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the scouring of the shire 1311
‘I can’t do that, Mr. Baggins. The inn’s closed. There’s a
Shirriff-house at the far end of the village. I’ll take you there.’
‘All right,’ said Frodo. ‘Go on and we’ll follow.’
Sam had been looking the Shirriffs up and down and
had spotted one that he knew. ‘Hey, come here Robin
Smallburrow!’ he called. ‘I want a word with you.’
With a sheepish glance at his leader, who looked wrathful
but did not dare to interfere, Shirriff Smallburrow fell back
and walked beside Sam, who got down off his pony.
‘Look here, Cock-robin!’ said Sam. ‘You’re Hobbiton-bred
and ought to have more sense, coming a-waylaying Mr.
Frodo and all. And what’s all this about the inn being closed?’
‘They’re all closed,’ said Robin. ‘The Chief doesn’t hold
with beer. Leastways that is how it started. But now I reckon
it’s his Men that has it all. And he doesn’t hold with folk
moving about; so if they will or they must, then they has to
go to the Shirriff-house and explain their business.’
‘You ought to be ashamed of yourself having anything to
do with such nonsense,’ said Sam. ‘You used to like the inside
of an inn better than the outside yourself. You were always
popping in, on duty or off.’
‘And so I would be still, Sam, if I could. But don’t be hard
on me. What can I do? You know how I went for a Shirriff
seven years ago, before any of this began. Gave me a chance
of walking round the country and seeing folk, and hearing
the news, and knowing where the good beer was. But now
it’s different.’
‘But you can give it up, stop Shirriffing, if it has stopped
being a respectable job,’ said Sam.
‘We’re not allowed to,’ said Robin.
‘If I hear not allowed much oftener,’ said Sam, ‘I’m going
to get angry.’
‘Can’t say as I’d be sorry to see it,’ said Robin lowering his
voice. ‘If we all got angry together something might be done.
But it’s these Men, Sam, the Chief ’s Men. He sends them
round everywhere, and if any of us small folk stand up for