The Treason of Isengard (21 page)

'I don't know,' answered the wizard. 'But we shan't be able to make our plans and preparations very quickly. Scouts have

: already been sent out, and some may be away a long while. It is

- essential to find out as much as we can about the Black Riders.'

The new version then returns to the first and follows it very closely

: to the end of that text ('... waiting for him to set out', VI.409). But it then continues into 'The Ring Goes South' (VI.415) without break or heading, and again follows the old pretty closely for some distance -

as far as Gandalf's words 'And the hunters will have to come all the Way back to the Ford to pick up the trail - if we are careful, and lucky'

(VI.416). There are a few differences to be noted. This version begins:

'When the hobbits had been some three weeks in the house of Elrond, and November was passing' (see VI.415 and note 2); the scouts who had gone north had been 'almost as far as Hoardale' (later > 'as far as the Hoardales'), where in the original text they had reached 'the Dimrill-dales' (see p. 10 and note 14); and it is said of the High Pass:

'where formerly the Goblins' door had been'. Very faint pencillings at the foot of the page give Elvish names of the places mentioned in the text, just as are found in the preceding version (see VI.432 note 4), but these are not the same. The note reads:

In Elvish Annerchion = Goblin Gate. Ruinnel = Redway.

Nenvithim = Hoardales Palath-ledin = Gladden.

Field [s]

Palath = Iris.

But where in the first version Gandalf says: 'We had better get off as soon as possible now - and as quietly', and the story then passes almost at once to the day of departure, this text diverges to the first full and clear account of the selection of the Company of the Ring - who are still to be seven (see VI.409 - 10); and the selection now takes place at the same point in the narrative as it does in FR (pp. 288-9).

'... It is time we began to make preparations in earnest, and the first thing to do is to decide who is going. I have my own ideas, but I must consult Elrond.'

Both Elrond and the wizard were agreed that the party must not be too large, for their hope lay in speed and secrecy. 'Seven and no more should there be,' said Elrond. 'If Frodo is still willing, then Frodo as ring-bearer must be the first choice. And if Frodo goes, then Sam Gamgee must go too, because that was promised, and my heart tells me that their fates are woven together.'

'And if two hobbits go, then I must go,' said Gandalf, 'for my wits tell me that I shall be needed; and indeed my fate seems.

much entangled with hobbits.'

'That is three then,' said Elrond. 'If there are others, they should represent the other free folk of the world.'

'I will go on behalf of Men,' said Trotter. 'I claim some right to share in the adventures of the Ring; but I wish also to go out of friendship for Frodo, and therefore I will ask his leave to be his companion.'

'I could choose no one more gladly,' said Frodo. 'I had thought of begging what is freely offered.' He took Trotter's hand.

'Boromir will also come,' said Gandalf. 'He is resolved to return as soon as he can to his own land, to the siege and war (6) that he has told of. His way goes with ours. He is a valiant man.'

'For the Elves I will choose Galdor of Mirkwood,' said Elrond, 'and for the Dwarves Gimli son of Gloin. If they are willing to go with you, even as far as Moria, they will be a help to you. That is seven and the full tale.'

'What about Meriadoc and Faramond [> Peregrin]?' said Frodo, suddenly realizing that his friends were not included.

'Merry has come far with me, and it will grieve him to be left behind now.'

'Faramond [> Peregrin] would go with you out of love for you, if he were bidden,' said Gandalf; 'but his heart is not in such perilous adventures, much though he loves you. Merry will be grieved, it is true, but Elrond's decision is wise. He is merry in name, and merry in heart, but this quest is not for him, nor for any hobbit, unless fate and duty chooses him. But do not be distressed: I think there may be other work for him to do, and that he will not be left long idle.'

When the names and number of the adventurers had thus been decided, it was agreed that the day of departure should be the following Thursday, November the seventeenth. The next few days were busy with preparations, but Frodo spent as much time as he could alone with Bilbo. The weather had grown cold, and was now cheerless and grey, and they sat often together in Bilbo's own small room. Then Bilbo would read passages from his book (which seemed still very incomplete), or scraps of his verses, and take notes of Frodo's adventures.

On the morning of the last day, Bilbo pulled out from under his bed a wooden box, and lifted the lid, and fumbled inside.

'You have got a good sword of your own, I believe,' he said hesitatingly to Frodo; 'but I thought, perhaps, you would care to have this as well, or instead, don't you know.'

From this point the new text reaches virtually the final form in FR

pp. 290-1,(7) as far as 'I should like to write the second book, if I am spared.' This was evidently where the chapter ended at this stage.

For a brief while my father evidently suspected that Meriadoc and Faramond/Peregrin would be superfluous in what he conceived to be the last stage of the Quest. - It is curious that Elrond, when declaring his choice of Galdor of Mirkwood and Gimli son of Gloin, here refers to Moria as if the passage of the Mines were already determined; but this cannot have been intentional.

Later pencilled changes made to the name Ond in this manuscript may be mentioned here. At the first occurrence the Land of Ond was struck out, and in the margin my father wrote Minas-tir Minas-ond Minas-berel, finally putting the City of Minas-tirith. This may be the place where Minas Tirith (which already existed in the Quenta Silmarillion, V.264, 269) first emerged in this application. At a subsequent occurrence Ond was changed to Minas-berel and then to Minas Tirith.

A very rough pencilled outline, written on the 'August 1940'

examination script described on p. 67, brings in entirely new aspects of the discussion at the Council. At the head of the page stand these: names:

Minas Giliath Minas rhain (8) Othrain = .... city (9) Minas tirith Then follows:

At Council.

Aragorn's ancestry.

Gloin's quest- to ask after Bilbo.? News of Balin.??

Boromir. Prophecies had been spoken. The Broken Sword should be reforged. Our wise men said the Broken Sword was in Rivendell.

I have the Broken Sword, said Tarkil. My fathers were driven out of your city when Sauron raised a rebellion, and he that is now the Chief of the Nine drove us out.

Minas Morgol.

War between Ond and Wizard King.

%ere Tarkil's sires had been King. Tarkil will come and help Ond. Tarkil's fathers had been driven out by the wizard that is now Chief of the Nine.

Gandalf's story of Saruman and the eagle. Elrond explains that Eagles had been sent to look. This only if Gandalf goes straight to Rivendell. Otherwise how could the eagles find Gandalf?

The Broken Sword appears in the last revisions to the Prancing Pony story (written on the same paper as this outline), where Trotter draws it out in the inn (p. 78).(10) - The meaning of the last two sentences of the outline is presumably that Gandalf went straight to Rivendell when he left Hobbiton in June, and there told Elrond that he intended to visit Saruman. Compare the notes given on p. 75: 'Gandalf is captured by Saruman. Elves send word that he is missing... Glorfindel is sent out, and messengers sent to Eagles.... They fly all over the lands, and find Gandalf...'

The Third Version.

More is told of this story of 'Tarkil's sires' and Ond in a manuscript written on the same paper, which I give next, and which despite its being so rough and incomplete I will call 'the Third Version'. This text develops Gloin's story, and is followed by the account given by Galdor .

of Mirkwood of Gollum's escape, which here first enters.(11) In these parts of the text there is a great advance towards FR (pp. 253 - 5, 268 - 9), where however the ordering of the speeches made at the Council is quite different. Finally we reach the story of the Numenorean kingdoms in Middle-earth, still in an extremely primitive form, and written in a fearsome scrawl; most unhappily a portion of this is lost.

There are a fair number of alterations in pencil, but I think that these belong to much the same time as the writing of the manuscript (which ends in pencil). I take these up silently where they are of slight significance, but in many cases I show them as such in the text.

Much was said of events in the world outside, especially in the South, and in the wide lands east of the Mountains. Of these things Frodo had already heard many rumours. But the tales of Gloin and of Boromir were new to him, and he listened attentively. It appeared that the hearts of the Dwarves of the Mountain were troubled.

'It is now many years ago,' said Gloin, 'that a shadow of disquiet fell upon our folk. Whence it came we did not at first know. Whispered words began to be spoken: it was said that we were hemmed in a narrow place, and that greater wealth and splendour were to be found in the wider world. Some spoke of Moria - the mighty works of our fathers of old, that we called in our ancient tongue Khazaddum - and they said that we now had the power and numbers to return and there re-establish our halls in glory and command the lands both West and East of the Mountains. At the last, some score of years ago, Balin departed, though Dain did not give leave willingly, and he took with him Oin and Ori and many of our folk, and they went away south.

For a while we heard news, and it seemed good: messages reported that Moria had been re-entered, and great work begun there. Then all fell silent. There was peace under the Mountain again for a space, until rumour of the rings began to be heard.

'Messages came a year ago from Mordor far away; and they offered us rings of power such as the lord of Mordor could make - on condition of our friendship and aid. And they asked urgently concerning one Bilbo, whom it seemed they had learned was once our friend. They commanded us to obtain from him if we could, willing or unwilling, a certain ring that he had possessed. In exchange for this we were offered three such rings as our fathers had of old. Even for news of where he might be found we were promised lasting friendship and great reward.

'We knew well that the friendship of such messages was feigned and concealed a threat, for by that time many rumours of evil also reached us concerning Mordor. We have returned yet no answer; and I have come first from Dain, to warn Bilbo that he is sought by the Dark Lord, and to learn (if may be) why this is so. Also we crave the counsel of Elrond, for the shadow grows. We perceive that messages have also been sent to King Brand in Dale, and that he is afraid to resist. Already there is war gathering on his southern borders. If we make no answer the Dark Lord will move other men to assail him and us.'

'You have done well to come,' said Elrond. 'You will hear today all that is necessary for the understanding of the Enemy's purposes, and why he seeks Bilbo. There is nought you can do other than to resist, whether with hope or without it. But as you will hear, your trouble is only part of ours [> the troubles of others]; and your hope will rise and fall with the fortunes of the Ring. Let us now hear the words of Galdor of Mirkwood, for they are yet known to few.'

Galdor spoke. 'I do not come,' he said, 'to add to all the accounts of gathering war and unrest, though Mirkwood is not spared, and the dark things that fled from it for a while are returning in such number that my people are hard put to it. But I am sent to bear tidings: they are not good, I fear; but how ill, others must judge. Smeagol that is now called Gollum has escaped.'

'What!' cried Trotter in surprise. 'I judge that to be ill news, and you may mark my words: we shall regret this. How came the Wood-elves to fail in their trust?'

'Not through lack of vigilance,' said Galdor; 'but perhaps through overmuch kindness, and certainly through aid from elsewhither. He was guarded day and night; but hoping for his cure we had not the heart to keep him ever in dungeons beneath the ground.'

'You were less tender to me,' said Gloin with a flash of his eye, as ancient memories of his prison in the halls of the Elven-king were aroused.

'Now, now!' said Gandalf. 'Don't interrupt! That was a regrettable misunderstanding.'

'In days of fair weather we led him through the woods,'

Galdor went on; 'and there was a high tree, standing alone far from others, which he liked to climb. Often we let him climb in it till he felt the free wind; but we set a guard at the foot. One day he would not descend, and the guards having no mind to climb after him (he could cling to branches with his feet as well as with his hands) sat by the tree into the twilight. It was on that very evening in summer under a clear moon that the Orcs came down upon us. We drove them off after some time; but when the battle was over, we found Gollum was gone, and the guards had vanished also. It seems clear that the attack was arranged for the rescue of Gollum, and that he knew of it beforehand; but in what way we cannot guess. We failed to recapture him. We came on his trail and that of some Orcs, and it seemed to plunge deep into Mirkwood going south and west; but ere long it escaped even our skill, nor dare we continue the hunt, for we were drawing near the Mountains of Mirkwood in the midst of the forest, and they are become evil, and we do not go that way.*