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.Allvery bad.But since Sharkey came it’s been plain ruination.’‘Who is this Sharkey?’ said Merry.‘I heard one of the ruffians speak of him.’‘The biggest ruffian o’ the lot, seemingly,’ answered Cotton.‘It was aboutlast harvest, end o’ September maybe, that we first heard of him.We’ve neverseen him, but he’s up at Bag End; and he’s the real Chief now, I guess.All theruffians do what he says; and what he says is mostly hack, burn, and ruin; andnow it s come to killing.There s no longer even any bad sense in it.They cutdown trees and let ‘em lie, they burn houses and build no more.‘Take Sandyman’s mill now.Pimple knocked it down almost as soon as he came toBag End.Then he brought in a lot o’ dirty-looking Men to build a bigger oneand fill it full o’ wheels and outlandish contraptions.Only that fool Ted waspleased by that, and he works there cleaning wheels for the Men, where his dadwas the Miller and his own master.Pimple’s idea was to grind more and faster,or so he said.He’s got other mills like it.But you’ve got to have gristbefore you can grind; and there was no more for the new mill to do than for theold.But since Sharkey came they don’t grind no more corn at all.They’realways a-hammering and a-letting out a smoke and a stench, and there isn’t nopeace even at night in Hobbiton.And they pour out filth a purpose; they’vefouled all the lower Water and it’s getting down into Brandywine.If they wantto make the Shire into a desert, they’re going the right way about it.I don’tbelieve that fool of a Pimple’s behind all this.It’s Sharkey, I say.’‘That’s right!’ put in Young Tom.‘Why, they even took Pimple’s old ma, thatLobelia, and he was fond of her, if no one else was.Some of the Hobbiton folk,they saw it.She comes down the lane with her old umbrella.Some of theruffians were going up with a big cart.‘ “Where be you a-going?” says she.‘ “To Bag End,” says they.‘ “What for?” says she.‘ “To put up some sheds for Sharkey,” says they.‘ “Who said you could?” says she.‘ “Sharkey,” says they.“So get out o’ the road, old hagling!”‘ “I’ll give you Sharkey, you dirty thieving ruffians!” says she, and ups withher umbrella and goes for the leader.near twice her size.So they took her.Dragged her off to the Lockholes, at her age too.They’ve took others we missmore, but there’s no denying she showed more spirit than most.’Into the middle of this talk came Sam, bursting in with his gaffer.Old Gamgeedid not look much older, but he was a little deafer.‘Good evening.Mr.Baggins!’ he said.‘Glad indeed I am to see you safe back.But I’ve a bone to pick with you, in a manner o’ speaking, if I may make sobold.You didn’t never ought to have a’ sold Bag End, as I always said.That’swhat started all the mischief.And while you’re been trapessing in foreignparts, chasing Black Men up mountains from what my Sam says, though what for hedon’t make clear, they’ve been and dug up Bagshot Row and ruined my taters!’‘I am very sorry, Mr.Gamgee,’ said Frodo.‘But now I’ve come back, I’ll do mybest to make amends.’‘Well, you can’t say fairer than that,’ said the gaffer.‘Mr.Frodo Baggins isa real gentlehobbit, I always have said, whatever you may think of some othersof the name, begging your pardon.And I hope my Sam’s behaved hisself and givensatisfaction?’‘Perfect satisfaction, Mr.Gamgee,’ said Frodo.‘Indeed, if you will believeit, he’s now one of the most famous people in all the lands, and they aremaking songs about his deeds from here to the Sea and beyond the Great River.’Sam blushed, but he looked gratefully at Frodo, for Rosie’s eyes were shiningand she was smiling at him.‘It takes a lot o’ believing,’ said the gaffer, ‘though I can see he’s beenmixing in strange company.What’s come of his weskit? I don’t hold with wearingironmongery, whether it wears well or no.’Farmer Cotton’s household and all his guests were up early next morning.Nothing had been heard in the night, but more trouble would certainly comebefore the day was old.‘Seems as if none o’ the ruffians were left up at BagEnd,’ said Cotton; ‘but the gang from Waymeet will be along any time now.’After breakfast a messenger from the Tookland rode in.He was in high spirits.‘The Thain has raised all our country,’ he said, ‘and the news is going likefire all ways.The ruffians that were watching our land have fled off south,those that escaped alive.The Thain has gone after them, to hold off the biggang down that way; but he’s sent Mr Peregrin back with all the other folk hecan spare.’The next news was less good.Merry, who had been out all night, came riding inabout ten o’clock.‘There’s a big band about four miles away,’ he said.‘They’re coming along the road from Waymeet, but a good many stray ruffianshave joined up with them.There must be close on a hundred of them; and they’refire-raising as they come.Curse them!’‘Ah! This lot won’t stay to talk, they’ll kill, if they can,’ said FarmerCotton.‘If Tooks don’t come sooner, we’d best get behind cover and shootwithout arguing.There’s got to be some fighting before this is settled, Mr.Frodo.’The Tooks did come sooner.Before long they marched in, a hundred strong, fromTuckborough and the Green Hills with Pippin at their head.Merry now had enoughsturdy hobbitry to deal with the ruffians.Scouts reported that they werekeeping close together.They knew that the countryside had risen against them,and plainly meant to deal with the rebellion ruthlessly, at its centre inBywater.But however grim they, might be, they seemed to have no leader amongthem who understood warfare.They came on without any precautions.Merry laidhis plans quickly.The ruffians came tramping along the East Road, and without halting turned upthe Bywater Road, which ran for some way sloping up between high banks with lowhedges on top.Round a bend, about a furlong from the main road, they met astout barrier of old farm-carts upturned.That halted them.At the same momentthey became aware that the hedges on both sides, just above their heads, wereall lined with hobbits.Behind them other hobbits now pushed out some morewaggons that had been hidden in a field, and so blocked the way back.A voicespoke to them from above.‘Well, you have walked into a trap,’ said Merry.‘Your fellows from Hobbitondid the same, and one is dead and the rest are prisoners.Lay down yourweapons! Then go back twenty paces and sit down.Any who try to break out willbe shot.’But the ruffians could not now be cowed so easily.A few of them obeyed, butwere immediately set on by their fellows.A score or more broke back andcharged the waggons.Six were shot, but the remainder burst out, killing twohobbits, and then scattering across country in the direction of the Woody End.Two more fell as they ran.Merry blew a loud horn-call, and there wereanswering calls from a distance.‘They won’t get far,’ said Pippin.‘All that country is alive with our huntersnow.’Behind, the trapped Men in the lane, still about four score, tried to climb thebarrier and the banks, and the hobbits were obliged to shoot many of them orhew them with axes.But many of the strongest and most desperate got out on thewest side, and attacked their enemies fiercely, being now more bent on killingthan escaping
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