return

the scouring of the shire 1313
travellers did not seem quite sure whether laughing was
allowed. A dozen Shirriffs had been told off as escort to the
‘prisoners’; but Merry made them march in front, while
Frodo and his friends rode behind. Merry, Pippin, and Sam
sat at their ease laughing and talking and singing, while the
Shirriffs stumped along trying to look stern and important.
Frodo, however, was silent and looked rather sad and
thoughtful.
The last person they passed was a sturdy old gaffer clipping
a hedge. ‘Hullo, hullo!’ he jeered. ‘Now who’s arrested who?’
Two of the Shirriffs immediately left the party and went
towards him. ‘Leader!’ said Merry. ‘Order your fellows back
to their places at once, if you don’t want me to deal with
them!’
The two hobbits at a sharp word from the leader came
back sulkily. ‘Now get on!’ said Merry, and after that the
travellers saw to it that their ponies’ pace was quick enough
to push the Shirriffs along as fast as they could go. The sun
came out, and in spite of the chilly wind they were soon
puffing and sweating.
At the Three-Farthing Stone they gave it up. They had
done nearly fourteen miles with only one rest at noon. It was
now three o’clock. They were hungry and very footsore and
they could not stand the pace.
‘Well, come along in your own time!’ said Merry. ‘We are
going on.’
‘Good-bye, Cock-robin!’ said Sam. ‘I’ll wait for you outside
The Green Dragon, if you haven’t forgotten where that
is. Don’t dawdle on the way!’
‘You’re breaking arrest, that’s what you’re doing,’ said the
leader ruefully, ‘and I can’t be answerable.’
‘We shall break a good many things yet, and not ask you
to answer,’ said Pippin. ‘Good luck to you!’
The travellers trotted on, and as the sun began to sink
towards the White Downs far away on the western horizon
they came to Bywater by its wide pool; and there they had