The History of Middle Earth: Volume 7 - The Treason of Isengard
Page 50
'No orcs have been here,' he said at last. 'But otherwise it is not possible to say anything: all our footprints are here, and it is not possible to say whether any of the hobbits' feet have returned since the search for Frodo began. I think, but I cannot be sure, that a boat was dragged to the water at this point,' he said, pointing to the bank close to where the rill from the spring trickled into the river.
'How then do you read the riddle?' asked Gimli.
'I think that Frodo returned from the hill-top wearing the
Ring,' said Trotter. 'He may have met Sam, but I think not: Frodo was probably wearing the Ring. I think Sam guessed Frodo's mind: he knew it better from love than we from wisdom; and caught him before he went.'
'But that was ill done, to go and leave us without a word, even if he had seen the orcs and was afraid,' said Gimli.(9)
'No, I think not,' said Trotter. 'I think Sam was right. He did not wish us to go to death in Mordor, and saw no other way to prevent that but by going alone and secretly. No, I think not,' said Trotter. 'He had a Something happened on the hill to make him fly. I do not know all, but I know this. Boromir tried to take the Ring by force.'
Exclamation of horror from Legolas and Gimli.
'Think not ill of him,' said Trotter. 'He paid manfully and confessed.'
Then follows in pencil:
Don't let Trotter tell of Eoromir's misdeed?
They draw up boat. Set out west after orcs. Trotter's plan is to descend from Sarn Gebir into Rohan and try and learn of orcs and borrow horses.
Legolas sees Eagle from escarpment, descending.
They meet an old man coming up hill to meet them. Don't recognize him, though there is something familiar. Suspect he is Saruman?
The final story of the reappearance of Gandalf moves a step closer. In the 'Plot' written before Lothlorien was reached (p. 211) it was Gimli and Legolas, on their way back North, who fell in with Gandalf, Aragorn having gone with Boromir to Minas Tirith; and Gandalf then 'hastens south' with them. This was still the story in the subsequent outline (p. 329). Now, the death of Boromir having entered, Trotter, Gimli and Legolas are as in the final story on the trail of Merry and Pippin when they encounter Gandalf returned; but they are to meet him before their journey through Rohan has begun, before they have set foot in the grasslands. The descending eagle that Legolas saw from the escarpment of Sarn Gebir was bearing Gandalf (see p. 396); and it is clear that the eagle that Trotter saw descending to earth as he looked out from the summit of Amon Hen in the original draft (p. 380) was the first appearance of this idea.(10)
In the fair copy the suggestion in this outline that Trotter should not tell Gimli and Legolas what Boromir had done was taken up:
'... Something occurred after he left us to make his mind up: he must suddenly have overcome his fear and doubt. I do not think that it was a meeting with orcs.' What he thought it was Trotter did not say. The last words of Boromir he kept ever secret.
This was changed, probably at once, to the dialogue in TT (p. 21), but it is still said of Trotter that 'the last words of Boromir he kept ever secret' ('he long kept secret', TT).
The draft text becomes formed narrative again with words of Trotter's that in TT are given to Legolas: ' "One thing at least is clear," said Trotter. "Frodo is no longer on this side of the River. Only he could or would have taken the boat. As for Sam, he must be either with Merry or Pippin or Frodo, or dead. He would have returned here otherwise ere now." ' Gimli's words that follow, and Trotter's, expounding his decision to follow the Orcs, are much as in TT'; and I give the remainder of the draft, which at the end peters out, in full:
They drew up the last boat and carried it to the trees, and laid beside it such of their goods as they did not need and could not carry. Then they struck west. Dusk was already falling.
'Go warily,' said Gimli. 'We are assuming that all the orcs made off after they had slain Boromir and captured Merry and Pippin. But those that attacked Boromir were not the only ones. Legolas and I met some away southwards on the west slopes of Amon Hen. We slew many, creeping on them among the trees: the cloaks of Lorien seem to deceive their sight. But many more may still linger.
'We have not time for wariness. We will follow the trail from the glade. Well is it that Orcs do not walk like hobbits! No folk, even Men of the cities, make such a trampling, and they slash and hack and beat down growing things as they pass, as if the breaking of things delighted them.
'It is plain to see which way they went - west near to the .
shore, but not on it, keeping to the trees.'(11)
'But orcs go swiftly,' said Gimli. 'We shall have to run!'
'If my guess is right,' said Trotter, 'and they make for Isengard, they will descend from the hills into Rohan. [Struck . out: There they will not dare to journey save by night - and I wonder indeed how they cross) Mayhap we can get horses in Rohan,' said Trotter. 'If my guess is right and the orcs are making for Isengard, they will
I interrupt the narrative here because, although my father had no thought of halting, initial drafting from this point is lost (p. 390). The draft that takes up with the coming of Legolas and Gimli to the glade (p. 381) is numbered on each page 'XXIII', and 'XXIII' continues on through the story of the chase across Rohan; the fair copy likewise begins 'XXIII' at 'Trotter sped on up the hill', with the title 'The Riders of Rohan', though another title apparently underlies this. Although all these were pencilled additions to the manuscripts in ink, I think it very probable that by this time the chapter-divisions of LR had been introduced: XXI 'The Great River' ending after the passage of the Pillars of the Kings and XXII 'The Breaking of the Fellowship' ending at the departure of Frodo and Sam, with XXIII extending all the way from Trotter's ascent of Amon Hen into whatever adventures might befall the three companions from their setting out from Calembel on the trail of the Orcs.
NOTES.
1. The Japanese invaded Thailand and N.E. Malaya on 7 - 8 Decem- ber 1941. The crossing of the Muar River was on 16 January 1942. This information has been kindly provided by Mr. F. R. Williamson. - Further evidence is provided by the use of the Moon's phases of 1941 - 2; see p. 369.
2. This passage was placed within square brackets in the original, as also was 'and up the steps' immediately following.
3. On the eagle seen far off on the evening before the Company came to the rapids of Sarn Ruin see pp. 361 - 2.
4. At the top of the page carrying this text are written many experimental Elvish names: Llawhen, Amon Tirlaw, Lhawdir, Lasthen, Henlas, Hendlas, all being struck out save the first and last. I am at a loss to account for these satisfactorily. Since both Amon Hen and Amon Lhaw appear in primary drafting and outlines that obviously preceded this text, it is perhaps possible that the names already stood on the page before my father used it for the account of Trotter on Amon Hen. If this were so, it might be - since all of them are compounds of elements one of which refers to hearing (l(h)aw, las(t)) and the other to sight (hen(d), tir) - that they were devised before the eastern and western hills were distinguished as the Hill of Hearing and the Hill of Sight.
5. The Old English S-rune is found also in the fair copy manuscript, but there with the vertical strokes strongly curved, the upper curve open to the left, the lower to the right. In that text the caps of the Orcs become 'leathern caps' ('iron helms' TT).
6. The name Kelufain for the green lawn below Amon Hen was
added to the fair copy of 'The Breaking of the Fellowship', and in one instance changed to Calenbel (p. 371 and note 2). In the fair copy of the present chapter the name was Calenbel at the first
occurrence but subsequently Calembel (and once Calembel).
7. The differences are:
Verse 1:
line 1 Through the mountain-pass, through Rohan > Over mountains tall, through Rohan
line 5 over many streams
Verse 2:
line 2 brings
line 4 Why tarries Boromir the fair? For Boromir I grieve.
/> Verse 3:
line 4 Where now is Boromir the bold?
line 5 I heard his horn.
In every case these readings were replaced in careful script by those in TT. At first only the third verse had the concluding couplet beginning O Boromir!; but against this my father wrote: 'Omit? Or put extra couplet onto the other stanzas?' and then provided them, as in the final form. Certain other changes were put in later: see note 8.
8. The text of the Lament inserted into the fair copy is the final form, though here written in short lines. An accompanying page gives 'Alternatives to Song of Boromir', which were not used. These change verse 1 line 3 tonight? to this morn?, line 4 becoming Have you seen Boromir the fair or heard his blowing horn?; and verse 2 line 3 at eve? to tonight?, line 4 becoming Where tarries Boromir the tall by moon or by starlight? Another variant given here was to change verse 2 line 3 at eve? to at morn?, line 4 becoming Where dwells now Boromir the fair? What valleys hear his horn? These changes were pencilled also onto the first text of the song. - In LR Calembel is a town in Lamedon ('The Passing of the Grey Company', at end).
9. Cf. the passage given on p. 377 note 5.
10. Both sightings of the eagles survived in TT: Aragorn on Amon Hen still sees one descending, and Legolas sees one from the western escarpment of the Emyn Muil (see pp. 396 - 7).
11. Though no speaker is named, this speech ('We have not time for wariness') is certainly Trotter's.
XX. THE RIDERS OF ROHAN.
A single page of extremely rough notes, headed 'Sketch' and 'XXIII' was written in pencil, and partly inked over.
Dusk. Night. Track less easy to follow. Sarn-Gebir runs North- South.(1) They press on through night. Dawn on ridge - then.... the escarpment. Legolas sees eagle far away. (Fangorn.)(2) Rich vegetation.
They see Black Mountains, 100 miles south. Entwash winding. Find orc trail going up river. Meeting with Rohiroth. They ride to Fangorn and hear news of battle and destruction of orcs and mysterious old man who had discomfited orcs. They hear that no captives were rescued. Despair. Old man appears.
[Added: XXV and later.] They think he is Saruman. Revelation of Gandalf, and his account of how he escaped. He has become a white wizard. 'I forgot most of what I knew.(3) I was badly burned or we/I burned.' They go to Minas Tirith and enter in.
Rest of war in which Gandalf and I on his eagle in white leads assault must be told later - partly a dream of Frodo, partly seen by him (and Sam), and partly heard from orcs. (? Frodo looks out of Tower, while prisoner.)
Minas Tirith defeats Haradwaith. They cross at Osgiliath [writ- ten above: Elostirion], defeat orcs and Nazgul. Overthrow Minas Morghul, and drive forward to Dagorlad (Battle Plain). They get news that Ringbearer is captured.
Now Treebeard.
Then Frodo again.
In those passages where the original text was inked over the under- lying pencil can be largely made out, and it is seen that Haradwaith was present: this appears on the First Map, translated Sutherland, as the name of the great region south of Mordor and east of the Bay of Belfalas (Map III, p. 309).(4) On the other hand Nazgul, here first met with, was not, and nor was Dagorlad (the pencilled text had only Battle Plain); the First Map had Dagras, changed to Dagorlad (p. 310). Elostirion above Osgiliath was also an addition when the text was inked over; on this new name see p. 423. - There are other notes on the page which do not relate directly to the foregoing consecutive sketch, but which may be given here.
(1) Greyfax [> Shadowfax]. Halbarad. Horse of Gandalf reappears - sent for from Rivendell. Arrives later. It is 500 - 600 miles from Rivendell and would take Shadowfax 10 - 14 days.
The name Halbarad was added at the same time as Greyfax > Shadowfax, and these changes look as if they were made at once. In Gandalf's tale in the fifth version of 'The Council of Elrond' the horse that Gandalf got in Rohan was likewise named Halbarad and Greyfax, and there Greyfax was certainly changed to Shadowfax in the act of writing. In that text there is no mention of what happened to Shadowfax after Gandalf reached Rivendell (see p. 152); but an isolated slip of paper has a note on this (together with a passage of initial drafting for 'The King of the Golden Hall'): 'Some account of "Shadowfax" in the house of Elrond must be given and what arrangements were made about him. Or did he just run off after Gandalf got to Rivendell? How did Gandalf summon him?'
(2) Rohiroth are relations of Woodmen and Beornings, old Men ofthe North. But they speak Gnomish - tongue of Numenor and Ondor, as well as [?common] tongue.
(3) Trotter should know Eomer.
(4) Marhad Marhath is 2nd Master. [Written in margin: Marhad Marhath Marhelm Marhun Marhyse Marulf](5)
(5) Eowyn Elfsheen daughter of Eomund?
On the back of this page is very rough drafting for the conversation with Eomer (p. 400), but there is also here the note: Eowyn Elfsheen daughter of Theoden.
The original manuscript of 'The Riders of Rohan' is a difficult and chaotic document, and its textual history was hard to ascertain. In this chapter (numbered throughout 'XXIII' and without new title, see p. 387), as in those that follow, my father adopted the practice, occasionally found earlier, of erasing his primary draft, or substantial portions of it, and writing a new version on the pages where it had stood. In this case the original drafting from the point reached on p. 386 ('If my guess is right and the orcs are making for Isengard, they will') is lost for a long stretch through erasure and the re-use of the pages, though here and there bits of it can be read. The original draft, which I will call 'A', emerges however at the point in the narrative (corresponding to TT p. 29) where Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli approached the low downs to the east of the river Entwash, and continues through the story of the encounter with the Riders; at which point my father abandoned it, realizing that the story as he was telling it was 'not what really happened' (see the letter cited on p. 411). It was now that he returned to the beginning, and began a new text ('B') using the erased pages of A up to the point mentioned. It seems clear that what survives of A survives because it was written largely in ink and not in pencil. The structure of the manuscript is thus:
A erased
B written on erased A
A not erased; ends because abandoned
B continued independently
The textual history of the writing of the chapter is of course simply A followed by B.
Both ways of presenting the material have their disadvantages, but after much experimentation it seems to me best to look first at what remains of A. This I give in full, excepting only one passage.
[Their elven-cloaks faded against the] background, and even in the clear cool sunlight few but elvish eyes would have seen them until close at hand as they passed, running or striding tirelessly with a brief pause every three hours or so.
That evening they reached the low downs. A narrow strip of moist green land some ten miles wide lay between them and the river winding in dim thickets of sedge and reed. Here the Entwash and the line of downs bent due north,(6) and the orc-trail was plain to see under the lee of the hills. 'These tracks were made today,' said Trotter. 'The sun was already high before our enemy passed. We might perhaps have glimpsed them far ahead, if there had been any rising ground to give us a long view.'
'Yet all the while they draw nearer to the mountains and the forest, where our hope of aiding our friends will fail,' said Gimli. Spurred by this thought the companions sped onward again through the dusk, and far into the night. They were already half-way along the downs before Trotter called a halt. The waxing moon was shining bright. 'Look!' he said. 'Even orcs must pause at times.' Before them lay a wide trampled circle, and the marks of many small fires could be seen under the shelter of a low hillock. 'They halted here about noon, I guess,' said Trotter. 'How long they waited cannot be told, but they are not now many hours ahead. Would that we need not stay; but we have covered many a long league since we last slept, and we shall all need our strength maybe tomorrow, if we come up with our enemies at last.'
Before dawn the companions took up the hunt again. As soon as the sun rose and the light grew they climbed the downs and looked out. Already the dark slopes of the forest of Fangorn could be seen, and behind, glimmering, the white head of Methen Amon, the last great peak of the Misty Mountains.(7) Out of the forest flowed the river to meet them. Legolas looked round, turning his gaze through west to south. There his keen elf-eyes saw as a shadow on the distant green a dark moving blur.
'There are folk behind as well as in front,' he said, pointing away over the river. Trotter bent his ear to the earth, and there was a silence in the empty fields, only the airs moving in the grass could be heard. 'Riders,' said Trotter rising: 'many horsemen in haste. We cannot escape in this wild bare land. Most likely it is a host of the Rohiroth that have crossed the great ford at Entwade.(8) But what part the Horsemasters are minded to play and which side they serve I do not know. We can but hope for the best.'
The companions hastened on to the end of the downs. Behind them now they could hear the beat of many hooves. Wrapping their cloaks about them they sat upon a green bank close to the orc-trail and waited. The horsemen grew ever nearer, riding like the wind. The cries of clear strong voices came down the following breeze. Suddenly they swept up with a noise like thunder: a long line riding free many abreast, but following the orc-trail, or so it seemed, for the leaders rode bent low, scanning the ground even as they raced. Their horses were of great stature...