The War of the Ring (52 page)

This gives the following relations (and see note 31 above): Feb. 6 Frodo leaves Henneth Annun; reaches Osgiliath road at dusk.

Gandalf reaches Minas Tirith. Ominous sunset.

Feb. 7 Great Darkness begins. Frodo reaches Cross-roads at sunset.

See further the note on chronology on pp. 321 - 2. - The final synchronization of the stories east and west of Anduin was differently achieved, with extension of Gandalf's ride to Minas Tirith from three nights to four (p. 264 note 3), and of Frodo's journey from Henneth Annun from two days to three (p. 182). Thus in The Tale of Years in LR:

March 8 Frodo leaves Henneth Annun.

March 9 Gandalf reaches Minas Tirith. At dusk Frodo reaches the Morgul-road [= Osgiliath road]. Darkness begins to flow out of Mordor.

March 10 The Dawnless Day. Frodo passes the Cross Roads.

IV.

MANY ROADS LEAD EASTWARD (1).

The original draft ('A') for Chapter XLV (Book V Chapter 2, afterwards called 'The Passing of the Grey Company') was written in pencil in my father's roughest script, and extended only as far as Theoden's words about the Rangers: 'thirty such men will be a strength not to be counted by heads' (RK p. 48). At this stage, I think, he wrote a brief outline for the next part of the chapter which takes up from the point reached in A.

The night was old and the East grey when they came at last to the Hornburg and there rested.

Rangers say that messages reached them through Rivendell.

They suppose Gandalf or Galadriel or both?

Merry sat at the king's side in Hornburg, regrets that Pippin was away.

They prepare to ride by secret ways to Dunharrow. Aragorn does not sleep but becomes restless. Takes the Orthanc stone to the tower of the Hornburg and looks in it.

He comes out of the chamber looking very weary, and will say naught but goes to sleep till evening.

'There is evil news,' he said. 'The black fleet is drawing near to Umbar [sic]. That will disturb counsels. I fear we must part, Eomer. To meet again later. But not yet. How long will it take to Dunharrow?' 'Two days. If we ride on the 5th we shall reach there by evening of the 6th.'(1)

Aragorn fell silent. 'That will do,' he said.

The reverse of this page is a contoured map of the White Mountains, ruled in squares of 2 cm. side, extending some 90 miles east and west of Edoras, with no features (other than mountain peaks) marked save the Morthond and the Stone of Erech in the south and Edoras and the Snowbourn in the north. Harrowdale here runs a little west of south, in contrast to the map redrawn on p. 258 where it runs southeast, and Erech is a very little east of south from Edoras (assuming that the map is oriented north-south). A pencilled note against the Stone of Erech gives a distance: '62 miles as crow flies from Dunharrow' (where the second figure seems to have been changed from 3); and in the margin is written: 'Scale 4 times main map'. Whichever map my father was referring to (2) this would mean that 1 mm. = 1.25 miles; and a dot pencilled in subsequently very near the head of Harrowdale and obviously representing the place of Dunharrow is at a distance of 51 mm. from the Stone of Erech (= 63.75 miles).(3) He now returned to the opening of the chapter and overwrote the brief pencilled text in ink, so that it is obscured.(4) The new draft ('B') in ink, as far as the point where the underlying pencilled text ends, reaches that of RK (pp. 46 - 8) in all but a few points. In the opening paragraph of the chapter it is said of Merry's possessions only that 'he had few things to pack', and this was bracketed,. at the head of the page my father wrote: Hobbit packs lost at Calembel? replenished at Isengard' (for Calembel see the Index to Vol. VII, s.v. Calenbel). To Aragorn's words 'But why they come, and bow many they are, Halbarad (5) shall tell us Halbarad replies, Thirty we are, and the brethren Elboron and Elbereth are among them. More of us could scarcely be found in these dwindling days, as you well know; and we had to gather in haste. We came because you summoned us. Is that not so? To which Aragorn replies: Nay, save in wish.'(6)

The coming of the sons of Elrond with the Rangers is referred to in the outline given on p. 274. It is interesting to see that the names first given to them, Elboron and Elbereth, were originally those of the young sons of Dior Thingol's Heir, the brothers of Elwing, who were murdered by 'the evil men of Maidros' host' in the attack on Doriath by the Feanorians (The Annals of Beleriand, in IV.307, V.142); they were thus the great-uncles of the sons of Elrond. But the names Elboron and Elbereth of Dior's sons had been replaced by Elrun and Eldun (IV.325-6; V.147, 351-3; VI.68).

The new draft B continues on from the point reached in the pencilled opening, but the passage that immediately follows in RK (in which Elrohir son of Elrond delivers his father's message to Aragorn concerning the Paths of the Dead, and Aragorn asks Halbarad what it is that he bears) is entirely absent. The text continues (RK p. 48): The night was old and the East grey when they rode at last up from the Deeping Coomb and came back to the Hornburg.

There they were to lie and rest for a while and take counsel.

Merry slept, until he was roused by Legolas and Gimli. 'The sun is high,' said [Gimli >] Legolas. 'Everyone else is out and about. Come and look round. There was a great battle here only three nights ago. I would show you where the Huorn-forest stood.'

'Is there not time to visit the Caves?' said Gimli.

'I have given my word to go with you,' said Legolas. 'But let that be later and do not spoil the wonder with haste. It is near the hour of noon, and after we have eaten we are to set out swiftly, or so I hear.'

Merry sighed; he was lonely without Pippin and felt that he was only a burden, while everybody was making plans for a business he did not much understand.

'Aragorn has a company of his own now,' said Gimli. '[He seems changed somewhat, and some dark care is on him. But

[he] looks more like a king than Theoden himself.](7) They are stout men and lordly. The Riders look almost like boys beside them; for they are grim and worn for the most part, such as Aragorn was. But he seems changed somewhat: a kingly man if ever there was one, though some dark care or doubt sits on him.'

'Where is he?' said Merry.

'In a high chamber in the tower,' said Gimli. 'He has not rested or slept, I think. He went there soon after we came here, saying he must take thought, and only his kinsman Halbarad went with him.'

Merry walked about with Legolas and Gimli for a while, while they spoke of this and that turn of the battle; and they passed the ruined gate and the mounds of the fallen, and they stood upon the dike looking down the Coomb. The Dead Down stood black and tall and stony amid the trampled grass. The Dunlanders and other men of the garrison were busy here and there, on the dyke and in the fields or on the battered walls. At length they returned and went to the meal in the hall of the burg. There Merry was called and was set beside the King.

The conversation of Merry with Theoden, leading to the offer of his service and its acceptance, is virtually the same as in RK (pp. 50-1) and need not be cited. Then follows:

They spoke together for a while. Then Eomer said: 'It is near the hour we set for our departing. Shall I bid men sound the horns? And where is Aragorn? His place is empty and he has not eaten.'

The horns were sounded and men got ready to ride, the Riders of Rohan now in a great company, for the King was leaving but a small garrison in the Burg, and all that could be spared were riding to the muster with him. A thousand spears had already ridden away at night to Edoras; and yet now there were still some three hundred or more that had gathered from the fields about.

In a group by themselves were the Rangers. They were clad in dark grey and their horses were rough-haired. Hoods were over the[ir] helms. They [?wore] spear and bow and sword. There was nothing fine or splendid in their array, no sign or badge, save this only, that each cloak was pinned on the left shoulder by a silver brooch shaped like a rayed star.(8) Dark and sombre and proud men they looked.

Presently Eomer came out of the gate of the Burg, and with him came Halbarad and Aragorn. They came down the ramp and walked to the waiting horses. Merry sitting on his pony by the King was startled by Aragorn. He looked grim, grey-faced, weary, old, and leant a little on Halbarad.

'I have evil tidings, lord,' he said standing before the King. 'A grave peril unlooked for threatens Gondor. A great fleet is drawing near from the south, and will cut off all but scanty help from that region. From Rohan alone can they expect much help now. But I must take new counsel. I fear, lord, and Eomer my friend, we must part - to meet again, maybe, or maybe not. But how long will you take to reach Dunharrow?'

'It is now an hour after noon,' said Eomer. 'On the evening of the second day from now we should come there. That night the moon will rise full, and the muster that the King commanded will begin the day after.'(9)

Aragorn fell silent as if considering. 'Two days,' he said. 'It cannot be much speeded. Well, by your leave, lord, I will forsake this secrecy. The time for it is passed for me. I will eat now and then I and my rangers will ride as swift as steed may go direct to Edoras. We shall meet at Dunharrow ere we part.

Farewell. May I commit my friend and charge Meriadoc to your care?'

'No need,' said Theoden, 'he has sworn himself to my service.

He is my esquire.'

'Good,' said Aragorn. 'All that you do is kingly. Farewell.'

'Goodbye, Meriadoc,' said Gimli, 'but we're going with Aragorn. It seems that he needs us. But we'll meet again, I think.

And yours for the present is the better road, I think. Jogging on a nice pony, while I cling on behind Legolas and try to keep pace with these Rangers!'

'Farewell,' said Merry regretfully.

A horn was sounded and the Riders set forth, and rode down the Coomb, and turning swiftly west [read east] took a path that skirted the foothills for a mile or so and then turned back in among the hills and slopes and disappeared.

Aragorn watched until the King's men were far down the Coomb. Then he turned to Halbarad. 'I must eat,' he said, 'and then we must speed on our way. Come Legolas and Gimli. I would speak to you as I eat.'

'Well,' said Aragorn as he sat at the table in the hall. 'I have looked in the Stone, my friends. For my heart [foreboded that]

told me that there was much to learn.'

'You looked in the Stone!' said Gimli, amazed, awestruck, and rather alarmed. 'What did you tell - him?'

'What did i tell him?' said Aragorn sternly, and his eyes glinted. 'That I had a rascal of a rebel dwarf here that I would exchange for a couple of good orcs, thank you! I thought I had the strength, and the strength I had. I said naught to him and wrenched the Stone from him to my own purpose. But he saw me, yes and he saw me in other guise maybe than you see me. If I have done ill I have done ill. But I do not think so. To know that I lived and walked the earth was something of a blow to his heart, and certainly he will now hasten all his strokes - but they will be the less ripe. And then I learned much. For one thing, that there are yet other Stones. One is at Erech and that is where we are going. [Struck out: At the Stone of Erech Men shall

... be seen.]' Halbarad bears this message:

Out of the mountain shall they come their tryst keeping; at the Stone of Erech their horn shall blow, when hope is dead and the kings are sleeping and darkness lies on the world below:

Three lords shall come from the three kindreds from the North at need by the paths of the dead elflord, dwarflord, and lord forwandred, and one shall wear a crown on head.(11)

And that is an old rhyme of Gondor which none have understood; but I think I perceive somewhat of its sense now. To the Stone of Erech by the paths of the Dead!' he said rising. 'Who will come with me?'

The last two sentences were inked in over pencil, and the rest of the text consists of jottings in ink and pencil. These begin: So now all roads were running together to the East and the coming of the War. And even as Pippin stood at the Gate and saw the Prince of Dol Amroth ride into the city with his banners the King of Rohan came down out of the hills.

This is the beginning of 'The Muster of Rohan' in RK.(12) It is followed by a sketch of the Starkhorn, and then by rough drafting developing the conversation of Theoden and Eomer as they came into Harrowdale nearer to its form in RK. On the significance of this see pp, 306-7.

This draft was followed (as I judge, immediately) by another ('C'), numbered 'XLV' but without title, more clearly written, but not much advancing on its predecessor. At the beginning of the chapter, Merry

'had few things to bring, for the hobbits had lost their packs at Calembel (Calledin), and though Merry and Pippin had found some new ones at Isengard and had picked up a few necessaries, they made only a light bundle' (see p. 297). In the conversation of Legolas, Gimli and Merry at the Hornburg (RK p. 49) Legolas now speaks of the sons of Elrond, still named Elboron and Elbereth (and it is only now actually made clear who these were, cf. p. 297): 'Sombre is their gear like the others', but they are fair and gallant as Elven-lords. And that is not to be wondered at, for they are the own sons of Elrond of Rivendell.' From Merry's question 'Why have they come? Have you heard?' the conversation then proceeds as in RK, with Gimli quoting the message that came to Rivendell and ascribing it to Gandalf, and Legolas suggesting that it came more likely from Galadriel.(13) Aragorn's horse Roheryn, brought by the Rangers (RK p. 51) has not yet entered (when he left for Edoras he still rode Hasufel), nor is Merry's pony (Stybba in RK) yet given a name; but the sons of Elrond are described in the same words as in RK, and their armour of bright mail cloaked in silver-grey (thus apparently contradicting Legolas' earlier remark 'Sombre is their gear like the others' ', where in RK he says