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Branwyn's Bric-à-Brac  by Branwyn 3 Review(s)
LarnerReviewed Chapter: 3 on 1/3/2007
They must ride without the signs of hope if they are to arrive with any hope at all.

annmarwalkReviewed Chapter: 3 on 4/30/2006
Those poor warriors. It's really difficult, isn't it, move forward without some type of charm, amulet, good-luck piece, whether it be a coin or a medal or a sack of walnuts. Yet how painful to meet that barrier that requires the shedding of all baggage, to move unencumbered into the unknown. The miners at Chilkoot Pass in Alaska did it, abandoning their valuables as the bottom to be scavenged by those remaining in the town; even backpackers on the Appalachian Trail do it, when they realize just how much weight is involved in one more paperback, one deck of cards.



Author Reply: It is wrenching to put aside these things you have carried from your home. But once you drop the unneeded baggage, how much more quickly you travel! With no tents or camp furnishing, you can use the pack horses for remounts, and you no longer have that sack of walnuts bumping against you and reminding you of your farm. Best not to think about what you have left behind and may never see again.
Yes, I did think of the American pioneer women who had to pitch the Limoges and furniture out of the waggons to get over the Rockies. (I would have taken my china and gone back to Boston, LOL!)
Thanks for commenting!

Raksha The DemonReviewed Chapter: 3 on 4/29/2006
A sad reminder of the urgency of war (and the Ride of the Rohirrim); that the Riders had to abandon the meager comforts of home that they had brought with them. I hope the chessboard was eventually reclaimed by its owner...

Author Reply: I am sure they were wondering if they would ever return to that place as they piled the unneeded gear in a heap. "Ride light" is lifted from the scene where Theoden is talking with the ill-fated errand-riders. "For if we must ride now in all haste, then we must ride light, with but meal and water enough to last us into battle."
Thanks for the kind comments!

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