The War of the Ring (41 page)

Part of Battle could be seen by Frodo from [?his] tower while a prisoner.

With the last part of this text compare the second part of the outline

'The Story Foreseen from Fangorn', VII.438.

This pencilled continuation was obviously written all at one time, and it was written therefore after May 1944, when Faramir, whose return to Minas Tirith is mentioned here, entered the story of The Lord of the Rings: it is new work on the story after Book IV had been completed. That the brief initial passage in ink ('Pippin looked out from Gandalf's arms ...') should be separated from its pencilled continuation by a long interval seems to me so unlikely as to be out of the question. Far more probably my father abandoned it because he had changed his mind about Gandalf's riding by day, and (as he often did in such cases) then sketched out the changed conception very rapidly (see the Note on Chronology at the end of this chapter).

This was followed by a further draft of the opening ('B'), a single page roughly written in ink that went no further than the errand-riders racing from Gondor to Edoras. I give this brief text in full, ignoring a few subsequent changes in pencil.

Pippin looked out from the shelter of Gandalf's cloak. He was awake now, though he had been sleeping, but he felt that he was still in a swift-moving dream. Still the dark world seemed to be rushing by, and a wind sang loudly in his ears. He could see nothing but the wheeling stars, and away to the right vast shadows against the sky, where the mountains of the south marched by. Sleepily he tried to reckon the time, but he could not be sure of his memory. This was the beginning of the second night of riding since he had seen the pale gleam of gold in the chill dawn and had come to the great empty house upon the hill in Edoras. There he had slept only dimly aware of much coming and going and of the great outcry when the winged flier had passed over. And since then riding, riding in the night.

A pale light came in the sky, a blaze of yellow fire was lit behind dark barriers. For a moment he was afraid, wondering what dreadful thing lay ahead; he rubbed his eyes, and then he saw it was the moon rising full out of the eastern shadows. So they had ... for four hours since dusk!(1)

'Where are we, Gandalf?' he asked.

'Anorien the realm of Gondor is still fleeting by,' said Gandalf.

'What is that?' said Pippin, suddenly clutching at Gandalf's cloak. 'Fire! I thought for a moment it might be a dragon. I feel that anything might happen in this land. Look there is another!'

'On, Shadowfax!' cried Gandalf. 'We must not rest this night.

Those are the beacons of Gondor calling for aid. War is kindled.

See, there is the light on Amon Thorn, and a flame on Elenach; and look there they go speeding west, Nardol, Penannon, Orodras, and Mindor Uilas on the borders of Rohan. Haste!'

And Shadowfax leaped forward, and as he sprang forward he neighed pricking his ears. Neighing of horses answered and like shadows flying on a wild wind riders went by them thundering west in the gloom.

'Those are post riders,' said Gandalf, 'riding from message post to message post - bearing tidings and summons. The message will reach Edoras by nightfall tonight.'(2) This text was followed by another single page ('C'). This was typed by my father in the 'midget type' which he used in his letters to me from 7 July 1944 (see the beginning of no. 75 in Letters) and frequently until October of that year; and thus this one sheet carries the story as far as the point where Shadowfax passes through the narrow gate in the Pelennor wall (RK p. 21) - the text stopping just before the name Pelennor would appear (see p. 277). The final text was now very closely approached. The names of all the beacons (now seven, not six) are here in the final form: Amon Din, Eilenach, Nardol, Erelas, Minrimmon, Calenhad, and Halifirien on the borders of Rohan. There are however a few differences. Gandalf here tells Pippin that the message-posts were at distances of 'every fifty miles or so, where errand-riders were always in readiness to carry messages to Rohan or elsewhere' (in RK, p. 20, no distance is mentioned, and Belfalas is named as another destination of such errands). The passage in which Pippin, falling asleep, thinks of Frodo runs thus: He wondered where Frodo was and if he was already in Mordor, little thinking that Frodo on that same night saw from afar the white snows under the moon; but the red flames of the beacons he did not see, for the mists of the Great River covered all the land between.

On this see the Note on Chronology at the end of this chapter.(3)-The leader of the men at the Pelennor wall is here named Cranthir, not Ingold.

The next stage in the evolution of 'Minas Tirith' was a complete, or nearly complete, draft text; that the page 'C' preceded it and was not an abortive start to a typescript of it is certain è.g., the leader of the men at the wall is now Ingold).

My father here set a most curious puzzle. The datum is that (as he said) he abandoned 'Minas Tirith' about the end of 1942, as 'the beacons flared in Anorien': the story only went 'as far as the arrival in Gondor'. A single typescript page ('C') does precisely that, and when I first studied these papers I felt certain that it was the 'abandoned opening', but it is clear and obvious that 'C' was developed from 'B'

and that from 'A', and in 'A' there is a reference to Faramir, who only entered the story in 1944. Moreover 'C' was typed with a special type which my father seems only to have begun using in 1944. The emphatically underlined words in A 'Beacons. Messengers riding West' certainly suggest that this is where those ideas actually arose; but how could they have done so, since 'the beacons flared in Anorien'

already in the original opening of 1942? I was therefore forced to the conclusion that that was lost.

But this conclusion is wrong; and there is very clear evidence that my father erred in his recollection. The solution lies in a passage from his letter of Thursday 12 October 1944, which I have cited before (p- 100), but not in full:

I began trying to write again (I would, on the brink of term!) on Tuesday, but-I struck a most awkward error (one or two days) in the synchronization, v. important at this stage, of movements of Frodo and the others, which has cost labour and thought and will require tiresome small alterations in many chapters; but at any rate I have actually began Book Five (and last: about 10 chapters per 'book').

I had taken (in view of what he said years later) the words that I have italicised to mean that my father had begun 'Minas Tirith' anew, and supposed that in this brief reference he simply passed over the fact that the beginning of the chapter (and the beginning of 'The Muster of Rohan') was long since in existence - or else that the earlier beginning had now been rejected and set aside. But the words are much more naturally taken to mean what they say: 'I have actually begun Book Five'- on 10 October 1944, ab initio; and if they are so taken the entire problem disappears. The abandoned opening is not lost, and it is indeed the curious isolated page 'C' in 'midget type'; but it was written in 1944, not 1942. The page 'A', preceding 'B' and 'C', is indeed where the ideas of the beacons and the westbound errand-riders first emerged

- and since it was written in 1944 the appearance of Faramir represents no difficulty. Thus in his letter of 29 November 1944 cited on p. 219 my father could say that 'Book Five and Last opens with the ride of Gandalf to Minas Tirith ... Some of this is written or sketched': it had been 'written or sketched' in the previous month.

The reason for this error, made many years later, is easy to see: for there was indeed a long hiatus in the writing of 'Minas Tirith' (and

'The Muster of Rohan'). But it fell not in the long halt of 1943-4, between Book III and Book IV; it fell in the long halt between October 1944 and the summer of 1946 (see pp. 219-20), after Book IV was completed. That this is so is strongly supported by the time-schemes.

I have argued (p. 141) that the schemes C and D preceded the chronological problems that emerged in October 1944, while scheme S represents their resolution. All three, however, deal both with Frodo and Sam on the one hand and the events in Rohan and Gondor on the other; and it seems therefore very probable that they are all to be associated with the new narrative opening at that time. It was precisely because my father was now, in the latter part of 1944, returning 'west of Anduin' for the first time since he finished 'The Palantir' that the need for all this chronological synchronisation arose. See further the Note on Chronology at the end of this chapter.

The first full draft of 'Minas Tirith' belongs of course to the final period in the writing of The Lord of the Rings. This text was left behind in England; but apart from this, almost all manuscript material from the final period (Books V and VI), including outlines and initial draftings, went to Marquette University in the original consignment of papers.

(ii) The Muster of Rohan.

The original draft for the opening of 'The Muster of Rohan', here called 'A', is a rapidly pencilled text in my father's most difficult script, some of which has defied repeated attempts to decipher it; I give it here as best I can. The opening paragraph was rejected as soon as written, but it was not struck through. It may be mentioned before giving the text that it had long been known that Theoden would return from Isengard through the mountains to Dunharrow: see the outlines given on pp. 70, 72 (written before Gandalf's sudden departure for Minas Tirith on Shadowfax had entered). In LR the journey of Theoden, Aragorn and their company from Dol Baran is described in 'The Passing of the Grey Company', but that had not yet been written.

Morning was come again, but dim still lay the deep dale about them. Dark and shadowy the great woods of fir climbed upon the steep sides of the ... hills. Long now it seemed to the travellers since they had ridden from Isengard, longer even than

[? the] time of their weary journey.(4)

Day again was fading. Dim lay the high dale about them.

Night had already come beneath the great woods of murmuring firs that clothed the steep mountain-sides. But now the travellers rode down a steep track and passing out of the scented sighing gloom of the pines they [?followed a] ...... they found themselves at the... where it passed into a wider vale. The long vale of Harrowdale. Dark on the right loomed the vast tangled mass of Dunharrow, its great peak now lost to sight, for they were crawling at its feet. Lights twinkled before them on the other side of the valley, across the river Snowborn (5) white and fuming on its stones. They were come at last at the end of many days to the old mountain homes of folk forgotten - to the Hold of Dunharrow. Long it seemed since they rode from Isengard.

[?It was] ... days since they rode from Isengard, but it seemed

..., with little else but weary riding. So King Theoden came back to his people.

As dusk fell they came to the river and the old stone bridges that [?were there]. There they sounded a horn. Horns answered gladly from above. Now they climbed up a winding path which brought them slowly up to a wide upland field set back into the side of the great [?bones of Dunharrow. Treeclad walls half embraced it].(6) The Snowborn issued and fell down with a waterfall. The rock behind was full of caves that had been bored and cut with great labour in the rock walls. Legend said that here was a dwelling and a [?holy] place of forgotten men in the Dark Years - [? before ever] the ships came to Belfalas or Gondor was built. What had become of them? Vanished, gone away, to mingle with the people of Dunland or the folk of Lebennin by the sea. Here the Eorlingas had made a stronghold, but they were not a mountain folk, and as the days grew better while Sauron was far away they passed down the vale and built Edoras at the north of Harrowdale. But ever they kept the Hold of Dunharrow as a refuge. There still dwelt some folk reckoned as Rohir, and the same in speech, but dark with grey eyes. The blood of the forgotten men ran in their veins.

Now all [? about] the vale on [? flat] sides of the Snowborn they saw ... and ... of men, fires kindled. The [?upland plain]

was filled [? too]. Trumpets rang, glad was the cry of men to welcome Theoden.

Eowyn comes forth and greets Theoden and Aragorn.

Gandalf's message tells her to hold assembly at Dunharrow.

This is not the House of Eorl. But [? that is guarded]. Here we will [?hold) the feast of victory so long delayed, and the

[ale >] ... ale (7) of Hama and all who fell.

The torchlit stone hall.

Merry sat beside Theoden as was promised.(8)

Eowyn brings in the cup for the drinking.

Even as Theoden drains it the messenger comes.

Aragorn had already arrived and greets King Theoden (9) side by side with Eowyn.

Halbarad sister-son of Denethor.(10) He asks for ten thousand spears at once.

Men are [? gathering] in the East beyond the Inland Sea of Nurnen, and far north. Eventually they may assail the East Emnet, but that would not come yet. Now Orcs have passed south through Nargil pass in the Southland beyond [? River]