"GL2" - читать интересную книгу автора (vol08)

PART TWO.

THE RING GOES EAST.

I.

THE TAMING OF SMEAGOL.

In his letter of June 1957 cited in note 19 to the last chapter (p. 80) my
father said that at the time of this long break in the writing of The
Lord of the Rings 'Chapter 1 of Book iv had hardly got beyond Sam's
opening words (Vol. II p. 209)'. That beginning of a new story of Sam
and Frodo in Mordor,(1) for so long set aside, can I think be identified:
it consists of a brief narrative opening that soon breaks down into
outline form ('A'), and a portion of formed narrative ('B') that ends at
Sam's words (TT p. 210) 'a bit of plain bread, and a mug aye half a
mug of beer would go down proper'. The original draft A went thus:

'Well Master this is a nasty place and no mistake,' said Sam to
Frodo. They had been wandering for days in the hard barren
heights of Sarn Gebir. Now at last on the fifth evening since
their flight (2) they stood on the edge of a grey cliff. A chill east
wind blew. Far below the land lay green at the feet of the cliff,
and away S.W. [read S.E.] a pall of grey cloud or shadow hung
shutting out the remoter view.
'It seems we have come the wrong way altogether,' went on
Sam. 'That's where we want to get, or we don't want to but we
mean to. And the quicker the better, if we must do it. But we
can't get down, and if we do get down there is all that nasty
green marsh. Phew, can you smell it.' He sniffed the wind: cold
as it was it seemed heavy with a stench of cold decay and
rottenness.
'We are above the Dead Marshes that lie between Anduin and
the pass into Mordor,' said Frodo. 'We have come the wrong
way - [we >) I should have left the Company long before and
come down from the North, east of Sarn Gebir and over the
hard of Battle Plain. But it would take us weeks on foot to work
back northward over these hills. I don't know what is to be
done.%hat food have we?'
A couple of weeks with care.
Let us sleep.
Suspicion of Gollum that night. They work northward.
Next day footfalls on the rock. Frodo sends Sam ahead and
hides behind a rock using ring.(3) Gollum appears. Frodo over-

come with sudden fear flies, but Gollum pursues. They come to
a cliff rather lower and less sheer than that behind. In dread of
Gollum they begin to climb down.

Here my father abandoned this draft, and (as I think) followed at