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the scouring of the shire 1317
‘Well I am staggered!’ said Pippin. ‘Of all the ends to our
journey that is the very last I should have thought of: to have
to fight half-orcs and ruffians in the Shire itself – to rescue
Lotho Pimple!’
‘Fight?’ said Frodo. ‘Well, I suppose it may come to that.
But remember: there is to be no slaying of hobbits, not even
if they have gone over to the other side. Really gone over,
I mean; not just obeying ruffians’ orders because they are
frightened. No hobbit has ever killed another on purpose in
the Shire, and it is not to begin now. And nobody is to be
killed at all, if it can be helped. Keep your tempers and hold
your hands to the last possible moment!’
‘But if there are many of these ruffians,’ said Merry, ‘it will
certainly mean fighting. You won’t rescue Lotho, or the
Shire, just by being shocked and sad, my dear Frodo.’
‘No,’ said Pippin. ‘It won’t be so easy scaring them a
second time. They were taken by surprise. You heard that
horn-blowing? Evidently there are other ruffians near at
hand. They’ll be much bolder when there’s more of them
together. We ought to think of taking cover somewhere for
the night. After all we’re only four, even if we are armed.’
‘I’ve an idea,’ said Sam. ‘Let’s go to old Tom Cotton’s
down South Lane! He always was a stout fellow. And he has
a lot of lads that were all friends of mine.’
‘No!’ said Merry. ‘It’s no good ‘‘getting under cover’’. That
is just what people have been doing, and just what these
ruffians like. They will simply come down on us in force,
corner us, and then drive us out, or burn us in. No, we have
got to do something at once.’
‘Do what?’ said Pippin.
‘Raise the Shire!’ said Merry. ‘Now! Wake all our people!
They hate all this, you can see: all of them except perhaps
one or two rascals, and a few fools that want to be important,
but don’t at all understand what is really going on. But Shirefolk
have been so comfortable so long they don’t know what
to do. They just want a match, though, and they’ll go up in
fire. The Chief ’s Men must know that. They’ll try to stamp