Day XXIII - At the Crossroads
It seems that the orcs in the nearby camp
Had found out we’d knocked down their towers
They weren't too happy, so we turned and ran
As the arrows rained on us, in showers.
We were lucky, it seems, for they were short-ranged;
We escaped by the skin of our teeth.
As we rounded the corner, we all stopped and gazed
At the bottomless chasm, beneath.
‘Don’t look down, Miss Rosa’ I said, feeling dizzy.
‘Too late,’ she said, ‘I looked!’
‘And I wish that I hadn’t; If down there you fell,’
‘I’m sure that your goose would be cooked.’
On the rise up ahead, stood a solitary dwarf
And as we approached him, he waved.
‘By Durin, It’s Sigurmar! He’ll know where to go.’
‘Thank Mahal! We’ll all be saved!’
‘Lord Kandral,’ said Sigurmar bowing so deeply,
‘Your party’s a welcome sight.’
‘No time,’ replied Kandral, ‘There are orcs all around.’
‘We need a safe place for the night.’
‘We are bound to the pass away to the East.’
‘Perhaps you can show us the way?’
But the dwarf shook his head. ‘There’s a camp to the North.’
‘No point going eastwards, I’d say.’
‘Very well,’ said the Gaffer. ‘I hope we can rest there.’
‘It’s safe enough now,’ Sigurmar said.
‘And I’ve cleared out the way, so we won’t have no trouble.’
‘We just follow the road up ahead.’
Then up spoke Ryga. ‘It’s near Durin’s Way?’
‘Not far; by the Crossroads it’s found.’
‘You’ll have all you need there, there’s beds and provisions.’
‘And I can get us all there, safe and sound.’
Crossing over a square onto a high bridge
We were met with a wonderful sight.
Two statues of dwarf heads, with water for beards
Tumbling and glistening with light.
‘It’s the Dwarf-Lords’ Gate, you can look at it later,’
He said, crossing over the span.
‘We’ll be safer this side, so let’s not delay.’
‘Look lively! As fast as you can!’
Once over the bridge we entered a hall,
With a ceiling, all but out of sight.
We slowed our pace but my knees were still shaking,
From thinking that we’d have to fight.
Then Rosa, she nudged me and pointed ahead.
What I saw made me gasp in surprise.
Two bats, but bigger than any I’d seen;
I couldn’t believe my own eyes.
We crept by the bats and down a stone staircase
Into another grand hall.
Said Sigurmar, ’It’s safe here, I’ll just double back,’
‘To check we weren’t followed at all.’
‘You all go on; the Chamber’s not far’
I looked at the passage ahead.
‘I can’t believe how far we’ve come’
‘Yet still it goes on,’ I said.
‘We’re just past the entrance, said Kandral,
‘There’s a long way to go if I’m right.’
So we crossed the square to the Chamber beyond,
And were met with a most welcome sight.
There were barrels of ale and crates of fresh food
And the vendor had plenty to spare.
So with my portable pantry restocked
I was ready to cook a meal there.
In the midst of this room was a circular hole,
And a strange set of chains and a crank.
‘What’s this for?’ I asked, peering inside
‘Cause the air rising up smells quite dank.’
‘Keep away from that hole,’ said Sigurmar, concerned.
‘It’s a well, as deep as can be.’
‘We’ve not found the bottom of that one, not yet,’
‘So be careful now! Listen to me!’
I dropped in a pebble, hoping to gauge
The depth of the well from the sound.
So I waited a while and then a while longer
And all the rest gathered around.
‘I ain’t heard no splash,’ said Rosa at length,
‘This well’s got no bottom,’ said I.
‘We need somet bigger, let’s try with a hobbit,’
Said Thorlaen, a glint in his eye.
Then the Gaffer came back from his talk with the guards.
They’d said they had ale to share.
So the dwarves all cheered and each took a flagon
From one of the many kegs there.
‘This ale is good,’ said Kandral, ‘Try some.’
‘It’s so strong and will make your beard curl!’
‘And what if you don’t have a beard?’ said I,
Thinking I’d give it a whirl.
‘Will it make my toes curl instead?’ I asked
As I picked up a tankard of beer.
‘Or maybe the hair on your feet,’ said the Gaffer.
‘The guards say they brew it right here.’
Well I lifted the drink to me nose, gave a sniff,
Not sure if this ale was for me.
‘Time to dwarf up, young Pono,’ said Hosgrim
And the others all drew near to see.
So I took a deep breath and lifted the tankard
To me mouth and took a full draught.
Next think that I knew I was flat on my back.
My goodness! How them dwarves laughed.
I got back on me feet, holding onto the table
Not sure what had had come over me.
‘I think that’s enough dwarow ale for this hobbit,’
‘I’ll make me a nice cup of tea.’
Just then, midst the laughter, three of our scouts
Came back with serious faces.
They’d gone ahead to map out our path
And identify dangerous places.
They'd found a library; this one further east,
And full of cave crawlers and such.
‘There’s not much to see between here and there,’
‘And by goblins, we weren't troubled much.’
But there in the library they’d found the bodies
Of some dwarves that had scouted before.
And this news was met with a shaking of heads
And much wagging of beards, what’s more.
‘Well there’s naught we can do for them poor souls,’
Said Kandral shaking his head.
‘But we have to be on our mettle tomorrow.’
‘I think that it’s time for our beds.’
Day XXIV
I was up good and early, needing fresh fish,
And I still hadn’t found a good stream.
With a nice bit of flounder I could make up a dish,
‘Cause flounder and bacon’s a dream!
It was then that I noticed new crates had arrived
And the grocer was shaking his head
‘I asked em fer tatties' he said, ‘carrots too,’
‘But look what they sent me instead.’
‘Flatties, they sent,’ said he, ‘Ruddy Flounder!’
‘Now what am I going to do?’
And I thought to meself, ‘Now then Ponso me lad,’
‘This error is lucky for you!’
‘Flatfish?’ said I, looking into the box,
‘Strange looking critters fer sure.’
‘I suppose you could eat em, if that’s all there were,’
But not like a tasty cave-claw.’
‘There just fit for bait,’ the grocer, he said.
‘Now a cave-claw makes a fine meal.’
‘Well if it’s taters you're after,’ said I feeling clever,
‘I think we can do us a deal.’
‘I’ve a sack left unopened I think I can spare,’
Said the grocer, ‘You have? Well, that’s grand!’
‘So maybe,’ I said, ‘For these taters right here,’
‘I could take a few fish off your hands.’
‘A few?’ said the grocer, ‘Why not take the box?’
‘They sure are no use to me.’
‘It’s tatties I needed; it’s tatties you have,’
‘That sounds a good deal to me!’
So we shook hands on that; I suppressed a wide grin
Feeling that I’d come out best.
So I bought me some bacon, to cook with the fish
And hurried off back to the rest.
At the camp I found all the dwarves round the well,
Trying to fathom its bottom.
They were ready for food, so I cooked ‘em all fish,
And Kandral, he asked where I’d got ‘em.
‘Ah well,’ said Thorlaen, a grin on his face
‘We were told that this well wasn’t dry.’
‘So we lowered him down on the end of a rope,’
With his rods, his luck for to try!’
Well the other dwarfs giggled and Kandral laughed too.
‘That serves me right for asking.’
‘But it seems to me we’ll never deplete,’
‘Your supply of fish everlasting!’
So, with breakfast over I looked for some paper
Not wanting to pack the fish loose.
In my bag were some papers I’d picked up before
As I thought they might be of some use.
One was quite old and covered in writing,
And I held it up to the light.
No matter which way I held up the paper,
It made no sense, try as I might.
The dwarves were discussing the route they should take
And Sigurmar suggested a way
I heard the word ‘garden’ and started to listen
To what this dwarf had to say.
‘That way is safer, I think, and good,’
‘To have a nice change of scenery.’
‘There are reports of herbs there that might be of aid,’
‘And the hobbits would welcome the greenery.’
My ears pricked up: ‘A garden?’ I said.
‘Perhaps we will find some fresh veg!’
I found some brown paper to wrap up the fish
And spread it out on a stone ledge.
‘Just a minute,’ said Kandral, glancing at me.
‘What’s that paper you had in your hand?’
‘What, this?’ I asked, pulling it out
‘It was lying around in the sand,’
‘In that library we went to, the place with the books,’
‘I thought I could use it y’see.’
‘But it’s covered with doodles I thought it was scrap…’
‘Here you are; it’s no use to me.’
Well Kandral, he read it and the dwarves gathered round
Waiting for him to translate.
‘It’s writ in old Moria runes, ‘ said the Gaffer,
‘A style not much used of late.’
His lips mouthed the words and his eyes opened wide
‘This is quite a rare find.’
‘It tells of how Ongli the Smith forged an axe!’
‘An axe of unique kind.’
‘An axe made of mithril, forged for the King!’
‘So strong and yet so light.’
‘And Durin the Deathless had built him a forge.’
‘But hidden away, so he might…’
‘Work there in secret behind a locked door,’
‘With a smart trick to open, you see.’
‘And the trick will be written in Cat -tubs aha!’
(At least that’s how it sounded to me!)
‘That’s a lot of fuss for an axe,’ I said,
‘It’s not like there’s any trees here.’
But the dwarves seemed excited about this news
As one they all gave a cheer.
‘Well that sets our path. We must find this forge.’
Said Kandral, his eyes aglow.
‘And to find the forge, we should learn this trick.’
‘So to Cat-tubs Aha we must go!’
Full poem here
