Revisions to Early Chapters, Part Two

Picking up from the last blog.

Chapter Nine: At the Sign of the Prancing Pony (The Cow Jumped Over the Moon)

• This was one long chapter but Tolkien finally divided it into two: same title with differing subtitles (in parenthesis)
• Harry Goatleaf's, the gatekeeper of Bree, role is reduced
• Given the restructuring of Bombadil there is no mention of him to Butterbur by the hobbits

Chapter 10: At the Sign of the Prancing Pony (All that is gold does not glitter)

• The Gandalf/Odo adventure has been cut which caused shifts in the narrative (Trotter no longer eavesdrops on Gandalf; Butterbur only has news of Black Riders, etc).
• Frodo's thoughts on Trotter looking foul but feeling fair arise in this time of writing.
• The strongest emergence of Sam Gamgee appears with his inherent distrust of Trotter.
• Tolkien spent considerable writings on the reveal of Trotter. It became very complicated with both Butterbur and Trotter producing separate letters from Gandalf confirming the ranger could be trusted.
• "Afterwords my father abandoned this spider's web of argumentation..." (p. 52, The Treason of Isengard). In the end there is one letter and Strider mentions the famous not all those who wander are lost words rather than two letters that match up the poems. 

Chapter 11: A Knife in the Dark

• Several revisions were made to the attack at Crickhollow: One involved Gandalf arriving first and slipping out the back with Hamilcar Bolger and raising the alarm, the next Gandalf is absent and Hamilcar raises the alarm, and an interesting third version: "The black figures passed swiftly in. In a moment they came out again; one carrying a small bundled figure in an old clock: it did not struggle" (p. 55, The Treason of Isengard). Poor Hamilcar. 
• At Weathertop Trotter is dismayed to find Sam and Pippen trampled the ground. It appears someone in boots (not worn by rangers) and a different hobbit were there but Trotter could not be sure. 

Chapter 12: Flight to the Ford

• References to the specific troll names from The Hobbit were still present but would be cut eventually
• However, Sam's poem about Trolls was introduced for the first time. Christopher Tolkien noted that his father had originally thought to have Bingo (Frodo) sing it at The Prancing Pony.
• Sam's song was based on Tolkien's 1920's era poem The Root of the Boot. Of course, Tolkien had to reframe it removing such images and phrases like: 'churchyard' and 'wore black on a Sunday'