An Infernal Behemoth From The Bowels Of Isengard

by Llinos
beta Marigold

"Hush!" Sam demanded. "Let the lad speak. What's happened Herbie?"

"It's… It's the Green Dragon – It's on fire!" Herbie was still panting from his mammoth run, especially tricky with 2 pints of ale in his belly. "And… and… Poppy Hollowtree and Gammer Barlimow are trapped upstairs!"

"Get the ponies," Merry shouted to Pippin. "We'll get there faster."

"No time for that," Sam decided. "Everyone, grab what you can to douse or beat out the fire and let's go!"

A great clamour immediately arose again. The landlord of the Green Dragon set off at once with a lolloping gait that belied his portly frame, whilst others who lived locally ran off to fetch buckets or bowls or whatever containers might hold water.

Pippin, reacting swiftly to Merry's command for once, rushed off to fetch their steeds, which were stabled at the back of Bag End. By the time he returned with the unsaddled mounts, the Party Field was all but deserted.

"No time for saddles Merry," Pippin gasped. "I've put bridles on but we'd better hurry. Where are Diamond and Vinca and Farrie?"

"I sent them off to the Ivy Bush, with the other womenfolk and youngsters." Merry had not been idle in Pippin's absence. "You can see the smoke from the Green Dragon, the fire must have reached the thatch by now!"

"Wait!" Pippin snatched the reins away from Merry's grasp. "The thatch! How are we going to put the fire out if it's reached so high?"

"We'll work that out when we get there!" Merry snorted impatiently. "Give me my pony and let's go!"

"No!" Pippin slipped his leg over his own pony and jumped down. "Think! We could use the Engine! It's not just for cutting grass – it's got a great big water tank and a hose!"

"Pippin!" Merry's face lit up with excitement. "For once, you're actually right. Come on, she's still got a good head of steam, we'll be there in half the time at full throttle." He was halfway across the field and still running when he thought to announce breathlessly, albeit sternly, "and I'm driving!"

Halfway along the Bywater Road they caught up with the throng. Pippin, mindful of Matt's advice, resisted the urge to blow the whistle and instead shouted at the top of his voice, "Hi! Hi! Out of the way! Clear the way!"

It was hardly necessary advice, since all the racing hobbits had heard the engine's chugging from quite a distance. Several cheered, a few booed and Sam shook his head in dismay. "Why are you still messing around with that thing? This is an emergency!" He shouted up at them.

"No!" Matt Hammerstone pointed towards the billows of smoke, now easily visible. "They're right! The engine can pump water onto the fire! Come on Mr Mayor, climb up, we'll get there quicker."

"Me? Climb on that thing!" Sam gulped back his dismay. "Well I suppose…"

"Come on Dad!" Frodo-lad clutched his father's arm with one hand and with the other grabbed hold of the brass handrail and jumped up onto the running plate, dragging Sam after him. Pippin reached out and caught Sam's braces to haul the reluctant Mayor to safety.

Matt and several other livelier lads, including young Herbie, also managed to leap onto the back of the engine and, once all were safely aboard, Merry opened the throttle as wide as it would go, soon outstripping the rest of the running hobbits. "Must have been 30, if not 35, miles an hour!" He would later claim.

"Watch out! Watch out!" The former drinkers, now auxiliary, albeit still tipsy, fire-fighters were badly shaken when they saw the engine, like an infernal behemoth from the bowels of Isengard, lumbering towards them.

The dwarves, however, who had been attempting to form a wobbly dwarven pyramid to the upper floor, but were beaten back by the flames from the thatch, gave a mighty cheer. "That's just the thing!" Dorin exclaimed to his brother Florin. "It's a genuine steam vapour spindle activated vegetation dissection and lubrication apparatus! There should be a good pump and hosepipe on board."

"Over here, by the Pool!" Dorin, who was slightly less intoxicated than his comrades, directed Merry to park the vehicle midway between the Pool and the pub. Pippin immediately, and surprisingly efficiently, began paying out the hosepipe to the dwarves, making sure it did not snag or twist in the process.

Sam, leaping boldly, and extremely thankfully, from the engine, grasped Rolando by the lapels, shaking the shocked and inebriated youngster to get his full attention. "What's the situation Rolly? Who's still in there?"

"Poppy Hollowtree and Ga- Gammer Barlimow," Rolando stuttered. "Poppy was at the window, screaming her head off. But she's stopped now! I don't know what's happened. We tried to get water up on the thatch – but it's too high!"

The dwarves meanwhile had sprung into action. "You stay up there Master," Florin shouted to Merry. "Keep the engine just ticking over until we get the hose set."

"I need more fuel!" Merry shouted back. "The fire is getting too low. Here Matt, you take over the engine and I'll organise it."

Matt could hardly believe his ears, but leapt willingly up into the cab and took over the controls from Merry. As if born to the occupation, the mechanically minded smith eased the throttle to produce a low thrum from the engine.

Merry meanwhile, with the help of Frodo and Rolando, began to demolish a beautifully crafted garden bench and table. The landlord, at first horrified at this desecration of many hours of loving work, began to stop them, but suddenly realised what the need was and, fetching a sledgehammer from his shed, shattered his handiwork into fragments which were then quickly fed into the engine's dwindling fire. He then started to lay about the shed, in case more fuel was needed.

Several of the dwarves reeled the feeder hose into Bywater Pool and connected the pump to fill the engine's main reservoir, while the others attached the lubrication hose to the output pump and elected Pippin to direct it. (Dwarves generally acknowledge that hobbits are more keen sighted and have better aim than they.)

"Steady now," Dorin warned. He and Florin braced Pippin from behind. "The pressure will have a mighty kick in it!"

"All right Matt!" Pippin cried. "Let her go – full steam ahead!"

None of the hobbits, including Pippin, had anticipated the force that water pumped by an engine through a narrow pipe would generate. The Thain would have been knocked off his feet, but for the sturdy weight of the two dwarven pillars propping him up from behind.

The effect was also something none of the hobbits had seen before, let alone expected. Within seconds, Pippin made good the dwarves' expectation of his heritage and directed the jet of water straight into the heart of fire. Within minutes the thatch was doused into a smoking ruin.

"Quick! Move the engine closer," Merry waved Matt towards the pub. "Under the window. We can use it to get up there."

Matt, grasping the controls so quickly one had to wonder if he had been taking secret lessons, manoeuvred the engine to the right spot, even managing to avoid running Pippin over in the process.

Merry and Pippin, together with Frodo-lad and Rolando, scrambled up onto the roof of the engine. Wordlessly, the two younger hobbits made a step with their crossed hands, enabling Pippin to be tossed up into the burnt-out window.

Merry followed and, with damp handkerchiefs held to their mouths, the pair quickly discovered Poppy and Gammer Barlimow, huddled in a corner, beneath a tent made from a soaked sheet. Fortunately the Gammer's washstand and hot water bottle had provided enough water to keep them from the worst of the smoke and flames.

Nevertheless the danger was still imminent as part of the floor was gone, cutting Poppy and Gammer Barlimow off from escape through the window, added to which, burning rubble from the thatch had fallen into the room. The flames still licked mercilessly around the door and threatened to engulf the two sheltering females at any moment.

Mentally closing his eyes, but for safety's sake actually keeping them wide open, Pippin made a mighty leap across the chasm that separated him from the womenfolk.

"Don't be frightened Poppy," he gasped. "You need to jump, but Merry will catch you." He pulled the terrified lass to her feet and urged her towards the edge of the gaping hole.

"I can't! I can't!" Poppy wailed, "I'm too scarded! I'll fall!"

Pippin looked frantically round the room, remembering for a second how afraid he had been in Moria to leap across a yawning chasm. Through the stinging smoke, he could see that the bed had remained virtually intact. Quickly he pulled back the thin mattress to find good oak boards beneath. Ripping two from the frame, Pippin laid them across the narrowest part of the gap and gently manoeuvred Holly across to Merry's waiting arms.

Gammer Barlimow, now almost unconscious, looked up blearily at Pippin. "Well done, young Master," she wheezed. "Now get yourself out of here while there's still time."

"I'm not going to leave you!" Pippin choked back. The Gammer was frail and thin, but a dead weight and as Pippin hoisted the old hobbit matriarch onto his shoulder he staggered slightly under the burden.

Summoning his last ounce of strength, for it had been a long, hard day, Pippin began to blindly pick his way across the oak boards.

He had almost reached the far side, when there came an ominous cracking sound beneath his feet. The weight of Pippin, combined with the Gammer, proved too much for the weakened remains of the bedroom floor and, as he felt the oak boards dislodge, he frantically flung Gammer Barlimow forward into Merry's arms, before plummeting into the blazing room below.

-TBC-