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homeward bound 1299
few comments other than: ‘You don’t say,’ often repeated in
defiance of the evidence of Mr. Butterbur’s own ears. ‘You
don’t say, Mr. Baggins, or is it Mr. Underhill? I’m getting so
mixed up. You don’t say, Master Gandalf ! Well I never!
Who’d have thought it in our times!’
But he did say much on his own account. Things were
far from well, he would say. Business was not even fair, it
was downright bad. ‘No one comes nigh Bree now from
Outside,’ he said. ‘And the inside folks, they stay at home
mostly and keep their doors barred. It all comes of those
newcomers and gangrels that began coming up the Greenway
last year, as you may remember; but more came later. Some
were just poor bodies running away from trouble; but most
were bad men, full o’ thievery and mischief. And there was
trouble right here in Bree, bad trouble. Why, we had a real
set-to, and there were some folk killed, killed dead! If you’ll
believe me.’
‘I will indeed,’ said Gandalf. ‘How many?’
‘Three and two,’ said Butterbur, referring to the big folk
and the little. ‘There was poor Mat Heathertoes, and Rowlie
Appledore, and little Tom Pickthorn from over the Hill; and
Willie Banks from up-away, and one of the Underhills from
Staddle: all good fellows, and they’re missed. And Harry
Goatleaf that used to be on the West-gate, and that Bill Ferny,
they came in on the strangers’ side, and they’ve gone off with
them; and it’s my belief they let them in. On the night of the
fight, I mean. And that was after we showed them the gates
and pushed them out: before the year’s end, that was; and
the fight was early in the New Year, after the heavy snow
we had.
‘And now they’re gone for robbers and live outside, hiding
in the woods beyond Archet, and out in the wilds north-away.
It’s like a bit of the bad old times tales tell of, I say. It isn’t
safe on the road and nobody goes far, and folk lock up early.
We have to keep watchers all round the fence and put a lot
of men on the gates at nights.’
‘Well, no one troubled us,’ said Pippin, ‘and we came along