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the scouring of the shire 1321
there’s not above three hundred of them in the Shire all told,
and maybe less. We can master them, if we stick together.’
‘Have they got any weapons?’ asked Merry.
‘Whips, knives, and clubs, enough for their dirty work:
that’s all they’ve showed so far,’ said Cotton. ‘But I dare say
they’ve got other gear, if it comes to fighting. Some have
bows, anyway. They’ve shot one or two of our folk.’
‘There you are, Frodo!’ said Merry. ‘I knew we should
have to fight. Well, they started the killing.’
‘Not exactly,’ said Cotton. ‘Leastways not the shooting.
Tooks started that. You see, your dad, Mr. Peregrin, he’s
never had no truck with this Lotho, not from the beginning:
said that if anyone was going to play the chief at this time of
day, it would be the right Thain of the Shire and no upstart.
And when Lotho sent his Men they got no change out of
him. Tooks are lucky, they’ve got those deep holes in the
Green Hills, the Great Smials and all, and the ruffians can’t
come at ’em; and they won’t let the ruffians come on their
land. If they do, Tooks hunt ’em. Tooks shot three for
prowling and robbing. After that the ruffians turned nastier.
And they keep a pretty close watch on Tookland. No one
gets in nor out of it now.’
‘Good for the Tooks!’ cried Pippin. ‘But someone is going
to get in again, now. I am off to the Smials. Anyone coming
with me to Tuckborough?’
Pippin rode off with half a dozen lads on ponies. ‘See you
soon!’ he cried. ‘It’s only fourteen miles or so over the fields.
I’ll bring you back an army of Tooks in the morning.’ Merry
blew a horn-call after them as they rode off into the gathering
night. The people cheered.
‘All the same,’ said Frodo to all those who stood near, ‘I
wish for no killing; not even of the ruffians, unless it must be
done, to prevent them from hurting hobbits.’
‘All right!’ said Merry. ‘But we shall be having a visit from
the Hobbiton gang any time now, I think. They won’t come
just to talk things over. We’ll try to deal with them neatly,
but we must be prepared for the worst. Now I’ve got a plan.’