The Treason of Isengard Read Free

drops off at Crickhollow. Merry at Rivendell. Sam only goes on to end.
    (5) Trotter is not a hobbit but a real ranger who had gone to live in Rivendell after much wandering. Cut out shoes.

    In (4) it is seen that despite the decision - which was indeed final - that Trotter was a Man, 'Peregrin Boffin' survived the loss of his alter ego, remaining an intimate of the owner of Bag End in a later generation; and for a brief moment may be said to step into the shoes of Odo Bolger - since he 'drops off at Crickhollow'.

    Pencilled emendations were made to (4) and (5). To (4) was first added: 'Peregrin stays at Hobbiton and tells Gandalf.' This was struck out, and the first sentence of the note was changed to read: 'Frodo's friends are Meriadoc Brandybuck and Ham [ilcar] Bolger and Faramond Took, called Merry, Ham, and Far', with the further addition:
    'Ham drops off at Crickhollow, but is picked up by Gandalf and used as a decoy.?' (On this see under $6 below, p. 13.) Thus once more 'Odo Bolger' will bounce back, but now under the name of Hamilcar of that ilk. 'Hamilcar' has appeared hitherto only in a note dated August 1939, where it is proposed that 'Odo' be changed to 'Hamilcar' or
    'Fredegar' (VI.373). 'Peregrin Boffin' disappears again - but only temporarily.
    To (5) was added in pencil, after 'a real ranger': 'descendant of Elendil. Tarkil.' The name Tarkil appears in the Etymologies in V.364
    (stem KHIL 'follow'): * tara-khil, in which the second element evidently bears the sense mortal man (Hildi the Followers, an Elvish name for Men, V.245).

    (4) A page of very rough notes in pencil, covered with emendations and additions, is dated 'Autumn 1939* and headed New Plot. There now enters a very important development: a far more explicit account of what had caused Gandalf s delay than anything that has been said hitherto; and the evil figure of 'Giant Treebeard', his captor, disappears - though not for good (see p. 72).

    Time Scheme won't work out for Gandalf to be ahead.
    (1) Crickhollow scene - only Hamilcar [struck out: or Folco](9) there. He blows horn and startles the Riders' horses, which bolt.
    They run out of the house, and find a way (10) as the hue and cry wakes.
    (2) Gandalf is behind at Bree. He knows Trotter (real name Aragorn). Trotter helped him track Gollum. He brings Trotter back in April 1418 to keep watch especially S.E. of Shire. It was a message of Trotter's in July (?) that took Gandalf away (11)-fearing Black Riders. He meets Trotter at Sarn Ford.(11) He then tells him of Frodo's intended departure on Sept. 22. Begs him to watch East Road in case anything happens to Gandalf himself. He visits Bree on way back to Shire on Sept. [date illegible]. But is pursued and tries to get round to west of Shire.
    Black Riders pursue them [read him] - Gandalf has insufficient magic to cope with Black Riders unaided, whose king is a wizard.
    They pursue him over Sarn Ford and he cannot (or dare not) go back to Shire.
    Eventually he is besieged in the Western Tower. He cannot get away while they guard it with five Riders. But when Black Riders have located Frodo and found that he has gone off without Gandalf they ride away. Three are ahead. Three follow Frodo, but miss him and get ahead at Bree. Three come behind.(13) Gandalf follows after -
    meets Peregrin [written above: news from Gaffer].

    The remainder of this outline is a very rough and much corrected chronology of Gandalf's subsequent movements, which is best considered together with other chronologies of this time ($6).
    A remarkable feature of this 'New Plot' is the date April 1418, for this is the first appearance of any 'exterior' chronology; moreover 1418 is the year in LR, Appendix B - according to the Shire Reckoning, i.e. 3018 of the Third Age. At the present time, at any rate, I am unable to cast any light on the chronology underlying this date, or to make any suggestion as to the process by which it had arisen.

    (5) On the reverse of the page bearing