The Treason of Isengard (66 page)

Time ceases

Jan. 15 Leave Lorien

Scheme II continues for some way on this basis before petering out.

These therefore are the relations between the former chronology (I), the new (II), and FR:

I. II. FR.

Leave Rivendell. Nov. 24. Dec. 25. Dec. 25.

Hollin. Dec. 6. Jan. 6. Jan. 8.

Snow on Caradras. Dec. 9. Jan. 9. Jan. 11.

Reach Moria. Dec. 11. Jan. 11. Jan. 13.

Escape from Moria. Dec. 13. Jan. 13. Jan. 15.

Cross Silverlode. Dec. 14. Jan. 14. Jan. 16.

Leave Lorien. [Jan. 1 >] Dec. 15. Jan. 15. Feb. 16.

Reach Tol Brandir. Dec. 25. Jan. 25. Feb. 25.

Flight of Frodo. Dec. 26. Jan. 26. Feb. 26.

In II the New Moon was on Jan. 21, just as in I it was on Dec. 21, and against this date in II is also: 'Battle with Orcs?' This was the seventh day of the voyage down Anduin, as in the texts. But it is odd that in both I and II the journey took eleven days, whereas in the texts it took nine (pp. 361 - 2).

At the foot of the page carrying scheme II my father wrote: 'Does Time cease at Lorien or go on faster? So that it might be Spring or nearly so.' With this cf. p. 363: 'The Power of the Lady was upon us.

Slow for us there might time have passed, while the world hastened.

Or in a little while we could savour much, while the world tarried. The latter was her will.'

Another chronology of far greater elaboration, made after the changes introduced in October 1944 (see p. 406), was still based on the conception that 'exterior' Time ceased in Lorien, for it begins: Thurs. Jan. 19. Fifth day of voyage.

Fri. 20. Sixth day.

Sat. 21. Seventh day. Sam observes New Moon and is puzzled.

Lastly, another later scheme of dates begins:

They spend what seems many days in Lorien, but it is about the same time and date when they leave. [Added: In fact, one day later, time moving about 20 times slower (20 days = 1).]

Here the Company again leaves Lorien on Jan. 15, but the chronology of the journey approaches that of FR: 'Sam sees New Moon low in West after sunset' on Jan. 21, but as in FR the attack by Orcs takes place on the night of the eighth day, here Jan. 22; and Tol Brandir is reached at dusk on Jan. 24. Here this scheme ends; but across the page my father afterwards wrote these separate notes:

Why have any difference of time? Shift the dates a month forward.

If Lorien time is not different, then no need for Sam to see the Moon.

Better to have no time difference.

A passage in the first manuscript of 'The White Rider' (p. 431) may be mentioned here: Gandalf tells that after his rescue by Gwaihir from the peak above Moria he came to Lothlorien and 'tarried there in the long time which in that land counts for but a brief hour of the world'.

Phases of the Moon

Either while the making of Time-scheme I was in progress or at some later point my father wrote at the head of the first page of it: Moons are after 1941 - 2 + 6 days. He changed this to + 5 days, and added: thus Full Moon Jan. 2 is Jan. 7. The phases of the Moon were entered on scheme I in red pencil, and it is very hard to know whether they belong with its making or were put in later. Many of these dates were much changed, but no discernible relation with the phases of 1941 - 2 emerges, the dates in the scheme varying between two to six days later. The phases as entered, also in red pencil, on scheme II, when the departure from Rivendell took place on Dec. 25, are however regularly five days later than those of 1941 - 2, beginning with New Moon on Dec. 23, and then First Quarter on Dec. 30, Full Moon Jan. 7, Last Quarter Jan. 15, New Moon Jan. 21 (against which is written the time: 9.32), First Quarter Jan. 29 (time 6.35), Full Moon Feb. 6. It is possible, therefore, though far from certain, that it was only with scheme II and the decision to postpone the departure from Rivendell by a month that my father decided to pattern the phases precisely on those of 1941 - 2.

It will be seen shortly (p. 379) that my father was working on 'The Departure of Boromir' in the winter of 1941 - 2. The postponement of the departure from Rivendell is first seen in an outline for the story following the ride of Gandalf and his companions from Fangorn to Eodoras (p. 434 and note 1; see also pp. 422 - 3).

XVIII.

THE BREAKING OF THE FELLOWSHIP.

In the latter part of the original chapter 'XXI' initial drafting and 'fair copy' were a continuous process. Up to the point where Sam broke in on the discussion among the Company beside the river with 'Begging your pardons, but I don't think you understand Mr. Frodo at all' (FR

p. 419), the drafting is very rough indeed, with separate passages written in slips and not forming a consecutive narrative, while the 'fair copy' is itself a mass of correction and rewriting in the act of composition. Some passages gave my father great difficulty and he experimented with their ordering and phraseology in many forms. But from that point, and evidently made after the 'fair copy' had reached it, there is a clear primary draft, in which the story just as it is in FR

(pp. 419 - 23) 'wrote itself', on the basis of a preliminary outline; and the fair copy from here onwards can be properly so called. In this manuscript the text of FR was effectively reached throughout, but the division of 'XXI' into two, with a new chapter 'XXII The Breaking of the Fellowship', was not made until after the text had been completed.

At first Trotter is 'Elfstone', not corrected, in both draft and fair copy (see p. 361), but soon becomes 'Trotter', and is then so named throughout.

The draft text begins:

That night they went ashore, and camped upon a green sward beneath the slopes of [added: Amon Hen] the western hill. They set a watch, but they saw no sign of any enemy or spy. If Gollum had contrived to follow them, he remained unseen. 'I do not think he would dare the passage of the Gates,' said Elfstone.

'But he may have travelled far over the hills, while we were delayed at Pensarn. By now he knows the country well, and he will guess too much of our divided purposes.(1) For we have with us what he long possessed and it draws him ever towards us. "If they turned west at Pensarn," he will say, "then for a time I can do no more. Sooner or later I shall know, and then Gollum can find a way, even to the walls of Minas-Tirith. But if they did not turn west there is but one end to the river-road: Tol Brandir and Rauros, and the North Stair. There they must go West or East. I will watch upon the East." Likely enough he spied us with his fell eyes far off from the eastern beaches or from some post among the hills.'

The day came like fire and smoke...

Amon Hen looks as if it were added immediately, and is probably the first occurrence of the name. An addition to the draft text introduces the nocturnal conversation between Trotter and Frodo and the drawing of Sting to see what its blade would show - a sign that the attack by Orcs had now entered; but here it is Frodo who feels 'some shadow or threat', and it is Frodo who says 'I thought as much. Orcs are near. But how came they across the river? Never have I heard that they came into this region before', with an authoritative tone more characteristic of Trotter. In the fair copy Trotter's surmises about Gollum's intentions were lost, and the opening of the chapter 'The Breaking of the Fellowship' in FR was attained, except that the green lawn beneath Amon Hen was named Kelufain, subsequently changed to Calenbel.(2)

The description of Tol Brandir as Frodo saw it that morning, already in the primary draft very close to the final form (FR p. 412), with its sides springing sheer out of the running water (where 'no landing place could be seen'), shows that the idea of its inaccessibility was present (see p. 359). The conversation before Frodo departed from the Company alone was very largely achieved at once, but in the fair copy Trotter says: 'My own heart desires to go to Minas-Tirith, but that is for myself and apart from your Quest', this being rejected, probably immediately; and in both texts, in very similar words, he says: 'Very well, Frodo son of Drogo. You shall be alone. But do not let your thoughts be too dark. For after you have chosen you shall not be alone. I will not leave you, should you decide to go to the gates of Baraddur; and there are others of the same mind, I think.' To this Frodo replied, in the fair copy: 'I know, and it does not aid my choice

[> it does not help me at all].' The primary draft continues: The others remained behind near the shore, but Frodo got up and walked away. Sam watched his master with great concern.

Then the Company turned again to debating what they could do to aid the Quest, hopeless as it seemed [struck out: and whether it were wise to try and end it swiftly or to delay]. Boromir spoke strongly, urging ever the wisdom of strong wills, and weapons, and great plans he drew for alliances, and victories to be, and the overthrow of Mordor.(3)

Sam slipped away unnoticed. 'If orcs are anywhere nigh,' he muttered, 'I am not going to let Mr. Frodo wander about alone.

In his frame o' mind he would not see an elephant coming, or he might walk off the edge of a precipice.'

In the meanwhile aimlessly wandering Frodo found that his feet had led him up the slopes of the hill.

The idea that Sam left the Company at this point was evidently very soon abandoned.

The encounter with Boromir on Amon Hen was now developed from the form it had reached in the outline given on pp. 325 - 7, and with much difficulty the text of FR was achieved. I give here so much as I can puzzle out of the form in which my father first wrote down what Frodo saw when he looked out from Amon Hen wearing the Ring (for the brief suggestions in previous outlines see p. 327 and note 7 and p. 366 note 19): his writing here is at its most difficult, the marks very weak and the pen seeming to float or glide on the paper.

Northward he looked, and the Great River lay like a ribbon beneath him, and the Misty Mountains small and hard as broken teeth. Eastward into wide uncharted lands he looked.

West he gazed and saw little horsemen galloping like the wind upon wide green plains, and beyond was the dark tower of

[Isengard o] Orthanc in the ring of Isengard.

Southward he looked..... Ethir Anduin the mighty delta of the Great River, and myriads of seabirds [like a dust of white specks] whirling... like a white dust, and beneath them a green and silver sea rippling in endless moving lines.

But everywhere he looked he saw signs of war. The Misty Mountains were like anthills to his sight: orcs were [?pouring]

out from countless [?holes]. Under the boughs of Mirkwood there was deadly strife. The land of the Beornings was aflame. A cloud was over Dimrilldale / Moria gates. Smoke rose upon the borders of Lorien. [Dol Dughul] Horsemen galloping wildly on the grass of Rohan, wolves poured forth from Isengard. From the grey southward Havens [or Haven] an endless column of armed men came. Out of the wild East men were moving in endless [?shining] swordmen, [?spearmen], bowmen upon horse; chariots and wains: whole peoples. All the power of the Dark Lord was in motion.

Then as he came back south he saw Minas Tirith. Far and beautiful it was, white-walled, many-towered, high upon its mountain seat strong in the sun: its battlements glittered with steel and its turrets were bright with many banners.............

was Minas Morgul....... its dark walls carven with... shapes, its great tower like a tooth, its banners black, its gates like evil mouths, and to eastward the Shadow of Death the hopeless

[?gates] of Gorgoroth. Then he saw the......... ... Mount [Doom

>] Dum: the Hill of Fire and.... Baraddur.

Then suddenly his gaze halted. The [?mists cleared] and he cried aloud in fear. There was an eye in Baraddur. It did not sleep. And suddenly it had become aware of....... There was a fierce eagerness... [?will]... It leapt towards him, almost like a finger he felt it [?feeling] for him. In a minute it would nail him down, know just exactly [?to an inch] where he was. Amon Lhaw it touched, it glanced at Tol Brandir - he cast himself from the seat, [?crouching, covering] his head with his grey hood. He was crying out but whether he was saying Never will it get me, never, or Verily I come, I come to you, he could not say. [?Probably] both.

Then as a flash from some other point of power there came

... another thought. Take it off. Take it off. 0 foolish! Take it off. The two powers strove in him: for a moment perfectly balanced between their... points he writhed. Suddenly he was aware of himself.

In the complete manuscript that followed the draft, with much further correction and experimentation of phrase as he wrote, my father reached the final form; but the opening description of Frodo in the high seat (for which there is no earlier drafting) in this manuscript is of much interest. As first written, with a good deal of correction in the process, the passage read: