Chapter 2. Pony Post

The Thain spoke suddenly behind him. 'Frodo, d'you think Gandalf will remember which way to go? We've been here for hours.'

Reginard felt a sudden chill. The two that Pippin mentioned had left Middle Earth nearly twenty years ago, now, sailing from the Grey Havens on an elven ship.

'I'm sure we'll find our way out, Pippin,' he said cautiously.

To his relief, the Thain said, 'Reginard? What are you doing here?'

'We were inspecting the new diggings, d'you remember, Sir?'

'New diggings...' Pippin's voice trailed off, puzzled.

'How many fingers am I holding up?' Reginard asked him.

'Well, if you'd just hold them still, maybe I could count them,' the Thain said irritably. 'Oi my head.' He closed his eyes and put his hand over them, then spoke again. 'Regi, did I crack my ribs again?' He moved restlessly. 'Hard to breathe.'

'There's a lot of dust in the air,' Reginard answered. 'Try to take shallow breaths. I couldn't find any broken bones on you, but that doesn't mean there aren't any.' He raised his voice. 'Andy, come over here a minute!'

The Thain winced. 'Oooo, don't shout,' he muttered. 'My ears are still working, at least.'

'Sorry,' Reginard said. 'Andy, help me get him sitting up.' They eased Pippin's back against the wall.

'Dizzy...' Pippin murmured, opening his eyes only to close them hastily.

'D'you feel like heaving?' Reginard asked.

'Yes, but I'd rather not right now, thank you. I think my head might split open if I did,' Pippin said. 'Where are we?'

Reginard felt a stab of alarm. 'Don't you remember, Sir? We're in the New Smials. It all came down on our heads.'

'I know that,' the Thain said in annoyance. 'I meant, where in the diggings are we?'

'At the far end, I'm sorry to say. They could have a hundred feet of rock and dirt to dig through, to get to us. And I wonder how long we're safe here?' Reginard said grimly.

'Until we run out of air?' Pippin said.

'No, until the rest of it comes down on us,' his cousin answered.

To his surprise the Thain chuckled. 'Not likely,' he said,' from what I remember of the plans. There's a natural rock shelf above us. No, we're perfectly safe as long as the air holds out.'

'It could take them days to get to us,' Andy said in a low voice. He didn't want to alarm the others.

The Thain opened his eyes for a quick look about the torchlit chamber before he closed them again. 'Don't think we have that much air,' he said softly. 'We're going to have to figure something else out, can't just sit on our thumbs waiting for rescue.'

'What did you have in mind?' Reginard asked, settling next to him, back against the wall.

'Found a water bottle!' Dinny yelped.

Reginard remembered not to raise his voice. 'Bring it over here then.' He took the bottle, shook it, it was at least half full. He raised it to Pippin's lips. 'Here, take a sip,' he urged. After Pippin had swallowed a sip or two, Regi took out his handkerchief, wet it with a few drops of the precious liquid, and wiped the Thain's face.

'Did you have another idea for getting us out of here?' Andy echoed Reginard's question.

Pippin took several shallow breaths, then spoke. 'There's an old tunnel running into the hillside beneath us. I remember remarking on't when Aldebrand showed me the plans. We're a bit higher up, of course, wanted to leave plenty of floor, wouldn't want a cave-in of course.' He chuckled, but the chuckle turned into a cough. Reginard eased him as best he could. After another sip of water, the Thain went on. We can dig down to it, t'would be much faster than trying to dig through the rockfall.'

'Where do we start digging?' Andy asked.

'We're at the far end?' Pippin asked.

'Aye,' Regi answered.

The Thain was silent for a few breaths, head back against the wall, calculating silently. 'Found a pick! ...and two shovels!' Dinny called behind them.

'Good, lad! Keep looking!' Regi answered. 'Seth, come get this water bottle, give some to Len, will ye?'

'Thanks,' Len called back, 'I'm that dry, I am.'

Seth got the bottle. 'Take a swig yourself,' Regi told him, 'but make it a little one.' The other hobbit nodded and went back to Len.

Pippin spoke again. 'About ten paces from the back wall, I'd say,' he said. 'Just start digging straight down.'

'Right,' Regi said softly. 'You going to be all right here?'

'I'll be fine,' Pippin said. 'You go right ahead, I'll prop up this wall, keep it from falling on you.' He didn't open his eyes to see Regi's grin, but smiled at the squeeze Regi gave his shoulder as the older hobbit got up from the wall.

***

The innkeeper was on the roof of the stables, pounding a shingle into place, when he heard his youngest son shout. 'Something's coming!' the lad said.

He looked up to see a cloud of dust on the road. 'A rider, coming fast,' he said through a mouthful of nails.

His oldest son looked up from his own hammering. 'D'ye think it's the Pony Post?' he said.

'Let's not take no chances,' the innkeeper answered. 'Probably just another test, but we might as well be ready as not.' He wasn't going to give the Thain another chance to use the sharp side of his tongue. He spat the nails into his hand, shouting down. 'Who've we got ready in the stables, Toby?'

'Nightengale,' the lad shouted back.

'Saddle 'er up, then, have her ready.' The sound of a distant horn clinched it. 'Hurry up! That rider'll be here in a minute!' He gestured to his oldest son, and the two of them descended from the roof.

The rider brought the pony racing into the yard. The dancing hoofs belied the heaving sides, lathered flanks, flaring nostrils. The innkeeper stepped up to seize the reins. 'Easy, lad,' he soothed, 'You've made a good run, it's time to rest now, for all you're ready to go on.'

Toby came running up, leading Nightengale. The mare was prancing, eager to go. The rider flung himself from the saddle, grabbing the saddlebags from his lathered pony, throwing them over Nightengale, and pulling himself up.

'We're just sitting down to elevenses,' the innkeeper said. 'Would you like a bite?'

'No time!' the rider gasped, but he did take the cup of water that the innkeeper's oldest daughter held up to him, drained it at a gulp, handed it back and turned the pony towards the road with the barest thanks. Over his shoulder, he said, 'Have three ponies ready for the return trip!' With a swift kick to Nightengale's sides, he was gone.

'What is it then, another test?' the innkeeper's wife said, coming from the kitchen.

The innkeeper shook his head, staring after the cloud of dust. 'There must be bad trouble at the Great Smials, is what I'm thinking...'

'Well, we'll hear about it sooner or later. Come on, then, tea's getting cold,' his wife said.

'Just a minute, Daisy.' The innkeeper raised his voice. 'Nibs! Toby! Go get three of the Thain's ponies from the field, saddle 'em up, have 'em ready to go!'

'Yessir!' the boys called back and headed out to the pasture at a jog.

'It'll take the rider another two hours to get to Buckland, and then there's the trip back,' his wife protested.

'Aye,' the innkeeper said grimly. 'But we'll be ready for them when they come. Won't hurt the ponies none to stand under a saddle for a few hours, and whatever's happened, they seem to be in a tearing hurry about it.'

He handed the reins to his oldest son. 'Cool him out good, lad, clean him up and give him a good rub down. Looks as if he went at a gallop all the way here from Tuckborough.'

'Yessir,' his son replied as the innkeeper went to the stables to get down the Thain's saddles.