n1ient .orld it see)ed$
su1h as + ha"e ne"er seen ,efore$? said
4ragorn. S+t was ,oth a shadow and a
fla)e$ strong and
terri,le.?
?+t was a Balrog of (orgoth$? said
LegolasI Sof all elf#,anes the )ost
deadly$ sa"e the *ne who
sits in the &ark Tower.?
S+ndeed + saw upon the ,ridge that
whi1h haunts our darkest drea)s l
saw &urin?s Bane$? said
/i)li in a low "oi1e$ and dread was
in his eyes.
?4lasN ? said -ele,orn. S.e long ha"e
feared that under -aradhras a terror
slept. But had +
known that the &war"es had stirred
up this e"il in (oria again$ l would
ha"e for,idden you to pass
the northern ,orders$ you and all that
went with you. 4nd if it were
possi,le$ one would say that at
the last /andalf fell fro) wisdo) into
folly$ going needlessly into the net of
(oria.?
S2e would ,e rash indeed that said
that thing$? said /aladriel gra"ely.
S'eedless were none of
the deeds of /andalf in life. Those
that followed hi) knew not his )ind
and 1annot report his full
purpose. But howe"er it )ay ,e with
the guide$ the followers are ,la)eless.
&o not repent of your
wel1o)e to the &warf. +f our folk had
,een e5iled long and far fro)
Lothl>rien$ who of the
/aladhri)$ e"en -ele,orn the .ise$
would pass nigh and would not wish
to look upon their an1ient
ho)e$ though it had ,e1o)e an a,ode
of dragonsM
?&ark is the water of heled#<Yra)$
and 1old are the springs of i,il#nYla$
and fair were the
)any#pillared halls of ha<ad#d=) in
!lder &ays ,efore the fall of )ighty
kings ,eneath the
stone.? %he looked upon /i)li$ who
sat glowering and sad$ and she s)iled.
4nd the &warf$ hearing
the na)es gi"en in his own an1ient
tongue$ looked up and )et her eyesI
and it see)ed to hi) that
he looked suddenly into the heart of
an ene)y and saw there lo"e and
understanding. .onder 1a)e
into his fa1e$ and then he s)iled in
answer.
2e rose 1lu)sily and ,owed in dwarf#
fashion$ saying: SGet )ore fair is the
li"ing land of
L>rien$ and the Lady /aladriel is
a,o"e all the Kewels that lie ,eneath
the earthN ?
There was a silen1e. 4t length
-ele,orn spoke again. S+ did not know
that your plight was so
e"il$? he said. SLet /i)li forget )y
harsh words: + spoke in the trou,le of
)y heart. + will do what +
1an to aid you$ ea1h a11ording to his
wish and need$ ,ut espe1ially that one
of the little folk who
,ears the ,urden.?
?Gour Juest is known to us$? said
/aladriel$ looking at Frodo. SBut we
will not here speak of it
)ore openly. Get not in "ain will it
pro"e$ )ay,e$ that you 1a)e to this
land seeking aid$ as
/andalf hi)self plainly purposed. For
the Lord of the /aladhri) is
a11ounted the wisest of the
!l"es of (iddle#earth$ and a gi"er of
gifts ,eyond the power of kings. 2e
has dwelt in the .est
sin1e the days of dawn$ and + ha"e
dwelt with hi) years un1ountedI for
ere the fall of 'argothrond
or /ondolin + passed o"er the
)ountains$ and together through ages
of the world we ha"e fought
the long defeat.
?+ it was who first su))oned the
.hite -oun1il. 4nd if )y designs had
not gone a)iss$ it
would ha"e ,een go"erned ,y
/andalf the /rey$ and then )ayhap
things would ha"e gone
otherwise. But e"en now there is hope
left. + will not gi"e you 1ounsel$
saying do this$ or do that.
For not in doing or 1ontri"ing$ nor in
1hoosing ,etween this 1ourse and
another$ 1an + a"ailI ,ut
only in knowing what was and is$ and
in part also what shall ,e. But this +
will say to you: your
Puest stands upon the edge of a knife.
%tray ,ut a little and it will fail$ to the
ruin of all. Get hope
re)ains while all the -o)pany is
true.?
4nd with that word she held the)
with her eyes$ and in silen1e looked
sear1hingly at ea1h of
the) in turn. 'one sa"e Legolas and
4ragorn 1ould long endure her
glan1e. %a) Jui1kly ,lushed
and hung his head.
4t length the Lady /aladriel released
the) fro) her eyes$ and she s)iled.
S&o not let your
hearts ,e trou,led$? she said. ?Tonight
you shall sleep in pea1e.? Then they
sighed and felt suddenly
weary$ as those who ha"e ,een
Juestioned long and deeply$ though
no words had ,een spoken
openly.
S/o nowN ? said -ele,orn. SGou are
worn with sorrow and )u1h toil. !"en
if your Puest did not
1on1ern us 1losely$ you should ha"e
refuge in this -ity$ until you were
healed and refreshed. 'ow
you shall rest$ and we will not speak
of your further road for a while.?
That night the -o)pany slept upon
the ground$ )u1h to the satisfa1tion of
the ho,,its. The
!l"es spread for the) a pa"ilion
a)ong the trees near the fountain$ and
in it they laid soft 1ou1hesI
then speaking words of pea1e with
fair el"ish "oi1es they left the). For a
little while the tra"ellers
talked of their night ,efore in the tree#
tops$ and of their day?s Kourney$ and of
the Lord and LadyI
for they had not yet the heart to look
further ,a1k.
S.hat did you ,lush for$ %a)M ? said
Pippin. SGou soon ,roke down.
4nyone would ha"e
thought you had a guilty 1ons1ien1e. +
hope it was nothing worse than a
wi1ked plot to steal one of
)y ,lankets.?
S+ ne"er thought no su1h thing$?
answered %a)$ in no )ood for Kest. ?+f
you want to know$ + felt
as if + hadn?t got nothing on$ and +
didn?t like it. %he see)ed to ,e
looking inside )e and asking )e
what + would do if she ga"e )e the
1han1e of flying ,a1k ho)e to the
%hire to a ni1e little hole
with#with a ,it of garden of )y own.?
SThat?s funny$? said (erry. ?4l)ost
e5a1tly what + felt )yselfI only$ only
well$ + don?t think +?++
say any )ore$? he ended la)ely.
4ll of the)$ it see)ed$ had fared
alike: ea1h had felt that he was
offered a 1hoi1e ,etween a
shadow full of fear that lay ahead$ and
so)ething that he greatly desired:
1lear ,efore his )ind it
lay$ and to get it he had only to turn
aside fro) the road and lea"e the
Puest and the war against
%auron to others.
S4nd it see)ed to )e$ too$? said
/i)li$ Sthat )y 1hoi1e would re)ain
se1ret and known only to
)yself.?
?To )e it see)ed e51eedingly
strange$? said Boro)ir. S(ay,e it was
only a test$ and she thought
to read our thoughts for her own good
purposeI ,ut al)ost + should ha"e said
that she was te)pting
us$ and offering what she pretended to
ha"e the power to gi"e. +t need not ,e
said that + refused to
listen. The (en of (inas Tirith are
true to their word.? But what he
thought that the Lady had
offered hi) Boro)ir did not tell.
4nd as for Frodo$ he would not speak$
though Boro)ir pressed hi) with
Juestions. S%he held
you long in her ga<e$ Ring#,earer$? he
said.
SGes$? said FrodoI S,ut whate"er 1a)e
into )y )ind then + will keep there.?
S.ell$ ha"e a 1areN ? said Boro)ir. S+
do not feel too sure of this !l"ish
Lady and her purposes.?
S%peak no e"il of the Lady /aladrielN ?
said 4ragorn sternly. ?Gou know not
what you say. There
is in her and in this land no e"il$
unless a )an ,ring it hither hi)self.
Then let hi) ,ewareN But
tonight + shall sleep without fear for
the first ti)e sin1e + left Ri"endell.
4nd )ay + sleep deep$ and
forget for a while )y griefN + a)
weary in ,ody and in heart.? 2e 1ast
hi)self down upon his 1ou1h
and fell at on1e into a long sleep.
The others soon did the sa)e$ and no
sound or drea) distur,ed their
slu),er. .hen they woke
they found that the light of day was
,road upon the lawn ,efore the
pa"ilion. and the fountain rose
and fell glittering in the sun.
They re)ained so)e days in
Lothl>rien$ so far as they 1ould tell or
re)e),er. 4ll the while that
they dwelt there the sun shone 1lear$
sa"e for a gentle rain that fell at ti)es$
and passed away
lea"ing all things fresh and 1lean. The
air was 1ool and soft$ as if it were
early spring$ yet they felt
a,out the) the deep and thoughtful
Juiet of winter. +t see)ed to the) that
they did little ,ut eat and
drink and rest$ and walk a)ong the
treesI and it was enough.
They had not seen the Lord and Lady
again$ and they had little spee1h with
the !l"en#folkI for
few of these knew or would use the
.estron tongue. 2aldir had ,idden
the) farewell and gone
,a1k again to the fen1es of the 'orth$
where great wat1h was now kept sin1e
the tidings of (oria
that the -o)pany had ,rought.
Legolas was away )u1h a)ong the
/aladhri)$ and after the first
night he did not sleep with the other
1o)panions$ though he returned to eat
and talk with the).
*ften he took /i)li with hi) when
he went a,road in the land$ and the
others wondered at this
1hange.
'ow as the 1o)panions sat or walked
together they spoke of /andalf$ and
all that ea1h had
known and seen of hi) 1a)e 1lear
,efore their )inds. 4s they were
healed of hurt and weariness
of ,ody the grief of their loss grew
)ore keen. *ften they heard near,y
!l"ish "oi1es singing$ and
knew that they were )aking songs of
la)entation for his fall$ for they
1aught his na)e a)ong the
sweet sad words that they 1ould not
understand.
A(ithrandir$ (ithrandirA sang the
!l"es$ A* Pilgri) /reyNAFor so they
lo"ed to 1all hi). But if
Legolas was with the -o)pany$ he
would not interpret the songs for
the)$ saying that he had not
the skill$ and that for hi) the grief
was still too near$ a )atter for tears
and not yet for song.
+t was Frodo who first put so)ething
of his sorrow into halting words. 2e
was seldo) )o"ed to
)ake song or rhy)eI e"en in
Ri"endell he had listened and had not
sung hi)self$ though his
)e)ory was stored with )any things
that others had )ade ,efore hi). But
now as he sat ,eside
the fountain in L>rien and heard a,out
hi) the "oi1es of the !l"es$ his
thought took shape in a song
that see)ed fair to hi)I yet when he
tried to repeat it to %a) only snat1hes
re)ained$ faded as a
handful of withered lea"es.
.hen e"ening in the %hire was grey
his footsteps on the 2ill were heardI
,efore the dawn he went away
on Kourney long without a word.
Fro) .ilderland to .estern shore$
fro) northern waste to southern hill$
through dragon#lair and hidden door
and darkling woods he walked at will.
.ith &warf and 2o,,it$ !l"es and
(en$
with )ortal and i))ortal folk$
with ,ird on ,ough and ,east in den$
in their own se1ret tongues he spoke.
4 deadly sword$ a healing hand$
a ,a1k that ,ent ,eneath its loadI
a tru)pet#"oi1e$ a ,urning ,rand$
a weary pilgri) on the road.
4 lord of wisdo) throned he sat$
swift in anger$ Jui1k to laughI
an old )an in a ,attered hat
who leaned upon a thorny staff.
2e stood upon the ,ridge alone
and Fire and %hadow ,oth defiedI
his staff was ,roken on the stone$
in ha<ad#d=) his wisdo) died.
S.hy$ you?ll ,e ,eating (r. Bil,o
ne5tN ? said %a).
?'o$ + a) afraid not$? said Frodo. ?But
that is the ,est + 1an do yet.?
?.ell$ (r. Frodo$ if you do ha"e
another go$ + hope you?ll say a word
a,out his fireworks$? said
%a). S%o)ething like this:
The finest ro1kets e"er seen:
they ,urst in stars of ,lue and green$
or after thunder golden showers
1a)e falling like a rain of flowers.
Though that doesn?t do the) Kusti1e
,y a long road.?
S'o$ +?ll lea"e that to you$ %a). *r
perhaps to Bil,o. But#well. + 1an?t talk
of it any )ore. + 1an?t
,ear to think of ,ringing the news to
hi).?
*ne e"ening Frodo and %a) were
walking together in the 1ool twilight.
Both of the) felt
restless again. *n Frodo suddenly the
shadow of parting had fallen: he knew
so)ehow that the ti)e
was "ery near when he )ust lea"e
Lothl>rien.
S.hat do you think of !l"es now$
%a)M ? he said. S+ asked you the sa)e
Juestion on1e ,efore#it
see)s a "ery long while agoI ,ut you
ha"e seen )ore of the) sin1e then.?
?+ ha"e indeedN ? said %a). ?4nd +
re1kon there?s !l"es and !l"es.
They?re all el"ish enough$ ,ut
they?re not all the sa)e. 'ow these
folk aren?t wanderers or ho)eless$ and
see) a ,it nearer to the
likes of us: they see) to ,elong here$
)ore e"en than 2o,,its do in the
%hire. .hether they?"e
)ade the land$ or the land?s )ade
the)$ it?s hard to say$ if you take )y
)eaning. +t?s wonderfully
Juiet here. 'othing see)s to ,e going
on$ and no,ody see)s to want it to. +f
there?s any )agi1
a,out$ it?s right down deep$ where +
1an?t lay )y hands on it$ in a )anner
of speaking.?
?Gou 1an see and feel it e"erywhere$?
said Frodo.
?.ell$? said %a)$ ?you 1an?t see
no,ody working it. 'o fireworks like
poor /andalf used to show.
+ wonder we don?t see nothing of the
Lord and Lady in all these days. +
fan1y now that AsheA 1ould
do so)e wonderful things$ if she had
a )ind. +?d dearly lo"e to see so)e
!lf#)agi1$ (r. FrodoN ?
?+ wouldn?t$? said Frodo. S+ a) 1ontent.
4nd + don?t )iss /andalf?s fireworks$
,ut his ,ushy
eye,rows$ and his Jui1k te)per$ and
his "oi1e.?
SGou?re right$? said %a). S4nd don?t
think +?) finding fault. +?"e often
wanted to see a ,it of
)agi1 like what it tells of in old tales$
,ut +?"e ne"er heard of a ,etter land
than this. +t?s like ,eing
at ho)e and on a holiday at the sa)e
ti)e$ if you understand )e. + don?t
want to lea"e. 4ll the
sa)e$ +?) ,eginning to feel that if
we?"e got to go on$ then we?d ,est get
it o"er.
?A+t?s the Ko, that?s ne"er started as
takes longest to finishA$ as )y old
gaffer used to say. 4nd +
don?t re1kon that these folk 1an do
)u1h )ore to help us$ )agi1 or no.
+t?s when we lea"e this land
that we shall )iss /andalf worse$ +?)
thinking.?
?+ a) afraid that?s only too true$ %a)$?
said Frodo. SGet + hope "ery )u1h
that ,efore we lea"e we
shall see the Lady of the !l"es again.?
!"en as he spoke$ they saw$ as if she
1a)e in answer to their words$ the
Lady /aladriel
approa1hing. Tall and white and fair
she walked ,eneath the trees. %he
spoke no word$ ,ut
,e1koned to the).
Turning aside$ she led the) toward
the southern slopes of the hill of -aras
/aladhon$ and
passing through a high green hedge
they 1a)e into an en1losed garden.
'o trees grew there$ and it
lay open to the sky. The e"ening star
had risen and was shining with white
fire a,o"e the western
woods. &own a long flight of steps
the Lady went into a deep green
hollow$ through whi1h ran
)ur)uring the sil"er strea) that
issued fro) the fountain on the hill.
4t the ,otto)$ upon a low
pedestal 1ar"ed like a ,ran1hing tree$
stood a ,asin of sil"er. wide and
shallow$ and ,eside it stood
a sil"er ewer.
.ith water fro) the strea) /aladriel
filled the ,asin to the ,ri)$ and
,reathed on it$ and when
the water was still again she spoke.
S2ere is the (irror of /aladriel$? she
said. ?+ ha"e ,rought you
here so that you )ay look in it$ if you
will.?
The air was "ery still$ and the dell was
dark$ and the !lf#lady ,eside hi) was
tall and pale.
?.hat shall we look for$ and what
shall we seeM ? asked Frodo$ filled
with awe.
S(any things + 1an 1o))and the
(irror to re"eal$? she answered$ Sand
to so)e + 1an show what
they desire to see. But the (irror will
also show things un,idden$ and those
are often stranger and
)ore profita,le than things whi1h we
wish to ,ehold. .hat you will see$ if
you lea"e the (irror
free to work$ + 1annot tell. For it
shows things that were$ and things
that are$ things that yet )ay ,e.
But whi1h it is that he sees$ e"en the
wisest 1annot always tell. &o you
wish to lookM ?
Frodo did not answer.
S4nd youM ? she said$ turning to %a).
?For this is what your folk would 1all
)agi1. + ,elie"eI
though + do not understand 1learly
what they )eanI and they see) also
to use the sa)e word of the
de1eits of the !ne)y. But this$ if you
will$ is the )agi1 of /aladriel. &id
you not say that you
wished to see !lf#)agi1M ?
?+ did$? said %a)$ tre),ling a little
,etween fear and 1uriosity. S+?ll ha"e a
peep$ Lady$ if you?re
willing.?
S4nd +?d not )ind a gli)pse of what?s
going on at ho)e$? he said in an aside
to Frodo. ?+t see)s a
terri,le long ti)e that +?"e ,een away.
But there$ like as not +?ll only see the
stars$ or so)ething that
+ won?t understand.?
?Like as not$? said the Lady with a
gentle laugh. SBut 1o)e$ you shall
look and see what you
)ay. &o not tou1h the waterN ?
%a) 1li),ed up on the foot of the
pedestal and leaned o"er the ,asin.
The water looked hard
and dark. %tars were refle1ted in it.
SThere?s only stars$ as + thought$? he
said. Then he ga"e a low gasp$ for the
stars went out. 4s if a
dark "eil had ,een withdrawn$ the
(irror grew grey$ and then 1lear.
There was sun shining$ and the
,ran1hes of trees were wa"ing and
tossing in the wind. But ,efore %a)
1ould )ake up his )ind
what it was that he saw$ the light
fadedI and now he thought he saw
Frodo with a pale fa1e lying
fast asleep under a great dark 1liff.
Then he see)ed to see hi)self going
along a di) passage$ and
1li),ing an endless winding stair. +t
1a)e to hi) suddenly that he was
looking urgently for
so)ething$ ,ut what it was he did not
know. Like a drea) the "ision shifted
and went ,a1k$ and he
saw the trees again. But this ti)e they
were not so 1lose$ and he 1ould see
what was going on: they
were not wa"ing in the wind$ they
were falling$ 1rashing to the ground.
S2iN? 1ried %a) in an outraged "oi1e.
?There?s that Ted %andy)an a#1utting
down trees as he
shouldn?t. They didn?t ought to ,e
felled: it?s that a"enue ,eyond the (ill
that shades the road to
Bywater. + wish + 1ould get at Ted$
and +?d fell Ahi)AN?
But now %a) noti1ed that the *ld
(ill had "anished$ and a large red#
,ri1k ,uilding was ,eing
put up where it had stood. Lots of folk
were ,usily at work. There was a tall
red 1hi)ney near,y.
Bla1k s)oke see)ed to 1loud the
surfa1e of the (irror.
?There?s so)e de"ilry at work in the
%hire$? he said. ?!lrond knew what he
was a,out when he
wanted to send (r. (erry ,a1k.? Then
suddenly %a) ga"e a 1ry and sprang
away. ?+ 1an?t stay here$?
he said wildly. S+ )ust go ho)e.
They?"e dug up Bagshot Row$ and
there?s the poor old gaffer
going down the 2ill with his ,its of
things on a ,arrow. + )ust go ho)eN ?
?Gou 1annot go ho)e alone$? said the
Lady. ?Gou did not wish to go ho)e
without your )aster
,efore you looked in the (irror$ and
yet you knew that e"il things )ight
well ,e happening in the
%hire. Re)e),er that the (irror
shows )any things$ and not all ha"e
yet 1o)e to pass. %o)e
ne"er 1o)e to ,e$ unless those that
,ehold the "isions turn aside fro)
their path to pre"ent the).
The (irror is dangerous as a guide of
deeds.?
%a) sat on the ground and put his
head in his hands. S+ wish + had ne"er
1o)e here$ and + don?t
want to see no )ore )agi1$? he said
and fell silent. 4fter a )o)ent he
spoke again thi1kly$ as if
struggling with tears. S'o$ +?ll go
ho)e ,y the long road with (r.
Frodo$ or not at all$? he said. SBut
+ hope + do get ,a1k so)e day. +f what
+?"e seen turns out true$ so)e,ody?s
going to 1at1h it hotN ?
S&o you now wish to look$ FrodoM ?
said the Lady /aladriel. SGou did not
wish to see !lf#)agi1
and were 1ontent.?
S&o you ad"ise )e to lookM ? asked
Frodo.
?'o$? she said. S+ do not 1ounsel you
one way or the other. + a) not a
1ounsellor. Gou )ay learn
so)ething$ and whether what you see
,e fair or e"il$ that )ay ,e profita,le$
and yet it )ay not.
%eeing is ,oth good and perilous. Get
+ think$ Frodo$ that you ha"e 1ourage
and wisdo) enough for
the "enture$ or + would not ha"e
,rought you here. &o as you willN ?
S+ will look$? said Frodo$ and he
1li),ed on the pedestal and ,ent o"er
the dark water. 4t on1e
the (irror 1leared and he saw a twilit
land. (ountains loo)ed dark in the
distan1e against a pale
sky. 4 long grey road wound ,a1k out
of sight. Far away a figure 1a)e
slowly down the road$ faint
and s)all at first$ ,ut growing larger
and 1learer as it approa1hed.
%uddenly Frodo reali<ed that it
re)inded hi) of /andalf. 2e al)ost
1alled aloud the wi<ard?s na)e$ and
then he saw that the
figure was 1lothed not in grey ,ut in
white$ in a white that shone faintly in
the duskI and in its hand
there was a white staff. The head was
so ,owed that he 1ould see no fa1e$
and presently the figure
turned aside round a ,end in the road
and went out of the (irror?s "iew.
&ou,t 1a)e into Frodo?s
)ind: was this a "ision of /andalf on
one of his )any lonely Kourneys long
ago$ or was it
%aru)anM
The "ision now 1hanged. Brief and
s)all ,ut "ery "i"id he 1aught a
gli)pse of Bil,o walking
restlessly a,out his roo). The ta,le
was littered with disordered papersI
rain was ,eating on the
windows.
Then there was a pause$ and after it
)any swift s1enes followed that
Frodo in so)e way knew to
,e parts of a great history in whi1h he
had ,e1o)e in"ol"ed. The )ist
1leared and he saw a sight
whi1h he had ne"er seen ,efore ,ut
knew at on1e: the %ea. &arkness fell.
The sea rose and raged in
a great stor). Then he saw against the
%un$ sinking ,lood#red into a wra1k of
1louds$ the ,la1k
outline of a tall ship with torn sails
riding up out of the .est. Then a
wide ri"er flowing through a
populous 1ity. Then a white fortress
with se"en towers. 4nd then again a
ship with ,la1k sails$ ,ut
now it was )orning again$ and the
water rippled with light$ and a ,anner
,earing the e),le) of a
white tree shone in the sun. 4 s)oke
as of fire and ,attle arose$ and again
the sun went down in a
,urning red that faded into a grey
)istI and into the )ist a s)all ship
passed away$ twinkling with
lights. +t "anished$ and Frodo sighed
and prepared to draw away.
But suddenly the (irror went
altogether dark$ as dark as if a hole
had opened in the world of
sight$ and Frodo looked into
e)ptiness. +n the ,la1k a,yss there
appeared a single !ye that slowly
grew. until it filled nearly all the
(irror. %o terri,le was it that Frodo
stood rooted$ una,le to 1ry
out or to withdraw his ga<e. The !ye
was ri))ed with fire$ ,ut was itself
gla<ed$ yellow as a 1at?s$
wat1hful and intent$ and the ,la1k slit
of its pupil opened on a pit$ a window
into nothing.
Then the !ye ,egan to ro"e$ sear1hing
this way and thatI and Frodo knew
with 1ertainty and
horror that a)ong the )any things
that it sought he hi)self was one. But
he also knew that it 1ould
not see hi)#not yet$ not unless he
willed it. The Ring that hung upon its
1hain a,out his ne1k grew
hea"y$ hea"ier than a great stone$ and
his head was dragged downwards.
The (irror see)ed to ,e
growing hot and 1urls of stea) were
rising fro) the water. 2e was slipping
forward.
S&o not tou1h the waterN? said the
Lady /aladriel softly. The "ision
faded$ and Frodo found that
he was looking at the 1ool stars
twinkling in the sil"er ,asin. 2e
stepped ,a1k shaking all o"er and
looked at the Lady.
S+ know what it was that you last saw$?
she saidI Sfor that is also in )y )ind.
&o not ,e afraidN
But do not think that only ,y singing
a)id the trees$ nor e"en ,y the
slender arrows of el"en#,ows$
is this land of Lothl>rien )aintained
and defended against its !ne)y. + say
to you$ Frodo$ that e"en
as + speak to you$ + per1ei"e the &ark
Lord and know his )ind$ or all of his
)ind that 1on1erns the
!l"es. 4nd he gropes e"er to see )e
and )y thought. But still the door is
1losedN ?
%he lifted up her white ar)s$ and
spread out her hands towards the !ast
in a gesture of reKe1tion
and denial. !Rrendil$ the !"ening
%tar$ )ost ,elo"ed of the !l"es$ shone
1lear a,o"e. %o ,right was
it that the figure of the !l"en#lady 1ast
a di) shadow on the ground. +ts rays
glan1ed upon a ring
a,out her fingerI it glittered like
polished gold o"erlaid with sil"er
light$ and a white stone in it
twinkled as if the !"en#star had 1o)e
down to rest upon her hand. Frodo
ga<ed at the ring with
aweI for suddenly it see)ed to hi)
that he understood.
SGes$? she said$ di"ining his thought$
Sit is not per)itted to speak of it$ and
!lrond 1ould not do
so. But it 1annot ,e hidden fro) the
Ring#,earer$ and one who has seen
the !ye. @erily it is in the
land of L>rien upon the finger of
/aladriel that one of the Three
re)ains. This is 'enya$ the Ring
of 4da)ant$ and + a) its keeper.
S2e suspe1ts$ ,ut he does not know O
not yet. &o you not see now
wherefore your 1o)ing is to
us as the footstep of &oo)M For if
you fail$ then we are laid ,are to the
!ne)y. Get if you su11eed$
then our power is di)inished$ and
Lothl>rien will fade$ and the tides of
Ti)e will sweep it away.
.e )ust depart into the .est$ or
dwindle to a rusti1 folk of dell and
1a"e$ slowly to forget and to
,e forgotten.?
Frodo ,ent his head. S4nd what do
you wishM ? he said at last.
SThat what should ,e shall ,e$? she
answered. SThe lo"e of the !l"es for
their land and their
works is deeper than the deeps of the
%ea$ and their regret is undying and
1annot e"er wholly ,e
assuaged. Get they will 1ast all away
rather than su,)it to %auron: for they
know hi) now. For the
fate of Lothl>rien you are not
answera,le ,ut only for the doing of
your own task. Get + 1ould wish$
were it of any a"ail$ that the *ne Ring
had ne"er ,een wrought$ or had
re)ained for e"er lost.?
?Gou are wise and fearless and fair$
Lady /aladriel$? said Frodo. S+ will
gi"e you the *ne Ring$ if
you ask for it. +t is too great a )atter
for )e.?
/aladriel laughed with a sudden 1lear
laugh. S.ise the Lady /aladriel )ay
,e$? she said$ Syet
here she has )et her )at1h in
1ourtesy. /ently are you re"enged for
)y testing of your heart at our
first )eeting. Gou ,egin to see with a
keen eye. + do not deny that )y heart
has greatly desired to
ask what you offer. For )any long
years + had pondered what + )ight do$
should the /reat Ring
1o)e into )y hands$ and ,eholdN it
was ,rought within )y grasp. The
e"il that was de"ised long
ago works on in )any ways$ whether
%auron hi)self stands or falls. .ould
not that ha"e ,een a
no,le deed to set to the 1redit of his
Ring$ if + had taken it ,y for1e or fear
fro) )y guestM
S4nd now at last it 1o)es. Gou will
gi"e )e the Ring freelyN +n pla1e of
the &ark Lord you will
set up a Pueen. 4nd + shall not ,e
dark$ ,ut ,eautiful and terri,le as the
(orning and the 'ightN
Fair as the %ea and the %un and the
%now upon the (ountainN &readful as
the %tor) and the
LightningN %tronger than the
foundations of the earth. 4ll shall lo"e
)e and despairN ?
%he lifted up her hand and fro) the
ring that she wore there issued a great
light that illu)inated
her alone and left all else dark. %he
stood ,efore Frodo see)ing now tall
,eyond )easure)ent$ and
,eautiful ,eyond enduring$ terri,le
and worshipful. Then she let her hand
fall$ and the light faded$
and suddenly she laughed again$ and
loN she was shrunken: a slender elf#
wo)an$ 1lad in si)ple
white$ whose gentle "oi1e was soft
and sad.
?+ pass the test$? she said. S+ will
di)inish$ and go into the .est and
re)ain /aladriel.?
They stood for a long while in silen1e.
4t length the Lady spoke again. SLet
us returnN ? she said.
S+n the )orning you )ust depart for
now we ha"e 1hosen$ and the tides of
fate are flowing.?
S+ would ask one thing ,efore we go$?
said Frodo$ Sa thing whi1h + often
)eant to ask /andalf in
Ri"endell. + a) per)itted to wear the
*ne Ring: why 1annot + see all the
others and know the
thoughts of those that wear the)M ?
SGou ha"e not tried$? she said. S*nly
thri1e ha"e you set the Ring upon
your finger sin1e you
knew what you possessed. &o not tryN
+t would destroy you. &id not /andalf
tell you that the rings
gi"e power a11ording to the )easure
of ea1h possessorM Before you 1ould
use that power you
would need to ,e1o)e far stronger$
and to train your will to the
do)ination of others. Get e"en so$
as Ring#,earer and as one that has
,orne it on finger and seen that whi1h
is hidden$ your sight is
grown keener. Gou ha"e per1ei"ed
)y thought )ore 1learly than )any
that are a11ounted wise.
Gou saw the !ye of hi) that holds the
%e"en and the 'ine. 4nd did you not
see and re1ogni<e the
ring upon )y fingerM &id you see )y
ringM ? she asked turning again to
%a).
?'o$ Lady$? he answered. STo tell you
the truth$ + wondered what you were
talking a,out. + saw a
star through your finger. But if you?ll
pardon )y speaking out$ + think )y
)aster was right. + wish
you?d take his Ring. Gou?d put things
to rights. Gou?d stop the) digging up
the gaffer and turning
hi) adrift. Gou?d )ake so)e folk pay
for their dirty work.?
S+ would$? she said. SThat is how it
would ,egin. But it would not stop
with that$ alasN .e will
not speak )ore of it. Let us goN?
A-hapter 9A
Farewell to L>rien
That night the -o)pany was again
su))oned to the 1ha),er of
-ele,orn$ and there the Lord
and Lady greeted the) with fair
words. 4t length -ele,orn spoke of
their departure.
S'ow is the ti)e$? he said$ Swhen
those who wish to 1ontinue the Puest
)ust harden their hearts
to lea"e this land. Those who no
longer wish to go forward )ay re)ain
here$ for a while. But
whether they stay or go$ none 1an ,e
sure of pea1e. For we are 1o)e now
to the edge of doo).
2ere those who wish )ay await the
on1o)ing of the hour till either the
ways of the world lie open
again. or we su))on the) to the last
need of L>rien. Then they )ay return
to their own lands$ or
else go to the long ho)e of those that
fall in ,attle.?
There was a silen1e. SThey all
resol"ed to go forward$? said /aladriel
looking in their eyes.
S4s for )e$? said Boro)ir$ S)y way
ho)e lies onward and not ,a1k.?
SThat is true$? said -ele,orn$ S,ut is all
this -o)pany going with you to
(inas TirithM ?
S.e ha"e not de1ided our 1ourse$?
said 4ragorn. ?Beyond Lothl>rien + do
not know what
/andalf intended to do. +ndeed + do
not think that e"en he had any 1lear
purpose.?
S(ay,e not$? said -ele,orn$ Syet when
you lea"e this land$ you 1an no longer
forget the /reat
Ri"er. 4s so)e of you know well$ it
1annot ,e 1rossed ,y tra"ellers with
,aggage ,etween L>rien
and /ondor$ sa"e ,y ,oat. 4nd are
not the ,ridges of *sgiliath ,roken
down and all the landings
held now ,y the !ne)yM
S*n whi1h side will you KourneyM The
way to (inas Tirith lies upon this
side$ upon the westI ,ut
the straight road of the Puest lies east
of the Ri"er$ upon the darker shore.
.hi1h shore will you
now takeM ?
S+f )y ad"i1e is heeded$ it will ,e the
western shore$ and the way to (inas
Tirith$? answered
Boro)ir. SBut + a) not the leader of
the -o)pany.? The others said
nothing$ and 4ragorn looked
dou,tful and trou,led.
S+ see that you do not yet know what
to do$? said -ele,orn. S+t is not )y
part to 1hoose for youI
,ut + will help you as + )ay. There are
so)e a)ong you who 1an handle
,oats: Legolas$ whose folk
know the swift Forest Ri"erI and
Boro)ir of /ondorI and 4ragorn the
tra"eller.?
S4nd one 2o,,itN ? 1ried (erry. S'ot
all of us look on ,oats as wild horses.
(y people li"e ,y
the ,anks of the Brandywine.?
SThat is well$? said -ele,orn. SThen +
will furnish your -o)pany with
,oats. They )ust ,e s)all
and light$ for if you go far ,y water$
there are pla1es where you will ,e
for1ed to 1arry the). Gou
will 1o)e to the rapids of %arn /e,ir$
and )ay,e at last to the great falls of
Rauros where the Ri"er
thunders down fro) 'en 2ithoelI and
there are other perils. Boats )ay )ake
your Kourney less
toilso)e for a while. Get they will not
gi"e you 1ounsel: in the end you )ust
lea"e the) and the
Ri"er$ and turn west#or east.?
4ragorn thanked -ele,orn )any
ti)es. The gift of ,oats 1o)forted
hi) )u1h$ not least ,e1ause
there would now ,e no need to de1ide
his 1ourse for so)e days. The others$
too$ looked )ore
hopeful. .hate"er perils lay ahead$ it
see)ed ,etter to float down the ,road
tide of 4nduin to )eet
the) than to plod forward with ,ent
,a1ks. *nly %a) was dou,tful: he at
any rate still thought
,oats as ,ad as wild horses$ or worse$
and not all the dangers that he had
sur"i"ed )ade hi) think
,etter of the).
S4ll shall ,e prepared for you and
await you at the ha"en ,efore noon
to)orrow$? said -ele,orn.
?+ will send )y people to you in the
)orning to help you )ake ready for
the Kourney. 'ow we will
wish you all a fair night and
untrou,led sleep.?
?/ood night$ )y friendsN ? said
/aladriel. ?%leep in pea1eN &o not
trou,le your hearts o"er)u1h
with thought of the road tonight.
(ay,e the paths that you ea1h shall
tread are already laid ,efore
your feet$ though you do not see the).
/ood nightN ?
The -o)pany now took their lea"e
and returned to their pa"ilion. Legolas
went with the)$ for
this was to ,e their last night in
Lothl>rien$ and in spite of the words
of /aladriel they wished to
take 1ounsel together.
For a long ti)e they de,ated what
they should do$ and how it would ,e
,est to atte)pt the
fulfilling of their purpose with the
Ring: ,ut they 1a)e to no de1ision. +t
was plain that )ost of
the) desired to go first to (inas
Tirith$ and to es1ape at least for a
while fro) the terror of the
!ne)y. They would ha"e ,een
willing to follow a leader o"er the
Ri"er and into the shadow of
(ordorI ,ut Frodo spoke no word$
and 4ragorn was still di"ided in his
)ind.
2is own plan$ while /andalf
re)ained with the)$ had ,een to go
with Boro)ir$ and with his
sword help to deli"er /ondor. For he
,elie"ed that the )essage of the
drea)s was a su))ons$ and
that the hour had 1o)e at last when
the heir of !lendil should 1o)e forth
and stri"e with %auron for
the )astery. But in (oria the ,urden
of /andalf had ,een laid on hi)I and
he knew that he 1ould
not now forsake the Ring$ if Frodo
refused in the end to go with Boro)ir.
4nd yet what help 1ould
he or any of the -o)pany gi"e to
Frodo$ sa"e to walk ,lindly with hi)
into the darknessM
S+ shall go to (inas Tirith$ alone if
need ,e$ for it is )y duty$? said
Boro)irI and after that he
was silent for a while$ sitting with his
eyes fi5ed on Frodo$ as if he was
trying to read the 2alfling?s
thoughts. 4t length he spoke again$
softly$ as if he was de,ating with
hi)self. S+f you wish only to
destroy the Ring$? he said$ Sthen there
is little use in war and weaponsI and
the (en of (inas Tirith
1annot help. But if you wish to
destroy the ar)ed )ight of the &ark
Lord$ then it is folly to go
without for1e into his do)ainI and
folly to throw away.? 2e paused
suddenly$ as if he had ,e1o)e
aware that he was speaking his
thoughts aloud. S+t would ,e folly to
throw li"es away$ + )ean$? he
ended. S+t is a 1hoi1e ,etween
defending a strong pla1e and walking
openly into the ar)s of death.
4t least$ that is how + see it.?
Frodo 1aught so)ething new and
strange in Boro)ir?s glan1e$ and he
looked hard at hi).
Plainly Boro)ir?s thought was
different fro) his final words. +t
would ,e folly to throw away:
whatM The Ring of PowerM 2e had
said so)ething like this at the
-oun1il$ ,ut then he had a11epted
the 1orre1tion of !lrond. Frodo
looked at 4ragorn$ ,ut he see)ed
deep in his own thought and
)ade no sign that he had heeded
Boro)ir?s words. 4nd so their de,ate
ended. (erry and Pippin
were already asleep$ and %a) was
nodding. The night was growing old.
+n the )orning$ as they were
,eginning to pa1k their slender goods$
!l"es that 1ould speak their
tongue 1a)e to the) and ,rought
the) )any gifts of food and 1lothing
for the Kourney. The food
was )ostly in the for) of "ery thin
1akes$ )ade of a )eal that was ,aked
a light ,rown on the
outside$ and inside was the 1olour of
1rea). /i)li took up one of the 1akes
and looked at it with a
dou,tful eye.
SA-ra)A$? he said under his ,reath$ as
he ,roke off a 1risp 1orner and
ni,,led at it. 2is
e5pression Jui1kly 1hanged$ and he
ate all the rest of the 1ake with relish.
S'o )ore$ no )oreN? 1ried the !l"es
laughing. SGou ha"e eaten enough
already for a long day?s
)ar1h.?
S+ thought it was only a kind of
A1ra)A$ su1h as the &ale#)en )ake
for Kourneys in the wild$?
said the &warf.
S%o it is$? they answered. SBut we 1all
it Ale),asA or way,read$ and it is
)ore strengthening than
any food )ade ,y (en$ and it is )ore
pleasant than A1ra)A$ ,y all a11ounts.?
S+ndeed it is$? said /i)li. ?.hy it is
,etter than the honey#1akes of the
Beornings$ and that is
great praise$ for the Beornings are the
,est ,akers that + know ofI ,ut they
are none too willing to
deal out their 1akes to tra"ellers in
these days. Gou are kindly hostsN ?
?4ll the sa)e$ we ,id you spare the
food$? they said. ?!at little at a ti)e$
and only at need. For
these things are gi"en to ser"e you
when all else fails. The 1akes will
keep sweet for )any )any
days$ if they are un,roken and left in
their leaf#wrappings$ as we ha"e
,rought the). *ne will keep
a tra"eller on his feet for a day of long
la,our$ e"en if he ,e one of the tall
(en of (inas Tirith.?
The !l"es ne5t unwrapped and ga"e
to ea1h of the -o)pany the 1lothes
they had ,rought. For
ea1h they had pro"ided a hood and
1loak$ )ade a11ording to his si<e$ of
the light ,ut war) silken
stuff that the /aladhri) wo"e. +t was
hard to say of what 1olour they were:
grey with the hue of
twilight under the trees they see)ed
to ,eI and yet if they were )o"ed$ or
set in another light$ they
were green as shadowed lea"es$ or
,rown as fallow fields ,y night$ dusk#
sil"er as water under the
stars. !a1h 1loak was fastened a,out
the ne1k with a ,roo1h like a green
leaf "eined with sil"er.
S4re these )agi1 1loaksM ? asked
Pippin$ looking at the) with wonder.
S+ do not know what you )ean ,y
that$? answered the leader of the !l"es.
SThey are fair
gar)ents$ and the we, is good$ for it
was )ade in this land. They are el"ish
ro,es 1ertainly$ if that
is what you )ean. Leaf and ,ran1h$
water and stone: they ha"e the hue
and ,eauty of all these
things under the twilight of L>rien
that we lo"eI for we put the thought of
all that we lo"e into all
that we )ake. Get they are gar)ents$
not ar)our$ and they will not turn
shaft or ,lade. But they
should ser"e you well: they are light
to wear$ and war) enough or 1ool
enough at need. 4nd you
will find the) a great aid in keeping
out of the sight of unfriendly eyes$
whether you walk a)ong
the stones or the trees. Gou are indeed
high in the fa"our of the LadyN For
she herself and her
)aidens wo"e this stuffI and ne"er
,efore ha"e we 1lad strangers in the
gar, of our own people.?
4fter their )orning )eal the
-o)pany said farewell to the lawn ,y
the fountain. Their hearts
were hea"yI for it was a fair pla1e$
and it had ,e1o)e like ho)e to the)$
though they 1ould not
1ount the days and nights that they
had passed there. 4s they stood for a
)o)ent looking at the
white water in the sunlight$ 2aldir
1a)e walking towards the) o"er the
green grass of the glade.
Frodo greeted hi) with delight.
?+ ha"e returned fro) the 'orthern
Fen1es$? said the !lf$ Sand + a) sent
now to ,e your guide
again. The &i)rill &ale is full of
"apour and 1louds of s)oke$ and the
)ountains are trou,led.
There are noises in the deeps of the
earth. +f any of you had thought of
returning northwards to your
ho)es$ you would not ha"e ,een a,le
to pass that way. But 1o)eN Gour path
now goes south.?
4s they walked through -aras
/aladhon the green ways were e)ptyI
,ut in the trees a,o"e
the) )any "oi1es were )ur)uring
and singing. They the)sel"es went
silently. 4t last 2aldir led
the) down the southward slopes of
the hill$ and they 1a)e again to the
great gate hung with la)ps$
and to the white ,ridgeI and so they
passed out and left the 1ity of the
!l"es. Then they turned away
fro) the pa"ed road and took a path
that went off into a deep thi1ket of
)allorn#trees$ and passed
on$ winding through rolling
woodlands of sil"er shadow$ leading
the) e"er down$ southwards and
eastwards$ towards the shores of the
Ri"er.
They had gone so)e ten )iles and
noon was at hand when they 1a)e on
a high green wall.
Passing through an opening they 1a)e
suddenly out of the trees. Before the)
lay a long lawn of
shining grass$ studded with golden
AelanorA that glinted in the sun. The
lawn ran out into a narrow
tongue ,etween ,right )argins: on the
right and west the %il"erlode flowed
glitteringI on the left
and east the /reat Ri"er rolled its
,road waters$ deep and dark. *n the
further shores the woodlands
still )ar1hed on southwards as far as
the eye 1ould see$ ,ut all the ,anks
were ,leak and ,are. 'o
)allorn lifted its gold#hung ,oughs
,eyond the Land of L>rien.
*n the ,ank of the %il"erlode$ at so)e
distan1e up fro) the )eeting of the
strea)s$ there was a
hythe of white stones and white wood.
By it were )oored )any ,oats and
,arges. %o)e were
,rightly painted$ and shone with sil"er
and gold and green$ ,ut )ost were
either white or grey.
Three s)all grey ,oats had ,een )ade
ready for the tra"ellers$ and in these
the !l"es stowed their
goods. 4nd they added also 1oils of
rope$ three to ea1h ,oat. %lender they
looked$ ,ut strong$ silken
to the tou1h$ grey of hue like the
el"en#1loaks.
S.hat are theseM ? asked %a)$
handling one that lay upon the
greensward.
SRopes indeedN ? answered an !lf fro)
the ,oats. ?'e"er tra"el far without a
ropeN 4nd one that
is long and strong and light. %u1h are
these. They )ay ,e a help in )any
needs.?
?Gou don?t need to tell )e thatN ? said
%a). S+ 1a)e without any and +?"e
,een worried e"er sin1e.
But + was wondering what these were
)ade of$ knowing a ,it a,out rope#
)aking: it?s in the fa)ily
as you )ight say.?
SThey are )ade of AhithlainA$? said the
!lf$ S,ut there is no ti)e now to
instru1t you in the art of
their )aking. 2ad we known that this
1raft delighted you$ we 1ould ha"e
taught you )u1h. But
now alasN unless you should at so)e
ti)e return hither$ you )ust ,e
1ontent with our gift. (ay it
ser"e you wellN ?
S-o)eN ? said 2aldir. S4ll is now
ready for you. !nter the ,oatsN But
take 1are at firstN ?
?2eed the wordsN ? said the other
!l"es. ?These ,oats are light#,uilt$ and
they are 1rafty and
unlike the ,oats of other folk. They
will not sink$ lade the) as you willI
,ut they are wayward if
)ishandled. +t would ,e wise if you
a11usto)ed yoursel"es to stepping in
and out$ here where there
is a landing#pla1e$ ,efore you set off
downstrea).?
The -o)pany was arranged in this
way: 4ragorn$ Frodo$ and %a) were
in one ,oatI Boro)ir$
(erry$ and Pippin in anotherI and in
the third were Legolas and /i)li$
who had now ,e1o)e fast
friends. +n this last ,oat )ost of the
goods and pa1ks were stowed. The
,oats were )o"ed and
steered with short#handled paddles
that had ,road leaf#shaped ,lades.
.hen all was ready 4ragorn
led the) on a trial up the %il"erlode.
The 1urrent was swift and they went
forward slowly. %a) sat
in the ,ows$ 1lut1hing the sides$ and
looking ,a1k wistfully to the shore.
The sunlight glittering on
the water da<<led his eyes. 4s they
passed ,eyond the green field of the
Tongue$ the trees drew
down to the ri"er?s ,rink. 2ere and
there golden lea"es tossed and floated
on the rippling strea).
The air was "ery ,right and still$ and
there was a silen1e$ e51ept for the
high distant song of larks.
They turned a sharp ,end in the ri"er$
and there$ sailing proudly down the
strea) toward the)$
they saw a swan of great si<e. The
water rippled on either side of the
white ,reast ,eneath its
1ur"ing ne1k. +ts ,eak shone like
,urnished gold$ and its eyes glinted
like Ket set in yellow stonesI
its huge white wings were half lifted.
4 )usi1 1a)e down the ri"er as it
drew nearerI and suddenly
they per1ei"ed that it was a ship$
wrought and 1ar"ed with el"en#skill
in the likeness of a ,ird. Two
el"es 1lad in white steered it with
,la1k paddles. +n the )idst of the
"essel sat -ele,orn$ and ,ehind
hi) stood /aladriel$ tall and whiteI a
1ir1let of golden flowers was in her
hair$ and in her hand she
held a harp$ and she sang. %ad and
sweet was the sound of her "oi1e in
the 1ool 1lear air:
+ sang of lea"es$ of lea"es of gold$ and
lea"es of gold there grew:
*f wind + sang$ a wind there 1a)e
and in the ,ran1hes ,lew.
Beyond the %un$ ,eyond the (oon$
the foa) was on the %ea$
4nd ,y the strand of +l)arin there
grew a golden Tree.
Beneath the stars of !"er#e"e in
!lda)ar it shone$
+n !lda)ar ,eside the walls of !l"en
Tirion.
There long the golden lea"es ha"e
grown upon the ,ran1hing years$
.hile here ,eyond the %undering
%eas now fall the !l"en#tears.
* L>rienN The .inter 1o)es$ the ,are
and leafless &ayI
The lea"es are falling in the strea)$
the Ri"er flows away.
* L>rienN Too long + ha"e dwelt upon
this 2ither %hore
4nd in a fading 1rown ha"e twined
the golden elanor.
But if of ships + now should sing$
what ship would 1o)e to )e$
.hat ship would ,ear )e e"er ,a1k
a1ross so wide a %eaM
4ragorn stayed his ,oat as the %wan#
ship drew alongside. The Lady ended
her song and greeted
the). S.e ha"e 1o)e to ,id you our
last farewell$? she said$ Sand to speed
you with ,lessings fro)
our land.?
SThough you ha"e ,een our guests$?
said -ele,orn$ Syou ha"e not yet eaten
with us$ and we ,id
you$ therefore$ to a parting feast$ here
,etween the flowing waters that will
,ear you far fro)
L>rien.?
The %wan passed on slowly to the
hythe$ and they turned their ,oats and
followed it. There in
the last end of !gladil upon the green
grass the parting feast was heldI ,ut
Frodo ate and drank
little$ heeding only the ,eauty of the
Lady and her "oi1e. %he see)ed no
longer perilous or terri,le$
nor filled with hidden power. 4lready
she see)ed to hi)$ as ,y )en of later
days !l"es still at
ti)es are seen: present and yet
re)ote$ a li"ing "ision of that whi1h
has already ,een left far ,ehind
,y the flowing strea)s of Ti)e.
4fter they had eaten and drunk$ sitting
upon the grass$ -ele,orn spoke to
the) again of their
Kourney$ and lifting his hand he
pointed south to the woods ,eyond
the Tongue.
S4s you go down the water$? he said$
Syou will find that the trees will fail$
and you will 1o)e to a
,arren 1ountry. There the Ri"er flows
in stony "ale a)id high )oors$ until
at last after )any
leagues it 1o)es to the tall island of
the Tindro1k$ that we 1all Tol
Brandir. There it 1asts its ar)s
a,out the steep shores of the isle$ and
falls then with a great noise and
s)oke o"er the 1atara1ts of
Rauros down into the 'indalf$ the
.etwang as it is 1alled in your
tongue. That is a wide region of
sluggish fen where the strea)
,e1o)es tortuous and )u1h di"ided.
There the !ntwash flows in ,y
)any )ouths fro) the Forest of
Fangorn in the west. 4,out that
strea)$ on this side of the /reat
Ri"er$ lies Rohan. *n the further side
are the ,leak hills of the !)yn (uil.
The wind ,lows fro)
the !ast there$ for they look out o"er
the &ead (arshes and the 'o)an#
lands to -irith /orgor and
the ,la1k gates of (ordor.
?Boro)ir$ and any that go with hi)
seeking (inas Tirith$ will do well to
lea"e the /reat Ri"er
a,o"e Rauros and 1ross the !ntwash
,efore it finds the )arshes. Get they
should not go too far up
that strea)$ nor risk ,e1o)ing
entangled in the Forest of Fangorn.
That is a strange land$ and is
now little known. But Boro)ir and
4ragorn dou,tless do not need this
warning.?
?+ndeed we ha"e heard of Fangorn in
(inas Tirith$? said Boro)ir. SBut
what + ha"e heard see)s
to )e for the )ost part old wi"es?
tales$ su1h as we tell to our 1hildren.
4ll that lies north of Rohan
is now to us so far away that fan1y
1an wander freely there. *f old
Fangorn lay upon the ,orders of
our real)I ,ut it is now )any li"es of
)en sin1e any of us "isited it$ to
pro"e or dispro"e the
legends that ha"e 1o)e down fro)
distant years.
S+ ha"e )yself ,een at whiles in
Rohan$ ,ut + ha"e ne"er 1rossed it
northwards. .hen + was sent
out as a )essenger$ + passed through
the /ap ,y the skirts of the .hite
(ountains$ and 1rossed the
+sen and the /reyflood into
'ortherland. 4 long and weariso)e
Kourney. Four hundred leagues +
re1koned it$ and it took )e )any
)onthsI for + lost )y horse at
Thar,ad$ at the fording of the
/reyflood. 4fter that Kourney$ and the
road + ha"e trodden with this
-o)pany$ + do not )u1h dou,t
that + shall find a way through Rohan$
and Fangorn too$ if need ,e.?
SThen + need say no )ore$? said
-ele,orn. ?But do not despise the lore
that has 1o)e down fro)
distant yearsI for oft it )ay 1han1e
that old wi"es keep in )e)ory word
of things that on1e were
needful for the wise to know.?
'ow /aladriel rose fro) the grass$
and taking a 1up fro) one of her
)aidens she filled it with
white )ead and ga"e it to -ele,orn.
?'ow it is ti)e to drink the 1up of
farewell$? she said. S&rink$ Lord of the
/aladhri)N 4nd let not
your heart ,e sad though night )ust
follow noon$ and already our e"ening
draweth nigh.?
Then she ,rought the 1up to ea1h of
the -o)pany$ and ,ade the) drink
and farewell. But when
they had drunk she 1o))anded the)
to sit again on the grass$ and 1hairs
were set for her and for
-ele,orn. 2er )aidens stood silent
a,out her$ and a while she looked
upon her guests. 4t last she
spoke again.
?.e ha"e drunk the 1up of parting$?
she said$ Sand the shadows fall
,etween us. But ,efore you
go$ + ha"e ,rought in )y ship gifts
whi1h the Lord and Lady of the
/aladhri) now offer you in
)e)ory of Lothl>rien.? Then she
1alled to ea1h in turn.
S2ere is the gift of -ele,orn and
/aladriel to the leader of your
-o)pany$? she said to 4ragorn$
and she ga"e hi) a sheath that had
,een )ade to fit his sword. +t was
o"erlaid with a tra1ery of
flowers and lea"es wrought of sil"er
and gold$ and on it were set in el"en
runes for)ed of )any
ge)s the na)e 4ndCril and the
lineage of the sword.
SThe ,lade that is drawn fro) this
sheath shall not ,e stained or ,roken
e"en in defeat$? she said.
SBut is there aught else that you desire
of )e at our partingM For darkness
will flow ,etween us$ and
it )ay ,e that we shall not )eet again$
unless it ,e far hen1e upon a road that
has no returning.?
4nd 4ragorn answered: ?Lady$ you
know all )y desire$ and long held in
keeping the only
treasure that + seek. Get it is not yours
to gi"e )e$ e"en if you wouldI and
only through darkness
shall + 1o)e to it.?
SGet )ay,e this will lighten your
heart$? said /aladrielI Sfor it was left
in )y 1are to ,e gi"en to
you$ should you pass through this
land.? Then she lifted fro) her lap a
great stone of a 1lear green$
set in a sil"er ,roo1h that was
wrought in the likeness of an eagle
with outspread wingsI and as she
held it up the ge) flashed like the sun
shining through the lea"es of spring.
SThis stone + ga"e to
-ele,rQan )y daughter$ and she to
hersI and now it 1o)es to you as a
token of hope. +n this hour
take the na)e that was foretold for
you$ !lessar$ the !lfstone of the house
of !lendilN ?
Then 4ragorn took the stone and
pinned the ,roo1h upon his ,reast$
and those who saw hi)
wonderedI for they had not )arked
,efore how tall and kingly he stood$
and it see)ed to the) that
)any years of toil had fallen fro) his
shoulders. SFor the gifts that you ha"e
gi"en )e + thank you$?
he said$ ?* Lady of L>rien of who)
were sprung -ele,rQan and 4rwen
!"enstar. .hat praise 1ould
+ say )oreM ?
The Lady ,owed her head$ and she
turned then to Boro)ir$ and to hi)
she ga"e a ,elt of goldI
and to (erry and Pippin she ga"e
s)all sil"er ,elts$ ea1h with a 1lasp
wrought like a golden flower.
To Legolas she ga"e a ,ow su1h as
the /aladhri) used$ longer and
stouter than the ,ows of
(irkwood$ and strung with a string of
elf#hair. .ith it went a Jui"er of
arrows.
SFor you little gardener and lo"er of
trees$? she said to %a)$ S+ ha"e only a
s)all gift.? %he put
into his hand a little ,o5 of plain grey
wood$ unadorned sa"e for a single
sil"er rune upon the lid.
S2ere is set / for /aladriel$? she saidI
S,ut also it )ay stand for garden in
your tongue. +n this ,o5
there is earth fro) )y or1hard$ and
su1h ,lessing as /aladriel has still to
,estow is upon it. +t will
not keep you on your road$ nor defend
you against any perilI ,ut if you keep
it and see your ho)e
again at last$ then perhaps it )ay
reward you. Though you should find
all ,arren and laid waste$
there will ,e few gardens in (iddle#
earth that will ,loo) like your garden$
if you sprinkle this
earth there. Then you )ay re)e),er
/aladriel$ and 1at1h a gli)pse far off
of L>rien$ that you ha"e
seen only in our winter. For our
spring and our su))er are gone ,y$
and they will ne"er ,e seen on
earth again sa"e in )e)ory.?
%a) went red to the ears and )uttered
so)ething inaudi,le$ as he 1lut1hed
the ,o5 and ,owed
as well as he 1ould.
S4nd what gift would a &warf ask of
the !l"esM ? said /aladriel turning to
/i)li.
S'one$ Lady$? answered /i)li. S+t is
enough for )e to ha"e seen the Lady
of the /aladhri)$ and
to ha"e heard her gentle words.?
S2ear all ye !l"esN ? she 1ried to those
a,out her. SLet none say again that
&war"es are grasping
and ungra1iousN Get surely$ /i)li son
of /l>in$ you desire so)ething that +
1ould gi"eM 'a)e it$ +
,id youN Gou shall not ,e the only
guest without a gift.?
SThere is nothing$ Lady /aladriel$?
said /i)li$ ,owing low and
sta))ering. S'othing$ unless it
)ight ,e O unless it is per)itted to
ask$ nay$ to na)e a single strand of
your hair$ whi1h surpasses
the gold of the earth as the stars
surpass the ge)s of the )ine. + do not
ask for su1h a gift. But you
1o))anded )e to na)e )y desire.?
The !l"es stirred and )ur)ured with
astonish)ent$ and -ele,orn ga<ed at
the &warf in wonder$
,ut the Lady s)iled. ?+t is said that the
skill of the &war"es is in their hands
rather than in their
tongues ? she saidI Syet that is not true
of /i)li. For none ha"e e"er )ade to
)e a reJuest so ,old
and yet so 1ourteous. 4nd how shall +
refuse$ sin1e + 1o))anded hi) to
speakM But tell )e$ what
would you do with su1h a giftM ?
STreasure it$ Lady$? he answered$ Sin
)e)ory of your words to )e at our
first )eeting. 4nd if
e"er + return to the s)ithies of )y
ho)e$ it shall ,e set in i)perisha,le
1rystal to ,e an heirloo) of
)y house$ and a pledge of good will
,etween the (ountain and the .ood
until the end of days.?
Then the Lady un,raided one of her
long tresses$ and 1ut off three golden
hairs$ and laid the) in
/i)li?s hand. SThese words shall go
with the gift$? she said. S+ do not
foretell$ for all foretelling is
now "ain: on the one hand lies
darkness$ and on the other only hope.
But if hope should not fail$
then + say to you$ /i)li son of /l>in$
that your hands shall flow with gold$
and yet o"er you gold
shall ha"e no do)inion.
S4nd you$ Ring#,earer$? she said$
turning to Frodo. S+ 1o)e to you last
who are not last in )y
thoughts. For you + ha"e prepared
this.? %he held up a s)all 1rystal phial:
it glittered as she )o"ed
it$ and rays of white light sprang fro)
her hand. ?+n this phial$? she said$ Sis
1aught the light of
!Rrendil?s star$ set a)id the waters of
)y fountain. +t will shine still ,righter
when night is a,out
you. (ay it ,e a light to you in dark
pla1es$ when all other lights go out.
Re)e),er /aladriel and
her (irrorN ?
Frodo took the phial$ and for a
)o)ent as it shone ,etween the)$ he
saw her again standing like
a Jueen$ great and ,eautiful$ ,ut no
longer terri,le. 2e ,owed$ ,ut found
no words to say.
'ow the Lady arose$ and -ele,orn led
the) ,a1k to the hythe. 4 yellow
noon lay on the green
land of the Tongue$ and the water
glittered with sil"er. 4ll at last was
)ade ready. The -o)pany
took their pla1es in the ,oats as
,efore. -rying farewell$ the !l"es of
L>rien with long grey poles
thrust the) out into the flowing
strea)$ and the rippling waters ,ore
the) slowly away. The
tra"ellers sat still without )o"ing or
speaking. *n the green ,ank near to
the "ery point of the
Tongue the Lady /aladriel stood
alone and silent. 4s they passed her
they turned and their eyes
wat1hed her slowly floating away
fro) the). For so it see)ed to the):
L>rien was slipping
,a1kward$ like a ,right ship )asted
with en1hanted trees$ sailing on to
forgotten shores$ while they
sat helpless upon the )argin of the
grey and leafless world.
!"en as they ga<ed$ the %il"erlode
passed out into the 1urrents of the
/reat Ri"er$ and their
,oats turned and ,egan to speed
southwards. %oon the white for) of
the Lady was s)all and
distant. %he shone like a window of
glass upon a far hill in the westering
sun$ or as a re)ote lake
seen fro) a )ountain: a 1rystal fallen
in the lap of the land. Then it see)ed
to Frodo that she lifted
her ar)s in a final farewell$ and far
,ut pier1ing#1lear on the following
wind 1a)e the sound of her
"oi1e singing. But now she sang in
the an1ient tongue of the !l"es
,eyond the %ea$ and he did not
understand the words: fair was the
)usi1$ ,ut it did not 1o)fort hi).
Get as is the way of !l"ish words$
they re)ained gra"en in his )e)ory$
and long afterwards he
interpreted the)$ as well as he 1ould:
the language was that of !l"en#song
and spoke of things little
known on (iddle#earth.
4iN lauriW lantar lassi sCrinen$
GBni Cn>ti)W "e rT)ar aldaronN
GBni "e lintW yuldar a"Tnier
)i oro)ardi lisse#)iru">re"a
4ndCnW pella$ @ardo tellu)ar
nu luini yassen tintilar i eleni
>)aryo airetTri#lQrinen.
%Q )an i yul)a nin enJuantu"aM
4n sQ TintallW @arda *iolossWo
"e fanyar )Tryat !lentTri ortanW
ar ilyW tier undulT"W lu),ulWI
ar sindan>riello 1aita )orniW
i fal)alinnar i),W )et$ ar hQsiW
untCpa -ala1iryo )Qri oialW.
%i "anwa nT$ R>)ello "anwa$
@ali)arN
'a)TriWN 'ai hiru"alyW @ali)ar.
'ai elyW hiru"a. 'a)TriWN
S4hN like gold fall the lea"es in the
wind$ long years nu),erless as the
wings of treesN The long
years ha"e passed like swift draughts
of the sweet )ead in lofty halls
,eyond the .est$ ,eneath the
,lue "aults of @arda wherein the stars
tre),le in the song of her "oi1e$ holy
and Jueenly. .ho now
shall refill the 1up for )eM For now
the indler$ @arda$ the Pueen of the
%tars$ fro) (ount
!"erwhite has uplifted her hands like
1louds$ and all paths are drowned
deep in shadowI and out of
a grey 1ountry darkness lies on the
foa)ing wa"es ,etween us$ and )ist
1o"ers the Kewels of
-ala1irya for e"er. 'ow lost$ lost to
those fro) the !ast is @ali)arN
FarewellN (ay,e thou shalt
find @ali)ar. (ay,e e"en thou shalt
find it. FarewellN ? @arda is the na)e
of that Lady who) the
!l"es in these lands of e5ile na)e
!l,ereth.
%uddenly the Ri"er swept round a
,end$ and the ,anks rose upon either
side$ and the light of
L>rien was hidden. To that fair land
Frodo ne"er 1a)e again.
The tra"ellers now turned their fa1es
to the KourneyI the sun was ,efore
the)$ and their eyes
were da<<led$ for all were filled with
tears. /i)li wept openly.
S+ ha"e looked the last upon that
whi1h was fairest$? he said to Legolas
his 1o)panion.
S2en1eforward + will 1all nothing fair$
unless it ,e her gift.? 2e put his hand
to his ,reast.
STell )e$ Legolas$ why did + 1o)e on
this PuestM Little did + know where
the 1hief peril layN
Truly !lrond spoke$ saying that we
1ould not foresee what we )ight )eet
upon our road. Tor)ent
in the dark was the danger that +
feared$ and it did not hold )e ,a1k.
But + would not ha"e 1o)e$
had + known the danger of light and
Koy. 'ow + ha"e taken )y worst
wound in this parting$ e"en if
+ were to go this night straight to the
&ark Lord. 4las for /i)li son of
/l>inN ?
S'ayN ? said Legolas. S4las for us allN
4nd for all that walk the world in
these after#days. For
su1h is the way of it: to find and lose$
as it see)s to those whose ,oat is on
the running strea). But
+ 1ount you ,lessed$ /i)li son of
/l>in: for your loss you suffer of your
own free will$ and you
)ight ha"e 1hosen otherwise. But you
ha"e not forsaken your 1o)panions$
and the least reward
that you shall ha"e is that the )e)ory
of Lothl>rien shall re)ain e"er 1lear
and unstained in your
heart$ and shall neither fade nor grow
stale.?
S(ay,e$? said /i)liI Sand + thank you
for your words. True words dou,tlessI
yet all su1h
1o)fort is 1old. (e)ory is not what
the heart desires. That is only a
)irror$ ,e it 1lear as heled<Yra).
*r so says the heart of /i)li the
&warf. !l"es )ay see things
otherwise. +ndeed + ha"e
heard that for the) )e)ory is )ore
like to the waking world than to a
drea). 'ot so for &war"es.
?But let us talk no )ore of it. Look to
the ,oatN %he is too low in the water
with all this ,aggage$
and the /reat Ri"er is swift. + do not
wish to drown )y grief in 1old water.?
2e took up a paddle$
and steered towards the western ,ank$
following 4ragorn?s ,oat ahead$
whi1h had already )o"ed
out of the )iddle strea).
%o the -o)pany went on their long
way$ down the wide hurrying waters$
,orne e"er
southwards. Bare woods stalked along
either ,ank$ and they 1ould not see
any gli)pse of the lands
,ehind. The ,ree<e died away and the
Ri"er flowed without a sound. 'o
"oi1e of ,ird ,roke the
silen1e. The sun grew )isty as the
day grew old$ until it glea)ed in a
pale sky like a high white
pearl. Then it faded into the .est$ and
dusk 1a)e early$ followed ,y a grey
and starless night. Far
into the dark Juiet hours they floated
on$ guiding their ,oats under the
o"erhanging shadows of the
western woods. /reat trees passed ,y
like ghosts$ thrusting their twisted
thirsty roots through the
)ist down into the water. +t was
dreary and 1old. Frodo sat and
listened to the faint lap and gurgle
of the Ri"er fretting a)ong the tree#
roots and driftwood near the shore$
until his head nodded and
he fell into an uneasy sleep.
A-hapter :A
The /reat Ri"er
Frodo was roused ,y %a). 2e found
that he was lying$ well wrapped$
under tall grey#skinned
trees in a Juiet 1orner of the
woodlands on the west ,ank of the
/reat Ri"er$ 4nduin. 2e had slept
the night away$ and the grey of
)orning was di) a)ong the ,are
,ran1hes. /i)li was ,usy with a
s)all fire near at hand.
They started again ,efore the day was
,road. 'ot that )ost of the -o)pany
were eager to hurry
southwards: they were 1ontent that the
de1ision$ whi1h they )ust )ake at
latest when they 1a)e to
Rauros and the Tindro1k +sle$ still lay
so)e days aheadI and they let the
Ri"er ,ear the) on at its
own pa1e$ ha"ing no desire to hasten
towards the perils that lay ,eyond$
whi1he"er 1ourse they
took in the end. 4ragorn let the) drift
with the strea) as they wished$
hus,anding their strength
against weariness to 1o)e. But he
insisted that at least they should start
early ea1h day and Kourney
on far into the e"eningI for he felt in
his heart that ti)e was pressing$ and
he feared that the &ark
Lord had not ,een idle while they
lingered in L>rien.
'onetheless they saw no sign of an
ene)y that day$ nor the ne5t. The dull
grey hours passed
without e"ent. 4s the third day of
their "oyage wore on the lands
1hanged slowly: the trees thinned
and then failed altogether. *n the
eastern ,ank to their left they saw
long for)less slopes stret1hing
up and away toward the skyI ,rown
and withered they looked$ as if fire
had passed o"er the)$
lea"ing no li"ing ,lade of green: an
unfriendly waste without e"en a
,roken tree or a ,old stone to
relie"e the e)ptiness. They had 1o)e
to the Brown Lands that lay$ "ast and
desolate$ ,etween
%outhern (irkwood and the hills of
the !)yn (uil. .hat pestilen1e or
war or e"il deed of the
!ne)y had so ,lasted all that region
e"en 4ragorn 1ould not tell.
0pon the west to their right the land
was treeless also$ ,ut it was flat$ and
in )any pla1es green
with wide plains of grass. *n this side
of the Ri"er they passed forests of
great reeds$ so tall that
they shut out all "iew to the west$ as
the little ,oats went rustling ,y along
their fluttering ,orders.
Their dark withered plu)es ,ent and
tossed in the light 1old airs$ hissing
softly and sadly. 2ere and
there through openings Frodo 1ould
1at1h sudden gli)pses of rolling
)eads$ and far ,eyond the)
hills in the sunset$ and away on the
edge of sight a dark line$ where
)ar1hed the southern)ost
ranks of the (isty (ountains.
There was no sign of li"ing )o"ing
things$ sa"e ,irds. *f these there were
)any: s)all fowl
whistling and piping in the reeds$ ,ut
they were seldo) seen. *n1e or twi1e
the tra"ellers heard the
rush and whine of swan#wings$ and
looking up they saw a great phalan5
strea)ing along the sky.
S%wansN ? said %a). S4nd )ighty ,ig
ones tooN ?
SGes$? said 4ragorn$ ?and they are
,la1k swans.?
S2ow wide and e)pty and )ournful
all this 1ountry looksN ? said Frodo. S+
always i)agined that
as one Kourneyed south it got war)er
and )errier$ until winter was left
,ehind for e"er.?
?But we ha"e not Kourneyed far south
yet$? answered 4ragorn. S+t is still
winter$ and we are far
fro) the sea. 2ere the world is 1old
until the sudden spring$ and we )ay
yet ha"e snow again. Far
away down in the Bay of Belfalas$ to
whi1h 4nduin runs$ it is war) and
)erry$ )ay,e$ or would
,e ,ut for the !ne)y. But here we are
not a,o"e si5ty leagues$ + guess$ south
of the %outhfarthing
away in your %hire$ hundreds of long
)iles yonder. Gou are looking now
south#west a1ross the
north plains of the Ridder)ark$
Rohan the land of the 2orse#lords.
!re long we shall 1o)e to the
)outh of the Li)light that runs down
fro) Fangorn to Koin the /reat Ri"er.
That is the north
,oundary of RohanI and of old all that
lay ,etween Li)light and the .hite
(ountains ,elonged to
the Rohirri). +t is a ri1h and pleasant
land$ and its grass has no ri"alI ,ut in
these e"il days folk do
not dwell ,y the Ri"er or ride often to
its shores. 4nduin is wide$ yet the
or1s 1an shoot their arrows
far a1ross the strea)I and of late$ it is
said$ they ha"e dared to 1ross the
water and raid the herds
and studs of Rohan.?
%a) looked fro) ,ank to ,ank
uneasily. The trees had see)ed hostile
,efore$ as if they
har,oured se1ret eyes and lurking
dangersI now he wished that the trees
were still there. 2e felt that
the -o)pany was too naked$ afloat in
little open ,oats in the )idst of
shelterless lands$ and on a
ri"er that was the frontier of war.
+n the ne5t day or two$ as they went
on$ ,orne steadily southwards$ this
feeling of inse1urity
grew on all the -o)pany. For a whole
day they took to their paddles and
hastened forward. The
,anks slid ,y. %oon the Ri"er
,roadened and grew )ore shallowI
long stony ,ea1hes lay upon the
east$ and there were gra"el#shoals in
the water$ so that 1areful steering was
needed. The Brown
Lands rose into ,leak wolds$ o"er
whi1h flowed a 1hill air fro) the !ast.
*n the other side the
)eads had ,e1o)e rolling downs of
withered grass a)idst a land of fen
and tusso1k. Frodo
shi"ered$ thinking of the lawns and
fountains$ the 1lear sun and gentle
rains of Lothl>rien. There
was little spee1h and no laughter in
any of the ,oats. !a1h )e),er of the
-o)pany was ,usy with
his own thoughts.
The heart of Legolas was running
under the stars of a su))er night in
so)e northern glade
a)id the ,ee1h#woodsI /i)li was
fingering gold in his )ind$ and
wondering if it were fit to ,e
wrought into the housing of the
Lady?s gift. (erry and Pippin in the
)iddle ,oat were ill at ease$
for Boro)ir sat )uttering to hi)self$
so)eti)es ,iting his nails$ as if so)e
restlessness or dou,t
1onsu)ed hi)$ so)eti)es sei<ing a
paddle and dri"ing the ,oat 1lose
,ehind 4ragorn?s. Then
Pippin$ who sat in the ,ow looking
,a1k$ 1aught a Jueer glea) in his eye$
as he peered forward
ga<ing at Frodo. %a) had long ago
)ade up his )ind that$ though ,oats
were )ay,e not as
dangerous as he had ,een ,rought up
to ,elie"e$ they were far )ore
un1o)forta,le than e"en he
had i)agined. 2e was 1ra)ped and
)isera,le$ ha"ing nothing to do ,ut
stare at the winter#lands
1rawling ,y and the grey water on
either side of hi). !"en when the
paddles were in use they did
not trust %a) with one.
4s dusk drew down on the fourth day$
he was looking ,a1k o"er the ,owed
heads of Frodo and
4ragorn and the following ,oatsI he
was drowsy and longed for 1a)p and
the feel of earth under
his toes. %uddenly so)ething 1aught
his sight: at first he stared at it
listlessly$ then he sat up and
ru,,ed his eyesI ,ut when he looked
again he 1ould not see it any )ore.
That night they 1a)ped on a s)all
eyot 1lose to the western ,ank. %a)
lay rolled in ,lankets
,eside Frodo. S+ had a funny drea) an
hour or two ,efore we stopped$ (r.
Frodo$? he said. S*r
)ay,e it wasn?t a drea). Funny it was
anyway.?
S.ell$ what was itM ? said Frodo$
knowing that %a) would not settle
down until he had told his
tale$ whate"er it was. ?+ ha"en?t seen
or thought of anything to )ake )e
s)ile sin1e we left
Lothl>rien.?
S+t wasn?t funny that way$ (r. Frodo.
+t was Jueer. 4ll wrong$ if it wasn?t a
drea). 4nd you had
,est hear it. +t was like this: + saw a
log with eyesN ?
SThe log?s all right$? said Frodo.
SThere are )any in the Ri"er. But
lea"e out the eyesN ?
SThat + won?t$? said %a). S ?Twas the
eyes as )ade )e sit up$ so to speak. +
saw what + took to ,e
a log floating along in the half#light
,ehind /i)li?s ,oatI ,ut + didn?t gi"e
)u1h heed to it. Then it
see)ed as if the log was slowly
1at1hing us up. 4nd that was pe1uliar$
as you )ight say$ seeing as
we were all floating on the strea)
together. Just then + saw the eyes: two
pale sort of points$ shinylike$
on a hu)p at the near end of the log.
.hat?s )ore$ it wasn?t a log$ for it had
paddle#feet$ like a
swan?s al)ost$ only they see)ed
,igger$ and kept dipping in and out of
the water.
?That?s when + sat right up and ru,,ed
)y eyes$ )eaning to gi"e a shout$ if it
was still there
when + had ru,,ed the drowse out of
)y head. For the whate"er#it#was was
1o)ing along fast now
and getting 1lose ,ehind /i)li. But
whether those two la)ps spotted )e
)o"ing and staring$ or
whether + 1a)e to )y senses$ + don?t
know. .hen + looked again$ it wasn?t
there. Get + think +
1aught a gli)pse with the tail of#)y
eye$ as the saying is$ of so)ething
dark shooting under the
shadow of the ,ank. + 1ouldn?t see no
)ore eyes though.
S+ said to )yself: Ldrea)ing again$
%a) /a)gee$L + said: and + said no
)ore Kust then. But +?"e
,een thinking sin1e. and now +?) not
so sure. .hat do you )ake of it$ (r.
FrodoM ?
?+ should )ake nothing of it ,ut a log
and the dusk and sleep in your eyes
%a)$ said Frodo$ if
this was the first ti)e that those eyes
had ,een seen. But it isn?t. + saw the)
away ,a1k north ,efore
we rea1hed L>rien. 4nd + saw a
strange 1reature with eyes 1li),ing to
the flet that night. 2aldir
saw it too. 4nd do you re)e),er the
report of the !l"es that went after the
or1#,andM ?
S4h$? said %a). S+ doI and + re)e),er
)ore too. + don?t like )y thoughtsI ,ut
thinking of one
thing and another$ and (r. Bil,o?s
stories and all$ + fan1y + 1ould put a
na)e on the 1reature$ at a
guess. 4 nasty na)e. /ollu)$ )ay,eM
?
SGes$ that is what + ha"e feared for
so)e ti)e$? said Frodo. S!"er sin1e
the night on the flet. +
suppose he was lurking in (oria$ and
pi1ked up our trail thenI ,ut + hoped
that our stay in L>rien
would throw hi) off the s1ent again.
The )isera,le 1reature )ust ha"e
,een hiding in the woods
,y the %il"erlode$ wat1hing us start
offN ?
SThat?s a,out it$? said %a). S4nd we?d
,etter ,e a ,it )ore wat1hful
oursel"es$ or we?ll feel so)e
nasty fingers round our ne1ks one of
these nights$ if we e"er wake up to
feel anything. 4nd that?s
what + was leading up to. 'o need to
trou,le %trider or the others tonight.
+?ll keep wat1h. + 1an
sleep to)orrow$ ,eing no )ore than
luggage in a ,oat$ as you )ight say.?
S+ )ight$? said Frodo$ Sand + )ight say
Lluggage with eyesL. Gou shall wat1hI
,ut only if you
pro)ise to wake )e halfway towards
)orning$ if nothing happens ,efore
then.?
+n the dead hours Frodo 1a)e out of a
deep dark sleep to find %a) shaking
hi). S+t?s a sha)e to
wake you$? whispered %a)$ S,ut that?s
what you said. There?s nothing to tell$
or not )u1h. + thought
+ heard so)e soft plashing and a
sniffing noise$ a while ,a1kI ,ut you
hear a lot of su1h Jueer
sounds ,y a ri"er at night.?
2e lay down$ and Frodo sat up$
huddled in his ,lankets$ and fought
off his sleep. (inutes or
hours passed slowly$ and nothing
happened. Frodo was Kust yielding to
the te)ptation to lie down
again when a dark shape$ hardly
"isi,le$ floated 1lose to one of the
)oored ,oats. 4 long whitish
hand 1ould ,e di)ly seen as it shot
out and gra,,ed the gunwaleI two
pale la)plike eyes shone
1oldly as they peered inside$ and then
they lifted and ga<ed up at Frodo on
the eyot. They were not
)ore than a yard or two away$ and
Frodo heard the soft hiss of intaken
,reath. 2e stood up$
drawing %ting fro) its sheath$ and
fa1ed the eyes. +))ediately their light
was shut off. There was
another hiss and a splash$ and the dark
log#shape shot away downstrea) into
the night. 4ragorn
stirred in his sleep$ turned o"er$ and
sat upS
?.hat is itM ? he whispered$ springing
up and 1o)ing to Frodo. S+ felt
so)ething in )y sleep.
.hy ha"e you drawn your swordM ?
S/ollu)$? answered Frodo. ?*r at
least$ so + guess.?
S4hN ? said 4ragorn. S%o you know
a,out our little footpad$ do youM 2e
padded after us all
through (oria and right down to
'i)rodel. %in1e we took to ,oats$ he
has ,een lying on a log and
paddling with hands and feet. + ha"e
tried to 1at1h hi) on1e or twi1e at
nightI ,ut he is slier than a
fo5$ and as slippery as a fish. + hoped
the ri"er#"oyage would ,eat hi)$ ,ut
he is too 1le"er a
water)an.
S.e shall ha"e to try going faster
to)orrow. Gou lie down now$ and +
will keep wat1h for what
is left of the night. + wish + 1ould lay
)y hands on the wret1h. .e )ight
)ake hi) useful. But if +
1annot$ we shall ha"e to try and lose
hi). 2e is "ery dangerous. Puite
apart fro) )urder ,y night
on his own a11ount$ he )ay put any
ene)y that is a,out on our tra1k.?
The night passed without /ollu)
showing so )u1h as a shadow again.
4fter that the -o)pany
kept a sharp look#out$ ,ut they saw no
)ore of /ollu) while the "oyage
lasted. +f he was still
following$ he was "ery wary and
1unning. 4t 4ragorn?s ,idding they
paddled now for long spells$
and the ,anks went swiftly ,y. But
they saw little of the 1ountry$ for they
Kourneyed )ostly ,y
night and twilight$ resting ,y day$ and
lying as hidden as the land allowed. +n
this way the ti)e
passed without e"ent until the se"enth
day.
The weather was still grey and
o"er1ast$ with wind fro) the !ast$ ,ut
as e"ening drew into night
the sky away westward 1leared$ and
pools of faint light$ yellow and pale
green$ opened under the
grey shores of 1loud. There the white
rind of the new (oon 1ould ,e seen
gli))ering in the
re)ote lakes. %a) looked at it and
pu1kered his ,rows.
The ne5t day the 1ountry on either
side ,egan to 1hange rapidly. The
,anks ,egan to rise and
grow stony. %oon they were passing
through a hilly ro1ky land$ and on
,oth shores there were steep
slopes ,uried in deep ,rakes of thorn
and sloe$ tangled with ,ra),les and
1reepers. Behind the)
stood low 1ru),ling 1liffs$ and
1hi)neys of grey weathered stone
dark with i"yI and ,eyond these
again there rose high ridges 1rowned
with wind#writhen firs. They were
drawing near to the grey
hill#1ountry of the !)yn (uil$ the
southern )ar1h of .ilderland.
There were )any ,irds a,out the
1liffs and the ro1k#1hi)neys$ and all
day high in the air flo1ks
of ,irds had ,een 1ir1ling$ ,la1k
against the pale sky. 4s they lay in
their 1a)p that day 4ragorn
wat1hed the flights dou,tfully$
wondering if /ollu) had ,een doing
so)e )is1hief and the news of
their "oyage was now )o"ing in the
wilderness. Later as the sun was
setting$ and the -o)pany was
stirring and getting ready to start
again$ he des1ried a dark spot against
the fading light: a great ,ird
high and far off$ now wheeling$ now
flying on slowly southwards.
?.hat is that$ LegolasM ? he asked$
pointing to the northern sky. ?+s it$ as +
think. an eagleM ?
?Ges.? said Legolas. S+t is an eagle$ a
hunting eagle. + wonder what that
fore,odes. +t is far fro)
the )ountains.?
S.e will not start until it is fully
dark$? said 4ragorn.
The eighth night of their Kourney
1a)e. +t was silent and windlessI the
grey east wind had passed
away. The thin 1res1ent of the (oon
had fallen early into the pale sunset$
,ut the sky was 1lear
a,o"e$ and though far away in the
%outh there were great ranges of
1loud that still shone faintly$ in
the .est stars glinted ,right.
S-o)eN ? said 4ragorn. S.e will
"enture one )ore Kourney ,y night.
.e are 1o)ing to rea1hes
of the Ri"er that + do not know well:
for + ha"e ne"er Kourneyed ,y water in
these parts ,efore$ not
,etween here and the rapids of %arn
/e,ir. But if + a) right in )y
re1koning$ those are still )any
)iles ahead. %till there are dangerous
pla1es e"en ,efore we 1o)e there:
ro1ks and stony eyots in
the strea). .e )ust keep a sharp
wat1h and not try to paddle swiftly.?
To %a) in the leading ,oat was gi"en
the task of wat1h)an. 2e lay forward
peering into the
gloo). The night grew dark$ ,ut the
stars a,o"e were strangely ,right$ and
there was a gli))er *n
the fa1e of the Ri"er. +t was 1lose on
)idnight$ and they had ,een drifting
for so)e while. hardly
using the paddles$ when suddenly
%a) 1ried out. *nly a few yards
ahead dark shapes loo)ed up in
the strea) and he heard the swirl of
ra1ing water. There was a swift
1urrent whi1h swung left$
towards the eastern shore where the
1hannel was 1lear. 4s they were
swept aside the tra"ellers
1ould see$ now "ery 1lose$ the pale
foa) of the Ri"er lashing against
sharp ro1ks that were thrust
out far into the strea) like a ridge of
teeth. The ,oats were all huddled
together.
S2oy there$ 4ragornN ? shouted
Boro)ir$ as his ,oat ,u)ped into the
leader. SThis is )adnessN
.e 1annot dare the Rapids ,y nightN
But no ,oat 1an li"e in %arn /e,ir$ ,e
it night or day.?
SBa1k$ ,a1kN ? 1ried 4ragorn. ?TurnN
Turn if you 1anN ? 2e dro"e his paddle
into the water$ trying
to hold the ,oat and ,ring it round.
?+ a) out of )y re1koning$? he said to
Frodo. ?+ did not know that we had
1o)e so far: 4nduin
flows faster than + thought. %arn /e,ir
)ust ,e 1lose at hand already.?
.ith great efforts they 1he1ked the
,oats and slowly ,rought the) a,outI
,ut at first they 1ould
)ake only s)all headway against the
1urrent$ and all the ti)e they were
1arried nearer and nearer
to the eastern ,ank. 'ow dark and
o)inous it loo)ed up in the night.
?4ll together$ paddleN ? shouted
Boro)ir. ?PaddleN *r we shall ,e
dri"en on the shoals.? !"en as
he spoke Frodo felt the keel ,eneath
hi) grate upon stone.
4t that )o)ent there was a twang of
,owstrings: se"eral arrows whistled
o"er the)$ and so)e
fell a)ong the). *ne s)ote Frodo
,etween the shoulders and he lur1hed
forward with a 1ry$ letting
go his paddle: ,ut the arrow fell ,a1k.
foiled ,y his hidden 1oat of )ail.
4nother passed through
4ragorn?s hoodI and a third stood fast
in the gunwale of the se1ond ,oat$
1lose ,y (erry?s hand.
%a) thought he 1ould gli)pse ,la1k
figures running to and fro upon the
long shingle#,anks that lay
under the eastern shore. They see)ed
"ery near.
SAGr1hNA? said Legolas$ falling into
his own tongue.
S*r1sN ? 1ried /i)li.
S/ollu)?s doing$ +?ll ,e ,ound.? said
%a) to Frodo. S4nd a ni1e pla1e to
1hoose$ too. The Ri"er
see)s set on taking us right into their
ar)sN ?
They all leaned forward straining at
the paddles: e"en %a) took a hand.
!"ery )o)ent they
e5pe1ted to feel the ,ite of ,la1k#
feathered arrows. (any whined
o"erhead or stru1k the water
near,yI ,ut there were no )ore hits. +t
was dark$ ,ut not too dark for the
night#eyes of *r1s$ and in
the star#gli))er they )ust ha"e
offered their 1unning foes so)e )ark$
unless it was that the grey
1loaks *f L>rien and the grey ti),er
of the elf#wrought ,oats defeated the
)ali1e of the ar1hers of
(ordor.
%troke ,y stroke they la,oured on. +n
the darkness it was hard to ,e sure
that they were indeed
)o"ing at allI ,ut slowly the swirl of
the water grew less$ and the shadow
of the eastern ,ank faded
,a1k into the night. 4t last$ as far as
they 1ould Kudge$ they had rea1hed the
)iddle of the strea)
again and had dri"en their ,oats ,a1k
so)e distan1e a,o"e the Kutting ro1ks.
Then half turning they
thrust the) with all their strength
towards the western shore. 0nder the
shadow *f ,ushes leaning
out o"er the water they halted and
drew ,reath.
Legolas laid down his paddle and
took up the ,ow that he had ,rought
fro) L>rien. Then he
sprang ashore and 1li),ed a few
pa1es up the ,ank. %tringing the ,ow
and fitting an arrow he
turned$ peering ,a1k o"er the Ri"er
into the darkness. 41ross the water
there were shrill 1ries$ ,ut
nothing 1ould ,e seen.
Frodo looked up at the !lf standing
tall a,o"e hi)$ as he ga<ed into the
night$ seeking a )ark to
shoot at. 2is head was dark$ 1rowned
with sharp white stars that glittered in
the ,la1k pools of the
sky ,ehind. But now rising and sailing
up fro) the %outh the great 1louds
ad"an1ed$ sending out
dark outriders into the starry fields. 4
sudden dread fell on the -o)pany.
SA!l,ereth /ilthonielNA? sighed
Legolas as he looked up. !"en as he
did so$ a dark shape$ like a
1loud and yet not a 1loud$ for it
)o"ed far )ore swiftly$ 1a)e out of
the ,la1kness in the %outh$
and sped towards the -o)pany$
,lotting out all light as it approa1hed.
%oon it appeared as a great
winged 1reature$ ,la1ker than the pits
in the night. Fier1e "oi1es rose up to
greet it fro) a1ross the
water. Frodo felt a sudden 1hill
running through hi) and 1lut1hing at
his heartI there was a deadly
1old$ like the )e)ory of an old
wound$ in his shoulder. 2e 1rou1hed
down$ as if to hide.
%uddenly the great ,ow of L>rien
sang. %hrill went the arrow fro) the
el"en#string. Frodo
looked up. 4l)ost a,o"e hi) the
winged shape swer"ed. There was a
harsh 1roaking s1rea)$ as it
fell out of the air$ "anishing down into
the gloo) of the eastern shore. The
sky was 1lean again.
There was a tu)ult of )any "oi1es far
away$ 1ursing and wailing in the
darkness$ and then silen1e.
'either shaft nor 1ry 1a)e again fro)
the east that night.
4fter a while 4ragorn led the ,oats
,a1k upstrea). They felt their way
along the water?s edge
for so)e distan1e$ until they found a
s)all shallow ,ay. 4 few low trees
grew there 1lose to the
water$ and ,ehind the) rose a steep
ro1ky ,ank. 2ere the -o)pany
de1ided to stay and await the
dawn: it was useless to atte)pt to
)o"e further ,y night. They )ade no
1a)p and lit no fire$ ,ut lay
huddled in the ,oats$ )oored 1lose
together.
?Praised ,e the ,ow of /aladriel$ and
the hand and eye of LegolasN ? said
/i)li$ as he )un1hed a
wafer of Ale),asA. ?That was a
)ighty shot in the dark$ )y friendN?
?But who 1an say what it hitM? said
Legolas.
?+ 1annot$? said /i)li. SBut + a) glad
that the shadow 1a)e no nearer. +
liked it not at all. Too
)u1h it re)inded )e of the shadow in
(oria O the shadow of the Balrog$? he
ended in a whisper.
?+t was not a Balrog$? said Frodo$ still
shi"ering with the 1hill that had 1o)e
upon hi). ?+t was
so)ething 1older. + think it was #?
Then he paused and fell silent.
?.hat do you thinkM ? asked Boro)ir
eagerly$ leaning fro) his ,oat$ as if he
was trying to 1at1h
a gli)pse of Frodo?s fa1e.
S+ think O 'o$ + will not say$? answered
Frodo. S.hate"er it was$ its fall has
dis)ayed our
ene)ies.?
S%o it see)s$? said 4ragorn. SGet
where they are$ and how )any$ and
what they will do ne5t$ we
do not know. This night we )ust all
,e sleeplessN &ark hides us now. But
what the day will show
who 1an tellM 2a"e your weapons
1lose to handN ?
%a) sat tapping the hilt of his sword
as if he were 1ounting on his fingers$
and looking up at the
sky. S+t?s "ery strange$? he )ur)ured.
SThe (oon?s the sa)e in the %hire and
in .ilderland$ or it
ought to ,e. But either it?s out of its
running$ or +?) all wrong in )y
re1koning. Gou?ll re)e),er$
(r. Frodo$ the (oon was waning as
we lay on the flet up in that tree: a
week fro) the full$ +
re1kon. 4nd we?d ,een a week on the
way last night$ when up pops a 'ew
(oon as thin as a nailparing$
as if we had ne"er stayed no ti)e in
the !l"ish 1ountry.
S.ell$ + 1an re)e),er three nights
there for 1ertain$ and + see) to
re)e),er se"eral )ore$ ,ut +
would take )y oath it was ne"er a
whole )onth. 4nyone would think
that ti)e did not 1ount in
thereN ?
S4nd perhaps that was the way of it$?
said Frodo. S+n that land$ )ay,e$ we
were in a ti)e that has
elsewhere long gone ,y. +t was not$ +
think$ until %il"erlode ,ore us ,a1k to
4nduin that we
returned to the ti)e that flows
through )ortal lands to the /reat %ea.
4nd + don?t re)e),er any
)oon$ either new or old$ in -aras
/aladhon: only stars ,y night and sun
,y day.?
Legolas stirred in his ,oat. S'ay$ ti)e
does not tarry e"er$? he saidI S,ut
1hange and growth is
not in all things and pla1es alike. For
the !l"es the world )o"es$ and it
)o"es ,oth "ery swift and
"ery slow. %wift$ ,e1ause they
the)sel"es 1hange little$ and all else
fleets ,y: it is a grief to the).
%low$ ,e1ause they do not 1ount the
running years$ not for the)sel"es. The
passing seasons are ,ut
ripples e"er repeated in the long long
strea). Get ,eneath the %un all things
)ust wear to an end at
last.?
SBut the wearing is slow in L>rien$?
said Frodo. SThe power of the Lady is
on it. Ri1h are the
hours$ though short they see)$ in
-aras /aladhon$ where /aladriel
wields the !l"en#ring.?
?That should not ha"e ,een said
outside L>rien$ not e"en to )e$? said
4ragorn. S%peak no )ore
of itN But so it is$ %a): in that land
you lost your 1ount. There ti)e
flowed swiftly ,y us$ as for the
!l"es. The old )oon passed$ and a
new )oon wa5ed and waned in the
world outside$ while we
tarried there. 4nd yestere"e a new
)oon 1a)e again. .inter is nearly
gone. Ti)e flows on to a
spring of little hope.?
The night passed silently. 'o "oi1e or
1all was heard again a1ross the water.
The tra"ellers
huddled in their ,oats felt the
1hanging of the weather. The air grew
war) and "ery still under the
great )oist 1louds that had floated up
fro) the %outh and the distant seas.
The rushing of the Ri"er
o"er the ro1ks of the rapids see)ed to
grow louder and 1loser. The twigs of
the trees a,o"e the)
,egan to drip.
.hen the day 1a)e the )ood of the
world a,out the) had ,e1o)e soft
and sad. %lowly the
dawn grew to a pale light$ diffused
and shadowless. There was )ist on
the Ri"er$ and white fog
swathed the shoreI the far ,ank 1ould
not ,e seen.
S+ 1an?t a,ide fog$? said %a)I S,ut this
see)s to ,e a lu1ky one. 'ow perhaps
we 1an get away
without those 1ursed go,lins seeing
us.?
SPerhaps so$? said 4ragorn. SBut it will
,e hard to find the path unless the fog
lifts a little later
on. 4nd we )ust find the path$ if we
are to pass %arn /e,ir and 1o)e to
the !)yn (uil.?
?+ do not see why we should pass the
Rapids or follow the Ri"er any
further$? said Boro)ir. S+f
the !)yn (uil lie ,efore us$ then we
1an a,andon these 1o1kle#,oats$ and
strike westward and
southward$ until we 1o)e to the
!ntwash and 1ross into )y own land.?
S.e 1an$ if we are )aking for (inas
Tirith$? said 4ragorn$ S,ut that is not
yet agreed. 4nd su1h
a 1ourse )ay ,e )ore perilous than it
sounds. The "ale of !ntwash is flat
and fenny$ and fog is a
deadly peril there for those on foot
and laden. + would not a,andon our
,oats until we )ust. The
Ri"er is at least a path that 1annot ,e
)issed.?
SBut the !ne)y holds the eastern
,ank$? o,Ke1ted Boro)ir. S4nd e"en if
you pass the /ates of
4rgonath and 1o)e un)olested to the
Tindro1k$ what will you do thenM
Leap down the Falls and
land in the )arshesM ?
S'oN ? answered 4ragorn. S%ay rather
that we will ,ear our ,oats ,y the
an1ient way to Raurosfoot$
and there take to the water again. &o
you not know$ Boro)ir$ or do you
1hoose to forget the
'orth %tair$ and the high seat upon
4)on 2en$ that were )ade in the
days of the great kingsM + at
least ha"e a )ind to stand in that high
pla1e again$ ,efore + de1ide )y
further 1ourse. There$
)ay,e$ we shall see so)e sign that
will guide us.?
Boro)ir held out long against this
1hoi1eI ,ut when it ,e1a)e plain that
Frodo would follow
4ragorn$ where"er he went$ he ga"e
in. ?+t is not the way of the (en of
(inas Tirith to desert their
friends at need$? he said$ Sand you will
need )y strength$ if e"er you are to
rea1h the Tindro1k. To
the tall isle + will go$ ,ut no further.
There + shall turn to )y ho)e$ alone
if )y help has not earned
the reward of any 1o)panionship.?
The day was now growing$ and the
fog had lifted a little. +t was de1ided
that 4ragorn and
Legolas should at on1e go forward
along the shore$ while the others
re)ained ,y the ,oats. 4ragorn
hoped to find so)e way ,y whi1h
they 1ould 1arry ,oth their ,oats and
their ,aggage to the
s)oother water ,eyond the Rapids.
SBoats of the !l"es would not sink$
)ay,e$? he said$ S,ut that does not say
that we should 1o)e
through %arn /e,ir ali"e. 'one ha"e
e"er done so yet. 'o road was )ade
,y the (en of /ondor in
this region$ for e"en in their great
days their real) did not rea1h up
4nduin ,eyond the !)yn (uilI
,ut there is a portage#way so)ewhere
on the western shore$ if + 1an find it. +t
1annot yet ha"e
perishedI for light ,oats used to
Kourney out of .ilderland down to
*sgiliath$ and still did so until a
few years ago$ when the *r1s of
(ordor ,egan to )ultiply.?
?%eldo) in )y life has any ,oat 1o)e
out of the 'orth$ and the *r1s prowl
on the east#shore$?
said Boro)ir. S+f you go forward$
peril will grow with e"ery )ile$ e"en
if you find a path.?
SPeril lies ahead on e"ery southward
road$? answered 4ragorn. S.ait for us
one day. +f we do not
return in that ti)e$ you will know that
e"il has indeed ,efallen us. Then you
)ust take a new leader
and follow hi) as ,est you 1an.?
+t was with a hea"y heart that Frodo
saw 4ragorn and Legolas 1li), the
steep ,ank and "anish
into the )istsI ,ut his fears pro"ed
groundless. *nly two or three hours
had passed$ and it was
,arely )id#day$ when the shadowy
shapes of the e5plorers appeared
again.
S4ll is well$? said 4ragorn$ as he
1la),ered down the ,ank. ?There is a
tra1k$ and it leads to a
good landing that is still ser"i1ea,le.
The distan1e is not great: the head of
the Rapids is ,ut half a
)ile ,elow us$ and they are little )ore
than a )ile long. 'ot far ,eyond the)
the strea) ,e1o)es
1lear and s)ooth again$ though it runs
swiftly. *ur hardest task will ,e to get
our ,oats and
,aggage to the old portage#way. .e
ha"e found it$ ,ut it lies well ,a1k
fro) the water#side here$
and runs under the lee of a ro1k#wall$
a furlong or )ore fro) the shore. .e
did not find where the
northward landing lies. +f it still
re)ains$ we )ust ha"e passed it
yesterday night. .e )ight la,our
far upstrea) and yet )iss it in the fog.
+ fear we )ust lea"e the Ri"er now$
and )ake for the
portage#way as ,est we 1an fro)
here.?
SThat would not ,e easy$ e"en if we
were all (en$? said Boro)ir.
SGet su1h as we are we will try it$?
said 4ragorn.
?4ye$ we will$? said /i)li. SThe legs
of (en will lag on a rough road$
while a &warf goes on$ ,e
the ,urden twi1e his own weight$
(aster Boro)irN ?
The task pro"ed hard indeed$ yet in
the end it was done. The goods were
taken out of the ,oats
and ,rought to the top of the ,ank$
where there was a le"el spa1e. Then
the ,oats were drawn out of
the water and 1arried up. They were
far less hea"y than any had e5pe1ted.
*f what tree growing in
the el"ish 1ountry they were )ade not
e"en Legolas knewI ,ut the wood was
tough and yet
strangely light. (erry and Pippin
alone 1ould 1arry their ,oat with ease
along the flat. 'onetheless
it needed the strength of the two (en
to lift and haul the) o"er the ground
that the -o)pany now
had to 1ross. +t sloped up away fro)
the Ri"er$ a tu),led waste of grey
li)estone#,oulders$ with
)any hidden holes shrouded with
weeds and ,ushesI there were thi1kets
of ,ra),les$ and sheer
dellsI and here and there ,oggy pools
fed ,y waters tri1kling fro) the
terra1es further inland.
*ne ,y one Boro)ir and 4ragorn
1arried the ,oats$ while the others
toiled and s1ra),led after
the) with the ,aggage. 4t last all was
re)o"ed and laid on the portage#way.
Then with little
further hindran1e$ sa"e fro)
sprawling ,riars and )any fallen
stones$ they )o"ed forward all
together. Fog still hung in "eils upon
the 1ru),ling ro1k#wall$ and to their
left )ist shrouded the
Ri"er: they 1ould hear it rushing and
foa)ing o"er the sharp shel"es and
stony teeth of %arn /e,ir$
,ut they 1ould not see it. Twi1e they
)ade the Kourney$ ,efore all was
,rought safe to the southern
landing.
There the portage#way$ turning ,a1k
to the water#side$ ran gently down to
the shallow edge of a
little pool. +t see)ed to ha"e ,een
s1ooped in the ri"er#side$ not ,y hand$
,ut ,y the water swirling
down fro) %arn /e,ir against a low
pier of ro1k that Kutted out so)e way
into the strea). Beyond
it the shore rose sheer into a grey 1liff$
and there was no further passage for
those on foot.
4lready the short afternoon was past$
and a di) 1loudy dusk was 1losing in.
They sat ,eside the
water listening to the 1onfused rush
and roar of the Rapids hidden in the
)istI they were tired and
sleepy$ and their hearts were as
gloo)y as the dying day.
?.ell$ here we are$ and here we )ust
pass another night$? said Boro)ir. S.e
need sleep$ and
e"en if 4ragorn had a )ind to pass
the /ates of 4rgonath ,y night$ we
are all too tired#e51ept$ no
dou,t$ our sturdy dwarf.?
/i)li )ade no reply: he was nodding
as he sat.
SLet us rest as )u1h as we 1an now$?
said 4ragorn. STo)orrow we )ust
Kourney ,y day again.
0nless the weather 1hanges on1e
)ore and 1heats us$ we shall ha"e a
good 1han1e of slipping
through$ unseen ,y any eyes on the
eastern shore. But tonight two )ust
wat1h together in turns:
three hours off and one on guard.?
'othing happened that night worse
than a ,rief dri<<le of rain an hour
,efore dawn. 4s soon as
it was fully light they started. 4lready
the fog was thinning. They kept as
1lose as they 1ould to the
western side$ and they 1ould see the
di) shapes of the low 1liffs rising
e"er higher$ shadowy walls
with their feet in the hurrying ri"er. +n
the )id#)orning the 1louds drew
down lower$ and it ,egan
to rain hea"ily. They drew the skin#
1o"ers o"er their ,oats to pre"ent
the) fro) ,eing flooded$ and
drifted on: little 1ould ,e seen ,efore
the) or a,out the) through the grey
falling 1urtains.
The rain$ howe"er$ did not last long.
%lowly the sky a,o"e grew lighter$
and then suddenly the
1louds ,roke$ and their draggled
fringes trailed away northward up the
Ri"er. The fogs and )ists
were gone. Before the tra"ellers lay a
wide ra"ine$ with great ro1ky sides to
whi1h 1lung$ upon
shel"es and in narrow 1re"i1es$ a few
thrawn trees. The 1hannel grew
narrower and the Ri"er
swifter. 'ow they were speeding
along with little hope of stopping or
turning$ whate"er they )ight
)eet ahead. *"er the) was a lane of
pale#,lue sky$ around the) the dark
o"ershadowed Ri"er$ and
,efore the) ,la1k$ shutting out the
sun$ the hills of !)yn (uil$ in whi1h
no opening 1ould ,e seen.
Frodo peering forward saw in the
distan1e two great ro1ks approa1hing:
like great pinna1les or
pillars of stone they see)ed. Tall and
sheer and o)inous they stood upon
either side of the strea).
4 narrow gap appeared ,etween
the)$ and the Ri"er swept the ,oats
towards it.
SBehold the 4rgonath$ the Pillars of
the ingsN ? 1ried 4ragorn. S.e shall
pass the) soon. eep
the ,oats in line$ and as far apart as
you 1anN 2old the )iddle of the
strea)N ?
4s Frodo was ,orne towards the) the
great pillars rose like towers to )eet
hi). /iants they
see)ed to hi)$ "ast grey figures silent
,ut threatening. Then he saw that they
were indeed shaped
and fashioned: the 1raft and power of
old had wrought upon the)$ and still
they preser"ed through
the suns and rains of forgotten years
the )ighty likenesses in whi1h they
had ,een hewn. 0pon
great pedestals founded in the deep
waters stood two great kings of stone:
still with ,lurred eyes
and 1rannied ,rows they frowned
upon the 'orth. The left hand of ea1h
was raised pal) outwards
in gesture of warningI in ea1h right
hand there was an a5eI upon ea1h
head there was a 1ru),ling
hel) and 1rown. /reat power and
)aKesty they still wore$ the silent
wardens of a long#"anished
kingdo). 4we and fear fell upon
Frodo$ and he 1owered down$ shutting
his eyes and not daring to
look up as the ,oat drew near. !"en
Boro)ir ,owed his head as the ,oats
whirled ,y. frail and
fleeting as little lea"es$ under the
enduring shadow of the sentinels of
'C)enor. %o they passed into
the dark 1has) of the /ates.
%heer rose the dreadful 1liffs to
unguessed heights on either side. Far
off was the di) sky. The
,la1k waters roared and e1hoed$ and a
wind s1rea)ed o"er the). Frodo
1rou1hing o"er his knees
heard %a) in front )uttering and
groaning: S.hat a pla1eN .hat a
horri,le pla1eN Just let )e get
out of this ,oat$ and +?ll ne"er wet )y
toes in a puddle again$ let alone a
ri"erN ?
SFear notN ? said a strange "oi1e
,ehind hi). Frodo turned and saw
%trider$ and yet not %triderI
for the weatherworn Ranger was no
longer there. +n the stern sat 4ragorn
son of 4rathorn$ proud
and ere1t$ guiding the ,oat with
skilful strokesI his hood was 1ast
,a1k$ and his dark hair was
,lowing in the wind$ a light was in his
eyes: a king returning fro) e5ile to
his own land.
?Fear notN ? he said. SLong ha"e +
desired to look upon the likenesses of
+sildur and 4nTrion$ )y
sires of old. 0nder their shadow
!lessar$ the !lfstone son of 4rathorn
of the 2ouse of @alandil
+sildur?s son heir of !lendil$ has
nought to dreadN ?
Then the light of his eyes faded$ and
he spoke to hi)self: S.ould that
/andalf were hereN 2ow
)y heart yearns for (inas 4nor and
the walls of )y own 1ityN But whither
now shall + goM ?
The 1has) was long and dark$ and
filled with the noise of wind and
rushing water and e1hoing
stone. +t ,ent so)ewhat towards the
west so that at first all was dark
aheadI ,ut soon Frodo saw a
tall gap of light ,efore hi)$ e"er
growing. %wiftly it drew near$ and
suddenly the ,oats shot
through$ out into a wide 1lear light.
The sun$ already long fallen fro) the
noon$ was shining in a windy sky. The
pent waters spread
out into a long o"al lake$ pale 'en
2ithoel$ fen1ed ,y steep grey hills
whose sides were 1lad with
trees$ ,ut their heads were ,are$ 1old#
glea)ing in the sunlight. 4t the far
southern end rose three
peaks. The )id)ost stood so)ewhat
forward fro) the others and sundered
fro) the)$ an island in
the waters$ a,out whi1h the flowing
Ri"er flung pale shi))ering ar)s.
&istant ,ut deep there 1a)e
up on the wind a roaring sound like
the roll of thunder heard far away.
SBehold Tol BrandirN ? said 4ragorn$
pointing south to the tall peak. ?0pon
the left stands 4)on
Lhaw$ and upon the right is 4)on
2en the 2ills of 2earing and of %ight.
+n the days of the great
kings there were high seats upon
the)$ and wat1h was kept there. But it
is said that no foot of )an
or ,east has e"er ,een set upon Tol
Brandir. !re the shade of night falls
we shall 1o)e to the). +
hear the endless "oi1e of Rauros
1alling.?
The -o)pany rested now for a while$
drifting south on the 1urrent that
flowed through the
)iddle of the lake. They ate so)e
food$ and then they took to their
paddles and hastened on their
way. The sides of the westward hills
fell into shadow$ and the %un grew
round and red. 2ere and
there a )isty star peered out. The
three peaks loo)ed ,efore the)$
darkling in the twilight. Rauros
was roaring with a great "oi1e.
4lready night was laid on the flowing
waters when the tra"ellers
1a)e at last under the shadow of the
hills.
The tenth day of their Kourney was
o"er. .ilderland was ,ehind the).
They 1ould go no further
without 1hoi1e ,etween the east#way
and the west. The last stage of the
Puest was ,efore the).
A-hapter 1;A
The Breaking of the Fellowship
4ragorn led the) to the right ar) of
the Ri"er. 2ere upon its western side
under the shadow of
Tol Brandir a green lawn ran down to
the water fro) the feet of 4)on 2en.
Behind it rose the first
gentle slopes of the hill 1lad with
trees$ and trees )ar1hed away
westward along the 1ur"ing shores
of the lake. 4 little spring fell
tu),ling down and fed the grass.
?2ere we will rest tonight$? said
4ragorn. SThis is the lawn of Parth
/alen: a fair pla1e in the
su))er days of old. Let us hope that
no e"il has yet 1o)e here.?
They drew up their ,oats on the green
,anks$ and ,eside the) they )ade
their 1a)p. They set a
wat1h$ ,ut had no sight nor sound of
their ene)ies. +f /ollu) had
1ontri"ed to follow the)$ he
re)ained unseen and unheard.
'onetheless as the night wore on
4ragorn grew uneasy$ tossing
often in his sleep and waking. +n the
s)all hours he got up and 1a)e to
Frodo$ whose turn it was to
wat1h.
S.hy are you wakingM ? asked Frodo.
S+t is not your wat1h.?
S+ do not know$? answered 4ragornI
S,ut a shadow and a threat has ,een
growing in )y sleep. +t
would ,e well to draw your sword.?
S.hyM ? said Frodo. S4re ene)ies at
handM ?
SLet us see what %ting )ay show$?
answered 4ragorn.
Frodo then drew the elf#,lade fro) its
sheath. To his dis)ay the edges
glea)ed di)ly in the
night. S*r1sN ? he said. S'ot "ery near$
and yet too near$ it see)s.?
S+ feared as )u1h$? said 4ragorn. SBut
)ay,e they are not on this side of the
Ri"er. The light of
%ting is faint$ and it )ay point to no
)ore than spies of (ordor roa)ing
on the slopes of 4)on
Lhaw. + ha"e ne"er heard ,efore of
*r1s upon 4)on 2en. Get who
knows what )ay happen in
these e"il days$ now that (inas Tirith
no longer holds se1ure the passages of
4nduin. .e )ust go
warily to)orrow.?
The day 1a)e like fire and s)oke.
Low in the !ast there were ,la1k ,ars
of 1loud like the fu)es
of a great ,urning. The rising sun lit
the) fro) ,eneath with fla)es of
)urky redI ,ut soon it
1li),ed a,o"e the) into a 1lear sky.
The su))it of Tol Brandir was tipped
with gold. Frodo
looked out eastward and ga<ed at the
tall island. +ts sides sprang sheer out
of the running water.
2igh up a,o"e the tall 1liffs were
steep slopes upon whi1h trees
1li),ed$ )ounting one head a,o"e
anotherI and a,o"e the) again were
grey fa1es of ina11essi,le ro1k$
1rowned ,y a great spire of
stone. (any ,irds were 1ir1ling a,out
it$ ,ut no sign of other li"ing things
1ould ,e seen.
.hen they had eaten$ 4ragorn 1alled
the -o)pany together. SThe day has
1o)e at last$? he said:
?the day of 1hoi1e whi1h we ha"e long
delayed. .hat shall now ,e1o)e of
our -o)pany that has
tra"elled so far in fellowshipM %hall
we turn west with Boro)ir and go to
the wars of /ondorI or
turn east to the Fear and %hadowI or
shall we ,reak our fellowship and go
this way and that as ea1h
)ay 1hooseM .hate"er we do )ust ,e
done soon. .e 1annot long halt here.
The ene)y is on the
eastern shore$ we knowI ,ut + fear that
the *r1s )ay already ,e on this side
of the water.?
There was a long silen1e in whi1h no
one spoke or )o"ed.
?.ell$ Frodo$? said 4ragorn at last. S+
fear that the ,urden is laid upon you.
Gou are the Bearer
appointed ,y the -oun1il. Gour own
way you alone 1an 1hoose. +n this
)atter + 1annot ad"ise you.
+ a) not /andalf$ and though + ha"e
tried to ,ear his part$ + do not know
what design or hope he
had for this hour$ if indeed he had
any. (ost likely it see)s that if he
were here now the 1hoi1e
would still wait on you. %u1h is your
fate.?
Frodo did not answer at on1e. Then he
spoke slowly. S+ know that haste is
needed$ yet + 1annot
1hoose. The ,urden is hea"y. /i"e )e
an hour longer$ and + will speak. Let
)e ,e aloneN ?
4ragorn looked at hi) with kindly
pity. S@ery well$ Frodo son of &rogo$?
he said. SGou shall
ha"e an hour$ and you shall ,e alone.
.e will stay here for a while. But do
not stray far or out of
1all.?
Frodo sat for a )o)ent with his head
,owed. %a)$ who had ,een wat1hing
his )aster with great
1on1ern$ shook his head and )uttered:
?Plain as a pikestaff it is$ ,ut it?s no
good %a) /a)gee
putting in his spoke Kust now.? $
Presently Frodo got up and walked
awayI and %a) saw that while the
others restrained
the)sel"es and did not stare at hi)$
the eyes of Boro)ir followed Frodo
intently$ until he passed
out of sight in the trees at the foot of
4)on 2en.
.andering ai)lessly at first in the
wood$ Frodo found that his feet were
leading hi) up towards
the slopes of the hill. 2e 1a)e to a
path$ the dwindling ruins of a road of
long ago. +n steep pla1es
stairs of stone had ,een hewn$ ,ut
now they were 1ra1ked and worn$ and
split ,y the roots of trees.
For so)e while he 1li),ed$ not 1aring
whi1h way he went$ until he 1a)e to a
grassy pla1e. Rowantrees
grew a,out it$ and in the )idst was a
wide flat stone. The little upland lawn
was open upon the
!ast and was filled now with the early
sunlight. Frodo halted and looked out
o"er the Ri"er$ far
,elow hi)$ to Tol Brandir and the
,irds wheeling in the great gulf of air
,etween hi) and the
untrodden isle. The "oi1e of Rauros
was a )ighty roaring )ingled with a
deep thro,,ing ,oo).
2e sat down upon the stone and
1upped his 1hin in his hands$ staring
eastwards ,ut seeing little
with his eyes. 4ll that had happened
sin1e Bil,o left the %hire was passing
through his )ind$ and he
re1alled and pondered e"erything that
he 1ould re)e),er of /andalf?s
words. Ti)e went on$ and
still he was no nearer to a 1hoi1e.
%uddenly he awoke fro) his thoughts:
a strange feeling 1a)e to hi) that
so)ething was ,ehind
hi)$ that unfriendly eyes were upon
hi). 2e sprang up and turnedI ,ut all
that he saw to his
surprise was Boro)ir$ and his fa1e
was s)iling and kind.
S+ was afraid for you$ Frodo$? he said$
1o)ing forward. S+f 4ragorn is right
and *r1s are near$
then none of us should wander alone$
and you least of all: so )u1h depends
on you. 4nd )y heart
too is hea"y. (ay + stay now and talk
for a while$ sin1e + ha"e found youM +t
would 1o)fort )e.
.here there are so )any$ all spee1h
,e1o)es a de,ate without end. But
two together )ay perhaps
find wisdo).?
SGou are kind$? answered Frodo. ?But +
do not think that any spee1h will help
)e. For + know
what + should do$ ,ut + a) afraid of
doing it$ Boro)ir: afraid.?
Boro)ir stood silent. Rauros roared
endlessly on. The wind )ur)ured in
the ,ran1hes of the
trees. Frodo shi"ered.
%uddenly Boro)ir 1a)e and sat
,eside hi). S4re you sure that you do
not suffer needlesslyM ?
he said. S+ wish to help you. Gou need
1ounsel in your hard 1hoi1e. .ill you
not take )ineM ?
?+ think + know already what 1ounsel
you would gi"e$ Boro)ir$? said Frodo.
?4nd it would see)
like wisdo) ,ut for the warning of
)y heart.?
S.arningM .arning against whatM ?
said Boro)ir sharply.
?4gainst delay. 4gainst the way that
see)s easier. 4gainst refusal of the
,urden that is laid on
)e. 4gainst#well$ if it )ust ,e said$
against trust in the strength and truth
of (en.?
SGet that strength has long prote1ted
you far away in your little 1ountry$
though you knew it not.?
?+ do not dou,t the "alour of your
people. But the world is 1hanging.
The walls of (inas Tirith
)ay ,e strong$ ,ut they are not strong
enough. +f they fail$ what thenM ?
?.e shall fall in ,attle "aliantly. Get
there is still hope that they will not
fail.?
?'o hope while the Ring lasts$? said
Frodo.
?4hN The RingN ? said Boro)ir$ his
eyes lighting. ?The RingN +s it not a
strange fate that we
should suffer so )u1h fear and dou,t
for so s)all a thingM %o s)all a thingN
4nd + ha"e seen it only
for an instant in the 2ouse of !lrond.
-ould + not ha"e a sight of it againM ?
Frodo looked up. 2is heart went
suddenly 1old. 2e 1aught the strange
glea) in Boro)ir?s eyes$
yet his fa1e was still kind and
friendly. ?+t is ,est that it should lie
hidden$? he answered.
?4s you wish. + 1are not$? said
Boro)ir. ?Get )ay + not e"en speak of
itM For you see) e"er to
think only of its power in the hands of
the !ne)y: of its e"il uses not of its
good. The world is
1hanging$ you say. (inas Tirith will
fall$ if the Ring lasts. But whyM
-ertainly$ if the Ring were
with the !ne)y. But why$ if it were
with usM ?
?.ere you not at the -oun1ilM ?
answered Frodo. SBe1ause we 1annot
use it$ and what is done
with it turns to e"il.?
Boro)ir got up and walked a,out
i)patiently. ?%o you go on$? he 1ried.
?/andalf$ !lrond O all
these folk ha"e taught you to say so.
For the)sel"es they )ay ,e right.
These el"es and half#el"es
and wi<ards$ they would 1o)e to grief
perhaps. Get often + dou,t if they are
wise and not )erely
ti)id. But ea1h to his own kind. True#
hearted (en$ they will not ,e
1orrupted. .e of (inas Tirith
ha"e ,een staun1h through long years
of trial. .e do not desire the power of
wi<ard#lords$ only
strength to defend oursel"es$ strength
in a Kust 1ause. 4nd ,eholdN in our
need 1han1e ,rings to
light the #Ring of Power. +t is a gift$ +
sayI a gift to the foes of (ordor. +t is
)ad not to use it$ to use
the power of the !ne)y against hi).
The fearless$ the ruthless$ these alone
will a1hie"e "i1tory.
.hat 1ould not a warrior do in this
hour$ a great leaderM .hat 1ould not
4ragorn doM *r if he
refuses$ why not Boro)irM The Ring
would gi"e )e power of -o))and.
2ow + would dri"e the
hosts of (ordor$ and all )en would
flo1k to )y ,annerN?
Boro)ir strode up and down$
speaking e"er )ore loudly: 4l)ost he
see)ed to ha"e forgotten
Frodo$ while his talk dwelt on walls
and weapons$ and the )ustering of
)enI and he drew plans for
great allian1es and glorious "i1tories
to ,eI and he 1ast down (ordor$ and
,e1a)e hi)self a )ighty
king$ ,ene"olent and wise. %uddenly
he stopped and wa"ed his ar)s.
?4nd they tell us to throw it awayN? he
1ried. S+ do not say AdestroyA it. That
)ight ,e well$ if
reason 1ould show any hope of doing
so. +t does not. The only plan that is
proposed to us is that a
halfling should walk ,lindly into
(ordor and offer the !ne)y e"ery
1han1e of re1apturing it for
hi)self. FollyN
?%urely you see it$ )y friendM? he said$
turning now suddenly to Frodo again.
SGou say that you
are afraid. +f it is so$ the ,oldest
should pardon you. But is it not really
your good sense that
re"oltsM?
?'o$ + a) afraid$? said Frodo. ?%i)ply
afraid. But + a) glad to ha"e heard
you speak so fully. (y
)ind is 1learer now.?
SThen you will 1o)e to (inas TirithM
? 1ried Boro)ir. 2is eyes were shining
and his fa1e eager.
SGou )isunderstand )e$? said Frodo.
?But you will 1o)e$ at least for a
whileM ? Boro)ir persisted. ?(y 1ity is
not far nowI and it is
little further fro) there to (ordor
than fro) here. .e ha"e ,een long in
the wilderness$ and you
need news of what the !ne)y is
doing ,efore you )ake a )o"e. -o)e
with )e$ Frodo$? he said.
SGou need rest ,efore your "enture. if
go you )ust.? 2e laid his hand on the
ho,,it?s shoulder in
friendly fashionI ,ut Frodo felt the
hand tre),ling with suppressed
e51ite)ent. 2e stepped Jui1kly
away$ and eyed with alar) the tall
(an$ nearly twi1e his height and
)any ti)es his )at1h in
strength.
S.hy are you so unfriendlyM ? said
Boro)ir. S+ a) a true )an$ neither
thief nor tra1ker. + need
your Ring: that you know nowI ,ut +
gi"e you )y word that + do not desire
to keep it. .ill you not
at least let )e )ake trial of )y planM
Lend )e the RingN ?
S'oN noN ? 1ried Frodo. ?The -oun1il
laid it upon )e to ,ear it.?
S+t is ,y our own folly that the !ne)y
will defeat us$? 1ried Boro)ir. S2ow it
angers )eN FoolN
*,stinate foolN Running wilfully to
death and ruining our 1ause. +f any
)ortals ha"e 1lai) to the
Ring$ it is the )en of 'C)enor$ and
not 2alflings. +t is not yours sa"e ,y
unhappy 1han1e. +t )ight
ha"e ,een )ine. +t should ,e )ine.
/i"e it to )eN ?
Frodo did not answer$ ,ut )o"ed
away till the great flat stone stood
,etween the). S-o)e$
1o)e$ )y friendN ? said Boro)ir in a
softer "oi1e. ?.hy not get rid of itM
.hy not ,e free of your
dou,t and fearM Gou 1an lay the
,la)e on )e$ if you will. Gou 1an say
that + was too strong and
took it ,y for1e. For + a) too strong
for you$ halfling$? he 1riedI and
suddenly he sprang o"er the
stone and leaped at Frodo. 2is fair
and pleasant fa1e was hideously
1hangedI a raging fire was in
his eyes.
Frodo dodged aside and again put the
stone ,etween the). There was only
one thing he 1ould
do: tre),ling he pulled out the Ring
upon its 1hain and Jui1kly slipped it
on his finger$ e"en as
Boro)ir sprang at hi) again. The
(an gasped$ stared for a )o)ent
a)a<ed$ and then ran wildly
a,out$ seeking here and there a)ong
the ro1ks and trees.
?(isera,le tri1ksterN? he shouted. SLet
)e get )y hands on youN 'ow + see
your )ind. Gou will
take the Ring to %auron and sell us all.
Gou ha"e only waited your 1han1e to
lea"e us in the lur1h.
-urse you and all halflings to death
and darknessN ? Then$ 1at1hing his foot
on a stone$ he fell
sprawling and lay upon his fa1e. For a
while he was as still as if his own
1urse had stru1k hi)
downI then suddenly he wept.
2e rose and passed his hand o"er his
eyes$ dashing away the tears. ?.hat
ha"e + saidM ? he 1ried.
S.hat ha"e + doneM Frodo$ FrodoN ? he
1alled. ?-o)e ,a1kN 4 )adness took
)e$ ,ut it has passed.
-o)e ,a1kN ?
There was no answer. Frodo did not
e"en hear his 1ries. 2e was already
far away$ leaping
,lindly up the path to the hill#top.
Terror and grief shook hi)$ seeing in
his thought the )ad fier1e
fa1e of Boro)ir$ and his ,urning eyes.
%oon he 1a)e out alone on the
su))it of 4)on 2en$ and halted$
gasping for ,reath. 2e saw as
through a )ist a wide flat 1ir1le$
pa"ed with )ighty flags$ and
surrounded with a 1ru),ling
,attle)entI and in the )iddle$ set
upon four 1ar"en pillars$ was a high
seat$ rea1hed ,y a stair of
)any steps. 0p he went and sat upon
the an1ient 1hair$ feeling like a lost
1hild that had 1la),ered
upon the throne of )ountain#kings.
4t first he 1ould see little. 2e see)ed
to ,e in a world of )ist in whi1h there
were only
shadows: the Ring was upon hi).
Then here and there the )ist ga"e
way and he saw )any "isions:
s)all and 1lear as if they were under
his eyes upon a ta,le$ and yet re)ote.
There was no sound$
only ,right li"ing i)ages. The world
see)ed to ha"e shrunk and fallen
silent. 2e was sitting upon
the %eat of %eeing$ on 4)on 2en$ the
2ill of the !ye of the (en of
'C)enor. !astward he looked
into wide un1harted lands$ na)eless
plains$ and forests une5plored.
'orthward he looked$ and the
/reat Ri"er lay like a ri,,on ,eneath
hi)$ and the (isty (ountains stood
s)all and hard as ,roken
teeth. .estward he looked and saw
the ,road pastures of RohanI and
*rthan1$ the pinna1le of
+sengard$ like a ,la1k spike.
%outhward he looked$ and ,elow his
"ery feet the /reat Ri"er 1urled
like a toppling wa"e and plunged o"er
the falls of Rauros into a foa)ing pitI
a gli))ering rain,ow
played upon the fu)e. 4nd !thir
4nduin he saw$ the )ighty delta of
the Ri"er$ and )yriads of sea,irds
whirling like a white dust in the sun$
and ,eneath the) a green and sil"er
sea$ rippling in
endless lines.
But e"erywhere he looked he saw the
signs of war. The (isty (ountains
were 1rawling like
anthills: or1s were issuing out of a
thousand holes. 0nder the ,oughs of
(irkwood there was
deadly strife of !l"es and (en and
fell ,easts. The land of the Beornings
was afla)eI a 1loud was
o"er (oriaI s)oke rose on the
,orders of L>rien.
2orse)en were galloping on the grass
of RohanI wol"es poured fro)
+sengard. Fro) the ha"ens
of 2arad ships of war put out to seaI
and out of the !ast (en were )o"ing
endlessly: swords)en$
spear)en$ ,ow)en upon horses$
1hariots of 1hieftains and laden wains.
4ll the power of the &ark
Lord was in )otion. Then turning
south again he ,eheld (inas Tirith.
Far away it see)ed. and
,eautiful: white#walled$ )any#
towered$ proud and fair upon its
)ountain#seatI its ,attle)ents
glittered with steel$ and its turrets
were ,right with )any ,anners. 2ope
leaped in his heart. But
against (inas Tirith was set another
fortress$ greater and )ore strong.
Thither$ eastward$ unwilling
his eye was drawn. +t passed the
ruined ,ridges of *sgiliath$ the
grinning gates of (inas (orgul.
and the haunted (ountains$ and it
looked upon /orgoroth$ the "alley of
terror in the Land of
(ordor. &arkness lay there under the
%un. Fire glowed a)id the s)oke.
(ount &oo) was
,urning$ and a great reek rising. Then
at last his ga<e was held: wall upon
wall$ ,attle)ent upon
,attle)ent$ ,la1k$ i))easura,ly
strong$ )ountain of iron$ gate of steel$
tower of ada)ant$ he saw
it: Barad#d=r$ Fortress of %auron. 4ll
hope left hi).
4nd suddenly he felt the !ye. There
was an eye in the &ark Tower that did
not sleep. 2e knew
that it had ,e1o)e aware of his ga<e.
4 fier1e eager will was there. +t
leaped towards hi)I al)ost
like a finger he felt it$ sear1hing for
hi). @ery soon it would nail hi)
down$ know Kust e5a1tly
where he was. 4)on Lhaw it
tou1hed. +t glan1ed upon Tol Brandir
he threw hi)self fro) the seat$
1rou1hing$ 1o"ering his head with his
grey hood.
2e heard hi)self 1rying out: A'e"er$
ne"erNA*r was it: A@erily + 1o)e$ +
1o)e to youAM 2e
1ould not tell. Then as a flash fro)
so)e other point of power there 1a)e
to his )ind another
thought: ATake it offN Take it offN
Fool$ take it offN Take off the RingNA
The two powers stro"e in hi). For a
)o)ent$ perfe1tly ,alan1ed ,etween
their pier1ing points$
he writhed$ tor)ented. %uddenly he
was aware of hi)self again. Frodo$
neither the @oi1e nor the
!ye: free to 1hoose$ and with one
re)aining instant in whi1h to do so.
2e took the Ring off his
finger. 2e was kneeling in 1lear
sunlight ,efore the high seat. 4 ,la1k
shadow see)ed to pass like
an ar) a,o"e hi)I it )issed 4)on
2en and groped out west$ and faded.
Then all the sky was 1lean
and ,lue and ,irds sang in e"ery tree.
Frodo rose to his feet. 4 great
weariness was on hi)$ ,ut his will
was fir) and his heart lighter.
2e spoke aloud to hi)self. S+ will do
now what + )ust$? he said. ?This at
least is plain: the e"il of the
Ring is already at work e"en in the
-o)pany$ and the Ring )ust lea"e
the) ,efore it does )ore
har). + will go alone. %o)e + 1annot
trust$ and those + 1an trust are too dear
to )e: poor old %a)$
and (erry and Pippin. %trider$ too:
his heart yearns for (inas Tirith$ and
he will ,e needed there$
now Boro)ir has fallen into e"il. +
will go alone. 4t on1e.?
2e went Jui1kly down the path and
1a)e ,a1k to the lawn where Boro)ir
had found hi). Then
he halted$ listening. 2e thought he
1ould hear 1ries and 1alls fro) the
woods near the shore ,elow.
?They?ll ,e hunting for )e$? he said. S+
wonder how long + ha"e ,een away.
2ours$ + should
think.? 2e hesitated. ?.hat 1an + doM ?
he )uttered. ?+ )ust go now or + shall
ne"er go. + shan?t get a
1han1e again. + hate lea"ing the)$ and
like this without any e5planation. But
surely they will
understand. %a) will. 4nd what else
1an + doM?
%lowly he drew out the Ring and put
it on on1e )ore. 2e "anished and
passed down the hill$
less than a rustle of the wind.
The others re)ained long ,y the
ri"er#side. For so)e ti)e they had
,een silent$ )o"ing
restlessly a,outI ,ut now they were
sitting in a 1ir1le$ and they were
talking. !"ery now and again
they )ade efforts to speak of other
things$ of their long road and )any
ad"enturesI they Juestioned
4ragorn 1on1erning the real) of
/ondor and its an1ient history$ and
the re)nants of its great
works that 1ould still ,e seen in this
strange ,order#land of the !)yn
(uil: the stone kings and the
seats of Lhaw and 2en$ and the great
%tair ,eside the falls of Rauros. But
always their thoughts and
words strayed ,a1k to Frodo and the
Ring. .hat would Frodo 1hoose to
doM .hy was he
hesitatingM
S2e is de,ating whi1h 1ourse is the
)ost desperate$ + think$? said 4ragorn.
?4nd well he )ay. +t
is now )ore hopeless than e"er for
the -o)pany to go east$ sin1e we
ha"e ,een tra1ked ,y /ollu)$
and )ust fear that the se1ret of our
Kourney is already ,etrayed. But
(inas Tirith is no nearer to the
Fire and the destru1tion of the
Burden.
S.e )ay re)ain there for a while and
)ake a ,ra"e standI ,ut the Lord
&enethor and all his
)en 1annot hope to do what e"en
!lrond said was ,eyond his power:
either to keep the Burden
se1ret. or to hold off the full )ight of
the !ne)y when he 1o)es to take it.
.hi1h way would any
of us 1hoose in Frodo?s pla1eM + do not
know. 'ow indeed we )iss /andalf
)ost.?
?/rie"ous is our loss$? said Legolas.
?Get we )ust needs )ake up our
)inds without his aid. .hy
1annot we de1ide$ and so help FrodoM
Let us 1all hi) ,a1k and then "oteN +
should "ote for (inas
Tirith.?
S4nd so should +$? said /i)li. ?.e$ of
1ourse$ were only sent to help the
Bearer along the road$
to go no further than we wishedI and
none of us is under any oath or
1o))and to seek (ount
&oo). 2ard was )y parting fro)
Lothl>rien. Get + ha"e 1o)e so far$
and + say this: now we ha"e
rea1hed the last 1hoi1e$ it is 1lear to
)e that + 1annot lea"e Frodo. + would
1hoose (inas Tirith$ ,ut
if he does not$ then + follow hi).?
S4nd + too will go with hi)$? said
Legolas. S+t would ,e faithless now to
say farewell.?
?+t would indeed ,e a ,etrayal$ if we
all left hi)$? said 4ragorn. ?But if he
goes east$ then all need
not go with hi)I nor do + think that all
should. That "enture is desperate: as
)u1h so for eight as for
three or two$ or one alone. +f you
would let )e 1hoose$ then + should
appoint three 1o)panions:
%a)$ who 1ould not ,ear it otherwiseI
and /i)liI and )yself. Boro)ir will
return to his own 1ity$
where his father and his people need
hi)I and with hi) the others should
go$ or at least (eriado1
and Peregrin$ if Legolas is not willing
to lea"e us.?
SThat won?t do at allN ? 1ried (erry.
?.e 1an?t lea"e FrodoN Pippin and +
always intended to go
where"er he went$ and we still do. But
we did not reali<e what that would
)ean. +t see)ed different
so far away$ in the %hire or in
Ri"endell. +t would ,e )ad and 1ruel
to let Frodo go to (ordor. .hy
1an?t we stop hi)M?
?.e )ust stop hi)$? said Pippin. S4nd
that is what he is worrying a,out$ + a)
sure. 2e knows we
shan?t agree to his going east. 4nd he
doesn?t like to ask anyone to go with
hi)$ poor old fellow.
+)agine it: going off to (ordor aloneN
? Pippin shuddered. ?But the dear silly
old ho,,it$ he ought to
know that he hasn?t got to ask. 2e
ought to know that if we 1an?t stop
hi)$ we shan?t lea"e hi).?
?Begging your pardon$? said %a). ?+
don?t think you understand )y )aster
at all. 2e isn?t
hesitating a,out whi1h way to go. *f
1ourse notN .hat?s the good of (inas
Tirith anywayM To hi)$
+ )ean$ ,egging your pardon$ (aster
Boro)ir$? he added$ and turned. +t was
then that they
dis1o"ered that Boro)ir$ who at first
had ,een sitting silent on the outside
of the 1ir1le$ was no
longer there.
S'ow where?s he got toM ? 1ried %a)$
looking worried. ?2e?s ,een a ,it
Jueer lately$ to )y )ind.
But anyway he?s not in this ,usiness.
2e?s off to his ho)e$ as he always
saidI and no ,la)e to hi).
But (r. Frodo$ he knows he?s got to
find the -ra1ks of &oo)$ if he 1an.
But he?s AafraidA. 'ow it?s
1o)e to the point$ he?s Kust plain
terrified. That?s what his trou,le is. *f
1ourse he?s had a ,it of
s1hooling$ so to speak#we all ha"e#
sin1e we left ho)e$ or he?d ,e so
terrified he?d Kust fling the Ring
in the Ri"er and ,olt. But he?s still too
frightened to start. 4nd he isn?t
worrying a,out us either:
whether we?ll go along with hi) or
no. 2e knows we )ean to. That?s
another thing that?s ,othering
hi). +f he s1rews hi)self up to go$
he?ll want to go alone. (ark )y
wordsN .e?re going to ha"e
trou,le when he 1o)es ,a1k. For he?ll
s1rew hi)self up all right$ as sure as
his na)e?s Baggins.?
?+ ,elie"e you speak )ore wisely than
any of us$ %a)$? said 4ragorn. S4nd
what shall we do$ if
you pro"e rightM ?
?%top hi)N &on?t let hi) goN ? 1ried
Pippin.
?+ wonderM ? said 4ragorn. S2e is the
Bearer$ and the fate of the Burden is
on hi). + do not think
that it is our part to dri"e hi) one way
or the other. 'or do + think that we
should su11eed$ if we
tried. There are other powers at work
far stronger.?
S.ell$ + wish Frodo would Ls1rew
hi)self upL and 1o)e ,a1k. and let us
get it o"er$? said
Pippin. SThis waiting is horri,leN
%urely the ti)e is upM ?
SGes$? said 4ragorn. ?The hour is long
passed. The )orning is wearing away.
.e )ust 1all for
hi).?
4t that )o)ent Boro)ir reappeared.
2e 1a)e out fro) the trees and
walked towards the)
without speaking. 2is fa1e looked
gri) and sad. 2e paused as if
1ounting those that were present$
and then sat down aloof$ with his eyes
on the ground.
S.here ha"e you ,een$ Boro)irM ?
asked 4ragorn. S2a"e you seen
FrodoM ?
Boro)ir hesitated for a se1ond. SGes$
and no$? he answered slowly. SGes: +
found hi) so)e way
up the hill$ and + spoke to hi). + urged
hi) to 1o)e to (inas Tirith and not
to go east. + grew angry
and he left )e. 2e "anished. + ha"e
ne"er seen su1h a thing happen
,efore. though + ha"e heard of
it in tales. 2e )ust ha"e put the Ring
on. + 1ould not find hi) again. +
thought he would return to
you.?
?+s that all that you ha"e to sayM ? said
4ragorn$ looking hard and not too
kindly at Boro)ir.
SGes$? he answered. S+ will say no
)ore yet.?
SThis is ,adN? 1ried %a)$ Ku)ping up.
S+ don?t know what this (an has ,een
up to. .hy should
(r. Frodo put the thing onM 2e didn?t
ought to ha"eI and if he has$ goodness
knows what )ay ha"e
happenedN?
?But he wouldn?t keep it onS? said
(erry. S'ot when he had es1aped the
unwel1o)e "isitor$ like
Bil,o used to.?
SBut where did he goM .here is heM ?
1ried Pippin. ?2e?s ,een away ages
now.?
S2ow long is it sin1e you saw Frodo
last$ Boro)irM ? asked 4ragorn.
S2alf an hour$ )ay,e$? he answered.
S*r it )ight ,e an hour. + ha"e
wandered for so)e ti)e
sin1e. + do not knowN + do not knowN ?
2e put his head in his hands$ and sat
as if ,owed with grief.
S4n hour sin1e he "anishedN ? shouted
%a). S.e )ust try and find hi) at
on1e. -o)e onN ?
S.ait a )o)entN ? 1ried 4ragorn. S.e
)ust di"ide up into pairs$ and
arrange#here$ hold onN
.aitN ?
+t was no good. They took no noti1e
of hi). %a) had dashed off first.
(erry and Pippin had
followed$ and were already
disappearing westward into the trees
,y the shore$ shouting: AFrodoN
FrodoNA in their 1lear$ high ho,,it#
"oi1es. Legolas and /i)li were
running. 4 sudden pani1 or
)adness see)ed to ha"e fallen on the
-o)pany.
S.e shall all ,e s1attered and lost$?
groaned 4ragorn. SBoro)irN + do not
know what part you
ha"e played in this )is1hief$ ,ut help
nowN /o after those two young
ho,,its$ and guard the) at
the least$ e"en if you 1annot find
Frodo. -o)e ,a1k to this spot$ if you
find hi)$ or any tra1es of
hi). + shall return soon.?
4ragorn sprang swiftly away and
went in pursuit of %a). Just as he
rea1hed the little lawn
a)ong the rowans he o"ertook hi)$
toiling uphill$ panting and 1alling$
AFrodoNA
S-o)e with )e$ %a)N ? he said. S'one
of us should ,e alone. There is
)is1hief a,out. + feel it. +
a) going to the top$ to the %eat of
4)on 2en$ to see what )ay ,e seen.
4nd lookN +t is as )y heart
guessed$ Frodo went this way. Follow
)e$ and keep your eyes openN ? 2e
sped up the path.
%a) did his ,est$ ,ut he 1ould not
keep up with %trider the Ranger$ and
soon fell ,ehind. 2e had
not gone far ,efore 4ragorn was out
of sight ahead. %a) stopped and
puffed. %uddenly he 1lapped
his hand to his head.
S.hoa$ %a) /a)geeN ? he said aloud.
SGour legs are too short$ so use your
headN Let )e see
nowN Boro)ir isn?t lying$ that?s not his
wayI ,ut he hasn?t told us e"erything.
%o)ething s1ared (r.
Frodo ,adly. 2e s1rewed hi)self up
to the point$ sudden. 2e )ade up his
)ind at last to go. .here
toM *ff !ast. 'ot without %a)M Ges$
without e"en his %a). That?s hard$
1ruel hard.?
%a) passed his hand o"er his eyes$
,rushing away the tears. ?%teady$
/a)geeN ? he said. SThink$
if you 1anN 2e 1an?t fly a1ross ri"ers$
and he 1an?t Ku)p waterfalls. 2e?s got
no gear. %o he?s got to
get ,a1k to the ,oats. Ba1k to the
,oatsN Ba1k to the ,oats$ %a)$ like
lightningN ?
%a) turned and ,olted ,a1k down the
path. 2e fell and 1ut his knees. 0p he
got and ran on. 2e
1a)e to the edge of the lawn of Parth
/alen ,y the shore$ where the ,oats
were drawn up out of the
water. 'o one was there. There
see)ed to ,e 1ries in the woods
,ehind$ ,ut he did not heed the).
2e stood ga<ing for a )o)ent. sto1k#
still$ gaping. 4 ,oat was sliding down
the ,ank all ,y itself.
.ith a shout %a) ra1ed a1ross the
grass. The ,oat slipped into the water.
S-o)ing$ (r. FrodoN -o)ingN ? 1alled
%a)$ and flung hi)self fro) the
,ank$ 1lut1hing at the
departing ,oat. 2e )issed it ,y a
yard. .ith a 1ry and a splash he fell
fa1e downward into deep
swift water. /urgling he went under$
and the Ri"er 1losed o"er his 1urly
head.
4n e51la)ation of dis)ay 1a)e fro)
the e)pty ,oat. 4 paddle swirled and
the ,oat put a,out.
Frodo was Kust in ti)e to grasp %a)
,y the hair as he 1a)e up$ ,u,,ling
and struggling. Fear was
staring in his round ,rown eyes.
S0p you 1o)e$ %a) )y ladN ? said
Frodo. S'ow take )y handN ?
S%a"e )e$ (r. FrodoN ? gasped %a).
S+?) drownded. + 1an?t see your hand.?
S2ere it is. &on?t pin1h$ ladN + won?t
let you go. Tread water and don?t
flounder$ or you?ll upset
the ,oat. There now$ get hold of the
side$ and let )e use the paddleN ?
.ith a few strokes Frodo ,rought the
,oat ,a1k to the ,ank. and %a) was
a,le to s1ra),le out$
wet as a water#rat. Frodo took off the
Ring and stepped ashore again.
S*f all the 1onfounded nuisan1es you
are the worst$ %a)N ? he said.
?*h$ (r. Frodo$ that?s hardN ? said %a)
shi"ering. SThat?s hard$ trying to go
without )e and all. +f
+ hadn?t a guessed right$ where would
you ,e nowM ?
S%afely on )y way.?
S%afelyN ? said %a). S4ll alone and
without )e to help youM + 1ouldn?t
ha"e a ,orne it$ it?d ha"e
,een the death of )e.?
?+t would ,e the death of you to 1o)e
with )e$ %a)$? said Frodo and + 1ould
not ha"e ,orne that.?
S'ot as 1ertain as ,eing left ,ehind$?
said %a).
SBut + a) going to (ordor.?
S+ know that well enough$ (r. Frodo.
*f 1ourse you are. 4nd +?) 1o)ing
with you.?
S'ow$ %a)$? said Frodo$ Sdon?t hinder
)eN The others will ,e 1o)ing ,a1k at
any )inute. +f they
1at1h )e here. + shall ha"e to argue
and e5plain$ and + shall ne"er ha"e the
heart or the 1han1e to
get off. But + )ust go at on1e. +t?s the
only way.?
S*f 1ourse it is$? answered %a). ?But
not alone. +?) 1o)ing too$ or neither
of us isn?t going. +?ll
kno1k holes in all the ,oats first.?
Frodo a1tually laughed. 4 sudden
war)th and gladness tou1hed his
heart. SLea"e oneN ?he said.
S.e?ll need it. But you 1an?t 1o)e like
this without your gear or food or
anything.?
?Just hold on a )o)ent$ and +?ll get
)y stuffN? 1ried %a) eagerly. ?+t?s all
ready. + thought we
should ,e off today.? 2e rushed to the
1a)ping pla1e$ fished out his pa1k
fro) the pile where Frodo
had laid it when he e)ptied the ,oat
of his 1o)panions? goods gra,,ed a
spare ,lanket$ and so)e
e5tra pa1kages of food$ and ran ,a1k.
S%o all )y plan is spoiltN ? said Frodo.
S+t is no good trying to es1ape you.
But +?) glad$ %a). +
1annot tell you how glad. -o)e
alongN +t is plain that we were )eant
to go together. .e will go$
and )ay the others find a safe roadN
%trider will look after the). + don?t
suppose we shall see the)
again.?
SGet we )ay$ (r Frodo. .e )ay$?
said %a).
%o Frodo and %a) set off on the last
stage of the Puest together. Frodo
paddled away fro) the
shore$ and the Ri"er ,ore the) swiftly
away. down the western ar)$ and past
the frowning 1liffs of
Tol Brandir. The roar of the great falls
drew nearer. !"en with su1h help as
%a) 1ould gi"e$ it was
hard work to pass a1ross the 1urrent at
the southward end of the island and
dri"e the ,oat eastward
towards the far shore.
4t length they 1a)e to land again
upon the southern slopes of 4)on
Lhaw. There they found a
shel"ing shore$ and they drew the ,oat
out$ high a,o"e the water$ and hid it
as well as they 1ould
,ehind a great ,oulder. Then
shouldering their ,urdens$ they set
off$ seeking a path that would
,ring the) o"er the grey hills of the
!)yn (uil$ and down into the Land
of %hadow.
2ere ends the first part of the history
of the .ar of the Ring.
The se1ond part is 1alled T2! T.*
T*.!R%$ sin1e the e"ents re1ounted
in it are do)inated
,y *RT24'-$ the 1itadel of
%aru)an$ and the fortress of (+'4%
(*R/0L that guards the
se1ret entran1e to (ordorI it tells of
the deeds and perils of all the
)e),ers of the now sundered
fellowship$ until the 1o)ing of the
/reat &arkness.
The third part tells of the last defen1e
against the %hadow$ and the end of
the )ission of the
Ring#,earer in T2! R!T0R' *F
T2! +'/.