Chapter 20. In which a watch is interrupted

Ted fell into a heavy sleep, and Woodruff herself was dozing in her weariness, when she was wakened again. ‘Mum?’

‘Is the burial over already?’ she asked. Why, she hadn’t realised that she’d fallen asleep, but certainly she’d needed the rest. Her eyes felt grainy and swollen, and her very bones ached.

‘No,’ Holly said breathlessly. ‘No, I came back to tell you—the Thain ordered that Ferdi be carried through every corridor of the Smials.’

Woodruff nodded. Of course; they would have accorded this highest of honours to one of the heroes of the Troubles. Ferdibrand had been instrumental in keeping the ruffians out of Tookland, planning and setting traps, advising the Thain on the ruffians’ movements and even their very plans, for he crept, under cover of darkness, to their gatherings to listen to their talk, and he gathered information from hobbits who pretended to cooperate with the Men who had taken over the Shire.

‘They’ll be coming by our door in a few moments,’ Holly said, putting her hand on Woodruff’s arm and urging her to stand. ‘I’ll stay here, with Da, long enough for you to do him honour.’

‘Thank you, lovie,’ Woodruff said with a sigh, rising stiffly to her feet. ‘It troubled me, to slight him so, but I didn’t want to leave my Ted for such a long time as a burial.’

Holly smiled, turning immediately to refresh the cloth on her father-in-love’s forehead, and Woodruff, subtly reassured, left the room.

She found that hobbits were lining the walls of the corridor already, waiting, and she nodded soberly to her neighbours. ‘How’s Ted?’ Verbena, from across the way, mouthed. Woodruff smiled in return, projecting more her hope than the reality, but the fever really ought to have run its course already. He ought to be better. Against all reason, she clung to the thought.

And then they were coming, a group of gaffers carrying the white-shrouded figure. Pride straightened their bowed backs, for it was an honour to bear one of the heroes of Tookland to his rest. Those who carried him, in point of fact, had all ridden out against the ruffians during the Troubles, and they had been among the hundred archers who marched to the Battle at Bywater, and two of them were hobbits retired from the Thain’s escort. Ferdi had served on the Thain’s escort, had even been the head of escort for some time, before becoming Thain Peregrin’s special assistant.

Woodruff stood a little straighter at their approach. She couldn’t help looking closely at the body as it passed, looking for some sign... even the slightest rise and fall of the chest, some sort of movement where the shroud covered fingers and toes.

And then Ferdi’s bearers were beyond, and Nell was passing, her children clustered about her. She held the new babe in her arms, and Meadowsweet followed with the sleeping faunt, and then Diamond and Regi walked arm in arm; and Hilly’s Posey, and Haldi’s Laura, and more wives of the escort, followed by a long line of hobbits who’d watched the procession and then joined in at the tail as it passed. They’d be passing her daughter Heather’s door soon, and Holly’s... though Holly was here, but Holly ought to have no trouble catching them, at the slow, mournful pace they were walking.

Woodruff, of course, did not join in with her neighbours. She turned back into her apartments, hurrying to Ted’s bedside.

‘Thank you, Holly-dear,’ she said, tears in her eyes as the lass rose from her chair. She embraced her daughter-in-love and then said, ‘Go on, love, so that you can catch them.’

‘I’ll throw in a handful for you,’ Holly said softly, referring to the custom by which the grave was filled in. A hobbit with many friends did not have to have dirt shovelled over him. After the body was lowered into the grave, the mourners would shuffle by, each taking a handful of dirt from the pile beside the grave, dropping it gently atop the shroud. Why, in Ferdi’s case, the handfuls of dirt would fill the hole to the top and more, and be rounded over, and when the dirt was gone hobbits would lay flowers from the hothouses atop, and likely the pile would be heaped high when they were done.

‘You do that, child,’ Woodruff said, though she suppressed a shiver, thinking of Ted’s delirium. ‘You do that.’

***

Farry wakened suddenly, realising that he no longer sat in a saddle. No, he was lying on something hard. His hands were still bound together, and the gag was firmly tied in place, but moving cautiously, he discovered that his legs were free.

And there was light, dim it was, but raising his head, slowly and carefully, and looking around, he discovered he was in a shallow cave, and there was the brightness of daylight not far away. He heard snores on either side of him, and looking he saw the fat man, lying on his back, his mouth open wide; on Farry's other side slept the one called “Red”, and he held the rope that was around Farry’s neck. He moved and murmured in his sleep, and Farry held his breath as the rope tightened, and then relaxed again.

Penny and Dapple stood drowsing nearby. They were tied to iron rings that had been driven into the rock, for whatever purpose: perhaps this was a stable of sorts, for travellers in the Green Hill country to seek shelter in times of violent weather. Farry had heard of such places, though as he wasn’t allowed out in inclement weather, he’d never had need to stay in such a place.

It was too bad that he couldn’t take one of them with him, but the ruffians would surely rouse at the ringing of pony hoofs on the stone floor. No, he’d have to rely on his own wits and strength.

With his hands bound before him, it was no trouble to pull the noose looser, and lift it over his head. Slowly, ever so slowly, he crept towards the beckoning daylight. He crouched just inside the mouth of the cave to listen, but heard nothing. Perhaps the rest of the ruffians were sleeping?

Just outside, the wild Green Hills beckoned. Farry was one of the best hiders, in the games of “I Hide and You Seek Me” that the young hobbits of the Great Smials played almost daily. Why, he could see several tempting hiding places from where he crouched, brushy cover, heather and gorse. He could lose himself quickly, and while the ruffians were searching he could creep ever farther away. Once well away, he could scan the horizon for smoke, the clearest sign of a smial, and very common to be seen in this chilly weather!

Or perhaps before he reached the nearest smial, he’d be found by mustered hobbits, armed and ready for trouble. They’d never let the ruffians get their hands on Farry a second time!

The fat man snorted in his sleep, broken snores, and Farry started. It was no good to sit here, waiting, wondering about the other ruffians. He’d heard nothing at all, though he’d strained his ears as he’d marked the best hiding. He could almost hear his father say, Seize the moment, Farry!

He took a deep breath, and darted from the mouth of the cave.