Page 15 (1/2)

Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit

For the few hours of daylight that were left they rested, shifting into the shade as the sun moved, until at last the shadow of the western ri, and darkness filled all the hollow Then they ate a little, and drank sparingly Golluladly

&039;Soon gethis lips &039;Good water runs down in strea to Sry, yes, gollue flat hands on his shrunken belly, and a pale green light cath they set out, creeping over the ard rihosts into the broken country on the borders of the road The hts from the full, but it did not cliht was very dark A single red light burned high up in the Towers of the Teeth, but otherwise no sign could be seen or heard of the sleepless watch on the Morannon

For many miles the red eye seeh a barren stony country They did not dare to take the road, but they kept it on their left, following its line as well as they could at a little distance At last, when night was growing old and they were already weary, for they had taken only one short rest, the eye dwindled to a small fiery point and then vanished: they had turned the dark northern shoulder of the lowersouthwards

With hearts strangely lightened they now rested again, but not for long They were not going quick enough for Golluues froiliath, and he hoped to cover that distance in four journeys So soon they struggled on once rey solitude They had then walked alone any further, even if they had dared

The growing light revealed to them a land already, less barren and ruinous The mountains still loomed up ominously on their left, but near at hand they could see the southward road, now bearing away fro ards Beyond it were slopes covered with sombre trees like dark clouds, but all about the and broom and cornel, and other shrubs that they did not know Here and there they saw knots of tall pine-trees The hearts of the hobbits rose again a little in spite of weariness: the air was fresh and fragrant, and it re far away It seeood to be reprieved, to walk in a land that had only been for a few years under the dominion of the Dark Lord and was not yet fallen wholly into decay But they did not forget their danger, nor the Black Gate that was still all too near, hidden though it was behind the gloo-place where they could shelter froht lasted

The day passed uneasily They lay deep in the heather and counted out the slow hours, in which there seee; for they were still under the shadows of the Ephel Duath, and the sun was veiled Frodo slept at ti Gollum or too tired to trouble about him; but Sam found it difficult to do more than doze, even when Gollu in his secret dreaer, perhaps,for a good ho hot out of the pot&039;

As soon as the land faded into a forain In a little while Gollum led them down on to the southward road; and after that they went on reater Their ears were strained for the sound of hoof or foot on the road ahead, or following theht passed, and they heard no sound of walker or rider

The road had beenlost time: and for perhaps thirty miles below the Morannon it had been newly repaired, but as it went south the wild encroached upon it The handiwork of Men of old could still be seen in its straight sure flight and level course: now and again it cut its way through hillside slopes, or leaped over a strea ns of stonework faded, save for a broken pillar here and there, peering out of bushes at the side, or old paving-stones still lurking amid weeds and moss Heather and trees and bracken scra the banks, or sprawled out over the surface It dwindled at last to a country cart-road little used; but it did not wind: it held on its own sure course and guided them by the swiftest way

So they passed into the northern marches of that land that Men once called Ithilien, a fair country of cliht became fine under star and round rance of the air grew as they went forward; and fro of Gollum it seemed that he noticed it too, and did not relish it At the first signs of day they halted again They had co, deep, and sheer-sided in the e Now they climbed up the ard bank and looked abroad

Day was opening in the sky, and they saw that theeastward in a long curve that was lost in the distance Before theentle slopes ran down into dim hazes far below All about them were small woods of resinous trees, fir and cedar and cypress, and other kinds unknown in the Shire, ide glades a herbs and shrubs The long journey froht them far south of their own land, but not until now in this e of cli was already busy about theered, s Ithilien, the garden of Gondor now desolate kept still a dishevelled dryad loveliness

South and west it looked towards the warm lower vales of Anduin, shielded from the east by the Ephel Duath and yet not under the mountain-shadow, protected from the north by the Emyn Muil, open to the southern airs and the rew there, planted long ago, falling into untended age aroves and thickets there were of taent terebinth, of olive and of bay; and there were junipers and rew in bushes, or with their woody creeping stees of reen; andparsleys, and arden-lore of Sarots and rocky walls were already starred with saxifrages and stonecrops Primeroles and anemones were awake in the filbert-brakes; and asphodel and rass: deep green grass beside the pools, where falling streams halted in cool hollows on their journey down to Anduin

The travellers turned their backs on the road and went downhill As they walked, brushing their way through bush and herb, sweet odours rose about thehed and retched; but the hobbits breathed deep, and suddenly Sahed, for heart&039;s ease not for jest They followed a streaht them to a small clear lake in a shallow dell: it lay in the broken ruins of an ancient stone basin, the carven rim of which was almost wholly covered with mosses and rose-brambles; iris-swords stood in ranks about it, and water-lily leaves floated on its dark gently-rippling surface; but it was deep and fresh, and spilled ever softly out over a stony lip at the far end

Here they washed the freshet Then they sought for a resting-place, and a hiding-place: for this land, fair-see still, was nonetheless now territory of the Enemy They had not come very far from the road, and yet even in so short a space they had seen scars of the old wars, and the neounds made by the Orcs and other foul servants of the Dark Lord: a pit of uncovered filth and refuse; trees heantonly and left to die, with evil runes or the fell sign of the Eye cut in rude strokes on their bark

Sa and touching the unfaetful for the moment of Mordor, was reminded suddenly of their ever-present peril He stu still scorched by fire, and in the midst of it he found a pile of charred and broken bones and skulls The swift growth of the ith briar and eglantine and trailing cle a veil over this place of dreadful feast and slaughter; but it was not ancient He hurried back to his co: the bones were best left in peace and not pawed and routed by Gollum

&039;Let&039;s find a place to lie up in,&039; he said &039;Not lower down Higher up for me&039;

A little way back above the lake they found a deep brown bed of last year&039;s fern Beyond it was a thicket of dark-leaved bay-trees cli up a steep bank that was croith old cedars Here they decided to rest and pass the day, which already pro on their way along the groves and glades of Ithilien; but though Orcs ht, there were too many places here where they could lie hid and watch; and other evil eyes were abroad: Sauron had many servants Gollum, in any case, would not move under the Yellow Face Soon it would look over the dark ridges of the Ephel Duath, and he would faint and cower in the light and heat

Saht to food as they marched Now that the despair of the impassable Gate was behind hiht for their livelihood beyond the end of their errand; and anyway it seemed wiser to him to save the waybread of the Elves for worse times ahead Six days or more had passed since he reckoned that they had only a bare supply for three weeks

&039;If we reach the Fire in that tiht &039;And we ht!&039;

Besides, at the end of a long night-ry than usual A supper, or a breakfast, by the fire in the old kitchen at Bagshot Rohat he really wanted An idea struck hiun to sneak off on his own, and he was crawling away on all fours through the fern

&039;Hi! Gollu? Well see here, old noser, you don&039;t like our food, and I&039;d not be sorry for a change myself Your newfit for a hungry hobbit?&039;

&039;Yes, perhaps, yes,&039; said Golluol always helps, if they asks �C if they asks nicely&039;

&039;Right!&039; said Sas&039;

Gollum disappeared He ay some time, and Frodo after a few mouthfuls of lembas settled deep into the brown fern and went to sleep Sa down into the shadows under the trees, but he saw hisat rest on the ground beside him He was reminded suddenly of Frodo as he had lain, asleep in the house of Elrond, after his deadly wound Then as he had kept watch Sa faintly within; but now the light was even clearer and stronger Frodo&039;s face was peaceful, the marks of fear and care had left it; but it looked old, old and beautiful, as if the chiselling of the shaping years was now revealed in h the identity of the face was not changed Not that Saee put it that way to hi words useless, and murmured: &039;I love hih, somehow But I love him, whether or no&039;

Gollum returned quietly and peered over Sa at Frodo, he shut his eyes and crawled aithout a sound Sa and round beside hireedily

&039;Sht rabbits, nice rabbits But one to sleep, and perhaps Saol tries to help, but he can&039;t catch things all in a minute&039;

Sam, however, had no objection to rabbit at all, and said so At least not to cooked rabbit All hobbits, of course, can cook, for they begin to learn the art before their letters (which ood cook, even by hobbit reckoning, and he had done a good deal of the ca on their travels, when there was a chance He still hopefully carried soear in his pack: a s into the larger; inside theed fork and some skeere stowed; and hidden at the botto treasure, sos besides He thought for a bit, while he took out his knife, cleaned and whetted it, and began to dress the rabbits He was not going to leave Frodo alone asleep even for a few minutes

&039;Now, Gollum,&039; he said, &039;I&039;ve another job for you Go and fill these pans ater, and bring &039;eol will fetch water, yes,&039; said Gollum &039;But what does the hobbit want all that water for? He has drunk, he has washed&039;

&039;Never you uess, you&039;ll soon find out And the sooner you fetch the water, the sooner you&039;ll learn Don&039;t you dae one of my pans, or I&039;ll carve you into mincemeat&039;

While Gollum ay Sa quietly, but Sam was now struck most by the leanness of his face and hands &039;Too thin and drawn he is,&039; he et these coneys cooked, I&039;athered a pile of the driest fern, and then scras and broken wood; the fallen branch of a cedar at the top gave hiood supply He cut out some turves at the foot of the bank just outside the fern-brake, andhandy with flint and tinder he soon had a save off an aro it and building it up with heavier wood, when Gollu to himself

He set the pans down, and then suddenly sahat Sa shriek, and seery &039;Ach! Sss �C no!&039; he cried &039;No! Silly hobbits, foolish, yes foolish! They mustn&039;t do it!&039;

&039;Mustn&039;t do what?&039; asked Saues,&039; hissed Golluerous, yes it is It burns, it kills And it will bring enemies, yes it will&039;

&039;I don&039;t think so,&039; said Sam &039;Don&039;t see why it should, if you don&039;t put wet stuff on it andto risk it, anyhow I&039; to stew these coneys&039;

&039;Stew the rabbits!&039; squealed Golluol saved for you, poor hungry S, they are tender, they are nice Eat them, eat them!&039; He clawed at the nearest rabbit, already skinned and lying by the fire

&039;No!&039; said Sam &039;Each to his own fashion Our bread chokes you, and raw coney chokes ive me a coney, the coney&039;s mine, see, to cook, if I have a mind And I have You needn&039;t watch me Go and catch another and eat it as you fancy �C soht Then you won&039;t see the fire, and I shan&039;t see you, and we&039;ll both be the happier I&039;ll see the fire don&039;t smoke, if that&039;s any co, and crawled into the fern Sam busied himself with his pans &039;What a hobbit needs with coney,&039; he said to himself, &039;is some herbs and roots, especially taters �C not to ly&039;

&039;Gollum!&039; he called softly &039;Third time pays for all I want some herbs&039; Gollum&039;s head peeped out of the fern, but his looks were neither helpful nor friendly &039;A few bay-leaves, soe, will do �C before the water boils,&039; said Saol is not pleased And Srasses or roots, no precious, not till he&039;s starving or very sick, poor Set into real true hot water, when this water boils, if he don&039;t do as he&039;s asked,&039; growled Sam &039;Sam&039;ll put his head in it, yes precious And I&039;d make him look for turnips and carrots, and taters too, if it was the tiood things running wild in this country I&039;d give a lot for half a dozen taters&039;

&039;So, O no precious, not this tihtened, and he&039;s very tired, and this hobbit&039;s not nice, not nice at all Srub for roots and carrotses and �C taters What&039;s taters, precious, eh, what&039;s taters?

&039;Po-ta-toes,&039; said Saood ballast for an empty belly But you won&039;t find any, so you needn&039;t look But be good Sol and fetch me the herbs, and I&039;ll think better of you What&039;s more, if you turn over a new leaf, and keep it turned, I&039;ll cook you some taters one of these days, I will: fried fish and chips served by S Gaee You couldn&039;t say no to that&039;

&039;Yes, yes we could Spoiling nice fish, scorching it Give me fish now, and keep nassty chips!&039;

&039;Oh you&039;re hopeless,&039; said Sam &039;Go to sleep!&039;

In the end he had to find what he wanted for hiht of the place where his , and tending the fire till the water boiled The daylight grew and the air became warm; the dew faded off turf and leaf Soon the rabbits cut up lay si in their pans with the bunched herbs Almost Sam fell asleep as the ti the the broth

When he thought all was ready he lifted the pans off the fire, and crept along to Frodo Frodo half opened his eyes as Sa: another gentle, unrecoverable dream of peace

&039;Hullo, Sa? What is the time?&039;

&039;About a couple of hours after daybreak,&039; said Saht by Shire clocks, h it ain&039;t quite what I&039;d call right: no stock, no onions, no taters I&039;ve got a bit of a stew for you, and soood You&039;ll have to sup it in your ht froht no bowls, nor nothing proper&039;

Frodo yawned and stretched &039;You should have been resting Saerous in these parts But I do feel hungry Hmm! Can I smell it from here? What have you stewed?&039;

&039;A present fro coneys; though I fancy Golluo with them but a few herbs&039;

Sam and his master sat just within the fern-brake and ate their stew fro the old fork and spoon They allowed themselves half a piece of the Elvish waybread each It seemed a feast

&039;Wheew! Gollum!&039; Sam called and whistled softly &039;Coe your mind There&039;s some left, if you want to try stewed coney&039; There was no answer

&039;Oh well, I suppose he&039;s gone off to find so for himself We&039;ll finish it,&039; said Sam

&039;And then you must take some sleep,&039; said Frodo

&039;Don&039;t you drop off, while I&039;, Mr Frodo I don&039;t feel too sure of hiood deal of Stinker �C the bad Gollu stronger again Not but what I think he&039;d try to throttle me first now We don&039;t see eye to eye, and he&039;s not pleased with Sam, O no precious, not pleased at all&039;