The Treason of Isengard (61 page)

Here the story of Frodo and Sam is roughly outlined further, and the escape from Minas Morgul is reconsidered and rewritten. I think that this further material belongs in fact to the same or much the same time as the primary text. There are various pointers to this. The suggestion found here that 'it could be Merry and Pippin that had adventure in Minas Morgul if Treebeard is cut out' shows that the fully formed narrative had not at any rate advanced beyond the Breaking of the Fellowship; and the chapter is still referred to as 'XXV', which carries the same implication (i.e. my father was still assuming the chapters

'XXI - XXIV' as outlined on pp. 329 - 30 and had not yet embarked on the writing of the 'western' adventures).

The text is written fairly legibly in ink, but towards the end becomes a pencilled scribble, here and there formidably difficult to make out.

Ch. XXV.

Minas Morgul must be made more horrible. The usual

'goblin' stuff is not good enough here.

The Gate shaped like a gaping mouth with teeth and a window like an eye on each side. As Sam passes through he feels a horrible shudder.(32) There are two silent shapes sitting on either side as sentinels.

Substitute something of the following sort for p. [337].

The main outer gates were now closed. But a small door in the middle of one was open. (It faced south.) The tunnelled Gate-house was dark as night and the pale skylight showed up as a small patch at the end of a tunnel. As Sam and Frodo crept closer they saw or guessed the great ominous shape of the Sentinels on either side: still sitting soundless and unmoved: but from them there seemed to issue a nameless threat.

'Stay here!' whispered Frodo drawing Sam into the shadow of a wall not far from the gate. 'While I wear the Ring, I can understand much of the speech of the enemies, or of the thought behind their speech: I don't know which. I will go forward, and try and find out something. If I call out, come at a run: and get through the door if you can.'

'Nay!' said Sam, 'that won't do. If we have a fight at the gate, we might as well or better stay inside. We'd have the whole wasps' nest, orcs and bogeys and all, buzzing after us, before we'd gone a dozen yards: and they know these horrible mountains as well as I mind me of Bag-End. Swagger is the only hope, Mr. Frodo, begging your pardon.'

'Very well, my good Sam,' said Frodo, 'try swagger!'

Feeling as little like 'swagger* as ever in his life, Sam walked forward, as bold and unconcerned as he could manage to look, all shaking at the knees as he was, and with a queer tightening of his breath. Each step forward became more difficult. It was as if some will denying the passage was drawn like invisible ropes across his path. He felt the pressure of unseen eyes. It seemed an age before he passed under the gloom of the gate's arch, and he felt tired as if he had been swimming against a strong tide. The Sentinels sat there: dark and still. They did not move their clawlike hands laid on their knees, they did not move their shrouded heads [struck out: staring stiffly] in which no faces could be seen; but Sam felt a sudden prickle in his skin, he sensed that they were alive and suddenly alert. As he came between them he seemed to shrink [and] shrivel, naked as an insect crawling to its hole under the eyes of gigantic birds. He came to the open door: just outside the path ran to a flight of stairs leading to the downward road. Only one step and he would be out - but he could not pass: it was as if the air before him had become stiff. He had to summon up his strength and his will. Like lead he lifted his foot and forced it slowly bit by bit over the threshold, on either side he felt the darkness leer and grin at him. Slowly he pressed his foot down, down. It touched the step outside: and then something seemed to snap. He stood fixed. He thought he heard a cry, but whether just beside him, or far away in some remote watchful tower he could not tell.

There was a sudden clash of iron. An Orc ran out from the guard-room.

Frodo creeping warily behind was now also under the archway. He heard the guard cry out in harsh tones. 'Ho there: who are you, and what do you think you are doing?' He laid hold of Sam's cloak. Sam snarled angrily, but the trick did not work so well a second time. The guard held him. 'Closing-time is past, half an hour ago,' he growled. 'No one but the Lord's messengers are allowed in or out, and you know that. The door awaits the bringer of word from Baraddur, but it is not for any other.'

Of all this Sam understood only that he was forbidden to pass. He could not move forward: so he stepped suddenly back stepping on the feet of the Orc behind. Frodo saw the guard's hand go to the hilt of his scimitar. 'Hey, who are you stamping on?' said he. Sam prepared for battle. He turned, etc. as before.

[Struck out: An alternative would be to make the gate

impassable. The alarm is sounded. The City is aroused. The Vulture {Black Rider) arrives in the main square. Frodo at once

, knows that Ring is useless. He feels almost discovered. Messenger says Ring is still in the town: he feels it.]

Alternative account.

Make light fade in the window as Sam and Frodo talk in the Sketch for the Gate of Minas Morgul.

Loathly Tower. They try the trick of getting an orc to open the door as twilight deepens. No dressing up. They creep out into the town. Something warns Frodo not to use the Ring. The elf-hoods prove better in the City of Sorcery than the Ring - the two hobbits (aided by some grace of Galadriel that went with the garments) pass along the streets like mist. The gate is closed

- the sentinels described: three a side.(33)

The walls are high and if it were possible to get onto them unseen - it is not: the few ascents are guarded - they could not get down. They are trapped.

A cry from a watch tower. The waning moon rises in East. A dark shape flying out of the East, a black speck against clouds.

Vulture bearing a Ringwraith settles in main square. The Ringwraith has come to take Frodo back to the Dark Tower. At that moment boom, the alarm is sounded from Loathly Tower.

Ringwraith says Ring has not left City: he feels it. Hunt in town.

Hairbreadth escape of hobbits. In spite of the Ringwraith a host of orcs assemble to scour mountains (? Frodo and Sam trap two orcs in an alley and take their cloaks and gear. ?) Pass out in rear of the company. Describe the reluctant feeling, and moveless sentinels. Even as they pass the sentinels stir: and give a fell, horrible, far-off cry. The moon is suddenly clouded. A fierce cold wind from East. Rain? The hobbits fling themselves flat among the rocks. Orcs pass over them. Hunt misses them because they go towards Mordor. The hunt goes West and North.

Now go on to describe the journey to Fiery Mountain.

Footsteps come after them. Gollum has picked up trail.

Frodo and Sam journey by night down the slopes of Duath out into the dreadful waste of Gorgoroth.(34)

[The grey cloaks of Lothlorien must be made more magical and efficacious. 'Are these garments magical?' asks Frodo. 'We do not know what you mean by magical,' said they. 'They have virtues: for they are elvish.' They were green and grey: their property is to blend perfectly with all natural surroundings: leaves, boughs, grass, water, stone. Unless a full light of sun was on them, and the wearer was moving or set against the sky, they were not invisible, but unnoticeable.](35)

Far away they saw the underside of the Mountains stained red with the glow of Amarthon [written above: Dolamarth]: Mount Doom: the Mountain of Fire.(36) There is a constant rumble of thunder. Frodo feels the Eye. They come down a long ravine opening onto Gorgoroth beyond the south-east end of Kirith Ungol: it is end of road from Barad-dur to Morgul.(37) Great hideous cavern (38) pillars. They peer [?out?about] in the grey day over Gorgoroth. Mount Doom is smoking and burning to left. Black cloud lies over Baraddur. Millions of birds - [?led by vultures]: plain seems crawling with insects - a great host assembled - all sweeping out towards Kirith. By evening all plain is silent and empty. Cinders fall on plain. Moon rises late.

Very dark. They begin the perilous crossing. Rustle of following feet. Journey all night.

Distances are rather too large - it would be eased if Orcs took Frodo to [?East] Guard Tower of R... - Loath and Grim

[written above: Fell and Dire]. They could then see easier the host and would not have to cross Kirith Ungol.(39)

[Struck out: It could be Merry and Pippin that had adventure in Minas Morgul if Treebeard is cut out.] (40)

From Dire-castle Gorgos (and Nargos) it would be only 70

miles. They could creep round edge of Eredlithui.(41)

Sam must fall out somehow. Stumble and break leg: thinks it is a crack in ground - really Gollum. [?Makes ?Make] Frodo go on alone.

Frodo toils up Mount Doom. Earth quakes, the ground is hot.

There is a narrow path winding up. Three fissures. Near summit there is Sauron's Fire-well. An opening in side of mountain leads into a chamber the floor of which is split asunder by a cleft.(42) Frodo turns and looks North-west, sees the dust of battle.

Faint sound of horn. This is Windbeam the Horn of Elendil blown only in extremity.(43)

Birds circle over. Feet behind.

It is then at night before ascent of Mount Doom that Frodo sees the lone eye, like a window that does not move and yet searches in Baraddur.

Description of Baraddur seen afar.

I give here the latter part of a time-scheme of this period which covers the events of this outline plot. For the chronological structure in this scheme see p. 367 ('scheme I').

Dec. 25. Reach Tolbrandir in evening.

26. Flight of Frodo.

Jan.3. Gollum slips away.

5. Frodo, Sam [struck out: and Gollum] reach Kirith Ungol.

6. Frodo captured.

8. Sam rescues Frodo in [Minas Morgul >] Gorgos.

9. Sam and Frodo journey in Duath.

10. Sam and Frodo see host in Gorgoroth and lie hid.

[These two entries changed to read: Jan. 9, 10, 11 Sam and Frodo journey in Eredlithui (see hosts going to war).]

12,13. Ascent of Mount Doom.

14. [?Horns)... Fall of Mordor.

15. Victory and return to Minas Tirith.

[Added: Jan. 25 Reach Minas Tirith. Jan. 26 Great Feast.]

Notable points in this time-scheme are the corroboration of the statement in the text that Sam had been Ringbearer for two days (see p. 334 and note 30); the change in the place of Frodo's imprisonment from Minas Morgul to Gorgos (see p. 344 and notes 39, 41); and the mention of the great feast that followed the victory (cf. p. 212).

NOTES.

1. On the back of the first page of this outline are some rough workings for revision of The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, which was completed in its original form in 1930. This stray page perhaps shows my father turning to it again at this time. It was ultimately published in greatly revised form, to which these workings were moving, in 1945.

2. Cf. the outline (c) for 'Farewell to Lorien', p. 269: 'Arrows from East shore as they pass down river?'

3. Tolharn and Tollernen were passing replacements of Tolondren.

Subsequently Stoneait (ait 'islet', = eyot) and Tollernen were struck out in pencil (all other changes in the opening section being made in ink) and replaced by Eregon ( = Stone pinnacle).

On Eregon see p. 323 note 12.

4. Sarn Gebir and Nomen's land (Nomenlands) emerged in the course of the writing of 'Farewell to Lorien' (pp. 281, 283).

5. It is ill to be alone on the east side of the River: this was left unchanged when the text immediately preceding was altered to the story that Frodo and Sam did not cross to the east bank but climbed the hill on the island where they camped. - In the outline (c) to 'Farewell to Lorien' (p. 269) it is told that 'They' crossed to the east bank and went up into the hills 'to look around', where

'They' may be the whole Company or Frodo and Sam only.

6. Eredwethion 'Mountains of Shadow' is derived from The Silmarillion.

With this scene compare the previous Plot (p. 208):

Boromir takes Frodo apart and talks to him. Begs to see Ring again. Evil enters into his heart and he tries to daunt Frodo and then to take it by force. Frodo is obliged to slip it on to escape him. (What does he see then - cloud all round him getting nearer and many fell voices in air?)

In that Plot there is no mention of the Eye - but cf. the much earlier outline dated August 1939 (VI.381): 'Horrible feeling of an Eye searching for him'.

8. On the name Dantruinel for Rauros see pp. 285, 316.

9. It seems very likely that the reason for shifting the place where the Company camped to the west bank of the river and making the island inaccessible was to allow Merry and Pippin to become separated and lost - a development that had already been conceived in the previous Plot (see note 16).

10. I take these words, set in inverted commas, to be Boromir's, referring deceitfully to Frodo's having put on the Ring.