Frodo was content with Sam's answers. I love the friendship of these two; even more than friendship: brothers if you will. I've been in meetings where men are encouraged to find a Jonathan and David type of friendship as evidenced by the David's words when he learned of Jonathan's death in battle. I've been blessed to have a Jonathan in my life (or a Sam Gamgee for that matter). So gathering Pippin Frodo made the decision to cut straight across counry and avoid the Road. Both Pippin and Sam were disappointed for this meant they would not stop at the Golden Perch known for the best beer in the Southfarthing but they deferred to Frodo. Pippin was concerned that the way may prove hard and tricky but Frodo wanted to avoid the Black Riders at all costs.
Off they went and sure enough they found the way hard with thickets and streams and other barriers to cross. As they reached a very difficult roadblock Sam turned back and saw a Black Rider in the distance. They knew leaving the thicket was not an option. Pippin knowing the region recognized the stream before them and thought he knew which way to go. They travelled some miles and Pippin feared they had turned too far South. Still they began to forget the terror of the Black Riders and even began singing a silly drinking song when they were stopped cold. "A long-drawn wail came down the wind, like a cry of some evil and lonely creature. It rose and fell, and ended in a high piercing note. Even as they sat and stood, as if suddenly frozen, it was answered by another cry, fainter and further off, but no less chilling to the blood" (p. 99-100, The Fellowship of the Ring). No one admitted it but they all were thinking it was the Black Riders.
Sure enough when they came out of the thicket they had moved too far south. Pippin recognized the fields as belonging to old Farmer Maggot. Frodo was terrified. He explained that as a child, before moving to Bag End, he had raided Farmer Maggot's fields for mushrooms. He was caught one day and given a beating and chased away by the Farmer's fierce dogs. Pippin assured them Farmer Maggot was a good hobbit and led the way but it was not long before Grip, Fang, and Wolf came barking and baying at the uninvited guests. Farmer Maggot came to investigate and recognized Pippin immediately. He told the travelers it had been a strange day and invited them to his house for food and conversation. Pippin introduced Sam and Frodo and at the name Baggins the Farmer gave a funny look. They went to his house and he served them some beer. "Sam sipped his beer suspiciously. He had a natural mistrust of the inhabitants of other parts of the Shire; and also he was not disposed to be quick friends with anyone who had beaten his master, however long ago" (p. 102, The Fellowship of the Ring).
Pippin explained how they came to be in Farmer Maggot's lands. The Farmer in turn explained that a stranger had come by not long before clad in black and asking for Baggins. The good farmer informed him that this was the wrong end of the Shire. "'Baggins has left,' he answered in a whisper. 'He is coming. He is not far away. I wish to find him. If he passes will you tell me? I will come back with gold'" (p. 103, The Fellowship of the Ring). Maggot sent the stranger off his lands and called his dogs out. Frodo sat silently but Maggots next words were disconcerting: "'Mark my words, this all comes of those strange doings of Mr. Bilbo's. His money was got in some strange fashion in foreign parts, they say. Maybe there is some that want to know what has become of the gold and jewels that he buried in the hill of Hobbiton, as I hear?'" (p. 104, The Fellowship of the Ring).
Frodo was now more than resolved then ever to reach Crickhollow. He was inclined to turn down Maggot's dinner invite until the farmer offered to transport Frodo and his friends to Bucklebury Ferry by cart afterword. They ate a nice dinner and in set out, after dark, to the Ferry. Even thought a thick mist had set in the ride was uneventful until the end when all could hear the slow clopping of a horse approach. Frodo was hidden under blankets and Maggot called out for the Rider to identify himself. A muffled reply came but it was recognized: Merry Brandybuck. Frodo, Sam, and Pippen were quite relieved to see their friend. They thanked the farmer for taking them to the Ferry and set off with Merry but not before Frodo was given a parting gift that set him laughing: mushrooms.
Merry wanted to know why they were late and why Maggot appeared scared but felt they needed to reach Crickhollow first. They crossed the Brandywine River into Buckland. Long ago Gorhendad Oldbuck took his family across the River and made a settlement between the water and the Old Forest. Buckland became virtually its own country as the inhabitants grew. To protect its Eastern borders a thick hedge was grown, the High Hay--over twenty miles long, that kept most dangers our. Still the Old Forest grew close to Buckland's borders. Of the four only Sam had not crossed the River before. And with his watchful eyes Sam noticed at the shore they had parted from a black shape that seemed to be swaying back and forth; crawling down the bank and then back up. Merry said it was twenty miles to Brandywine Bridge and the night guards would keep anyone from crossing at this time.
Once across the River Merry went ahead to prepare a meal with Fatty Bolger while the others walked. Eventually they made it to Crickhollow. "Frodo had chosen it, because it stood in an out-of-the-way corner of the country, and there was no other dwellings close by" (p. 110, The Fellowship of the Ring). Once inside Frodo saw that his friends had taken great care to make the place look as close to Bag End as possible. Merry had three hot baths prepared for the travelers and Fatty was busy with dinner preparations. They were glad for the baths and this, of course, started a rousing bath song sung by Pippen and ending with much splashing and mess. They ate a nice meal together and before cleaning up Merry demanded the tales of their journey. Pippen recalled everything, most importantly the Black Riders, while once again Frodo fell silent although he did elaborate on Farmer Maggot's guesses: "There is a connexion with Bilbo's old adventures, and the Rider's are looking, or perhaps one ought to say searching, for him or for me" (p. 113, The Fellowship of the Ring). Realizing the danger Frodo finally decided he must inform his friends of his plans to leave the Shire.
He explained that he had something to say but wasn't sure how to begin and that's when Merry jumped in. "'Just this, my dear old Frodo: you are miserable, because you don't know how to say good-bye. You meant to leave the Shire, of course. But danger has come on you sooner than you expected, and now you are making up your mind to go at once. And you don't want to. We are very sorry for you" (p. 113, The Fellowship of the Ring). Frodo was shocked. It was all he could do to open his mouth only to close it again. The others found this very comical. Pippin jumped into explaining they had been wise to his plans since the previous April. Frodo was now worried that all the Shire knew. Merry assured him that only their conspirators knew (for they knew Frodo best) and they all had assumed he would follow Bilbo at some point after the old hobbit had disappeared.
Frodo insisted that he must leave and quickly and begged them not to hinder him. "'You do not undertand!' said Pippin. 'You must go--and therefore we must, too. Merry and I are coming with you. Sam is an excellent fellow, and would jump down a dragon's throat to save you, if he did not trip over his own feet; but you will need more than one companion in your dangerous adventure' (p. 114, The Fellowship of the Ring). Frodo could not let his young friends go with him for they did not know the true danger. Merry insisted they did since they knew it involved Sauron and the One Ring. Frodo was once again speechless. Merry explained they had been aware of the Ring for some time ever since, as a young lad, he had seen Bilbo use it to disappear when the Sackville-Bagginses had approached. But what the Ring was exactly they did not know until none other than Sam Gamgee supplied all sorts of information. That is until Gandalf caught him. "'Sam!' cried Frodo, feeling that amazement could go no further, and quite unable to decide whether he felt angry, amused, relieved, or merely foolish" (p. 115, The Fellowship of the Ring). While Sam meant no harm Frodo wasn't sure who to trust.
"'It all depends on what you want,' put in Merry. 'You can trust us to stick you through thick and thin--to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep ay secret of yours--closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo'" (p. 115-116, The Fellowship of the Ring). At last Frodo saw that his only choice was to let his friends come with him. At this they prepared sang a song long prepared based on the Dwarvish tune sung with Bilbo long ago, a stanza: "'Farewell we call to hearth and hall! Though wind may blow and rain may fall, We must away ere break of day Far over wood and mountain tall. To Rivendell, where Elves yet dwell In glades beneath the misty fell, Through moor and waste we ride in haste, and whither then we cannot tell'" (p. 116, The Fellowship of the Ring).
So it was decided they would leave early the next morning since Merry already had ponies loaded and sacks packed for a journey to begin at any moment. Their path would be through the Old Forest. Fatty Bolger was quite against this plan for he had heard terrible stories about the Forest but seeing as how he would not be on the journey he did not belabor the point. Fatty's role was to carry on the notion that Frodo was living quietly in Crickhollow for as long as he could keep it up. He even would put on Frodo's clothes from time to time to give passerby's the idea that Frodo was in the house or working in the yard. "Fond as he was of Frodo, Fatty Bolger had no desire to leave the Shire, nor to see what lay outside of it" (p. 118, The Fellowship of the Ring). This pleased Frodo greatly for if Gandalf showed up Fatty could inform them of his route. With the Black Riders about a written message could simply not be left behind. Of course, no one had thought of the danger that might befall Fatty with the Black Riders about. Off to bed they went but Frodo had little rest; his dreams were filled with strange things. Last though was the sound of a far off Sea and the smell of salt in the air though he had never seen or smelled such things in his waking life.
I understand completely the need to adapt a book for cinema. You simply cannot recreate a book, especially one as rich and complex as The Lord of the Rings, page by page and scene by scene for a movie. I think for the most part Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philipa Boyens nailed it. They kept many of the great meta-themes of Tolkien's writings. This is the one place I was sorely disappointed. (Even the virtual cutting out of the next three chapters I will read were not as disappointing). I think Tolkien wrote about friendship so well. I've commented on this blog several times about different friendships in the history of Middle-earth and how I've been inspired by them. Merry and Pippin (and Sam too) went with Frodo on his quest because of their deep friendship and affection for him. They knew it would be hard, dangerous, and could mean death. And they went anyway. For their friend. The scene that makes me shudder more than any in the movie adaptation is they way it seems Merry and Pippin stumble into Sam and Frodo and are just swept into the adventure. Whereas the book shows the months of planning they spent ensuring they would not led Frodo walk his path alone. These are true friends; brothers born for adversity.
Middle-earth timeline: Third Age, 3018, September 25
Today's reading comes from: The Fellowship of the Ring, pages 94-119
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