Lord of the rings - J.R.R Tolkien

?~Ah!?T said Gandalf. ?~That is a very long story. The beginnings lie back in the Black Years, which only the lore-masters now remember. If I were to tell you all that tale, we should still be sitting here when Spring had passed into Winter.
?~But last night I told you of Sauron the Great, the Dark Lord. The rumours that you have heard are true: he has indeed arisen again and left his hold in Mirkwood and returned to his ancient fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor. That name even you hobbits have heard of, like a shadow on the borders of old stories. Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again.?T
?~I wish it need not have happened in my time,?T said Frodo.
?~So do I,?T said Gandalf, ?~and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given, us. And already, Frodo, our time is beginning to look black. The Enemy is fast becoming very strong. His plans are far from ripe, I think, but they are ripening. We shall be hard put to it. We should be very hard put to it, even if it were not for this dreadful chance.
?~The Enemy still lacks one thing to give him strength and knowledge to beat down all resistance, break the last defences, and cover all the lands in a second darkness. He lacks the One Ring.
?~The Three, fairest of all, the Elf-lords hid from him, and his hand never touched them or sullied them. Seven the Dwarf-kings possessed, but three he has recovered, and the others the dragons have consumed. Nine he gave to Mortal Men, proud and great, and so ensnared them. Long ago they fell under the dominion of the One, and they became Ringwraiths, shadows under his great Shadow, his most terrible servants. Long ago. It is many a year since the Nine walked abroad. Yet who knows? As the Shadow grows once more, they too may walk again. But come! We will not speak of such things even in the morning of the Shire.
?~So it is now: the Nine he has gathered to himself; the Seven also, or else they are destroyed. The Three are hidden still. But that no longer troubles him. He only needs the One; for he made that Ring himself, it is his, and he let a great part of his own former power pass into it, so that he could rule all the others. If he recovers it, then he will command them all again, wherever they be, even the Three, and all that has been wrought with them will be laid bare, and he will be stronger than ever.
?~And this is the dreadful chance, Frodo. He believed that the One had perished; that the Elves had destroyed it, as should have been done. But he knows now that it has not perished, that it has been found. So he is seeking it, seeking it, and all his thought is bent on it. It is his great hope and our great fear.?T
?~Why, why wasn?Tt it destroyed??T cried Frodo. ?~And how did the Enemy ever come to lose it, if he was so strong, and it was so precious to him??T He clutched the Ring in his hand, as if he saw already dark fingers stretching out to seize it.
?~It was taken from him,?T said Gandalf. ?~The strength of the Elves to resist him was greater long ago; and not all Men were estranged from them. The Men of Westernesse came to their aid. That is a chapter of ancient history which it might be good to recall; for there was sorrow then too, and gathering dark, but great valour, and great deeds that were not wholly vain. One day, perhaps, I will tell you all the tale, or you shall hear it told in full by one who knows it best.
?~But for the moment, since most of all you need to know how this thing came to you, and that will be tale enough, this is all that I will say. It was Gil-galad, Elven-king and Elendil of Westernesse who overthrew Sauron, though they themselves perished in the deed; and Isildur Elendil?Ts son cut the Ring from Sauron?Ts hand and took it for his own. Then Sauron was vanquished and his spirit fled and was hidden for long years, until his shadow took shape again in Mirkwood.
?~But the Ring was lost. It fell into the Great River, Anduin, and vanished. For Isildur was marching north along the east banks of the River, and near the Gladden Fields he was waylaid by the Orcs of the Mountains, and almost all his folk were slain. He leaped into the waters, but the Ring slipped from his finger as he swam, and then the Orcs saw him and killed him with arrows.?T
Gandalf paused. ?~And there in the dark pools amid the Gladden Fields,?T he said, ?~the Ring passed out of knowledge and legend; and even so much of its history is known now only to a few, and the Council of the Wise could discover no more. But at last I can carry on the story, I think.
?~Long after, but still very long ago, there lived by the banks of the Great River on the edge of Wilderland a clever-handed and quiet-footed little people. I guess they were of hobbit-kind; akin to the fathers of the fathers of the Stoors, for they loved the River, and often swam in it, or made little boats of reeds. There was among them a family of high repute, for it was large and wealthier than most, and it was ruled by a grandmother of the folk, stern and wise in old lore, such as they had. The most inquisitive and curious-minded of that family was called Sméagol. He was interested in roots and beginnings; he dived into deep pools; he burrowed under trees and growing plants; he tunnelled into green mounds; and he ceased to look up at the hill-tops, or the leaves on trees, or the flowers opening in the air: his head and his eyes were downward.
?~He had a friend called Déagol, of similar sort, sharper-eyed but not so quick and strong. On a time they took a boat and went down to the Gladden Fields, where there were great beds of iris and flowering reeds. There Sméagol got out and went nosing about the banks but Déagol sat in the boat and fished. Suddenly a great fish took his hook, and before he knew where he was, he was dragged out and down into the water, to the bottom. Then he let go of his line, for he thought he saw something shining in the river-bed; and holding his breath he grabbed at it.
?~Then up he came spluttering, with weeds in his hair and a handful of mud; and he swam to the bank. And behold! when he washed the mud away, there in his hand lay a beautiful golden ring; and it shone and glittered in the sun, so that his heart was glad. But Sméagol had been watching him from behind a tree, and as Déagol gloated over the ring, Sméagol came softly up behind.
?~?oGive us that, Déagol, my love,? said Sméagol, over his friend?Ts shoulder.
?~?oWhy?? said Déagol.
?~ ?oBecause it?Ts my birthday, my love, and I wants it,? said Sméagol.
?~?oI don?Tt care,? said Déagol. ?oI have given you a present already, more than I could afford. I found this, and I?Tm going to keep it.?
?~ ?oOh, are you indeed, my love,? said Sméagol; and he caught Déagol by the throat and strangled him, because the gold looked so bright and beautiful. Then he put the ring on his finger.
?~No one ever found out what had become of Déagol; he was murdered far from home, and his body was cunningly hidden. But Sméagol returned alone; and he found that none of his family could see him, when he was wearing the ring. He was very pleased with his discovery and he concealed it; and he used it to find out secrets, and he put his knowledge to crooked and malicious uses. He became sharp-eyed and keen-eared for all that was hurtful. The ring had given him power according to his stature. It is not to be wondered at that he became very unpopular and was shunned (when visible) by all his relations. They kicked him, and he bit their feet. He took to thieving, and going about muttering to himself, and gurgling in his throat. So they called him Gollum, and cursed him, and told him to go far away; and his grandmother, desiring peace, expelled him from the family and turned him out of her hole.
?~He wandered in loneliness, weeping a little for the hardness of the world, and he journeyed up the River, till he came to a stream that flowed down from the mountains, and he went that way. He caught fish in deep pools with invisible fingers and ate them raw. One day it was very hot, and as he was bending over a pool, he felt a burning on the back of his head) and a dazzling light from the water pained his wet eyes. He wondered at it, for he had almost forgotten about the Sun. Then for the last time he looked up and shook his fist at her.
?~But as he lowered his eyes, he saw far above the tops of the Misty Mountains, out of which the stream came. And he thought suddenly: ?oIt would be cool and shady under those mountains. The Sun could not watch me there. The roots of those mountains must be roots indeed; there must be great secrets buried there which have not been discovered since the beginning.?
?~So he journeyed by night up into the highlands, and he found a little **** out of which the dark stream ran; and he wormed his way like a maggot into the heart of the hills, and vanished out of all knowledge. The Ring went into the shadows with him, and even the maker, when his power had begun to grow again, could learn nothing of it.?T

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?~Gollum!?T cried Frodo. ?~Gollum? Do you mean that this is the very Gollum-creature that Bilbo met? How loathsome!?T
?~I think it is a sad story,?T said the wizard, ?~and it might have happened to others, even to some hobbits that I have known.?T
?~I can?Tt believe that Gollum was connected with hobbits, however distantly,?T said Frodo with some heat. ?~What an abominable notion!?T
?~It is true all the same,?T replied Gandalf. ?~About their origins, at any rate, I know more than hobbits do themselves. And even Bilbô?Ts story suggests the kinship. There was a great deal in the background of their minds and memories that was very similar. They understood one another remarkably well, very much better than a hobbit would understand, say, a Dwarf, or an Orc, or even an Elf. Think of the riddles they both knew, for one thing.?T
?~Yes,?T said Frodo. ?~Though other folks besides hobbits ask riddles, and of much the same sort. And hobbits don?Tt cheat. Gollum meant to cheat all the time. He was just trying to put poor Bilbo off his guard. And I daresay it amused his wickedness to start a game which might end in providing him with an easy victim, but if he lost would not hurt him.?T
?~Only too true, I fear,?T said Gandalf. ?~But there was something else in it, I think, which you don?Tt see yet. Even Gollum was not wholly ruined. He had proved tougher than even one of the Wise would have guessed -as a hobbit might. There was a little corner of his mind that was still his own, and light came through it, as through a chink in the dark: light out of the past. It was actually pleasant, I think, to hear a kindly voice again, bringing up memories of wind, and trees, and sun on the grass, and such forgotten things.
?~But that, of course, would only make the evil part of him angrier in the end - unless it could be conquered. Unless it could be cured.?T Gandalf sighed. ?~Alas! there is little hope of that for him. Yet not no hope. No, not though he possessed the Ring so long, almost as far back as he can remember. For it was long since he had worn it much: in the black darkness it was seldom needed. Certainly he had never ?ofaded?. He is thin and tough still. But the thing was eating up his mind, of course, and the torment had become almost unbearable.
?~All the ?ogreat secrets? under the mountains had turned out to be just empty night: there was nothing more to find out, nothing worth doing, only nasty furtive eating and resentful remembering. He was altogether wretched. He hated the dark, and he hated light more: he hated everything, and the Ring most of all.?T
?~What do you mean??T said Frodo. ?~Surely the Ring was his precious and the only thing he cared for? But if he hated it, why didn?Tt he get rid of it, or go away and leave it??T
?~You ought to begin to understand, Frodo, after all you have heard,?T said Gandalf. ?~He hated it and loved it, as he hated and loved himself. He could not get rid of it. He had no will left in the matter.
?~A Ring of Power looks after itself, Frodo. It may slip off treacherously, but its keeper never abandons it. At most he plays with the idea of handing it on to someone elsê?Ts care - and that only at an early stage, when it first begins to grip. But as far as I know Bilbo alone in history has ever gone beyond playing, and really done it. He needed all my help, too. And even so he would never have just forsaken it, or cast it aside. It was not Gollum, Frodo, but the Ring itself that decided things. The Ring left him.?T
?~What, just in time to meet Bilbo??T said Frodo. ?~Wouldn?Tt an Orc have suited it better??T
?~It is no laughing matter,?T said Gandalf. ?~Not for you. It was the strangest event in the whole history of the Ring so far: Bilbô?Ts arrival just at that time, and putting his hand on it, blindly, in the dark.
?~There was more than one power at work, Frodo. The Ring was trying to get back to its master. It had slipped from Isildur?Ts hand and betrayed him; then when a chance came it caught poor Déagol, and he was murdered; and after that Gollum, and it had devoured him. It could make no further use of him: he was too small and mean; and as long as it stayed with him he would never leave his deep pool again. So now, when its master was awake once more and sending out his dark thought from Mirkwood, it abandoned Gollum. Only to be picked up by the most unlikely person imaginable: Bilbo from the Shire!
?~Behind that there was something else at work, beyond any design of the Ring-maker. I can put it no plainer than by saying that Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, and not by its maker. In which case you also were meant to have it. And that maybe an encouraging thought.?T
''It is not,?T said Frodo. ?oThough I am not sure that I understand you. But how have you learned all this about the Ring, and about Gollum? Do you really know it all, or are you just guessing still??T
Gandalf looked at Frodo, and his eyes glinted. I knew much and I have learned much,?T he answered. ?~But I am not going to give an account of all my doings to you. The history of Elendil and Isildur and the One Ring is known to all the Wise. Your ring is shown to be that One Ring by the fire-writing alone, apart from any other evidence.?T ?~And when did you discover that??T asked Frodo, interrupting. ?~Just now in this room, of course,?T answered the wizard sharply. ?~But I expected to find it. I have come back from dark journeys and long search to make that final test. It is the last proof, and all is now only too clear. Making out Gollum?Ts part, and fitting it into the gap in the history, required some thought. I may have started with guesses about Gollum, but I am not guessing now. I know. I have seen him.?T
?~You have seen Gollum??T exclaimed Frodo in amazement.
?~Yes. The obvious thing to do, of course, if one could. I tried long ago; but I have managed it at last.?T
?~Then what happened after Bilbo escaped from him? Do you know that??T
?~Not so clearly. What I have told you is what Gollum was willing to tell - though not, of course, in the way I have reported it. Gollum is a liar, and you have to sift his words. For instance, he called the Ring his ?obirthday present?, and he stuck to that. He said it came from his grandmother, who had lots of beautiful things of that kind. A ridiculous story. I have no doubt that Sméagol''s grandmother was a matriarch, a great person in her way, but to talk of her possessing many Elven-rings was absurd, and as for giving them away, it was a lie. But a lie with a grain of truth.
?~The murder of Déagol haunted Gollum, and he had made up a defence, repeating it to his ?oprecious? over and over again, as he gnawed bones in the dark, until he almost believed it. It was his birthday. Déagol ought to have given the ring to him. It had previously turned up just so as to be a present. It was his birthday present, and so on, and on.
''I endured him as long as I could, but the truth was desperately important, and in the end I had to be harsh. I put the fear of fire on him, and wrung the true story out of him, bit by bit, together with much snivelling and snarling. He thought he was misunderstood and ill-used. But when he had at last told me his history, as far as the end of the Riddle-game and Bilbô?Ts escape, he would not say any more, except in dark hints. Some other fear was on him greater than mine. He muttered that he was going to gel his own back. People would see if he would stand being kicked, and driven into a hole and then robbed. Gollum had good friends now, good friends and very strong. They would help him. Baggins would pay for it. That was his chief thought. He hated Bilbo and cursed his name. What is more, he knew where he came from.?T
?~But how did he find that out??T asked Frodo.
?~Well, as for the name, Bilbo very foolishly told Gollum himself; and after that it would not be difficult to discover his country, once Gollum came out. Oh yes, he came out. His longing for the Ring proved stronger than his fear of the Orcs, or even of the light. After a year or two he left the mountains. You see, though still bound by desire of it, the Ring was no longer devouring him; he began to revive a little. He felt old, terribly old, yet less timid, and he was mortally hungry.

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?~Light, light of Sun and Moon, he still feared and hated, and he always will, I think; but he was cunning. He found he could hide from daylight and moonshine, and make his way swiftly and softly by dead of night with his pale cold eyes, and catch small frightened or unwary things. He grew stronger and bolder with new food and new air. He found his way into Mirkwood, as one would expect.?T
?~Is that where you found him??T asked Frodo.
?~I saw him there,?T answered Gandalf, ?~but before that he had wandered far, following Bilbô?Ts trail. It was difficult to learn anything from him for certain, for his talk was constantly interrupted by curses and threats. ?oWhat had it got in its pocketses?? he said. ?oIt wouldn?Tt say, no precious. Little cheat. Not a fair question. It cheated first, it did. It broke the rules. We ought to have squeezed it, yes precious. And we will, precious!?
?~That is a sample of his talk. I don?Tt suppose you want any more. I had weary days of it. But from hints dropped among the snarls I even gathered that his padding feet had taken him at last to Esgaroth, and even to the streets of Dale, listening secretly and peering. Well, the news of the great events went far and wide in Wilderland, and many had heard Bilbô?Ts name and knew where he came from. We had made no secret of our return journey to his home in the West. Gollum?Ts sharp ears would soon learn what he wanted.?T
?~Then why didn?Tt he track Bilbo further??T asked Frodo. ?~Why didn?Tt he come to the Shire??T
?~Ah,?T said Gandalf, ?~now we come to it. I think Gollum tried to. He set out and came back westward, as far as the Great River. But then he turned aside. He was not daunted by the distance, I am sure. No, something else drew him away. So my friends think, those that hunted him for me.
?~The Wood-elves tracked him first, an easy task for them, for his trail was still fresh then. Through Mirkwood and back again it led them, though they never caught him. The wood was full of the rumour of him, dreadful tales even among beasts and birds. The Woodmen said that there was some new terror abroad, a ghost that drank blood. It climbed trees to find nests; it crept into holes to find the young; it slipped through windows to find cradles.
?~But at the western edge of Mirkwood the trail turned away. It wandered off southwards and passed out of the Wood-elves?T ken, and was lost. And then I made a great mistake. Yes, Frodo, and not the first; though I fear it may prove the worst. I let the matter be. I let him go; for I had much else to think of at that time, and I still trusted the lore of Saruman.
?~Well, that was years ago. I have paid for it since with many dark and dangerous days. The trail was long cold when I took it up again, after Bilbo left here. And my search would have been in vain, but for the help that I had from a friend: Aragorn, the greatest traveller and huntsman of this age of the world. Together we sought for Gollum down the whole length of Wilderland, without hope, and without success. But at last, when I had given up the chase and turned to other parts, Gollum was found. My friend returned out of the great perils bringing the miserable creature with him.
?~What he had been doing he would not say. He only wept and called us cruel, with many a gollum in his throat; and when we pressed him he whined and cringed, and rubbed his long hands, licking his fingers as if they pained him, as if he remembered some old torture. But I am afraid there is no possible doubt: he had made his slow, sneaking way, step by step, mile by mile, south, down at last to the Land of Mordor.?T
A heavy silence fell in the room. Frodo could hear his heart beating. Even outside everything seemed still. No sound of Sam?Ts shears could now be heard.
?~Yes, to Mordor,?T said Gandalf. ?~Alas! Mordor draws all wicked things, and the Dark Power was bending all its will to gather them there. The Ring of the Enemy would leave its mark, too, leave him open to the summons. And all folk were whispering then of the new Shadow in the South, and its hatred of the West. There were his fine new friends, who would help him in his revenge!
?~Wretched fool! In that land he would learn much, too much for his comfort. And sooner or later as he lurked and pried on the borders he would be caught, and taken - for examination. That was the way of it, I fear. When he was found he had already been there long, and was on his way back. On some errand of mischief. But that does not matter much now. His worst mischief was done.
?~Yes, alas! through him the Enemy has learned that the One has been found again. He knows where Isildur fell. He knows where Gollum found his ring. He knows that it is a Great Ring, for it gave long life. He knows that it is not one of the Three, for they have never been lost, and they endure no evil. He knows that it is not one of the Seven, or the Nine, for they are accounted for. He knows that it is the One. And he has at last heard, I think, of hobbits and the Shire.
?~The Shire - he may be seeking for it now, if he has not already found out where it lies. Indeed, Frodo, I fear that he may even think that the long-unnoticed name of Baggins has become important.?T
?~But this is terrible!?T cried Frodo. ?~Far worse than the worst that I imagined from your hints and warnings. O Gandalf, best of friends, what am I to do? For now I am really afraid. What am I to do? What a pity that Bilbo did not stab that vile creature, when he had a chance!?T
?~Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and Mercy: not to strike without need. And he has been well rewarded, Frodo. Be sure that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity.?T
?~I am sorry,?T said Frodo. ?~But I am frightened; and I do not feel any pity for Gollum.?T
?~You have not seen him,?T Gandalf broke in.
?~No, and I don?Tt want to,?T said Frodo. I can?Tt understand you. Do you mean to say that you, and the Elves, have let him live on after all those horrible deeds? Now at any rate he is as bad as an Orc, and just an enemy. He deserves death.?T
?~Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. I have not much hope that Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it. And he is bound up with the fate of the Ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before the end; and when that comes, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many - yours not least. In any case we did not kill him: he is very old and very wretched. The Wood-elves have him in prison, but they treat him with such kindness as they can find in their wise hearts.?T
?~All the same,?T said Frodo, ?~even if Bilbo could not kill Gollum, I wish he had not kept the Ring. I wish he had never found it, and that I had not got it! Why did you let me keep it? Why didn?Tt you make me throw it away, or, or destroy it??T
?~Let you? Make you??T said the wizard. ?~Haven?Tt you been listening to all that I have said? You are not thinking of what you are saying. But as for throwing it away, that was obviously wrong. These Rings have a way of being found. In evil hands it might have done great evil. Worst of all, it might have fallen into the hands of the Enemy. Indeed it certainly would; for this is the One, and he is exerting all his power to find it or draw it to himself.
?~Of course, my dear Frodo, it was dangerous for you; and that has troubled me deeply. But there was so much at stake that I had to take some risk - though even when I was far away there has never been a day when the Shire has not been guarded by watchful eyes. As long as you never used it, I did not think that the Ring would have any lasting effect on you, not for evil, not at any rate for a very long time. And you must remember that nine years ago, when I last saw you, I still knew little for certain.?T
?~But why not destroy it, as you say should have been done long ago??T cried Frodo again. If you had warned me, or even sent me a message, I would have done away with it.?T
?~Would you? How would you do that? Have you ever tried??T
?~No. But I suppose one could hammer it or melt it.?T
?~Try!?T said Gandalf. Try now!?T
Frodo drew the Ring out of his pocket again and looked at it. It now appeared plain and smooth, without mark or device that he could see. The gold looked very fair and pure, and Frodo thought how rich and beautiful was its colour, how perfect was its roundness. It was an admirable thing and altogether precious. When he took it out he had intended to fling it from him into the very hottest part of the fire. But he found now that he could not do so, not without a great struggle. He weighed the Ring in his hand, hesitating, and forcing himself to remember all that Gandalf had told him; and then with an effort of will he made a movement, as if to cast it away - but he found that he had put it back in his pocket.

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Gandalf laughed grimly. ?~You see? Already you too, Frodo, cannot easily let it go, nor will to damage it. And I could not ?omakê? you - except by force, which would break your mind. But as for breaking the Ring, force is useless. Even if you took it and struck it with a heavy sledge-hammer, it would make no dint in it. It cannot be unmade by your hands, or by mine.
?~Your small fire, of course, would not melt even ordinary gold. This Ring has already passed through it unscathed, and even unheated. But there is no smith?Ts forge in this Shire that could change it at all. Not even the anvils and furnaces of the Dwarves could do that. It has been said that dragon-fire could melt and consume the Rings of Power, but there is not now any dragon left on earth in which the old fire is hot enough; nor was there ever any dragon, not even Ancalagon the Black, who could have harmed the One Ring, the Ruling Ring, for that was made by Sauron himself. There is only one way: to find the Cracks of Doom in the depths of Orodruin, the Fire-mountain, and cast the Ring in there, if you really wish to destroy it, to put it beyond the grasp of the Enemy for ever.?T
?~I do really wish to destroy it!?T cried Frodo. ?~Or, well, to have it destroyed. I am not made for perilous quests. I wish I had never seen the Ring! Why did it come to me? Why was I chosen??T
?~Such questions cannot be answered,?T said Gandalf. ?~You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do not possess: not for power or wisdom, at any rate. But you have been chosen, and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have.?T
?~But I have so little of any of these things! You are wise and powerful. Will you not take the Ring??T
?~No!?T cried Gandalf, springing to his feet. ?~With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly.?T His eyes flashed and his face was lit as by a fire within. ?~Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself. Yet the way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire of strength to do good. Do not tempt me! I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe, unused. The wish to wield it would be too great, for my strength. I shall have such need of it. Great perils lie before me.?T
He went to the window and drew aside the curtains and the shutters. Sunlight streamed back again into the room. Sam passed along the path outside whistling. ?~And now,?T said the wizard, turning back to Frodo, ?~the decision lies with you. But I will always help you.?T He laid his hand on Frodô?Ts shoulder. ?~I will help you bear this burden, as long as It is yours to bear. But we must do something, soon. The Enemy is moving.?T
There was a long silence. Gandalf sat down again and puffed at his pipe, as if lost in thought. His eyes seemed closed, but under the lids he was watching Frodo intently. Frodo gazed fixedly at the red embers on the hearth, until they filled all his vision, and he seemed to be looking down into profound wells of fire. He was thinking of the fabled Cracks of Doom and the terror of the Fiery Mountain.
?~Well!?T said Gandalf at last. ?~What are you thinking about? Have you decided what to do??T
?~No!?T answered Frodo, coming back to himself out of darkness, and finding to his surprise that it was not dark, and that out of the window he could see the sunlit garden. ?~Or perhaps, yes. As far as I understand what you have said, I suppose I must keep the Ring and guard it, at least for the present, whatever it may do to me.?T
?~Whatever it may do, it will be slow, slow to evil, if you keep it with that purpose,?T said Gandalf.
?~I hope so,?T said Frodo. ?~But I hope that you may find some other better keeper soon. But in the meanwhile it seems that I am a danger, a danger to all that live near me. I cannot keep the Ring and stay here. I ought to leave Bag End, leave the Shire, leave everything and go away.?T He sighed.
?~I should like to save the Shire, if I could - though there have been times when I thought the inhabitants too stupid and dull for words, and have felt that an earthquake or an invasion of dragons might be good for them. But I don?Tt feel like that now. I feel that as long as the Shire lies behind, safe and comfortable, I shall find wandering more bearable: I shall know that somewhere there is a firm foothold, even if my feet cannot stand there again.
?~Of course, I have sometimes thought of going away, but I imagined that as a kind of holiday, a series of adventures like Bilbô?Ts or better, ending in peace. But this would mean exile, a flight from danger into danger, drawing it after me. And I suppose I must go alone, if I am to do that and save the Shire. But I feel very small, and very uprooted, and well - desperate. The Enemy is so strong and terrible.?T
He did not tell Gandalf, but as he was speaking a great desire to follow Bilbo flamed up in his heart - to follow Bilbo, and even perhaps to find him again. It was so strong that it overcame his fear: he could almost have run out there and then down the road without his hat, as Bilbo had done on a similar morning long ago.
?~My dear Frodo!?T exclaimed Gandalf. ?~Hobbits really are amazing creatures, as I have said before. You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you at a pinch. I hardly expected to get such an answer, not even from you. But Bilbo made no mistake in choosing his heir, though he little thought how important it would prove. I am afraid you are right. The Ring will not be able to stay hidden in the Shire much longer; and for your own sake, as well as for others, you will have to go, and leave the name of Baggins behind you. That name will not be safe to have, outside the Shire or in the Wild. I will give you a travelling name now. When you go, go as Mr. Underhill.
?~But I don?Tt think you need go alone. Not if you know of anyone you can trust, and who would be willing to go by your side - and that you would be willing to take into unknown perils. But if you look for a companion, be careful in choosing! And be careful of what you say, even to your closest friends! The enemy has many spies and many ways of hearing.?T
Suddenly he stopped as if listening. Frodo became aware that all was very quiet, inside and outside. Gandalf crept to one side of the window. Then with a dart he sprang to the sill, and thrust a long arm out and downwards. There was a squawk, and up came Sam Gamgeê?Ts curly head hauled by one ear.
?~Well, well, bless my beard!?T said Gandalf. ?~Sam Gamgee is it? Now what may you be doing??T
?~Lor bless you, Mr. Gandalf, sir!?T said Sam. ?~Nothing! Leastways I was just trimming the grass-border under the window, if you follow me.?T He picked up his shears and exhibited them as evidence.
?~I don?Tt,?T said Gandalf grimly. It is some time since I last heard the sound of your shears. How long have you been eavesdropping??T
?~Eavesdropping, sir? I don?Tt follow you, begging your pardon. There ain?Tt no eaves at Bag End, and that?Ts a fact.?T
?~Don?Tt be a fool! What have you heard, and why did you listen??T Gandalf?Ts eyes flashed and his brows stuck out like bristles.
?~Mr. Frodo, sir!?T cried Sam quaking. ?~Don?Tt let him hurt me, sir! Don?Tt let him turn me into anything unnatural! My old dad would take on so. I meant no harm, on my honour, sir!?T
?~He won?Tt hurt you,?T said Frodo, hardly able to keep from laughing, although he was himself startled and rather puzzled. ?~He knows, as well as I do, that you mean no harm. But just you up and answer his questions straight away!?T
?~Well, sir,?T said Sam ***hering a little. ?~I heard a deal that I didn?Tt rightly understand, about an enemy, and rings, and Mr. Bilbo, sir, and dragons, and a fiery mountain, and - and Elves, sir. I listened because I couldn?Tt help myself, if you know what I mean. Lor bless me, sir, but I do love tales of that sort. And I believe them too, whatever Ted may say. Elves, sir! I would dearly love to see them. Couldn?Tt you take me to see Elves, sir, when you go??T
Suddenly Gandalf laughed. ?~Come inside!?T he shouted, and putting out both his arms he lifted the astonished Sam, shears, grass-clippings and all, right through the window and stood him on the floor. ?~Take you to see Elves, eh??T he said, eyeing Sam closely, but with a smile flickering on his face. ?~So you heard that Mr. Frodo is going away??T
?~I did, sir. And that?Ts why I choked: which you heard seemingly. I tried not to, sir, but it burst out of me: I was so upset.?T

TO BE A ROCK AND NOT TO ROLL​

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â?~It canâ?Tt be helped, Sam,â?T said Frodo sadly. He had suddenly realized that flying from the Shire would mean more painful partings than merely saying farewell to the familiar comforts of Bag End. â?~I shall have to go. Butâ?T - and here he looked hard at Sam - â?~if you really care about me, you will keep that dead secret. See? If you donâ?Tt, if you even breathe a word of what youâ?Tve heard here, then I hope Gandalf will turn you into a spotted toad and fill the garden full of grass-snakes.â?T
Sam fell on his knees, trembling. â?~Get up, Sam!â?T said Gandalf. I have thought of something better than that. Something to shut your mouth, and punish you properly for listening. You shall go away with Mr. Frodo!â?T
â?~Me, sir!â?T cried Sam, springing up like a dog invited for a walk. â?~Me go and see Elves and all! Hooray!â?T he shouted, and then burst into tears.

TO BE A ROCK AND NOT TO ROLL​

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Chapter 3​

Three is Company​

?~You ought to go quietly, and you ought to go soon,?T said Gandalf. Two or three weeks had passed, and still Frodo made no sign of getting ready to go.
?~I know. But it is difficult to do both,?T he objected. If I just vanish like Bilbo, the tale will be all over the Shire in no time.?T
?~Of course you mustn?Tt vanish!?T said Gandalf. ?~That wouldn?Tt do at all! I said soon, not instantly. If you can think of any way of slipping out of the Shire without its being generally known, it will be worth a little delay. But you must not delay too long.?T
?~What about the autumn, on or after Our Birthday??T asked Frodo. ?~I think I could probably make some arrangements by then.?T
To tell the truth, he was very reluctant to start, now that it had come to the point. Bag End seemed a more desirable residence than it had for years, and he wanted to savour as much as he could of his last summer in the Shire. When autumn came, he knew that part at least of his heart would think more kindly of journeying, as it always did at that season. He had indeed privately made up his mind to leave on his fiftieth birthday: Bilbô?Ts one hundred and twenty-eighth. It seemed somehow the proper day on which to set out and follow him. Following Bilbo was uppermost in his mind, and the one thing that made the thought of leaving bearable. He thought as little as possible about the Ring, and where it might lead him in the end. But he did not tell all his thoughts to Gandalf. What the wizard guessed was always difficult to tell.
He looked at Frodo and smiled. ?~Very well,?T he said. ?~I think that will do - but it must not be any later. I am getting very anxious. In the mean-while, do take care, and don?Tt let out any hint of where you are going! And see that Sam Gamgee does not talk. If he does, I really shall turn him into a toad.?T
?~As for where I am going,?T said Frodo, ?~it would be difficult to give that away, for I have no clear idea myself, yet.?T
?~Don?Tt be absurd!?T said Gandalf. ?~I am not warning you against leaving an address at the post-office! But you are leaving the Shire - and that should not be known, until you are far away. And you must go, or at least set out, either North, South, West or East - and the direction should certainly not be known.?T
?~I have been so taken up with the thoughts of leaving Bag End, and of saying farewell, that I have never even considered the direction,?T said Frodo. ?~For where am I to go? And by what shall I steer? What is to be my quest? Bilbo went to find a treasure, there and back again; but I go to lose one, and not return, as far as I can see.?T
?~But you cannot see very far,?T said Gandalf. ?~Neither can I. It may be your task to find the Cracks of Doom; but that quest may be for others: I do not know. At any rate you are not ready for that long road yet.?T
?~No indeed!?T said Frodo. ?~But in the meantime what course am I to lake??T
?~Towards danger; but not too rashly, nor too straight,?T answered the wizard. ?~If you want my advice, make for Rivendell. That journey should not prove too perilous, though the Road is less easy than it was, and it will grow worse as the year fails.?T
?~Rivendell!?T said Frodo. ?~Very good: I will go east, and I will make for Rivendell. I will take Sam to visit the Elves; he will be delighted.?T He spoke lightly; but his heart was moved suddenly with a desire to see the house of Elrond Halfelven, and breathe the air of that deep valley where many of the Fair Folk still dwelt in peace.
One summer?Ts evening an astonishing piece of news reached the Ivy Bush and Green Dragon. Giants and other portents on the borders of the Shire were forgotten for more important matters: Mr. Frodo was selling Bag End, indeed he had already sold it - to the Sackville-Bagginses!
?~For a nice bit, loo,?T said some. ?~At a bargain price,?T said others, ?~and that?Ts more likely when Mistress Lobeliâ?Ts the buyer.?T (Otho had died some years before, at the ripe but disappointed age of 102.)
Just why Mr. Frodo was selling his beautiful hole was even more debatable than the price. A few held the theory - supported by the nods and hints of Mr. Baggins himself - that Frodô?Ts money was running out: he was going to leave Hobbiton and live in a quiet way on the proceeds of the sale down in Buckland among his Brandybuck relations. ?~As far from the Sackville-Bagginses as may be,?T some added. But so firmly fixed had the notion of the immeasurable wealth of the Bagginses of Bag End become that most found this hard to believe, harder than any other reason or unreason that their fancy could suggest: to most it suggested a dark and yet unrevealed plot by Gandalf. Though he kept himself very quiet and did not go about by day, it was well known that he was ?~hiding up in the Bag End?T. But however a removal might fit in with the designs of his wizardry, there was no doubt about the fact: Frodo Baggins was going back to Buckland.
?~Yes, I shall be moving this autumn,?T he said. ?~Merry Brandybuck is looking out for a nice little hole for me, or perhaps a small house.?T
As a matter of fact with Merry?Ts help he had already chosen and bought a little house at Crickhollow in the country beyond Bucklebury. To all but Sam he pretended he was going to settle down there permanently. The decision to set out eastwards had suggested the idea to him; for Buckland was on the eastern borders of the Shire, and as he had lived there in childhood his going back would at least seem credible.
Gandalf stayed in the Shire for over two months. Then one evening, at the end of June, soon after Frodô?Ts plan had been finally arranged, he suddenly announced that he was going off again next morning. ?~Only for a short while, I hope,?T he said. ?~But I am going down beyond the southern borders to get some news, if I can. I have been idle longer than I should.?T
He spoke lightly, but it seemed to Frodo that he looked rather worried. ?~Has anything happened??T he asked.
?~Well no; but I have heard something that has made me anxious and needs looking into. If I think it necessary after all for you to get off at once, I shall come back immediately, or at least send word. In the meanwhile stick to your plan; but be more careful than ever, especially of the Ring. Let me impress on you once more: don?Tt use it!?T
He went off at dawn. ?~I may be back any day,?T he said. ?~At the very latest I shall come back for the farewell party. I think after all you may need my company on the Road.?T
At first Frodo was a good deal disturbed, and wondered often what Gandalf could have heard; but his uneasiness wore off, and in the fine weather he forgot his troubles for a while. The Shire had seldom seen so fair a summer, or so rich an autumn: the trees were laden with apples, honey was dripping in the combs, and the corn was tall and full.
Autumn was well under way before Frodo began to worry about Gandalf again. September was passing and there was still no news of him. The Birthday, and the removal, drew nearer, and still he did not come, or send word. Bag End began to be busy. Some of Frodô?Ts friends came to stay and help him with the packing: there was Fredegar Bolger and Folco Boffin, and of course his special friends Pippin Took and Merry Brandybuck. Between them they turned the whole place upside-down.
On September 20th two covered carts went off laden to Buckland, conveying the furniture and goods that Frodo had not sold to his new home, by way of the Brandywine Bridge. The next day Frodo became really anxious, and kept a constant look-out for Gandalf. Thursday, his birthday morning, dawned as fair and clear as it had long ago for Bilbô?Ts great party. Still Gandalf did not appear. In the evening Frodo gave his farewell feast: it was quite small, just a dinner for himself and his four helpers; but he was troubled and fell in no mood for it. The thought that he would so soon have to part with his young friends weighed on his heart. He wondered how he would break it to them.
The four younger hobbits were, however, in high spirits, and the party soon became very cheerful in spite of Gandalf?Ts absence. The dining-room was bare except for a table and chairs, but the food was good, and there was good wine: Frodô?Ts wine had not been included in the sale to the Sackville-Bagginses.
?~Whatever happens to the rest of my stuff, when the S.-B.s get their claws on it, at any rate I have found a good home for this!?T said Frodo, as he drained his glass. It was the last drop of Old Winyards.

TO BE A ROCK AND NOT TO ROLL​

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When they had sung many songs, and talked of many things they had done together, they toasted Bilbô?Ts birthday, and they drank his health and Frodô?Ts together according to Frodô?Ts custom. Then they went out for a sniff of air, and glimpse of the stars, and then they went to bed. Frodô?Ts party was over, and Gandalf had not come.
The next morning they were busy packing another cart with the remainder of the luggage. Merry took charge of this, and drove off with Fatty (that is Fredegar Bolger). ?~Someone must get there and warm the house before you arrive,?T said Merry. ?~Well, see you later - the day after tomorrow, if you don?Tt go to sleep on the way!?T
Folco went home after lunch, but Pippin remained behind. Frodo was restless and anxious, listening in vain for a sound of Gandalf. He decided to wait until nightfall. After that, if Gandalf wanted him urgently, he would go to Crickhollow, and might even get there first. For Frodo was going on foot. His plan - for pleasure and a last look at the Shire as much as any other reason - was to walk from Hobbiton to Bucklebury Ferry, taking it fairly easy.
?~I shall get myself a bit into training, too,?T he said, looking at himself in a dusty mirror in the half-empty hall. He had not done any strenuous walking for a long time, and the reflection looked rather flabby, he thought.
After lunch, the Sackville-Bagginses, Lobelia and her sandy-haired son, Lotho, turned up, much to Frodô?Ts annoyance. ?~Ours at last!?T said Lobelia, as she stepped inside. It was not polite; nor strictly true, for the sale of Bag End did not take effect until midnight. But Lobelia can perhaps be forgiven: she had been obliged to wait about seventy-seven years longer for Bag End than she once hoped, and she was now a hundred years old. Anyway, she had come to see that nothing she had paid for had been carried off; and she wanted the keys. It took a long while to satisfy her, as she had brought a complete inventory with her and went right through it. In the end she departed with Lotho and the spare key and the promise that the other key would be left at the Gamgees?T in Bagshot Row. She snorted, and showed plainly that she thought the Gamgees capable of plundering the hole during the night. Frodo did not offer her any tea.
He took his own tea with Pippin and Sam Gamgee in the kitchen. It had been officially announced that Sam was coming to Buckland ?~to do for Mr. Frodo and look after his bit of garden?T; an arrangement that was approved by the Gaffer, though it did not console him for the prospect of having Lobelia as a neighbour.
?~Our last meal at Bag End!?T said Frodo, pushing back his chair. They left the washing up for Lobelia. Pippin and Sam strapped up their three packs and piled them in the porch. Pippin went out for a last stroll in the garden. Sam disappeared.
The sun went down. Bag End seemed sad and gloomy and dishevelled. Frodo wandered round the familiar rooms, and saw the light of the sunset fade on the walls, and shadows creep out of the corners. It grew slowly dark indoors. He went out and walked down to the gate at the bottom of the path, and then on a short way down the Hill Road. He half expected to see Gandalf come striding up through the dusk.
The sky was clear and the stars were growing bright. ?~It?Ts going to be a fine night,?T he said aloud. ?~That?Ts good for a beginning. I feel like walking. I can?Tt bear any more hanging about. I am going to start, and Gandalf must follow me.?T He turned to go back, and then slopped, for he heard voices, just round the corner by the end of Bagshot Row. One voice was certainly the old Gaffer?Ts; the other was strange, and somehow unpleasant. He could not make out what it said, but he heard the Gaffer?Ts answers, which were rather shrill. The old man seemed put out.
?~No, Mr. Baggins has gone away. Went this morning, and my Sam went with him: anyway all his stuff went. Yes, sold out and gone, I tell?Tee. Why? Why?Ts none of my business, or yours. Where to? That ain?Tt no secret. Hê?Ts moved to Bucklebury or some such place, away down yonder. Yes it is - a tidy way. I?Tve never been so far myself; they?Tre queer folks in Buckland. No, I can?Tt give no message. Good night to you!?T
Footsteps went away down the Hill. Frodo wondered vaguely why the fact that they did not come on up the Hill seemed a great relief. ?~I am sick of questions and curiosity about my doings, I suppose,?T he thought. ?~What an inquisitive lot they all are!?T He had half a mind to go and ask the Gaffer who the inquirer was; but he thought better (or worse) of it, and turned and walked quickly back to Bag End.
Pippin was sitting on his pack in the porch. Sam was not there. Frodo stepped inside the dark door. ?~Sam!?T he called. ?~Sam! Time!?T
?~Coming, sir!?T came the answer from far within, followed soon by Sam himself, wiping his mouth. He had been saying farewell to the beer-barrel in the cellar.
?~All aboard, Sam??T said Frodo.
?~Yes, sir. I?Tll last for a bit now, sir.?T
Frodo shut and locked the round door, and gave the key to Sam. ?~Run down with this to your home, Sam!?T he said. ?~Then cut along the Row and meet us as quick as you can at the gate in the lane beyond the meadows. We are not going through the village tonight. Too many ears pricking and eyes prying.?T Sam ran off at full speed.
?~Well, now wê?Tre off at last!?T said Frodo. They shouldered their packs and took up their sticks, and walked round the corner to the west side of Bag End. ?~Good-bye!?T said Frodo, looking at the dark blank windows. He waved his hand, and then turned and (following Bilbo, if he had known it) hurried after Peregrin down the garden-path. They jumped over the low place in the hedge at the bottom and took to the fields, passing into the darkness like a rustle in the grasses.
At the bottom of the Hill on its western side they came to the gate opening on to a narrow lane. There they halted and adjusted the straps of their packs. Presently Sam appeared, trotting quickly and breathing hard; his heavy pack was hoisted high on his shoulders, and he had put on his head a tall shapeless fell bag, which he called a hat. In the gloom he looked very much like a dwarf.
?~I am sure you have given me all the heaviest stuff,?T said Frodo. ?~I pity snails, and all that carry their homes on their backs.?T
?~I could take a lot more yet, sir. My packet is quite light,?T said Sam stoutly and untruthfully.
?~No, you don?Tt, Sam!?T said Pippin. ?~It is good for him. Hê?Ts got nothing except what he ordered us to pack. Hê?Ts been slack lately, and hê?Tll feel the weight less when hê?Ts walked off some of his own.?T
?~Be kind to a poor old hobbit!?T laughed Frodo. ?~I shall be as thin as a willow-wand, I?Tm sure, before I get to Buckland. But I was talking nonsense. I suspect you have taken more than your share, Sam, and I shall look into it at our next packing.?T He picked up his stick again. ?~Well, we all like walking in the dark,?T he said, ?~so let?Ts put some miles behind us before bed.?T
For a short way they followed the lane westwards. Then leaving it they turned left and took quietly to the fields again. They went in single file along hedgerows and the borders of coppices, and night fell dark about them. In their dark cloaks they were as invisible as if they all had magic rings. Since they were all hobbits, and were trying to be silent, they made no noise that even hobbits would hear. Even the wild things in the fields and woods hardly noticed their passing.
After some time they crossed the Water, west of Hobbiton, by a narrow plank-bridge. The stream was there no more than a winding black ribbon, bordered with leaning alder-trees. A mile or two further south they hastily crossed the great road from the Brandywine Bridge; they were now in the Tookland and bending south-eastwards they made for the Green Hill Country. As they began to climb its first slopes they looked back and saw the lamps in Hobbiton far off twinkling in the gentle valley of the Water. Soon it disappeared in the folds of the darkened land, and was followed by Bywater beside its grey pool. When the light of the last farm was far behind, peeping among the trees, Frodo turned and waved a hand in farewell.
?~I wonder if I shall ever look down into that valley again,?T he said quietly.

TO BE A ROCK AND NOT TO ROLL​

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When they had walked for about three hours they rested. The night was clear, cool, and starry, but smoke-like wisps of mist were creeping up the hill-sides from the streams and deep meadows. Thin-clad birches, swaying in a light wind above their heads, made a black net against the pale sky. They ate a very frugal supper (for hobbits), and then went on again. Soon they struck a narrow road, that went rolling up and down, fading grey into the darkness ahead: the road to Woodhall, and Stock, and the Bucklebury Ferry. It climbed away from the main road in the Water-valley, and wound over the skirts of the Green Hills towards Woody-End, a wild corner of the Eastfarthing.
After a while they plunged into a deeply cloven track between tall trees that rustled their dry leaves in the night. It was very dark. At first they talked, or hummed a tune softly together, being now far away from inquisitive ears. Then they marched on in silence, and Pippin began to lag behind. At last, as they began to climb a steep slope, he stopped and yawned.
?~I am so sleepy,?T he said, ?~that soon I shall fall down on the road. Are you going to sleep on your legs? It is nearly midnight.?T
?~I thought you liked walking in the dark,?T said Frodo. ?~But there is no great hurry. Merry expects us some time the day after tomorrow; but that leaves us nearly two days more. Wê?Tll halt at the first likely spot.?T
?~The wind?Ts in the West,?T said Sam. ?~If 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 just ahead, if I remember rightly.?T Sam knew the land well within twenty miles of Hobbiton, but that was the limit of his geography.
Just over the top of the hill they came on the patch of fir-wood. Leaving the road they went into the deep resin-scented darkness of the trees, and gathered dead sticks and cones to make a fire. Soon they had a merry crackle of flame at the foot of a large fir-tree and they sat round it for a while, until they began to nod. Then, each in an angle of the great treê?Ts roots, they curled up in their cloaks and blankets, and were soon fast asleep. They set no watch; even Frodo feared no danger yet, for they were still in the heart of the Shire. A few creatures came and looked at them when the fire had died away. A fox passing through the wood on business of his own stopped several minutes and sniffed.
?~Hobbits!?T he thought. ?~Well, what next? I have heard of strange doings in this land, but I have seldom heard of a hobbit sleeping out of doors under a tree. Three of them! Therê?Ts something mighty queer behind this.?T He was quite right, but he never found out any more about it.
The morning came, pale and clammy. Frodo woke up first, and found that a tree-root had made a hole in his back, and that his neck was stiff.
?~Walking for pleasure! Why didn?Tt I drive??T he thought, as he usually did at the beginning of an expe***ion. ?~And all my beautiful feather beds are sold to the Sackville-Bagginses! These tree-roots would do them good.?T He stretched. ?~Wake up, hobbits!?T he cried. It?Ts a beautiful morning.?T
?~What?Ts beautiful about it??T said Pippin, peering over the edge of his blanket with one eye. ?~Sam! Gel breakfast ready for half-past nine! Have you got the bath-water hot??T
Sam jumped up, looking rather bleary. ?~No, sir, I haven?Tt, sir!?T he said.
Frodo stripped the blankets from Pippin and rolled him over, and then walked off to the edge of the wood. Away eastward the sun was rising red out of the mists that lay thick on the world. Touched with gold and red the autumn trees seemed to be sailing rootless in a shadowy sea. A little below him to the left the road ran down steeply into a hollow and disappeared.
When he returned Sam and Pippin had got a good fire going. ?~Water!?T shouted Pippin. ?~Wherê?Ts the water??T
?~I don?Tt keep water in my pockets,?T said Frodo. ?~We thought you had gone to find some,?T said Pippin, busy setting out the food, and cups. ?~You had better go now.?T
?~You can come too,?T said Frodo, ?~and bring all the water-bottles.?T There was a stream at the foot of the hill. They filled their bottles and the small camping kettle at a little fall where the water fell a few feet over an outcrop of grey stone. It was icy cold; and they spluttered and puffed as they bathed their faces and hands.
When their breakfast was over, and their packs all trussed up again, it was after ten ô?Tclock, and the day was beginning to turn fine and hot. They went down the slope, and across the stream where it dived under the road, and up the next slope, and up and down another shoulder of the hills; and by that time their cloaks, blankets, water, food, and other gear already seemed a heavy burden.
The day?Ts march promised to be warm and tiring work. After some miles, however, the road ceased to roll up and down: it climbed to the top of a steep bank in a weary zig-zagging sort of way, and then prepared to go down for the last time. In front of them they saw the lower lands dotted with small clumps of trees that melted away in the distance to a brown woodland haze. They were looking across the Woody End towards the Brandywine River. The road wound away before them like a piece of string.
?~The road goes on for ever,?T said Pippin; ?~but I can?Tt without a rest. It is high time for lunch.?T He sat down on the bank at the side of the road and looked away east into the haze, beyond which lay the River, and the end of the Shire in which he had spent all his life. Sam stood by him. His round eyes were wide open - for he was looking across lands he had never seen to a new horizon.
?~Do Elves live in those woods??T he asked.
?~Not that I ever heard,?T said Pippin. Frodo was silent. He too was gazing eastward along the road, as if he had never seen it before. Suddenly he spoke, aloud but as if to himself, saying slowly:

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
​

?~That sounds like a bit of old Bilbô?Ts rhyming,?T said Pippin. ?~Or is it one of your imitations? It does not sound altogether encouraging.?T
?~I don?Tt know,?T said Frodo. It came to me then, as if I was making it up; but I may have heard it long ago. Certainly it reminds me very much of Bilbo in the last years, before he went away. He used often to say there was only one Road; that it was like a great river: its springs were at every doorstep, and every path was its tributary. ?oIt?Ts a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,? he used to say. ?oYou step into the Road, and if you don?Tt keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. Do you realize that this is the very path that goes through Mirkwood, and that if you let it, it might take you to the Lonely Mountain or even further and to worse places?? He used to say that on the path outside the front door at Bag End, especially after he had been out for a long walk.?T
?~Well, the Road won?Tt sweep me anywhere for an hour at least,?T said Pippin, unslinging his pack. The others followed his example, putting their packs against the bank and their legs out into the road. After a rest they had a good lunch, and then more rest.
The sun was beginning to get low and the light of afternoon was on the land as they went down the hill. So far they had not met a soul on the road. This way was not much used, being hardly fit for carts, and there was little traffic to the Woody End. They had been jogging along again for an hour or more when Sam stopped a moment as if listening. They were now on level ground, and the road after much winding lay straight ahead through grass-land sprinkled with tall trees, outliers of the approaching woods.
?~I can hear a pony or a horse coming along the road behind,?T said Sam.
They looked back, but the turn of the road prevented them from seeing far. ?~I wonder if that is Gandalf coming after us,?T said Frodo; but even as he said it, he had a feeling that it was not so, and a sudden desire to hide from the view of the rider came over him.
?~It may not matter much,?T he said apologetically, ?~but I would rather not be seen on the road - by anyone. I am sick of my doings being noticed and discussed. And if it is Gandalf,?T he added as an afterthought, ?~we can give him a little surprise, to pay him out for being so late. Let?Ts get out of sight!?T
The other two ran quickly to the left and down into a little hollow not far from the road. There they lay flat. Frodo hesitated for a second: curiosity or some other feeling was struggling with his desire to hide. The sound of hoofs drew nearer. Just in time he threw himself down in a patch of long grass behind a tree that overshadowed the road. Then he lifted his head and peered cautiously above one of the great roots.
Round the corner came a black horse, no hobbit-pony but a full-sized horse; and on it sat a large man, who seemed to crouch in the saddle, wrapped in a great black cloak and hood, so that only his boots in the high stirrups showed below; his face was shadowed and invisible.
When it reached the tree and was level with Frodo the horse stopped. The riding figure sat quite still with its head bowed, as if listening. From inside the hood came a noise as of someone sniffing to catch an elusive scent; the head turned from side to side of the road.
A sudden unreasoning fear of discovery laid hold of Frodo, and he thought of his Ring. He hardly dared to breathe, and yet the desire to get it out of his pocket became so strong that he began slowly to move his hand. He felt that he had only to slip it on, and then he would be safe. The advice of Gandalf seemed absurd. Bilbo had used the Ring. ?~And I am still in the Shire,?T he thought, as his hand touched the chain on which it hung. At that moment the rider sat up, and shook the reins. The horse stepped forward, walking slowly at first, and then breaking into a quick trot.
Frodo crawled to the edge of the road and watched the rider, until he dwindled into the distance. He could not be quite sure, but it seemed to him that suddenly, before it passed out of sight, the horse turned aside and went into the trees on the right.
?~Well, I call that very queer, and indeed disturbing,?T said Frodo to himself, as he walked towards his companions. Pippin and Sam had remained flat in the grass, and had seen nothing; so Frodo described the rider and his strange behaviour.
?~I can?Tt say why, but I felt certain he was looking or smelling for me; and also I felt certain that I did not want him to discover me. I?Tve never seen or fell anything like it in the Shire before.?T
?~But what has one of the Big People got to do with us??T said Pippin. ?~And what is he doing in this part of the world??T
?~There are some Men about,?T said Frodo. ?~Down in the Southfarthing they have had trouble with Big People, I believe. But I have never heard of anything like this rider. I wonder where he comes from.?T
?~Begging your pardon,?T put in Sam suddenly, ?~I know where he comes from. It?Ts from Hobbiton that this here black rider comes, unless therê?Ts more than one. And I know where hê?Ts going to.?T
?~What do you mean??T said Frodo sharply, looking at him in astonishment. ?~Why didn?Tt you speak up before??T
?~I have only just remembered, sir. It was like this: when I got back to our hole yesterday evening with the key, my dad, he says to me: Hello, Sam! he says. I thought you were away with Mr. Frodo this morning. Therê?Ts been a strange customer asking for Mr. Baggins of Bag End, and hê?Ts only just gone. I?Tve sent him on to Bucklebury. Not that I liked the sound of him. He seemed mighty put out, when I told him Mr. Baggins had left his old home for good. Hissed at me, he did. It gave me quite a shudder. What sort of a fellow was he? says I to the Gaffer. I don?Tt know, says he; but he wasn?Tt a hobbit. He was tall and black-like, and he stooped aver me. I reckon it was one of the Big Folk from foreign parts. He spoke funny.
?~I couldn?Tt stay to hear more, sir, since you were waiting; and I didn?Tt give much heed to it myself. The Gaffer is getting old, and more than a bit blind, and it must have been near dark when this fellow come up the Hill and found him taking the air at the end of our Row. I hope he hasn?Tt done no harm, sir, nor me.?T

TO BE A ROCK AND NOT TO ROLL​

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?~The Gaffer can?Tt be blamed anyway,?T said Frodo. ?~As a matter of fact I heard him talking to a stranger, who seemed to be inquiring for me, and I nearly went and asked him who it was. I wish I had, or you had told me about it before. I might have been more careful on the road.?T
?~Still, there may be no connexion between this rider and the Gaffer?Ts stranger,?T said Pippin. ?~We left Hobbiton secretly enough, and I don?Tt see how he could have followed us.?T
?~What about the smelling, sir??T said Sam. ?~And the Gaffer said he was a black chap.?T
?~I wish I had waited for Gandalf,?T Frodo muttered. ?~But perhaps it would only have made matters worse.?T
?~Then you know or guess something about this rider??T said Pippin, who had caught the muttered words.
?~I don?Tt know, and I would rather not guess,?T said Frodo. ?~All right, cousin Frodo! You can keep your secret for the present, if you want to be mysterious. In the meanwhile what are we to do? I should like a bite and a sup, but somehow I think we had better move on from here. Your talk of sniffing riders with invisible noses has unsettled me.?T
?~Yes, I think we will move on now,?T said Frodo; ?~but not on the road -in case that rider comes back, or another follows him. We ought to do a good step more today. Buckland is still miles away.?T
The shadows of the trees were long and thin on the grass, as they started off again. They now kept a stonê?Ts throw to the left of the road, and kept out of sight of it as much as they could. But this hindered them; for the grass was thick and tussocky, and the ground uneven, and the trees began to draw together into thickets.
The sun had gone down red behind the hills at their backs, and evening was coming on before they came back to the road at the end of the long level over which it had run straight for some miles. At that point it bent left and went down into the lowlands of the Yale making for Stock; but a lane branched right, winding through a wood of ancient oak-trees on its way to Woodhall. ?~That is the way for us,?T said Frodo.
Not far from the road-meeting they came on the huge hulk of a tree: it was still alive and had leaves on the small branches that it had put out round the broken stumps of its long-fallen limbs; but it was hollow, and could be entered by a great crack on the side away from the road. The hobbits crept inside, and sat there upon a floor of old leaves and decayed wood. They rested and had a light meal, talking quietly and listening from time to time.
Twilight was about them as they crept back to the lane. The West wind was sighing in the branches. Leaves were whispering. Soon the road began to fall gently but steadily into the dusk. A star came out above the trees in the darkening East before them. They went abreast and in step, to keep up their spirits. After a time, as the stars grew thicker and brighter, the feeling of disquiet left them, and they no longer listened for the sound of hoofs. They began to hum softly, as hobbits have a way of doing as they walk along, especially when they are drawing near to home at night. With most hobbits it is a supper-song or a bed-song; but these hobbits hummed a walking-song (though not, of course, without any mention of supper and bed). Bilbo Baggins had made 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 Water-valley and talked about Adventure.

Upon the hearth the fire is red,
Beneath the roof there is a bed;
But not yet weary are our feet,
Still round the corner we may meet
A sudden tree or standing stone
That none have seen but we alone.
Tree and flower and leaf and grass,
Let them pass! Let them pass!
Hill and water under sky,
Pass them by! Pass them by!
Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate,
And though we pass them by today,
Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run
Towards the Moon or to the Sun.
Apple, thorn, and nut and sloe,
Let them go! Let them go!
Sand and stone and pool and dell,
Fare you well! Fare you well!
Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Then world behind and home ahead,
Wê?Tll wander back to home and bed.
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!
Fire and lamp, and meat and bread,
And then to bed! And then to bed!
​

The song ended. ?~And now to bed! And now to bed!?T sang Pippin in a high voice.
?~Hush!?T said Frodo. ?~I think I hear hoofs again.?T
They slopped suddenly and stood as silent as tree-shadows, listening. There was a sound of hoofs in the lane, some way behind, but coming slow and clear down the wind. Quickly and quietly they slipped off the path, and ran into the deeper shade under the oak-trees.
?~Don?Tt let us go too far!?T said Frodo. ?~I don?Tt want to be seen, but I want to see if it is another Black Rider.?T
?~Very well!?T said Pippin. ?~But don?Tt forget the sniffing!?T
The hoofs drew nearer. They had no time to find any hiding-place better than the general darkness under the trees; Sam and Pippin crouched behind a large tree-bole, while Frodo crept back a few yards towards the lane. It showed grey and pale, a line of fading light through the wood. Above it the stars were thick in the dim sky, but there was no moon.
The sound of hoofs stopped. As Frodo watched he saw something dark pass across the lighter space between two trees, and then halt. It looked like the black shade of a horse led by a smaller black shadow. The black shadow stood close to the point where they had left the path, and it swayed from side to side. Frodo thought he heard the sound of snuffling. The shadow bent to the ground, and then began to crawl towards him.
Once more the desire to slip on the Ring came over Frodo; but this time it was stronger than before. So strong that, almost before he realized what he was doing, his hand was groping in his pocket. But at that moment there came a sound like mingled song and laughter. Clear voices rose and fell in the starlit air. The black shadow straightened up and retreated. It climbed on to the shadowy horse and seemed to vanish across the lane into the darkness on the other side. Frodo breathed again.
?~Elves!?T exclaimed Sam in a hoarse whisper. ?~Elves, sir!?T He would have burst out of the trees and dashed off towards the voices, if they had not pulled him back.

TO BE A ROCK AND NOT TO ROLL​

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õ?~Yes, it is Elves,õ?T said Frodo. õ?~One can meet them sometimes in the Woody End. They donõ?Tt live in the Shire, but they wander into it in Spring and Autumn, out of their own lands away beyond the Tower Hills. I am thankful that they do! You did not see, but that Black Rider stopped just here and was actually crawling towards us when the song began. As soon as he heard the voices he slipped away.õ?T
õ?~What about the Elves?õ?T said Sam, too excited to trouble about the rider. õ?~Canõ?Tt we go and see them?õ?T
õ?~Listen! They are coming this way,õ?T said Frodo. õ?~We have only to wait.õ?T The singing drew nearer. One clear voice rose now above the others. It was singing in the fair elven-tongue, of which Frodo knew only a little, and the others knew nothing. Yet the sound blending with the melody seemed to shape itself in their thought into words which they only partly understood. This was the song as Frodo heard it:

Snow-white! Snow-white! O Lady clear!
O Queen beyond the Western Seas!
O Light to us that wander here
Amid the world of woven trees!
Gilthoniel! O Elbereth!
Clear are thy eyes and bright thy breath!
Snow-white! Snow-white! We sing to thee
In a far land beyond the Sea.
O stars that in the Sunless Year
With shining hand by her were sawn,
In windy fields now bright and clear
We see your silver blossom blown!
O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!
We still remember, we who dwell
In this far land beneath the trees,
Thy starlight on the Western Seas.
​

The song ended. õ?~These are High Elves! They spoke the name of Elbereth!õ?T said Frodo in amazement, õ?~Few of that fairest folk are ever seen in the Shire. Not many now remain in Middle-earth, east of the Great Sea. This is indeed a strange chance!õ?T
The hobbits sat in shadow by the wayside. Before long the Elves came down the lane towards the valley. They passed slowly, and the hobbits could see the starlight glimmering on their hair and in their eyes. They bore no lights, yet as they walked a shimmer, like the light of the moon above the rim of the hills before it rises, seemed to fall about their feet. They were now silent, and as the last Elf passed he turned and looked towards the hobbits and laughed.
õ?~Hail, Frodo!õ?T he cried. õ?~You are abroad late. Or are you perhaps lost?õ?T Then he called aloud to the others, and all the company stopped and gathered round.
õ?~This is indeed wonderful!õ?T they said. õ?~Three hobbits in a wood at night! We have not seen such a thing since Bilbo went away. What is the meaning of it?õ?T
õ?~The meaning of it, fair people,õ?T said Frodo, õ?~is simply that we seem to be going the same way as you are. I like walking under the stars. But I would welcome your company.õ?T
õ?~But we have no need of other company, and hobbits are so dull,õ?T they laughed. õ?~And how do you know that we go the same way as you, for you do not know whither we are going?õ?T
õ?~And how do you know my name?õ?T asked Frodo in return.
õ?~We know many things,õ?T they said. õ?~We have seen you often before with Bilbo, though you may not have seen us.õ?T
õ?~Who are you, and who is your lord?õ?T asked Frodo.
õ?~I am Gildor,õ?T answered their leader, the Elf who had first hailed him. õ?~Gildor Inglorion of the House of Finrod. We are Exiles, and most of our kindred have long ago departed and we too are now only tarrying here a while, ere we return over the Great Sea. But some of our kinsfolk dwell still in peace in Rivendell. Come now, Frodo, tell us what you are doing? For we see that there is some shadow of fear upon you.õ?T
õ?~O Wise People!õ?T interrupted Pippin eagerly. õ?~Tell us about the Black Riders!õ?T
õ?~Black Riders?õ?T they said in low voices. õ?~Why do you ask about Black Riders?õ?T
õ?~Because two Black Riders have overtaken us today, or one has done so twice,õ?T said Pippin; õ?~only a little while ago he slipped away as you drew near.õ?T
The Elves did not answer at once, but spoke together softly in their own tongue. At length Gildor turned to the hobbits. õ?~We will not speak of this here,õ?T he said. õ?~We think you had best come now with us. It is not our custom, but for this time we will lake you on our road, and you shall lodge with us tonight, if you will.õ?T
õ?~O Fair Folk! This is good fortune beyond my hope,õ?T said Pippin. Sam was speechless. õ?~I thank you indeed, Gildor Inglorion,õ?T said Frodo bowing. õ?~Elen séẵla lẹSmennõ?T omentielvo, a star shines on the hour of our meeting,õ?T he added in the high-elven speech.
õ?~Be careful, friends!õ?T cried Gildor laughing. õ?~Speak no secrets! Here is a scholar in the Ancient Tongue. Bilbo was a good master. Hail, Elf-friend!õ?T he said, bowing to Frodo. õ?~Come now with your friends and join our company! You had best walk in the middle so that you may not stray. You may be weary before we halt.õ?T
õ?~Why? Where are you going?õ?T asked Frodo.
õ?~For tonight we go to the woods on the hills above Woodhall. It is some miles, but you shall have rest at the end of it, and it will shorten your journey tomorrow.õ?T
They now marched on again in silence, and passed like shadows and faint lights: for Elves (even more than hobbits) could walk when they wished without sound or footfall. Pippin soon began to feel sleepy, and staggered once or twice; but each time a tall Elf at his side put out his arm and saved him from a fall. Sam walked along at Frodoõ?Ts side, as if in a dream, with an expression on his face half of fear and half of astonished joy.
The woods on either side became denser; the trees were now younger and thicker; and as the lane went lower, running down into a fold of the hills, there were many deep brakes of hazel on the rising slopes at either hand. At last the Elves turned aside from the path. A green ride lay almost unseen through the thickets on the right; and this they followed as it wound away back up the wooded slopes on to the top of a shoulder of the hills that stood out into the lower land of the river-valley. Suddenly they came out of the shadow of the trees, and before them lay a wide space of grass, grey under the night. On three sides the woods pressed upon it; but eastward the ground fell steeply and the tops of the dark trees, growing at the bottom of the slope, were below their feet. Beyond, the low lands lay dim and flat under the stars. Nearer at hand a few lights twinkled in the village of Woodhall.
The Elves sat on the grass and spoke together in soft voices; they seemed to take no further notice of the hobbits. Frodo and his companions wrapped themselves in cloaks and blankets, and drowsiness stole over them. The night grew on, and the lights in the valley went out. Pippin fell asleep, pillowed on a green hillock.
Away high in the East swung Remmirath, the Netted Stars, and slowly above the mists red Borgil rose, glowing like a jewel of fire. Then by some shift of airs all the mist was drawn away like a veil, and there leaned up, as he climbed over the rim of the world, the Swordsman of the Sky, Menelvagor with his shining belt. The Elves all burst into song. Suddenly under the trees a fire sprang up with a red light.
õ?~Come!õ?T the Elves called to the hobbits. õ?~Come! Now is the time for speech and merriment!õ?T
Pippin sat up and rubbed his eyes. He shivered. õ?~There is a fire in the hall, and food for hungry guests,õ?T said an Elf standing before him.

TO BE A ROCK AND NOT TO ROLL​

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